Flying Scotsman Rally, April 2015

Flying Scotsman Rally, April 2015

Bentley Alaska Tour, 2009

Peking To Paris Rally — 2007
Ioannis Katsaounis & Franco Lupi in the 1929 Bentley 6½ Tourer

(Photo by Gerard Brown)

History Of The Peking To Paris Rally
In 1907 a Parisian newspaper issued a challenge: "What needs to be proved today is that as long as a man has a car, he can do anything and go anywhere. Is there anyone who will undertake to travel this summer from Peking to Paris by automobile?"

So started the Peking to Paris motor race.

Only five motorists managed to make the start in vehicles ranging from a three wheeled Contal cycle car to a 7 Litre Itala. The race followed a telegraph route which allowed the journalist travelling as a passenger in each car to wire their reports to the newspapers. This enabled the public in Europe and America to keep abreast of the race while it was being run.

The race was won by Prince Scipione Borghese in his Itala. The Prince was so confident of his chances of winning that he took a detour from Moscow to St Petersburg to attend a dinner held in his honour, before re-joining the race in Moscow.

(The following was written prior to the start of the 2007 event)
To celebrate this early pioneering motoring event The Endurance Rally Association has organised a re-enactment of the race to be held in 2007. A total of 134 cars will set out from Beijing (formerly Peking) on May 27th to follow the 1907 route as closely as possible (even making the detour from Moscow to St Petersburg).