To save her father's dream, and win the prize money, Gordon's beautiful daughter, Dale, makes plans to drive his car.

Soon after crossing the start line Dale discards her hat and mustache, thus revealing to the other racers that she is a woman.

Another racer, the German Von Glessing, also takes the same short-cut in order to supply weapons to the evil leader of the two warring tribes.

The film was supposedly inspired by the then British Prime Minister's son, Mark Thatcher, who became lost in North Africa in 1982 during an auto rally.

It also came about due to the box office success of Raiders of the Lost Ark and Menahem Golan's fondness for the Rudolph Valentino film The Sheik (1921).

[4] In May 1982 it was announced Guy Hamilton would direct Brooke Shields in Sahara with a $15 million budget.

It’s not time.”[9] There were reportedly eight rewrites at the behest of Shields' mother and two directors quit before filming started.

Among those considered were Ted McGinley (“I darkened his hair and had him grow a beard, but he couldn’t get the accent” said Teri); Adnan Khashoggi's son Khaled (“He is a gorgeous boy, but he’s not an actor”); and John Kennedy Jr. (“He’s dark, handsome as hell and what a physique, but can you imagine the press if he co-starred with Brooke?

[9] Vincent Spano, who had played a character called "The Sheik" in Baby It's You said he was offered the role but turned it down.

I want a beautiful romantic blockbuster where all American kids will identify.”[9] Filming began in August with Andrew McLaglen as director.

[12][13][4] The fashions were designed by Valentino, who said 1925 was one of his favourite years: "It was a fantastic moment, full of fantasy and ideas.

[16] "It was enjoyable to be in the Negev desert and in Eilat and sort of in the Dead Sea, but the experience of it and living there for that long was definitely more memorable than the movie itself was," said Shields.