A group of six friends drove their vintage Austin Seven cars across the Andes from Argentina to Chile at the beginning of this year.

They covered 3,000 miles across mountainous terrain in a six-week round trip, and encountered every type of weather - from flash floods to heat waves.

The adventure was inspired by John Coleman, who drove a 1925 Austin Seven from Buenos Aires to New York in 1959. His book, Coleman's Drive, tells of the epic journey and the people he met on route.

Vince Leek, who led the group that followed in Coleman's tracks, told Travel HandsOn that this year's journey would not have been possible without the Internet. Regulations and bureaucracy in both the South American countries meant that the group spent two years planning the trip. They had to make complex arrangements for shipping the cars, while ensuring they had adequate insurance and a thorough knowledge of driving rules.

Leek said the group always felt very safe and that the people of Argentina and Chile could not have been more welcoming and helpful. The Austin Sevens, as a talking point, provided a good way of meeting the locals.