Original vintage 1960s Datsun ad, celebrating the company's 14th East African Safari rally - billed as the world's toughest rally - first and second wins.  "Only three cars survived in our class...and two were Datsun!"
 
Dimensions: 10 inches wide by 13.5 inches high.
 
The Safari Rally is an automobile rally held in Kenya – first held in 1953 as a celebration of the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II, the event was part of the World Rally Championship from 1973 until 2002, before returning in 2021.  It is historically regarded as one of the toughest events in the World Rally Championship, and one of the most popular rallies in Africa.
 
The subject of the Datsun advert here, the 14th East African Safari Rally took place in April 1966, starting and finishing in Nairobi, Kenya, and was infamous for its brutal conditions, with torrential rain and floods making it incredibly tough; only seven out of 88 starters finished (the seven were in different race classes), earning the seven finishers the nickname "Unsinkable Seven," with Bert Shankland and Peter Hillyar in a Datsun emerging as victors amidst extreme attrition, highlighting its status as the world's toughest rally.
 
After its 1953 founding, in 1960 it was renamed the East African Safari Rally and kept that name until 1974, when it became the Safari Rally.  From 1973, the rally was part of the World Rally Championship.
 
The 5,000 kilometres (3,100 mi) route featured a variety of roads and terrain - from fesh fesh (very fine powdered sand), fast farm tracks, and very rough roads up or down the Great Rift Valley.  In heavy rain, roads would often turn into thick, deep mud. The event was run on open roads, with all of the route being competitive mileage, and the driver with the lowest accumulation of penalty time between time controls was declared the winner.
 
The rally was historically one of the fastest events in the world championship with average speeds over 100 kilometres per hour (62 mph). However, the roughness of the terrain and the long stages meant that the winner was often the most reliable or the fastest cautious driver. In later years, top rally teams would use helicopters to fly ahead of the cars to warn of animals or other vehicles on the rally route.
 
Teams built specially strengthened cars for the event, with bullbars, snorkels (for river crossings) and bright lights to warn wildlife. During the rally, repairs had to be regularly made to the cars, which added to the elapsed time of the competitors. In later years, run-flat tires that allowed tires to maintain functionality despite a puncture meant drivers could to tackle the event flat out, despite the length of the event.
 
In 1996, the event adopted the special stage format, and servicing cars from helicopters was prohibited. From that edition until 2002, it featured around 2000 km of timed stages, with stages well over 60 kilometres (37 mi) long, unlike most rallies which had under 500 kilometres (310 mi) of total timed distance.