The Land Rover Freelander is not exactly the first of the venerable British brand’s 4x4s that leap to mind if you’re planning a long overland journey or competing in a rally raid. However, Solihull’s first stab at a unibody SUV in the late 1990s was relatively advanced compared to its competition, despite lacking a low-range transfer case or locking differentials. The Freelander was the vehicle of choice for the last “true” Camel Trophy event in 1998, where it showed off its primitive form of torque-vectoring AWD, Hill Descent Control, and off-road-tuned traction control and ABS. Now, imagine scraping together £500 and buying a second-hand (or third-, or fourth-hand…) Freelander and setting off across the deserts of Morocco with a few of your best buddies, all in support of veterans with PTSD. Welcome to Max Adventures’ Driven to Extremes Sahara.
1998 Camel Trophy Land Rover Freelander (Image: Land Rover Heritage Center)
In 2017, Max Adventures launched the Driven to Extremes initiative with the goal of helping injured military veterans by taking them on challenging vehicle adventures to aid their recovery from PTSD. In 2024, the two-week, fully supported expedition returns to Morocco with all those cast-off Freelanders. The entry fee for this adventure for two participants includes a professional support crew (leader, guide, medic, and mechanic) in expedition 4x4s, return ferries from Spain to Morocco, 2 nights hotel accommodation, 9 nights campsite accommodation, 2 nights wild camping, UHF radios, Max Adventure swag, satellite mapping, and vehicle graphics.
You’ll follow the original Paris-Dakar rally route and, according to Max Adventure, “From the Algerian border to the Atlantic Ocean, you’ll battle your way across hundreds of miles of sand, rock, and gravel through Morocco. … Friends and family will think you’re having a midlife crisis, but who cares!”
The Max Adventure Driven to Extremes Sahara Rally takes place in September and October of 2024. Early-bird registration saves you £100 ($126) if you sign up by March 31, 2024. To sign up, visit the website or contact Max Adventure at info@maxadventure.co.uk
Listen more: Overland Journal Podcast Episode 151: Mac MacKenney on Leading Expeditions and Breaking Records
Images: Driven to Extremes Sahara, Land Rover Heritage Center
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