Last week we featured the East African Safari Rally ‘Classic’, but what kick started the classic rally was the original East African Safari Rally.

What was at the time one of the largest events outside of the European rally calendar, this video documents the 1969 East African Safari Rally that was eventually won by Robin Hillyer in car Number 1 a Ford 20M RS. The 1969 rally was the 17th in the history of the event after it’s original run back in 1953.

Avoiding animals like cheetahs, zebras and elephants were all part of the challenges as you can see in the footage, making this one truly unique event. 85 cars started the 1969 Rally with only a handful completing the full distance, with cars like Ford Cortina’s, 20M’s, Volvos and Datsun’s all competed for the crown and to cross the finishing line first in Nairobi, Kenya. In the 1963 safari rally only 7 cars made it to the finish line demonstrating first hand just how tough this event was.

This really is worth a watch!