This Guy Drove A 20,000-Mile, Three-Continent Pub Tour In An Old TVR

You might think you've planned one or two epic pub crawls in your time, but nothing compares to the achievement of one man who drove all the way from the world's most northern bar to its most southern

We’ve all planned a pub crawl or two, or at least those of us old enough to drink have. You get the bus or a taxi to one end of town, start at the Dog & Duck for a pint before moving on to the Queen’s Arms, the Bull’s Head, the Crown and finally the Traveller’s Armpit, or whatever. Easy, right?

Wrong: here’s how to do it properly. Ben Coombs, from Plymouth in the English south west, has driven his 20-year-old TVR Chimaera from the northernmost pub in the world to the southernmost. With plenty of refreshment stops along the way.

Starting in the UK he drove to the hotel bar in Pyramiden, on a Norwegian island far from the mainland, Coombs and the Chimaera, known as Kermit, were just 700 miles from the North Pole. A short drive and then a transfer back to the Norwegian mainland let him drive through much of Scandinavia and northern Europe before returning to England.

The car was then shipped to Cuba, where Coombs no doubt enjoyed a suitably local drink. He and Kermit then hopped on to New York. A journey across the US followed, taking him to California before heading south into Mexico and beyond.

Another ship transfer bridged the Darien Gap between Panama and Colombia. The huge South American section lasted 8000 miles of a total of over 20,000. He navigated the Bolivian Altoplano and the same country’s Death Road that you might remember from Top Gear’s Bolivia Special, not to mention the punishing gravel we saw in the fateful Patagonia Special that caused ridiculous controversy because of Jeremy Clarkson’s number plate.

His final destination was Tierra del Fuego, the archipelago shared by Chile and Argentina, where the world’s most southern bar proved to be “a bit of a dive, actually,” according to Coombs. He’s now arranging for Kermit to be shipped back to the UK.

What an achievement. The idea for the epic ‘Pub2Pub’ pub crawl came, as you might expect, after a few beers. He already had Kermit, he had the ambition, the experience and the resources to make it happen. The rest was pure adventure. Some of Coombs’ friends joined him for various short sections, too.

The Englishman already had plenty of experience with this sort of thing. Previously he’s crossed Africa in a classic Porsche and crossed Asia in an old Corvette. After his latest excursion, he might want to thing about writing a pub guidebook…

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Comments

Zubayer Rezoan
02/20/2018 - 11:03 |
12 | 0
CannedRex24

1997 TVR
20000 miles
lightly used
went on a few road trips
works great!

02/20/2018 - 11:08 |
93 | 1

“Yeah except after I came back home and put it in the garage the engine fell through the car and the wheels got positive camber… Suspension broke asw…” -TVR Owner

02/20/2018 - 12:45 |
13 | 0
Nishant Dash

This is a sports car used properly… however did he drink and drive? 🤔🤔

02/20/2018 - 11:20 |
147 | 71

He didn’t drive off instantly after the drinks

02/20/2018 - 11:33 |
1 | 0

Why is your comment so badly downvoted

02/20/2018 - 13:27 |
4 | 0
Wheel Nuts

Should be in the Guinness World Records for the longest distance driven by a TVR without breaking down.

02/20/2018 - 11:34 |
33 | 0

That’s an ambitious assumption

02/20/2018 - 12:12 |
35 | 16

Who said it never broke down? He just forgot to say how many times.

02/20/2018 - 21:27 |
1 | 0
Anonymous
02/20/2018 - 12:37 |
8 | 0
Niko Ala-Rämi 🇫🇮

Looks like something old Top Gear would do

02/20/2018 - 13:54 |
5 | 1
Anonymous

He went to Tierra del Fuego and survives? How lucky

02/20/2018 - 13:56 |
11 | 13
Anonymous

This is one broken ass article

02/20/2018 - 16:14 |
2 | 0
DriftMaster 1

This is the real legend27

02/20/2018 - 16:32 |
2 | 1
Anonymous

I’m gonna do the same but from the most eastern to the most western pub. Should be totally worth it

02/20/2018 - 20:11 |
0 | 0