Recently, the British boy Ollie Jenks and his Canadian partner Seth Scott drove an old-fashioned three-bouncer, , to complete the extreme crossing from London to Cape Town, South Africa. The total journey was 22,500 kilometers, passing through 22 countries, and lasted four and a half months. They became the first people in the world to drive a three-bouncer across the African continent.
The two people’s car is a Reliant produced in the 1970s and has long been discontinued. The Robin three-wheeled car, , is originally a short-distance transportation tool in the UK. It has no suspension, no air conditioning, and no power steering. It is not suitable for long-distance travel at all. But they named the car "Sheila" and decided to start a crazy journey.
In October 2025, the two set out from London and entered Africa and started the "car repair all the way" mode. They needed to replace the wheel springs two weeks after departure. When they arrived in Ghana, the gearbox failed and only four gears were available. When they arrived in Cameroon, they were stuck in the car—— The engine was completely scrapped, but they were able to continue moving forward thanks to the help of local people and spare parts sent by British three-bounce enthusiasts.
In addition to vehicle failures, travel dangers are also an obstacle: Benin coincided with an attempted coup, and the streets were densely populated by military police; while traveling through northern Nigeria, they encountered a US air strike against ISIS and were almost affected; in a high-risk area of violence in Cameroon, they had to be escorted by government troops for nearly 480 kilometers before they were able to escape; in the Congo section, an overtaking bus drove them to the edge of a cliff, almost causing a car crash and death.
Even though the journey was bumpy, the two still witnessed the magnificent scenery of African deserts and mountains, and encountered giraffes, elephants, and rhinos up close. It was these that supported them in completing the journey.
In the end, this three-bouncer, which was covered in scratches and had many parts overhauled, ran the last 1,600 kilometers with a barely supported engine and successfully arrived in Cape Town. It will be stationed in the London Transport Museum after completion of maintenance.
