It's Day 31, the expedition is halfway through Russia, and with the traffic getting worse the further west they go, the crews opt for a back road. But Russian back roads are always a struggle, and the million dollar Spyker ends up in a ditch. It's pulled out unscathed but at day's end there's been 12 hours on the road averaging just 9 kilometres an hour. At the end of a day like this, it's hardly surprising that everyone's left feeling edgy about the way Lang handles things. But Lang's unrepentant. For him, a day like this is what it's all about.
There's rain. Lots of it and it's very cold. Stijnus's support crew, Rob Spyker is worried about hypothermia, but they can't stop. It's 450 kilometres to Moscow and there's a big reception at the Australian Ambassador's residence to attend in just two days' time. Stijnus keeps driving, but Rob eventually abandons him for the warmth of a backup vehicle - and no one really blames him - except Stijnus!
At the Australian Ambassador's reception one of the guests is a cartoonist from Pravda, one of the world's most famous newspapers. He invites Warren to draw a cartoon for the paper. An interesting scenario - the cartoonist from Australia's largest capitalist newspaper drawing for one of the world's oldest communist newspapers.
Moscow marks the first farewell from the expedition: Keith Brodie's wife, Louise has to head back to Australia so his mate, Peter Brown is flown in as co-driver. After Moscow it's on to St Petersburg. On the original expedition, Prince Borghese was 14 days ahead of his nearest rival, and so cocky was he that he took time out to go to a ball at a palace in St Petersburg, dance with some pretty women and still got to Paris first. This expedition is doing the same thing - entirely in the interests of historic authenticity!
After heading north and west for more than six weeks it's time to head south. Paris seems almost within reach but just when everyone starts to think they're hitting the easy part, the cars have other ideas. But with Paris over the horizon, six days to Bastille Day and who knows what other problems yet to come, they can't afford to ease the pace. It's not just the cars that are cracking up. Lang makes a shock announcement: John Matheson is leaving the expedition and striking out alone. For a brain surgeon who likes things organised 'just so', it's been a real trial. After nearly 14,000 kilometres it feels like a tragedy to lose a driver, especially for his son, Mick.
John heads off with Andrew in tow, while the rest of the expedition approaches Paris through Verdun where one of history's bloodiest battles was fought in 1916.
Now it's the night before Paris. 14,000 kilometres, 10 countries, 59 days on the road - exactly the same time it took Prince Borghese to win the first Peking to Paris race. The expeditioners celebrate their triumph before curling up in their tents for one last time. Today's the day. It's a sweltering 30 degrees and the expedition, in their hundred-year-old cars and with a newspaper cartoonist navigating, is facing Parisienne traffic - it's a disaster waiting to happen.
Then five days after he left the expedition in Germany, John Matheson pulls in behind the Itala in the blue De Dion. The five vehicles head towards the Arc de Triomphe for a celebratory circuit. Then down the Champs Elysee across the Seine and into Place Jacques Reuff behind the Eiffel Tower.
They made it across half a world. Five old cars and a bunch of romantics. And, in the end, they made it together.
click here to see where to watch or .
Ready to Watch Peking To Paris, Season 1, Episode 4?