Think about your longest, most experimental adventure, multiply it by an order of 10, and you still wouldn’t approach the level of worldwide adventure experienced by Gunther Holtorf. This 77-year-old German man has just completed a Guinness world record achievement, traveling hundreds of thousands of miles around the globe over the course of 24 years, all in the same vehicle: a 1990 Mercedes-Benz 300GD.

The 300GD on Karakorum Highway in China, circa 2011. Photo credit: Gunther Holtorf/SWNS.com

The adventure started back in 1990, when Holtorf and his wife Christine made a safari trip throughout Africa on a whim. The Benz, which Christine nicknamed Otto, made its way over the continent in a matter of months, but the two were not keen to head home just yet.

The couple decided to see the world from behind the wheel of Otto, and that going for the Guinness world record would be a fun motivator to keep their spirits alive as the journey progressed onto South America, North America, Asia, Australia, and finally Europe. Of the 556,000 total miles traversed around the Earth, Otto navigated approximately 155,000 of that mileage, or 28 percent, off-road and at the mercy of Mother Nature.

Otto is dwarfed by this elephant in India, circa 2005.

The escapade took a turn for the worse in 2010, when Christine passed away from cancer. Holtorf swore to continue on in her name, visiting everywhere from Mount Everest to Alice Springs to Siberia, and finally came to a stop this week as the man passed through the Brandenburg Gates in Berlin and finished in Bavaria.

Amazingly, the 300GD survived practically bone stock through it all, with its only modification being the reinforced suspension, custom-made mattresses to replace the rear seats, and a customized storage space for clothes, food, medicine, and other supplies. Holtorf has since been to Mercedes-Benz’ world headquarters in Stuttgart, where he met and shook hands with CEO Dr. Dieter Zetsche.

The complete map of Otto’s travels.

“I promise that there will still be a G-Class in the future,” said Zetsche. “Will there be more characters of Mr Holtorf’s ilk in the future? I hope so.” We hope so too, although the man has definitely set the bar for future record setters. Anyone ready for a journey of a million miles?