December 25, 1985 – A record setting Christmas drive

It was no ordinary Christmas drive for David Turner and Tim Pickhard when they set off on a journey of approximately 847 miles from Lands End in England to John O’Groats in Scotland on this day in 1985. When they finished the trip four days later they would hold a new distance record for an electric vehicle on a single charge. To obtain the record, the pair drove a Rover Leyland Sherpa converted to be powered by a Lucas electric motor.

Cover: A Rover Leyland Sherpa, similar to the one converted for the journey. By Charles01 – Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0.

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