Some adventures blow past the line between “awesome road trip” and “legendary journey.” Few come close to what Gunther Holtorf did with his trusty Mercedes-Benz G-Class, affectionately called Otto. For 26 years, Gunther drove Otto around the entire world, long before overlanding was a thing on Instagram or YouTube. From deserts to jungles, frozen tundra to tropical beaches, this was real exploration in a truck that proved its grit every single mile.
How It All Started
In 1988, Gunther was a middle-aged man with a great sense of adventure. He bought a 1988 Mercedes-Benz 300 GD — a simple Gelandewagen with 80-something diesel horsepower — and planned a short trip across Africa. Instead of months, that trip turned into a lifetime journey. Gunther outfitted the truck with gear: a rooftop luggage filled with spare parts, camping supplies, recovery tools, and fuel cans. His original plan was modest, but once he hit the road, he never looked back.
Along the way, his wife, Christine, joined him and helped make the trip what it became. She even gave the truck its nickname: Otto. Together, they pushed beyond Africa into South America, North America, Asia, Australia, and every corner of Europe. What was once a 1-year plan turned into 26 years on the road.
215 Countries and Over 550,000 Miles
By the time the journey ended in 2014, Gunther and Christine had:
-
Traveled to 215 countries — nearly the entire planet.
-
Covered over 550,000 miles in Otto.
-
Gone through deserts, mountains, jungles, and frozen lands. Temperatures ranged from –17°F in Siberia to 120°F in Australia.
-
Driven up to the Mount Everest base camp area (over 16,000 feet above sea level).
-
Used only one original engine, transmission, and drivetrain on the G-Class.
They didn’t just “pass through” these places. Gunther didn’t count a country unless he spent time there, met locals, and learned something about the culture. That made his trip much more than a simple checklist of borders crossed.
Struggles on the Road
In the early 1990s, there were no smartphones, GPS units were rare, and travel information was harder to come by. Gunther and Christine relied on paper maps, sometimes local guides, and plenty of patience. They shipped Otto across oceans in containers, took ferries between continents, and crossed borders that most travellers never see.
Christine stood beside Gunther through years of adventure. But their time together on the road wasn’t without struggle. Christine developed cancer in the late 2000s, and as her health declined, the couple slowed their pace. Her last trip was in May 2009, and soon after, she settled in Bavaria while Gunther continued.
In June 2010, Gunther and Christine decided to get married, just weeks before she died from cancer. It was a decision born of love and a desire to share one last moment together after two decades of travel. Christine’s passing in 2010 deeply affected Gunther, but it didn’t stop him from finishing what they had started. Instead, he honored her memory by continuing Otto’s world tour, often with a photo of Christine tucked in the truck’s rearview mirror.
Recognition and Legacy
When he finally brought Otto back home in 2014, it marked the end of a journey that lasted more than a quarter of a century. Otto was welcomed into the Mercedes-Benz Museum in Stuttgart, Germany, a perfect place for a truck that became part of the brand’s history.
In 2017, Otto was officially recognized in the Guinness World Records for the most countries visited by a car (non-consecutively). This cemented the trip’s place in history and inspired overlanders, travelers, and adventure lovers everywhere.
Gunther’s Later Years
Gunther Holtorf went on to live several years after his return from the road. He shared stories of his travels, met other explorers, and inspired a generation of people. He passed away on October 4, 2021, at the age of 84, leaving behind an incredible legacy of curiosity, courage, and wanderlust.
Today, overlanding has become popular. There are YouTube channels, fancy expedition builds, and epic playlists dedicated to world travel. But Otto’s world tour was real before that world existed. Gunther and Christine chased experience, people, cultures, and roads less traveled, instead of likes or followers.
They proved that with a reliable vehicle, a good partner, and plenty of patience, the whole world can be explored one mile at a time.
