Manufacturing motorcycles from broken cars to escape the African desert

The assembly of a motorbike in the deserted desert sounds impossible. With only basic tools instead of specialized ones, there were no drills, hoses or sharpening tools, but Emile Leray built a two-wheeled vehicle just by screwing the parts together.

"I have to let my mind work in survival mode. I can't walk - way too far." A French man suddenly became famous 20 years after he performed a miracle: escaping from the Moroccan desert on a self-made motorbike from broken car parts. In order to perform this feat Leray had a hand to rebuild his Citreon into a motorbike by himself and gave him the title of "the most persistent" mechanic in the world.

This French "Mad Max" turned the Citreon 2CV into a motorcycle.

In 1993 Emile Leray, then a 43-year-old electrician, decided to go on a Citroen 2CV adventure from the temple of Tan Ta through the Moroccan desert . However, things do not happen as planned. After walking out of the asphalt road for a while, Emile was hit by a car and alone wandered in the desert. Knowing that he would not be able to escape the desert by walking, Emile decided to build a salvage motorbike from parts of the car that was just a scrap of iron.

He had enough food and water for 10 days. After a thorough examination of the mechanical problems encountered, Emile began to build her motorcycle the next morning. He began dismantling the Citroen, taking the car body cover to cover the sandstorm.

This homemade car helped Emile survive the desert for help.

Under the scorching sunshine and having to concentrate on working in a short-sleeved T-shirt, he had to manipulate his hands from a pair of socks. With the mind of genius engineer, he turned the anti-impact bumpers into the seats; Collapse the chassis and mount the engine, gearbox into it to create a vehicle that can operate long enough to safely take him out of the desert.

The explorer understood that this adventurous adventure began to work on this impossible project, thinking that he could finish it in three days, but he actually took up to 12 hard days - four times the expected time. When only half a liter of water was left, he turned on the engine and rode the two-wheeler out of the desert.

Emile Leray, now 62, still keeps the car as a souvenir for her incredible survival miracle.

After a day on the car, Emile was discovered by Moroccan police and taken to the nearest village. He was severely punished by police because car papers no longer fit with the vehicle he was on: a half-motorbike half-car.

Although Emile's fairy tale appeared on French television in the 90s, he had no intention of announcing this feat, but it only recently appeared through a motorbike website. Leray is currently living in northwestern France.