Breaking down on the side of the road can be one of the most helpless moments a person could ever experience. While waiting for tow service, we remind ourselves that bad news never has good timing.
However, things begin to look a lot worse when car trouble occurs in the middle of a desert. Out against the unforgiving elements, what's usually only an inconvenience can rapidly turn into something quite deadly.
Although the original story was published in French, a rough translation reposted on Hackaday reported about a man named Emile Leray that traveled across the deserts of northwest Africa in his Citroen 2CV. Initially making some good time on his journey, Emile was stopped by officials who advised him not to advance further due to military conflicts in the area ahead. Undeterred, Emile decided to circumvent the roadblock rather than heed their warnings.
After a considerable journey across an unvisited, barren, area, Emile's poor 2CV finally gave up, snapping its swing arm and warping its frame rail. Stranded and without the slightest chance of rescue, Emile managed to apply resourcefulness, disassembling his Citroen and salvaging its parts to cobble together a functioning motorcycle instead.
The transformation allegedly took him a total of twelve days of hard work. As there wasn't a soul in the area other than Emile himself, we cannot confirm the authenticity of the series of events. That said, the photo evidence is very convincing! Check out Emile Leray's website here (it's in French).
