Other than that, the journey over the Atlas mountains was uneventful, if not for the heavy visitors that had churned up the highway whereas carrying gear to the French atomic analysis base (a 12 months prior, scientists had examined a nuclear bomb at a still-classified location, releasing 4 occasions the vitality of the bomb dropped on Hiroshima).
As soon as into the Sahara, one other mistake grew to become clear: “The availability of light-weight sand mats, as a substitute of extra regular plates or ladders. In apply they proved utterly ineffective.” At one level, “after half an hour’s work digging we had not moved the automobile a single inch ahead however about two inches downward”.
On a number of events, the duo needed to be helped by “extremely pleasant Saharan lorry drivers”, who not solely pulled vehicles free but in addition “stayed with us till repairs had been accomplished and did a lot of the work themselves”.
It wasn’t all laborious graft, thoughts you: dinners included freshly caught gazelle roasted in desert moonlight in Niger.
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Rivière discovered that “relying on the consistency of the floor, one’s velocity varies between 75mph on gentle floor to 100mph on firmer”. However he was “very glad to get to the end”, as issues continued all of the whereas.
The radiator hose splitting, the spark plugs needing changing, the differential leaking, a cylinder filling with water and a “plague of punctures” had all precipitated “Might to say a prayer or a swear phrase in his mom tongue”.
The opening within the flooring letting mud in and the necessity to have the heater on full blast to maintain the engine temperature down additionally made the trial extra gruelling.
The #8 entry was overtaken by a Citroën and an Auto Union within the latter phases of the rally, however two different 220 SE crews held on to make it a one-two for Mercedes.
And regardless of all the things, it was an expertise that Rivière would look again on fondly. He concluded: “Folks usually say to me how uninteresting it should be, driving throughout these huge, flat expanses. I don’t discover it so. There’s something great concerning the surroundings on that scale.”