By Anica Hattingh and Jeremy Lacob
For four months, Oliver Jenkins and Seth Scott travelled an extraordinary 14 000 miles (approximately 22 530 km) from London to Cape Town, finally reaching Cape Point on 11 March.
While the distance alone is impressive, what makes their journey truly remarkable is that they completed it in a three-wheeled car.
Seth Scott and Oliver Jenkins break a world record as they reach Cape Town after their arduous four-month journey from London in their three-wheel car (a Reliant Robin), Sheila. Supplied: Jeremy Lacob.
Meet Sheila, the three-wheeled car
Their vehicle, affectionately named Sheila, is the last Reliant Robin ever manufactured. With its distinctive design – two rear wheels and a single front wheel – the car is notorious for its instability and high risk of rolling over.
Sheila’s four-cylinder, 850 cc engine (similar to that of a sports motorcycle) and a top speed of 130 km/h made the journey more challenging.
The inspiration behind the trip
Having previously completed the Mongol Rally in 2018, Scott and Jenkins were inspired after seeing someone complete it in a Reliant Robin.
“What could be the next craziest trip you could do?” Scott said during an interview that the pair had with Jeremy Lacob at the Winelands South Engen, just before they began the final stretch of their journey to Cape Town.
“In my research over the next seven years, I found that no one had ever driven the entire length of Africa in a three-wheeled car.”
As if attempting a world record were not enough, the pair also partnered with a UK-based charity, School in a Bag, which provides school supplies to underprivileged children across the world.
They initially aimed to raise £10 000, but exceeded that goal by an additional £3 148 by the end of their trip.
Supporters of Seth Scott and Oliver Jenkins’s journey flock to the Winelands South Engen to see Sheila, the three-wheel car (a Reliant Robin), in person. Supplied: Jeremy Lacob.
The first hurdle in Sheila’s journey
Jenkins and Scott documented their journey on Instagram (@holdmygear), sharing both challenges and small victories along the way.
One of the first obstacles they encountered was the weight of their additional gear, which included spare tools and parts. Many of the spare parts they carried would have been difficult to source in certain regions of Africa as their journey progressed, so the pair had to find a way to manage the excess weight.
“But things were not all well,” they noted in their very first video. “[Sheila] was sinking lower than a billionaire’s submarine. The weight was far too much.” To address this, the pair fitted the car with larger springs to handle the load better. This was the first of many maintenance tasks the pair would have to carry out on their vehicle.
Breakdowns, breakdowns and further breakdowns
Throughout the journey, the pair encountered numerous mechanical failures.
The most severe included the rear axle falling out, transmission failure, and – most critically – a blown engine. This left them stranded in Cameroon while they sourced, shipped, and installed a replacement engine. This all took place while visas for the next leg of their journey were expiring.
“I thought it was over when the piston blew out the side of the engine,” said Scott. “It really did look like the end. Simply getting new visas for the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) would have been impossible.”
Police encounters in Cameroon
In a two-part video series, Jenkins and Scott shared some of the challenges they faced in Cameroon. The pair arrived in the country on day 64 of their journey and were stopped numerous times by military police – often for the same reason.
They explained how officers would initially request documentation to confirm legal entry into the country, but these encounters would often escalate.
“Four times a day, we have been asked for money by the police,” they said. The pair appeared visibly agitated. The pair expressed their frustration at being repeatedly asked for money and described the experience as “quite scary” as tourists.
Despite these challenges, they found that being “brutally honest and speaking from the heart” with officers often helped defuse the situation.
Challenging preconceptions of Africa
Scott, who has travelled to Africa on several occasions, noted that “the continent is often portrayed negatively” – something he believes is “completely unfair”.
“Those rumours have been quashed by us,” he said. “Hopefully people can see that in the videos we’ve been sharing. 99.9% of people are friendly and want to help, and hopefully we’ve shown that to audiences in the UK and Canada.”
After months on the road, countless breakdowns, and challenges that tested both their patience and resilience, Jenkins and Scott proved that even the most unconventional ideas can be realised with determination and adaptability. Once the pair arrived in Cape Point, they celebrated the achievement with fans who had followed the adventure from the start.
Their journey was not only about setting a record or completing an ambitious route, but also about pushing boundaries, supporting a meaningful cause, and reshaping perceptions of Africa along the way.
