This G-Class Mercedes named “Otto” traveled the four corners of the world for 26 years. The engine is still the original.
Gunther Holtorf is a German who left his job 26 years ago with one goal: to travel the world behind the wheel of his Mercedes G-Class «sky blue». Left behind was a steady job as a manager at Lufthansa. All in exchange for a life full of adventures and stories to tell. Sounds like a good deal don't you think?
Holtorf says that the first 5 years were spent crossing the African continent, an adventure that even his third wife's divorce couldn't stop. It was then that through an ad in the Die Zeit newspaper, Holtorf met the woman of his life, Christine. It was with Christine that he traveled from 1990 to 2010, the year in which a cancer diagnosed in 2003 took his life.
During this period, they traveled to countries such as Argentina, Peru, Brazil, Panama, Venezuela, Mexico, USA, Canada and Alaska, among others. After that they headed to Australia where they spent another season, but it was in Kazakhstan that they reached the remarkable 500,000km mark.
The trip continued through countries such as Afghanistan, Turkey, Cuba, Caribbean, United Kingdom and many other European countries. Meanwhile, Christine passed away, but Holtorf promised to continue her journey. Alone, only in the company of his faithful “Otto” he took to the road to discover China, North Korea, Vietnam and Cambodia.
Still with the original engine, this adventure that lasted 26 years and traveled through 215 countries ended in Germany. Mercedes – which upon learning of this adventure decided to support Gunther Holtorf – will exhibit the “Otto” in its museum in Stuttgart, where this globetrotter can be seen by thousands of interested and passionate about the brand.
