Back My Wheels

The Expedition

Back my Wheels are three mates and this car, Percy. We’ve set a challenge, to drive +18 000 kilometres, from Cape Town, South Africa to Munich, Germany, and recycle this twenty four year old BMW sedan.

 

 

The Purpose

The team wants to showcase African development, and celebrate the brilliance of Human Achievement. We will be meeting with entrepreneurs, social innovators, NGO’s and change makers along the route to learn about and share their work through our various professional, social and live platforms.  The goal – feature Africa done by Africans.

The expedition is also to fulfil a number of personal dreams, whilst thanking BMW for a fantastic piece of engineering that has changed lives in more ways then they could have imagined.

 

Further Details

The concept originated with a challenge from a friend, who wanted to part ways with his vehicle by returning it to its makers. That idea developed into a recycling project and a proposed trip across Africa and Europe in a BMW 318i, E30 with over 500 000 km on the clock.

 

The story begins with one of South Africa’s renowned test pilots, Mike, who had a car accident 24 years ago, leaving him paralysed from the waist down. The BMW we will be driving was the fine piece of engineering that reconnected him with the world again, and as can be expected, has a certain sentimental value.

 

The challenge was therefore set; not to sell it, not to give it away, but to return it to its makers and thank them for the work it had done. The story evolved, with Mike having bought an aeroplane, fitted it with hand controls, and aims to complete his dream of climbing (in this case flying around) Kilimanjaro. Our challenge back to him, to regain his pilots license!

 

So the adventure is ripe; we will be departing for Germany in April 2014, to fulfil the dreams of many and the aim to connect with hundreds en route.