TV star car returns to the Lakeland Motor Museum

The Africar has returned to the Lakeland Motor Museum.

Africar, one of the Lakeland Motor Museum’s most distinctive vehicles, has returned to the Lakeland Motor Museum.

Built in nearby Lancaster the distinctive orange livery of the wooden AFRICAR was made famous back in the 1980s when it took part in a Channel 4 series, documenting its epic test run from the Arctic Circle to the Equator.

Created by former journalist and photographer Anthony Howarth, who spent a lot of time in Africa in the 1970s, Africar was designed as a vehicle that could cope with some of the world’s roughest terrain. Made from plywood and using Citroen suspension and engines, Mr Howarth constructed three cars – a pick-up, a station wagon and a six-wheeler. The vehicles set off on Valentine’s Day 1984 for their four-month test, which began at the Arctic Circle in Norway.

Sadly, despite its auspicious start, the Africar never made it to mainstream motoring as the project failed to take off. Lancaster-based Africar International Limited (AIL), which had been set up to manufacture the cars in the 1980s, ceased trading before any of the cars were delivered.

However, almost 42 years later, the Africar has once again taken centre stage at the Lakeland Motor Museum.

The original prototype is one of only a handful in existence and is sure to prove popular with visitors when it returns in 2026. Its instantly recognisable bright orange colour and distinctive shape are what drew initial attention when it was first conceived.

It is believed that the Lakeland Motor Museum is the only UK location where an Africar will be on public display.

To see the Africar first-hand, visit the Lakeland Motor Museum at Backbarrow. The museum is open seven days a week, entry is £13.25 for adults and £7.90 for children (5-15 years). Under 5s go free, and family tickets are also available.