The Olympics of 4x4: How The Camel Trophy Got Started

On this episode of Chasing Dust, Matt kicks off a brand new mini-series called Glory Days — dedicated to the stories from off-road history that deserve their own spotlight. And there's no better place to start than the Camel Trophy. What began as a one-time publicity stunt by a cigarette company in the Amazon rainforest somehow became the most iconic off-road competition in history. Matt breaks down how it happened, why it ended, and why nothing has ever come close to replacing it. Timestamps: 00:00 | Intro 01:30 | The Transamazonica Highway 02:30 | Andreas Bender Has an Idea 03:35 | The Rental Jeeps of the first Camel Trophy 04:15 | What Was the First Camel Trophy Like? 05:39 | Land Rover Takes Notice 06:36 | Camel Tophy Range Rovers Make Their Debut 07:45 | The Event Grows Rapidly 08:58 | Who Got to Compete in the Camel Trophy? 09:51 | It Was Not a Race 11:07 | Why Did The Camel Trophy End? 12:37 | This Was Not the Plan 13:37 | Wrap-Up Subscribe: https://www.youtube.com/c/DrivingLine?sub_confirmation=1 Follow Driving Line on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/drivingline Follow Driving Line on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drivingline/