The first Japanese car we’ve ever owned. (We’re not including the mk2 MX5 we owned for a matter of weeks before Reece drove it into a ditch).
A 2016 Nissan Patrol GU. Calling it “big” doesn’t quite do it justice. This thing is enormous. You don’t step in, you climb up and you don’t so much drive it as you do operate it. You are basically now an equal with with lorry drivers.
Back in the UK, every car we owned had its place and story. Selling them before flying here was one of the hardest tasks about leaving. The Defender was probably the closest comparison but that’s only because it was the only other 4x4 we had. But the Patrol… this is different. It’s heavy handed, rugged and about as subtle as a toolbox being thrown down a staircase. It’s built for doing, not showing off (although I’m sure it could).
We bought it with one goal in mind: make it home. For the next 6 months, this thing will carry everything we own - clothes, tools, food, camping gear, fridge, coffee set up and all of Reece’s hair products. Every square inch has to earn its place.
Over the last few weeks, it’s slowly taken shape. The drawers are complete, the gear is nearly packed and somehow it looks like it’s all going to fit. And of course, in true Race & Taylor fashion, it’s now a rolling billboard. A 2.5-ton canvas with our logo and lucky number.
The plan from here is simple: head north. No real timeline, no fixed route, just a couple of key events we don’t want to miss and a growing list of places we want to visit but more on that later.
So here’s to the road ahead. A massive car that now makes parallel parking an extreme sport, and a journey that’s equal parts adventure, caffeine and most likely plenty of questionable decisions.