When most folks envision being stranded in the Sahara Desert, they imagine endless dunes of sand, scorching heat, and a desperate quest for water. For Emile Leray, a French mechanic with a talent for electricity, the test in March 1993 was even more extreme: he was alone, some twenty miles from the next village, with a broken-down Citroën 2CV and ten days’ rations of food and water.
Leray had embarked on a solo journey through Morocco, driving from Tan-Tan to Zagora—a 400-mile journey through the Western Sahara. That risky move proved to be a calamity when his car crashed into a giant boulder, causing the suspension arm to get damaged and leaving the vehicle stranded in the desert.
There was no easy method of walking back and no resources, so Leray relied on his forte: tool problem-solving. The car couldn’t be fixed, but the transmission and engine were good. That was the inspiration. If the car couldn’t be repaired, maybe something new could be made—a vehicle that would take him out of the desert.
There followed nothing less than miraculous. Leray took the 2CV apart, using its body as shelter from the day’s burning heat and the cold of the night. He used the frame of the car to make a lean motorcycle chassis, hacking it down with a hacksaw. He salvaged three wheels but needed only two. He converted the rear bumper into a seat and moved the engine forward. With whatever he had available, he rigged the ignition to the handlebars to provide him with rudimentary control.
He expected the construction to take three days. It took twelve. The Sahara did not cooperate. Sandstorms swept in. The heat was ferocious. Deadly animals were never far away. His supplies were dwindling. Every evening, he rationed his water and food and attempted to sleep within the hulk of his broken-down automobile, continually trying to decide what to do next.
When the improvised motorcycle was finally complete, it was less than perfect. It was clunky, brakeless, and blew exhaust directly into his face. During his first ride, it overbalanced and came close to pinning him under its 400-pound mass. Undeterred, Leray made minor modifications, learned to ride it, and prepared for the long trek back to civilization.
His getaway was as crazy as his invention. With his remaining supplies in tow, he cleared out his desert camp and took to the sands on his do-it-yourself motorcycle. Travel was laborious and exhausting. Moroccan soldiers finally stumbled on his deserted camp and, incredulous at first, returned him to the area to survey the site. Having seen his creation, they accepted his tale. They made him ride it back to Tan-Tan, accompanied by military transports. The ride was tough—he got thrown off several times—until finally, a 4×4 was dispatched to pull him and his machine back into town.
But rather than being welcomed as a hero, Leray was greeted with a fine for driving a vehicle that did not correspond to any official registration. He went back to France without his invention, although he eventually returned to reclaim it. Now, his two-wheeled 2CV has been displayed in exhibitions all over the globe—a testament to the inventiveness and perseverance of one man.
Emile Leray’s tale is more than an account of survival in the desert. It’s a testament to what can be achieved when imagination, ability, and determination are combined under stress. His motorcycle, made in the desert, is a standing testament to human creativity—and evidence that sometimes, the only way out is to create your way forward.
