4×4S.ORGTHE REGISTRY NAMED MODEL · 1957
NAMED MODELSpecial · Expedition & CampersUnited Kingdom

Mzuri — George and Jinx Rodger’s Series I 107

VAC 433, Mzuri: the Series I 107-inch station wagon used by George and Jinx Rodger for their 1957 Trans-Sahara expedition.

Sources & evidence
BASE VEHICLESeries IBUILT BYLand RoverIN SERVICE1957OPERATED INUnited Kingdom, AustraliaPRODUCTIONOne privately equipped expedition vehicleLAYOUT4 wheels · 107″

The record

George and Jinx Rodger equipped Mzuri for their 1957 Sahara journey with larger tyres, additional fuel capacity, a short-wave radio and camping accommodation. Magnum’s first-person recollections identify the tropical roof, cooling provision, fold-down bed, stove and kettle. National Geographic reproduces the original 1957 and 1958 photographs. These show the covered bonnet spare, two bumper-mounted cans, central drum winch, paired low spot lamps, wing mirrors, square VAC 433 plates and front-door MAGNUM PHOTOS / TRANS-SAHARA EXPEDITION lettering. The model represents that period configuration, using a muted grey-green paint approximation because the principal references are monochrome. Interior equipment is represented simply within the closed body. It does not add later restoration accessories. Mzuri subsequently reached Australia and was rediscovered by David and Janelle D’Arcy in 2016. The queue’s country list includes journey destinations; this registry distinguishes the British expedition’s operating base from its later Australian custody.

Specification

MANUFACTURERLand Rover
MANUFACTURED1957
PRODUCTION RUNOne privately equipped expedition vehicle
COUNTRY OF ORIGINUnited Kingdom
OPERATED INUnited Kingdom, Australia
WHEELBASE107 inches
REGISTRATIONVAC 433
CREWGeorge and Jinx Rodger
RECORD KINDNamed model
MODEL LINESeries I
WHEELS4
NOMINAL WHEELBASE107″
CATEGORYSpecial · Expedition & Campers

Catalogue fields describe the vehicle's structure and body as this registry records it. They are not certified factory measurements, and no performance figures are published here.

AI rendering impression

An AI rendering impression starts from a 3D model of this vehicle, which an image model then paints into a scene. It is an artist's impression of the type, made to give a feel for the vehicle in its element — not a photograph, and not a record of any particular vehicle.

Proportions, fittings, markings, colours and the setting can all drift from the original in the process. For the vehicle's actual details, rely on the specification, the photographs and the cited sources on this page.

Sources

  1. 1Magnum Photos — Jinx Rodger’s expedition recollections and original photographs ↗accessed 2026-09-16SOURCE
  2. 2National Geographic — Mzuri photograph archive ↗accessed 2026-09-16SOURCE
  3. 3About Regional — interview with Mzuri’s Australian custodian ↗accessed 2026-09-16SOURCE
  4. 4Front view, filling fuel before entering the Sahara, 1957. ↗George Rodger / Magnum Photos / National Geographic; rights retained by ownersIMAGE
  5. 5Rear view in the Hoggar Mountains, 1957. ↗George Rodger / Magnum Photos / National Geographic; rights retained by ownersIMAGE
  6. 6Loading aboard SS Tripolitania in 1958; door lettering visible. ↗George Rodger / Magnum Photos / National Geographic; rights retained by ownersIMAGE
  7. 7George on the covered bonnet spare in the Sahara, 1957. ↗George Rodger / Magnum Photos / National Geographic; rights retained by ownersIMAGE
  8. 8https://www.magnumphotos.com/arts-culture/travel/george-rodger-land-rover/https://www.magnumphotos.com/arts-culture/travel/george-rodger-land-rover/ ↗REFERENCE

Registry record updated 2026-09-16T13:07:05.341Z · status: researched