Beijing-Paris by car

In 1907, not many people responded to the call of the Paris newspaper "Le Matin" and set out on the 12,000-kilometre challenge with their oil cans and oilskins. Five teams dared to take part in the "race", which can be described, not without exaggeration, as the greatest automobile adventure in history. Luigi Barzini was there, he experienced together with Prince Scipione Borghese, mechanic Ettore Guizzardi and the "Itala" every pothole, every swamp, almost insurmountable passes, deserts, snowstorms, collapsing bridges ... and met people who had never seen an automobile before. Even one hundred years later, his book is far more than just a travelogue: it is a study of people and countries the likes of which are no longer to be found today. Every page smells of petrol and thanks to his grandiose writing style, "Peking - Paris" will captivate you from the first line to the last. Barzini makes you want to go on an adventure!