African Safari ( 1964 )

This 1964 British Pathe newsreel highlights a very untraditional "safari"...it is actually a roundtrip road rally from Nairobi.  The annual Safari Rally was first held on May 27, 1953, as a celebration of Queen Elizabeth II and was originally known as the East African Coronation Safari. For many years it was famous for being the most difficult and most prestigious rally in the world. 

The route stretched for 3,200 miles and in this particular rally, it was a Ford Cortina GT that snagged first place. A Volkswagen Beetle ( ! ) had won the competition the first two years of the race. The terrain was rocky and dusty but very scenic, hence the title "safari" was very fitting because elephants, rhinos, and wild antelopes could be seen en route. 

If this race sounds like a good concept for a film, well, that idea was taken already. In 1978, an Italian production called 6000 Km di Paura aka Safari Rally was made and featured footage from the 1977 rally. 

The Safari Rally is still being held today and there is even an East African Safari "Classic" Rally that features just classic cars. 

African Safari ( 1964 ) 

Ready to rally? Check out these other rally clips from British Pathé :

Monte Carlo Rally ( 1965 ) - 4:07 min

Alpine Rally ( 1965 ) - 2:40 min

Triumph Car Rally ( 1957 ) - 4:11 min