Emile Leray
Emile Leray | |
|---|---|
| Born | 23 August 1949 (age 77) France |
| Known for | Building a motorcycle in the Moroccan Desert |
Emile Leray (born 23 August 1949) is a French electrician who is most noteworthy for transforming a car into a motorcycle while stranded in the Sahara desert in 1993.[1][2]
Achievements
Leray built a desert motorcycle out of the parts of a broken-down Citroën 2CV in 1993, while on a solo trip in Morocco. His car broke down near the coastal town of Tantan, Morocco, when he accidentally hit a rock, which damaged his car's chassis. Per Leray's account, he was stranded about 32 kilometres (20 miles) from Tantan, with only enough food and water to last ten days.[3] To survive, Leray used the shell of the 2CV as a shelter and built a motorcycle from the engine chassis. Twelve days after the accident, he was able to drive it to Tantan.[4][5]
References
- ↑ Colt, Georgina (24 June 2012). "A Citroën, a saw ... et voilà, I have a bike". The Times. Retrieved 24 August 2026.
- ↑ Babas, Latifa (12 November 2018). "Stranded in the desert near Tan Tan, a French man turned his car into a motorcycle". Yabiladi. Retrieved 24 August 2026.
- ↑ "PHOTOS: Man escapes African desert DOOM, turns wrecked car into DIY motorcycle". New York Daily News. 2 October 2019 [July 3, 2012]. Archived from the original on 22 July 2020. Retrieved 24 August 2026.
- ↑ Berg, Nik (16 January 2025). "This Feisty Frenchman Turned His 2CV into a Two-Wheeler to Escape the Sahara". Hagerty. Retrieved 24 August 2026.
- ↑ Smithfield, Brad (18 May 2016). "Emile Leray built working motorcycle broken car Citroen 2cv escape African desert". The Vintage News. Retrieved 24 August 2026.