Three friends attempting an epic drive from London to Cape Town have turned down an offer from Toyota South Africa to lend them a helping hand with a brand new Hilux GR-S after Edna’s chassis, an older Hilux version of the bakkie, broke in half.
The British nationals Karen, James and Spence have garnered a huge following on their social media pages after setting off on the epic journey in their 2010 Toyota Hilux D-4D double cab, which they have named Edna.
The trio have so far driven over 12,000 kilometres through southern Europe and the west coast of Africa, but their journey came to an abrupt halt recently when Edna’s chassis snapped in half after traversing some really rough terrain between Nigeria and Cameroon.
The friends posted a plea on social media calling for fans to donate money via Paypal for the major repairs that their bakkie would need.
After fans pleaded with Toyota SA to help, the carmaker was only too happy to step in and offered the trio the use of a brand new Hilux GR-S.
The recently launched bakkie model is the most powerful diesel Hilux ever, boasting 165kW and 550Nm on tap.
“We’ve been loving your epic journey from London to Cape Town. Edna’s been a trooper, but we’re sad to see her struggling. To keep the adventure rolling, we’d love to send Edna’s newly-launched big brother, the Hilux GR-Sport, to complete your journey to Cape Town! Please check your DM for details,” Toyota SA replied on their Instagram post.
But to everyone’s surprise, the friends rejected Toyota’s generous offer.
“Big thank you to @toyota_sa for offering to help out with a new car, BUT we need Edna to get to Cape Town and will try our best to get her fixed!”
While some fans understood their need to remain independent, rather than being tied to a potential marketing campaign, many social media users criticised their rejection of Toyota’s offer.
“It feels a bit ridiculous that they are requesting donations from everyone, but won’t accept a new car from Toyota because Edna is their ‘mother’. It’s just a car, it’s weird to personify it to this degree,” one Instagram user said.
While some have been questioning the long-term durability of the crew’s 14-year-old Toyota Hilux, there are a few things to be kept in mind.
First and foremost, the vehicle was purchased in the UK, where salt placed on the roads in winter leads to widespread rusting in cars.
Some commentators said they should have inspected the chassis more closely before purchasing the vehicle.
But what lies ahead for this adventurous crew?
At this stage it remains uncertain. They are believed to be somewhere in Cameroon.
Although they are still posting travel updates, these are delayed for security reasons, meaning the latest posts could be days or weeks old. The broken chassis post was an exception, and posted in real time because the friends really needed help.
So far they’ve spent over 60 days on the road, experiencing numerous highs and lows as well as interesting adventures, such as a scary snake temple and attending voodoo sacrifices in Benin.
They’ve stayed in interesting and sometimes luxurious hotels, presumably sponsored, and have also roughed it on the rooftop tent of their kitted Hilux.
They were denied entry into Togo and required an armed escort into north western Cameroon due to security issues in the area.
In addition to their chassis maladies, the trio also endured clutch and gearbox problems along the way, which local mechanics have so far managed to fix.
But will they clear the biggest hurdle of them all? It remains to be seen whether Edna will hit the road again.
IOL Motoring