After gaining experience with two Land Rovers, I decided to switch to a Mercedes Geländewagen for this trip. These had been introduced in 1979, and used models were starting to become somewhat affordable. I was able to buy a 300GD, a long-wheelbase model with a 5-cylinder diesel engine. And I began outfitting this car for the trip.
It is important to keep a car’s center of gravity as low as possible. That means keeping as little as possible on the roof. And everything must be built so solidly that it is “rattle-proof.” Many of the Sahara trails cause the car to vibrate violently, to the point where significant damage can sometimes occur to the car and/or equipment (roof rack).
We also had to carry a lot of fuel, because a range of at least 2,000 km was necessary in the terrain. For that purpose, I designed and had a tank welded, which was mounted on the car’s cargo floor. The tank had a capacity of 320 liters and contained 9 compartments between which the fuel could only move slowly. This prevented fuel from sloshing around. An electric pump allowed fuel to be transferred from this tank to the car’s fuel tank. In total, this setup allowed to carry 390 liters of diesel.
In addition, using a welded steel structure, I had built an interior in the car, allowing the entire water supply, food supply, and all other luggage to be stored inside the car. Even the two spare wheels were stored inside the car. And there was still a double bed in the car. Only two road plates went on the roof. This setup proved to work very well in practice. The top photo gives an impression.
The tires were a story unto themselves. At the time, there was only one type of tire available that had been specifically developed for sand. It was the Michelin S tire. This tire had a rounded shoulder, so it didn’t “cut” into the sand and thus didn’t dig in. Moreover, the “secret weapon” was that this tire could be driven with very low tire pressure. In the sand, the tire pressure could be reduced to 0.7 bar. This created a very flat tire with a large surface area, which sat in the sand like a soft camel’s foot. The effect was incredible, and we never got stuck.