Man stranded in desert builds motorcycle out of his broken car
05-23-12, 03:57 PM
#1
Man stranded in desert builds motorcycle out of his broken car
Man stranded in desert builds motorcycle out of his broken car
According to Merriam-Webster, ingenuity can be defined as "skill or cleverness in devising or combining" or "cleverness or aptness of design or contrivance." We'd say that's an apt description of a Frenchman named Emile who reportedly found himself stranded in the deserts of Northwest Africa after breaking a frame rail and a suspension swingarm underneath his Citroën 2CV.
What to do? Why, disassemble the broken hulk and build yourself a motorcycle from its pile of parts, of course! As the story goes, Emile was able to use the inventive machine to escape the desert, though not before convincing the local authorities that he wasn't an insurgent and paying a fine for importing a non-conforming vehicle...
Since Emile was the only soul in the area, nobody has been able to confirm the veracity of the events that led to the little French runabout's conversion into a makeshift motorcycle. That said, judging by the images you can see here (apparently from the March 2003 issue of 2CV Magazine), this Citroën-bred two-wheeler does indeed exist, and it was definitely fashioned from parts scavenged from an old 2CV.
Emile, wherever you are, we take our hats off to your real-life MacGyver skills, sir.
http://www.autoblog.com/2012/05/23/m...is-broken-car/
05-24-12, 11:08 AM
#2
Im surprised this story has not gotten any comments. This is utterly amazing if it were real. However there's so many holes in the story that I would question it.
It must have taken him some time to build this thing...where did he get the food and water to survive? and if he was stranded, why did he take the time to build a kickstand for his makeshift motorcycle.
It must have taken him some time to build this thing...where did he get the food and water to survive? and if he was stranded, why did he take the time to build a kickstand for his makeshift motorcycle.
05-24-12, 11:14 AM
#3
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Im surprised this story has not gotten any comments. This is utterly amazing if it were real. However there's so many holes in the story that I would question it.
It must have taken him some time to build this thing...where did he get the food and water to survive? and if he was stranded, why did he take the time to build a kickstand for his makeshift motorcycle.
It must have taken him some time to build this thing...where did he get the food and water to survive? and if he was stranded, why did he take the time to build a kickstand for his makeshift motorcycle.
lol, good eye on the kickstand thing, plus where did he get the tools to build this. it certainly wasnt untorque bolts with his fingers, and cut steel with his hands.
05-25-12, 10:45 AM
#12
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Really I would love to say that this guy is amazing... but my BS gauge is red lining. That engine looks like it would be heavy and to be able to take it out of a car, Im not a mechanic but seems like it would be quite a job. He had 12 days worth of water? You can only survive for 2-3 days without water and thats not factoring in the fact that HE WAS IN A DESERT!! Well prepared...
If this is true he should start his own motorcycle company.
If this is true he should start his own motorcycle company.
05-25-12, 11:08 AM
#13
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Really I would love to say that this guy is amazing... but my BS gauge is red lining. That engine looks like it would be heavy and to be able to take it out of a car, Im not a mechanic but seems like it would be quite a job. He had 12 days worth of water? You can only survive for 2-3 days without water and thats not factoring in the fact that HE WAS IN A DESERT!! Well prepared...
If this is true he should start his own motorcycle company.
If this is true he should start his own motorcycle company.
