Nomad by Name, Nomad by Nature

An Ariel Nomad has just completed a 1,700-mile desert adventure and lived up to its moniker.

The car, driven by loyal Ariel customers Gavin Kirby and Kevin Henderson, took part in the 2026 Morocco Desert Challenge. The eight-day driving adventure started in Ouarzazate, south of the Atlas Mountains and headed through the dunes to Saïdia on the Mediterranean coast.

“The Morocco Desert Challenge lives up to its name,” says Kirby. “The desert tests both machine and driver relentlessly for eight days and many thousands of kilometres, but despite everything it threw at us, the Nomad brought us back to camp every night. There were some sections of the course that, had we come across them under different circumstances, we would have turned around and found a different route. However, to complete the MDC, we either tackled what was in front of us or admit defeat. Not only did the Nomad get us through these sections, but it tackled them with style and grace. Having both owned Nomads for some years before the event, Kev and I found a whole new level of respect for what the Nomad is actually capable of. Completing the event is something we're immensely proud of."

To ready the car for the gruelling rally Ariel upgraded the cars’s suspension, packed a supply of spare parts and dispatched a mechanic to support the duo. “What's particularly satisfying is that the car demonstrated exactly the qualities we value most at Ariel: capability, reliability, and adaptability,” adds Ariel Managing Director Henry Siebert-Saunders. “The fact it completed the event with only routine maintenance required is a testament to both the strength of the underlying Nomad platform and the commitment of everyone involved."

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