1955 First Overland, London to Singapore – Tim Slessor

The 1955/56 Oxford & Cambridge Far Eastern Expedition—a milestone in overlanding history as inspirational today as it was 60 years ago.

We scroll back to 1955, Tim Slessor was one of a six-man team who pioneered the longest overland trip ever undertaken by a vehicle—London to Singapore. A journey that would take six months and cover over 14,000 miles through some of the most demanding terrain…quite an impossible undertaking. Luckily, they found support from The Rover Company, and from this trip, the most famous Land Rover expedition of the 50s-to-date has often been cited.

Today, aged 86, Tim is sitting opposite me in his beautiful cottage in Brittany, sipping Whisky Mac in front a blazing fire. He is just as much the live wire he has been throughout his fulfilled life and his passion for Land Rover is as strong now as it was when they returned from their monumental journey.

The following story summarises the epic journey, some of the challenges, surprises and pleasures they encountered en route. But it also underlines what can be achieved with what we today would consider a minimalistic approach to equipment and technology—after all, what is a 1955 Series I Land Rover compared to the latest cars in your local showroom? Not to mention the limited off-road experience of these six young men.