Survival of the Quickest: Across Africa. In a Porsche

As the owner of a “seasoned” Porsche 944 I can appreciate the risk and worries of putting one through such punishment. Durable and well engineered but anything neglected loves to play random and usually costly tricks. About half way through.

Great read of an unbelievable adventure. What a trip. And apparently not the first of its kind for these crazy people. I really enjoyed it. Had a half dozen Porsches and always thought they were well built. Never a 944, though. Maybe I should.

The book is great, so far. I haven't finished reading it entirely. A nice touch would be some pictures to support the text. The main reason I bought the book was to see what problems the author ran into under extreme conditions. I also own a white Porsche 944 (1987). May I suggest that other readers run a search on the author's name to access pictures taken during the trip. Another feature I like is that the author gives insights on the various countries crossed. I did cheat and read what finally happened to the 944. It was not junked out, in spite of having been trashed druing the trip.

If you like travel and adventure and cars and Porsche - this is your book. If you’ve owned a 944 and wondered what they could really do, how about going from England to Cape Town? Will the old car make it? Great fun finding out.

Ben is a great, descriptive writer. His words help bring the places and events to life. He'll inspire you to look for adventure wherever you can find it and convince you anyone can find it.

I liked the adventure, but I thought that some of the descriptive language to be a bit flowery. I skipped the bits about his relationship with Laura. It sounded as though he was going to throw his leg over!!!I'm nearly finished it, so I'm not complaining.

Enjoyed it both from the adventurer`s point of view as well as from having a 23 year old Porsche that continues to build trust with every passing day.

Very interesting story. The ball joint failures were familiar to me as I have had to do those on my race car.

Ben Coombs is certainly a rare individual, who not only imagines exotic road trips but also makes sure these are carried out. Whether it is the Mongol Rally in a Mini, crossing the Subcontinent on a tuk-tuk, an Arctic circle exploration in a Fiat 126, or the adventure of this book - going from the UK to Cape Town in a Porsche - if he can imagine it, consider it done.Luckily his writing is certainly at a similar level to his imagination and the book is a real pleasure to read. On top of getting an idea of the trips and places, he manages to also convey the personal difficulties in such a trip, the importance of knowing your travelling companions and being sure you will get along even after weeks of being cooped up in a tiny space and in hair raising situations, etc.What I found particularly laudable is the author's balance between being honest about his feelings about the places, even if they are not always beamingly positive, and an understanding of the situation / culture that leads to it - in this way he does not come across as prejudiced or judgmental while not sugarcoating the situations.The first, most prominent place, however, remains accorded to the real adventure of driving across Europe, Middle East and down the whole length of Africa, and doing all that in the most unlikely of candidates - a somewhat battered and elderly Porsche 944.If you are thinking about a road trip yourself, or if you simply enjoy reading about travel generally this is an excellent book to go through - the only problem I would like to mention is that the book is currently the author's only chronicle, or put differently it would be excellent if he carries on with his writing for the other journeys past, present and future.

Take a completely unsuitable car to South Africa with a girl who you fancy like mad and thought you had an agreement with but who has fallen for another man right before the tour starts.What could go wrong?Well, you could bring along another car-load of people who are totally incompatible with one another, and mix in the best of third-world bureaucracy, inhospitable weather and terrain, and food that is only intent on killing you. Oh, and time-constrain the whole trip.Brilliantly written. This might be Ben's first book but he's clearly no stranger to writing. There are no boring overlong descriptions here, just to-the-point accurate expositions of the sights and sounds... and arguments. I loved it.This isn't Ben's first trip of this sort either, but it is his longest. I hope his current journey (to Vietnam in a Corvette) will be accompanied by another book WITH PICTURE PLEASE in due course. I'll definitely buy it.Pistonheads forever..!!

If you've ever holidayed, travelled or run a fun car on a very tight budget I wager a pint you'll not only enjoy but love this read.I'm struggling to say something that will draw you in but not give anything away as not only is the trip pretty incredible, Ben has a way with words that genuinely put you in his shoes. The minutae of a breakdown, mishap or overnight rest spot are conveyed in a manner that's incredibly accessible and enjoyable to read. A lot of books of this type (although I've never read anything else quite like this) are interspersed with pictures or accompanied by a documentary. Survival of the Quickest doesn't need either. It's an automotive travelogue that is never preachy, pretentious or gap-yah, it's the author and his friends playing out a pub idea and riding the wave of emotional highs and lows that go with it.Follow his blog or updates on the Pistonheads forum. Buy this book. Wait for the next one. You'll love it.

Ben Coombs is an excellent writer. I found that his expedition account held my close attention from the start to the very finish. I sincerely hope he has continued to enjoy the world about him with the same positive spirit and look forward to his future tales. I feel sure there will be many.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Really, really good stuff.Travel writing can be wanky and pretentious - this is categorically neither. At all times, the author manages to give the impression that he is muddling through, making the best of situations, and in so doing, he brings the fantastic places described in the book much closer to the reader.Throughout the book, many people say to him "Cape Town in a Porsche? Impossible." But if they were to read this book, their response would surely be "Well, I suppose it is possible after all..." That is not to detract from the severity of some of the situations in which Teams Porsche and Shogun find themselves; but more to congratulate the author on the way he brings them back down to earth with his descriptions. His entertaining descriptions of his (mostly) friends and their inevitable spats are a further way in which the narrative is made real for the reader. Some of Brummy's lines had me in stitches, occasionally in public.The author also manages the trick of relating his experiences on the ground to the macropolitical situation, without sounding in any way sanctimonious. Finally, I was a big fan of the beer reviews.In short, great bit of writing, I'm gutted that I've finished it, and can't wait to read the account of the author's next trip, which I sincerely hope he is planning to write.