Almost all of the way around the world, Canadian naturalists Robert Bateman and Dr. Bristol Foster nearly experienced a trip-ending catastrophe. The custom 1957 Land Rover Series I which had been their companion across oceans and continents, fording both river and stream alike in Asia, Africa, and Australia, had earned its nickname “The Grizzly Torque.” But in rural India, a rogue bicyclist veered out onto the road. Dr. Foster cranked the wheel but still crashed into the cyclist, who left a dent in the soft aluminum roof of the Land Rover’s custom Pilchers body.
Fortunately, the cyclist survived without serious injury. Unfortunately, Dr. Foster’s evasive maneuver caused the Land Rover to spill over onto its side. Though the Canadian adventurers were uninjured, the chances of rescuing their ride were minimal. Just then, a miracle happened. A busload of people stopped and surrounded “The Grizzly Torque.” As Dr. Foster filmed, the group banded together and pushed their beloved companion back upright. Even more miraculous: The mighty vehicle drove off without a hiccup, a testament to its durability.
This story is merely one of a handful of astonishing anecdotes from Dr. Foster and Mr. Bateman’s 60,000-km journey across the globe. Their larger-than-life tale is the subject of a new documentary, The Art of Adventure by Alison Reid. A talented documentary director, Reid’s first nonfictional feature, The Woman Who Loves Giraffes (2018), also spotlighted a historically significant Canadian, Anne Innis Dagg, known as “the Jane Goodall of Giraffes,” and the first western scientist to study the species in the wild.
Besides being the sole driver of “The Grizzly Torque,” Dr. Foster also was an accomplished scientist, later serving as the Head of Wildlife Ecology Graduate Studies program at the University of Nairobi, Director of the Royal British Columbia Museum, and Director of the Provincial Ecological Reserves program. He is credited with “Foster’s Rule,” an explanation of the differentiation of sizes in island-dwelling species compared to their land-based counterparts. Dr. Foster captured the cross-country trip with a 16mm camera, the reason we have such vivid detail of their exploits, which Ms. Reid has sourced and will bring to life in her latest project.
For his part, Mr. Bateman, an award-winning painter and Officer of the Order of Canada for his lifelong conservation work, spent much of the trip sketching the diverse landscapes they encountered. Bateman’s extremely detailed works convey a feeling of encountering these wild animals in situ. Bateman painted some of their adventures onto the exterior of “The Grizzly Torque,” using the Series I body shell as a canvas. Canada, Britain, Ghana, Cameroon, Uganda, Kenya, and Tanzania, among others, tell a tale of where this Land Rover has been. Oil and water cans attached to the aft of the vehicle were jokingly labeled: “Gin &” and “Tonic.”
Doubtlessly, the duo traveled in style. Outfitted by coachbuilder Pilchers with green leather upholstery, an observation hatch, two bunks, an external sun visor, capstan winch, crank windows, and Sand Beige paintwork, Mr. Bateman recalled, “When I first saw it, I thought, ‘This was a pretty splendid home away from home.’” Dr. Foster concurred, “This was sheer luxury.”
For Ms. Reid, “The Grizzly Torque” serves a greater purpose: “The story that I want to tell is about their relationship with nature, and how, as Bristol had said, ‘The Grizzly Torque’ is their symbol of adventure; their way of exploring nature and cultures and lapping up our planet. I see ‘The Grizzly Torque’ as a character in the film, and a metaphor for our relationship with nature. Cut to decades later, when it is found unloved in a field, and then brought back to life.”
Thanks to expert Land Rover restorer Alan Simpson of Clapperton, British Columbia, no detail was overlooked when reviving “The Grizzly Torque.” Receipts for the two-year overhaul totaled nearly $300,000 and included a refreshed set of paintings by Mr. Bateman. Ironically, it was the fateful bicycle crash in India that gave Foster and Land Rover the evidence to confirm the identity of “The Grizzly Torque” in 2014. The dent in the hood and a broken window, replaced with plastic, both subsequently fixed by Simpson, helped to verify its unique identity.
An important piece of history, the fully restored Land Rover toured once more for the brand’s 70th anniversary in 2019. One more chapter in the tale of this extraordinary machine remains: its drive across the auction block at RM Sotheby’s most prestigious sale of the year, Monterey 2023. Ms. Reid will be on-hand, capturing the exciting event for her upcoming documentary, The Art of Adventure. As of now, the project is not fully financed, but with Ms. Reid’s steadfast belief in the inspirational story, it is all but certain to attract other like-minded partners. Interested parties should contact Ms. Reid via this email. Much like the miraculous rescue of “The Grizzly Torque” in India, sometimes we all need to band together to make extraordinary things happen.
To view a full photo gallery of this very special Land Rover, and to see additional documentation, please click here.
