Introduced by MALIK MERCHANT
Publisher/Editor  Simergphotos, Barakah and Simerg

The football matches between great rival teams in East Africa such as Young Africans and Sunderland of Tanzania and Luo (later Gor Mahia) and Nakuru of Kenya caused a great deal of excitement among football fans, but no sporting event could match the mass appeal and interest of the gruelling 3,000 mile East African Safari rally that was held over 4 days during Easter. Weeks before the event, we would wonder how many cars would be entering the race, how many drivers would come from overseas, and the makes of the cars. Once the rally began in Nairobi, tens of thousands people from all walks of life in Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania would throng the streets to see the arrival of the rally cars in their villages and towns. We would be listening to the radio for updates, and waiting to read the morning papers. We are pleased to bring to our readers a selection of photos of the 1964 rally from the collections of The Henry Ford. While the focus is on Ford cars — and specifically the Comet — readers will get an appreciation of the preparations that went into making each car “safari ready” to withstand all that the East African roads and weather would throw at the drivers and their cars to push them into early exit from the rally. Please click HERE or on the photo below to read the story.

Date posted: April 15, 2022.

______________________

Before departing this website please take a moment to review Simerg’s Table of Contents for links to hundreds of thought provoking pieces on a vast array of subjects including faith and culture, history and philosophy, and arts and letters to name a few. Also visit Simerg’s sister websites Barakah, dedicated to His Highness the Aga Khan, and Simergphotos. The editor may be reached at mmerchant@simerg.com