This Guy’s Casually Driving His Old BMW 5 Series From Germany to Asia and Back

If you’re hankering for adventure but procrastinating until your “build is done” or after you’ve bought another 200 pounds worth of overland accessories, take a breath, take a step back, and take some inspiration from this guy. A German adventurer is on an epic road trip from Berlin to, basically, east of Kazakhstan and back. He’s not in a G-Wagon or even an AWD crossover—just an old-ass BMW 5 Series with a tent on its roof.

I stumbled on this little YouTube channel, E34 Expeditions, at the beginning of the week and have been deeply enjoying scrubbing through the epic quest this third-gen 5 Series has been on. Each video starts with a cheeky intro: “This is the story about an old car, and a stupid guy,” though the host does not readily identify himself by name. Only his car’s name, “Theodor,” is mentioned on his channel and accompanying Instagram page.

But as somebody who is exhausted by the Mr. Beastification of everything on YouTube, I find the slow and simple pacing of these videos quite refreshing. And as a fan of epic adventures in modest equipment in general, I love seeing this sedan do things that the most heavily accessorized 4x4s in California could only dream about.

This is no day trip from LA to Big Bear. Check out this wildly ambitious route:

This old 5 Series does have a roof tent, of course, and a skid plate. But beyond that, it’s pretty much just an old German sedan, braving not only perilously rough roads but intimidatingly remote locales. You’ve really got to trust your own ingenuity to make a 25,000-kilometer loop through central Asia in any car, let alone something most people would call too old to even commute in.

Theodor (the car) and its pilot began their journey in April and as of two weeks ago, had done 15,000 kilometers. The latest update, from just a few days ago, has the car in Uzbekistan and Tajikistan.

The BMW sedan is joined by a similarly setup BMW wagon in the early videos, and the passengers change a few times throughout the series—maybe friends are flying in and out for different parts of the trip. But most of the updates feature epic vistas, some great drone shots, and cool camp spots.

I really appreciate the tone and vibe of how this trip is coming across on camera. It’s not a rowdy, car-wrecking “let’s get this beater down unsuitable roads at all costs,” kind of thing—just a decent, interesting car on a noble quest to see the world.

A mentor once told me “you have more fun with less shit,” meaning, pack light. And indeed—some of my personal favorite overland trips have just been me on a single-cylinder dirt bike with one duffle bag’s worth of food and clothing.

Godspeed, Theodor!

Done any epic adventuring in an unusual car yourself? I want to hear about it! Drop me a line at [email protected].