What's the best car to drive across the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia? Why, A McLaren 12C of course. We cover more than 2000 kilometres looking for motoring nirvana. On paper, it didn't look that far. On a map, Saudi Arabia looks relatively mid-sized, nestled next to the enormous expanse of the African mainland. But now that I'm here, and I'm mentally calculating distances and driving times, I fear I may have underestimated things somewhat.

We -- that's me, www.crankandpiston.com colleague Phil McGovern, a film crew and a few special guests -- are about to start a fairly epic drive across what, to many, is a very mysterious country. I've never been to Saudi before -- my one previous attempt to visit was stymied by the lengthy visa approval process -- so what I know is largely based on stories from other people and from the media. Not all of which is entirely complimentary.

But on the other hand, there's something appealing about such a mysterious place, a place that's rarely high on people's must-visit list. Saudi is off-the beaten track, a relative enigma, a place I want to find out more about. Is it really the fun-free dustbowl as portrayed by so many?