Vanessa Sartori and Linho Bergamin were married 12 March and they left their home in Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil that same day on a honeymoon that takes them around the world in a 1946 Jeep Willys. The couple plan to cover 70 countries on five continents during their three-year journey in the Willys Wagon. He’s an automation engineer and she’s a food engineer. They’ve taken five years planning the trip.
“I love the old Jeep,” Linho said. The 1946 Willys Wagon that Linho and Vanessa are driving was bought from a museum in Brazil. Linho believes it’ll be the oldest vehicle ever to go around the world.
A Jeep SUV is engraved on the wedding bands. Linho and Vanessa had 400 people at their wedding and are bringing them along for the ride 21st century style. Instead of traditional wedding gifts, the couple asked their guests to pick a location along the route and contribute money toward getting there. In return, Linho and Vanessa are building a picture collection of their trip, taking photos of the various locations to include with photos from the family or friends who picked it.
“Four hundred people are traveling the world with us,” Linho said. As of now, AutoInformed thinks, Vanessa and Linho are still in the United States. You can follow their “World Tour/Dream Catchers” journey at Facebook.com/Avoltaaomundo/
The couple altered the Jeep for the journey. The changes include installing a four-cylinder diesel engine, suspension upgrades and modifications to make the Jeep their home.
About Ken Zino
Ken Zino, editor and publisher of AutoInformed, is a versatile auto industry participant with global experience spanning decades in print and broadcast journalism, as well as social media. He has automobile testing, marketing, public relations and communications experience. He is past president of The International Motor Press Assn, the Detroit Press Club, founding member and first President of the Automotive Press Assn. He is a member of APA, IMPA and the Midwest Automotive Press Assn.
He also brings an historical perspective while citing their contemporary relevance of the work of legendary auto writers such as Ken Purdy, Jim Dunne or Jerry Flint, or writers such as Red Smith, Mark Twain, Thomas Jefferson – all to bring perspective to a chaotic automotive universe.
Above all, decades after he first drove a car, Zino still revels in the sound of the exhaust as the throttle is blipped during a downshift and the driver’s rush that occurs when the entry, apex and exit points of a turn are smoothly and swiftly crossed. It’s the beginning of a perfect lap.
AutoInformed has an editorial philosophy that loves transportation machines of all kinds while promoting critical thinking about the future use of cars and trucks.
Zino builds AutoInformed from his background in automotive journalism starting at Hearst Publishing in New York City on Motor and MotorTech Magazines and car testing where he reviewed hundreds of vehicles in his decade-long stint as the Detroit Bureau Chief of Road & Track magazine. Zino has also worked in Europe, and Asia – now the largest automotive market in the world with China at its center.
