
An adventurer has finally finished his epic 24-year road trip - driving a staggering 556,000 miles through 215 countries in the same trusty car.

Gunther Holtorf, 77, set off in his Mercedes 300GD with his late wife Christine in 1990, with the plan of visiting Africa.

They tackled gravel and mud-covered, pothole-ridden roads without problem and, after seeing the continent, decided to keep going.

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Gunther Holtorf, 77, recently finished his 24-year road trip, after driving a staggering 550,000 miles

In his Mercedes 300 GD, Gunther and his late wife Christine set out with a plan of visiting Africa - and kept going

The two rear seats of the car were removed in order to accommodate a mattress and clothing storage

The result was an epic adventure which saw the Mercedes - nicknamed Otto by Christine - driven through 215 countries and into the record books.

In fact, their Mercedes has been in more countries than any other car.

Of the 556,000 miles, it is estimated 155,000 were off road as the 4x4 was driven across 410 borders outside Europe.

It went in 41 ocean shipping containers and boarded 113 deep-sea ferries.

Of the 556,000 miles that Gunther and his late wife Christine travelled, it is estimated that 155,000 of those were off road

In 1990, the pair visited Paris (left). And Gunther vowed to continue travelling when his wife Christine passed away in 2010

In 2011, Gunther took his car - nicknamed Otto - to Mount Everest, which is 5,200 metres above sea level

Also in 2011, Gunther and Otto travelled on China's Karakorum Highway

During the journeys, Otto endured temperatures of -27 degrees Celsius in Siberia and +50 Celsius near Alice Springs, Australia.

They even drove to the base camp of Mount Everest, which is 5,200 metres above sea level.

When Christine sadly passed away from cancer in 2010, Gunther vowed to carry on with their trip.

He has now finally finished his epic adventure.

The former airline executive ended the journey at the Brandenburg Gates in Berlin and is now back home in Bavaria, Germany.

In Brazil in 1987, the pair ran into some unexpected traffic

Gunther's Mercedes 300 GD even traversed across Algeria. Pictured: Otto with the Sahara in the background

Gunther and Christine met new friends in India in 2005

The Mercedes has been in more single countries than any other car. Pictured: Otto in India in 2005

The pair snap a photo of an elephant next to their beloved Mercedes in India in 2005

Apart from reinforced suspension, Otto is completely standard and still has the original engine, gearbox and axles.

Under the bonnet is a three-litre diesel engine which develops a modest 88bhp.

To make the car more practical, the rear seats were removed and it was fitted with two custom-made mattresses.

There was also a storage space for clothes, food, tools, spare parts and kitchen utensils.

After travelling through Africa, the intrepid pair headed to South America, then North America before visiting Asia and Australia and Europe.

In 2007, the couple travelled to Thailand, where they drove Otto to a monastery

An indigenous woman of Myanmar poses inside Gunther's well-travelled Mercedes

An epic road trip! Gunther sits on the bonnet to snap a photo in Nepal

Having travelled the equivalent of 22 times around the Earth, Otto will now be on display at the Mercedes-Benz Museum in Stuttgart

The CEO of Mercedes, Dieter Zetsche and Gunther pose alongside Otto inside the museum

Otto ended up travelling the equivalent of 22 times around the Earth or from the Earth to the Moon and back and two circles of the world.

The car will now go on display at the Mercedes-Benz Museum in Stuttgart.