Our Land Rover, a 1969 Type II-A, photographed here in Chobe National Park in Botswana in September 1975. I was strapped to the roof rack of a Jeep Wagoneer that was driving ahead of the car so that I could take the photo.
Land Rovers were known for being indestructible, but that reputation wasn’t really justified. For example, he drive shafts of the rear axle were notorious for breaking frequently. That happened to us once, too. The right drive shaft of the rear axle broke for no apparent reason. It probably already had an old crack in it. Fortunately, we had spare drive shafts with us, so we were able to fix the problem within half a day. Later, Hans and Bert could use this experience well, when they began preparing for their trip to the Sahara in 1981.
But Land Rovers had something special – they could go almost anywhere, and there was virtually no competition from other car brands. That, in particular, shaped their image back then.
And since Land Rovers were more or less the standard vehicle in Africa at the time, spare parts were available in almost every corner of the continent – though they were often used parts.