Reliant Robin Survives Desert, Jungle, War In 14,000 Mile Record-Breaking Journey Through Africa

A Reliant Robin doesn't typically top anyone's list of reliable vehicles for obvious reasons. Most of us have seen that infamous "Top Gear" episode where Jeremy Clarkson rolled the Reliant Robin several times, and if you haven't now is the time. It takes a special brilliant idiot, or maybe two in this case, to consider taking one on a 14,000 mile journey. That and a hankering for a world record. Introducing fellow car nerds and the protagonists of this insane story: Ollie Jenks and Seth Scott, the duo behind Hold My Gear.

The whole thing was Scott's hair-brained idea. The Canadian pitched it to his UK friend (Jenks) as a way to set the record for the longest trip ever made in a three-wheeled vehicle. That record, up until these two had completed their journey, had been held by an Anton Gonnissen who traveled via a three-wheeled motorcycle retracing the Peking to Paris racing route in a 1907 Contral Mototri in 2019. The idea was to make their Reliant Robin, dubbed "Shelia the Three-Wheeler," into a pseudo-overlander vehicle. Then they would pack it up with what they need, and pursue a route from London traversing 22 countries to Cape Town, and bring everyone along for the journey.

When a reporter in one of their videos asked Jenks why they were doing all of...this, he replied, "I'm not really sure." The good news is, it went mildly better than anyone would have expected.

The bulk of the work required to get this 2000s-built Robin cross-country ready looked to be a lot of simple maintenance replacing rusty or broken parts. Newer headlights were really the addition of four LED light clusters adhered to the front bumper, and a true overlander light bar affixed to an also new roof rack. They replaced the golf cart-like seats with used Mazda MX-5 MkII seats, "Tombstone style" Ollie quipped, complete with more modern seatbelts. In the rear they installed a big "van life" battery and inverter setup to plug in electrical devices, plus a massive steel guard to cover the tiny 30-liter fuel tank. And because aesthetics, they replaced the 1992 Ford Fiesta mirrors with classic 1970s Robin mirrors.

In just the first week the Reliant Robin's planned progress was quick to fall into jeopardy. On the first day they stopped to upgrade the suspension because the poor thing was nearly sagged to the ground from all the gear packed in the rear. The next day, the rear window started to fall out. Departing Le Mans mid-week, the engine began to misfire. 

They ended the week in Morocco nearly having been deported due to something with obtaining car insurance, another setback in trying to reach the Sahara on their planned timeline. To add to the stress, they had 24 days to get to Ghana before their visas there expired, and about 5,000 miles separating the two.

At about the two month mark they entered war-torn Cameroon (the Anglophone Crisis or Ambazonia War) where the Robin joined a military convoy to be escorted through 300 miles of war zone. The war would be the least of their worries on the country's wavy roads.

And the list of problems this little Reliant faced compounded throughout the trip: a grenaded gearbox, multiple deaths/resurrections of the engine, various parts rattled nearly or completely off as well. At one point, a man with a shotgun strapped at his side helped push a dead Sheila back to their hotel. Another breakdown, they got help loading the Robin onto a cattle truck to transport it for more repairs.

On the flip side, there were moments like Jenks getting recruited to help fishermen on the Ghana coast. In the last leg of the trip the Robin became a safari vehicle, cruising among the elephants, mongooses, giraffes and a rhinoceros. By the end Shelia had literally gone places a Reliant Robin had never been, which no one, not even even the designer could have imagined it going.

Asked if they'd ever do it again, Jenks replied in a video, "Absolutely f***ing not."

Sheila's journey isn't yet finished though. According to the AP, after a short leg from South Africa to Kenya, she'll be loaded onto a ship to Turkey before she's returned to the UK where her journey can be celebrated at the London Transport Museum.