For decades, Mr Taylor’s story has been retold to family and friends, including Steve Nicholls, the son of Mr Taylor’s cousin.

“Pete comes to see us quite regularly,” Mr Nicholls’ wife Kirsty says. “It’s always nice to hear his stories. We’re very proud of such an amazing achievement.”

Asked whether modern cars could survive such a journey, Mr Nicholls is doubtful.

“Oh definitely not. The mechanics now are all computerised,” he said.

“You can’t fix them at the roadside like you could with the old ones.”

He admits no one in the family is planning to capture the same spirit of adventure as their globetrotting relative.

“My daughters love to travel,” he adds.

“Whether they’d drive 9,000 miles is another thing, but what Peter did is truly inspirational.”

Mr Taylor, on the other hand, still dreams of the road.

Asked if he’d do it again, he said: “I’d love to – if I was that age again.”