The Extreme Mechanic
Marooned: Tales of the Catastrophically Lost
Aaron Habel & Jack Luna
4.9 • 676 Ratings
🗓️ 1 October 2025
⏱️ 38 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
In 1993, French engineer Émile Leray's Citroën 2CV broke down in the middle of the Moroccan desert. Stranded without any way to call for help, he dismantled the vehicle and rebuilt it into a working motorcycle. For twelve days and nights he lived in the stripped shell of the car and ate what rations he had while piecing the machine together- to attempt to ride it back to civilization and save himself.
Thank you, everyone, for the love you have shown us and Marooned over the past two years. We really appreciate it. - Aaron & Jack
Forum with linked articles and information
Adam and Jamie Transform a Deux-Chevaux Into a Motorcycle! | MythBusters | Science Channel
MythBusters 13x05 Transformers
Transformers Aftershow | MythBusters
Yabiladi
Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Sometimes you just have to do what you got to do to survive. |
| 0:11.0 | And other times you got to do what only you can do. |
| 0:15.0 | The so-called McGiver mechanic, or the extreme mechanic, is one in a million. |
| 0:22.2 | And that was lucky for him. |
| 0:26.2 | Considering his odds of surviving were about the same. |
| 0:30.1 | Welcome to Marooned, harrowing tales of the catastrophically lost. |
| 0:31.6 | I'm Jack Luna. |
| 0:33.4 | This is Aaron Hable. |
| 0:39.6 | Amel Leret was born August 23rd, 1949 in France. |
| 0:46.0 | Amel had a passion for mechanics and motor vehicles, especially transforming and modifying machines. |
| 0:47.3 | His love for the Citron 2C, specifically, developed after he drove one while rally racing |
| 0:52.9 | and fell in love with the car model. |
| 0:55.3 | He also had a passion for travel, and combining his interests, competed in several trans-Saharan |
| 1:01.1 | crossings. |
| 1:02.3 | He was 43 years old at the time of the incident that would maroon him. |
| 1:07.2 | In 1993, Amil LaRae was traveling in Morocco, driving through a remote stretch of Sahara Desert near Tantan and a Citroen 2CV. |
| 1:17.6 | Tantan is a desert city located in southwestern Morocco with a hot desert climate. |
| 1:23.2 | The Citroen 2CV, Aaron, would you describe, I describe it as a, looks like a Volkswagen bug almost, the old-fashioned |
| 1:30.0 | one, doesn't it? |
| 1:31.4 | Yeah, it looks less rounded. |
| 1:34.3 | Yeah. |
| 1:35.2 | It's a little taller looking. |
... |
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