LatAm 2008

We shipped a convoy of cabriolets to Belém and set out across the Amazon and the Transamazônica—laterite, ferries, and long red-dirt days—before turning through the Pantanal to Iguazú, then west into Paraguay and Bolivia for the Altiplano, Potosí and the Salar de Uyuni. The southern arc ran Ruta 40 into Patagonia for Bariloche, Perito Moreno and, finally, Ushuaia at the end of the road. Daily briefings, an offline roadbook, and a sweep crew kept the rhythm while the organisation worked in the background.

It was heavy and hectic. Customs in Belém became a saga of stamps and waiting rooms before the containers were finally released; then the route itself proved unforgiving, with broken parts, field repairs and a support “bezemwagen” busy most days. Yet the convoy kept moving, stories multiplied, and most participants made the finish—sunburned, dusty, relieved, and proud.