Two women who scarcely know each other, but with a common love of exotic landscape, vintage wheels, and high adventure (one a well-heeled Pacific Heights motorcycle enthusiast, the other a Santa Cruz-based automotive journalist, car fanatic, and mother of two small children) join forces to tackle an arduous endurance rally, driving a classic car over ten thousand miles of rough and exotic terrain in the Peking to Paris Motor Challenge. Prince Borghese's Trail is a classic travel adventure narrative in the tradition of Alexandra David-Neel and Beryl Markham. In 1907, a handful of European aristocrats competed in the longest, toughest automobile race everAone that spanned half the globe, from Peking to Paris. The Italian who won, Prince Borghese, limped into Paris 60 days after the start of the race. Ninety years later, the British Classic Car Rally Association invited intrepid adventurists to reenact the race. As if a course spanning 10,421 miles through 12 countries, deserts, and mountain ranges of 17,000' was not enough, competitors were limited to cars at least 25 years old. Obert, a motoring journalist, completed the course with her co-driver in 43 days. In her journal of the race, Obert provides a course in the dangers of flogging fragile classic cars over narrow mountain roads and across deserts. She vividly depicts the eccentric castAorganizers with maps showing incorrect routes, rich dandies who end up having their cars trucked over a third of the distance, the tragic death of a father-and-son team. Obert's detailed descriptions of the countries, cultures, and car nuts involved in the race are compelling, making the book hard to put down. Highly recommended.AEric C. Shoaf, Brown Univ. Lib., Providence Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc. Traveler, auto journalist, and mother of two, Obert, and her codriver Linda Dodwell, brave the elements, the clashing cultures, and the glass ceiling in professional auto racing to embark on a 10,000-mile race from Peking to Paris that hearkens back to an earlier time--1907, to be precise, when Italian prince Scipione Borghese made the trek. Obert's enthusiasm for the cars, the race, and the awesome sights propels the action. Yes, there are crashes of the vintage autos (including some deaths), and because of the age of the vehicles, countless breakdowns along the way. In addition, interspersed with the two women's account of the modern rally are the notes taken by Prince Borghese's driving partner, Italian journalist Luigi Barzini. Obert and Dodwell are forced to don traditional heavy clothes in the Arab-speaking world, and they are towed in Italy before they make their triumphant entrance in the City of Light. Through it all, Obert's excitement motors the diary along. Joe Collins "All those misadventures, all that wild scenery, all those fabulous old cars! Her account is as vivid as being there. It's a thrilling ride." -- Susan Fox Rogers, author/editor of Two in the Wild: Tales of Adventure from Sisters, Friends, Mothers, and Daughters and Solo: On Her Own Adventure "Genevieve Obert's story of driving halfway around the world as part of a classic auto rally is hair-raising and addictive. Best of all are Obert's hilarious descriptions of her rallying cohorts and their antics. This is travel writing at its eccentric best." -- Lucy Jane Bledsoe, author/editor of Lesbian Travels: A Literary Companion "Makes great reading right from the start. The exhilaration of the race, the anguish of the crash, the tragedy in Pakistan, and the exotic scenery all come across in Obert's clear, entertaining style. I highly recommend this book." -- Phil Hill, Grand Prix World Champion "Now here's something I didn't think I was much interested in-rally car racing. Well, it turns out that Genny Obert had my attention from the get-go and I kept my fingers crossed for her and the funky Hillman Hunter all the way across Asia and Europe. She's the sort of adventurous but responsible pal I'd love to have along on a road trip." -- Judy Jewell, manager of Powell's Books on Hawthorne and author of Lonely Planet Pacific Northwest "Why would two American women want to spend six weeks driving a little old British motor car as fast as possible across half the world? So that they can tell us about it, of course. By the time we finish reading Genny Obert's crisp and dramatic account of this somewhat insane adventure, most of us will want to do it [too]-if not for the thrill of it, which she conveys so expertly, then for the eccentric company, and the sense of history and achievement they experienced. Some worlds may shrink with time, but Paris is just as far from Peking as it ever was. This book makes that abundantly and compellingly clear." -- Ted Simon, author of Jupiter's Travels: Four Years Around the World on a Triumph and Riding High Rallying vintage automobiles through exotic locales like Tibet and Nepal is typically a rich man's sport, but automotive journalist, car fa