Hazebrouck - Ceylan - Hazebrouck – by 2CV on the tracks of the Indian Mail

English
Suomeksi

Nearly 20,000 miles by 2 CV, from Hazebrouck (between Lille and Dunkerque) to Ceylon and back-such was the trip successfully undertaken a few months ago by three young Frenchmen. Yves Masmontel, 20, an architectural student, Jean-Paul Becquart, 20, an apprentice mechanic, and his brother Jean-Michel Becquart, 23, an engineering student, decided last year to make a long and adventurous holiday journey. Such a project called for two things: an objective, and money. The first was soon decided upon-India. The itinerary was direct, and overland almost ali the way. And why not make it Ceylon, better still?

Money posed a trickier problem. They didn’t have a great deal of it. No matter; they reduced their baggage to the bare essentials and clubbed together to buy a second-hand 1963 2 CV with 25,600 miles on the clock.

On June 28th 1965, the three travellers set out from Hazebrouck. By September 23rd they were back, lean, bronzed, bearded and happy, aboard their 2 CV, but still going strong after having clocked 18,715 miles since the trio set out. Their journey took them from France via Belgium, Germany, Austria, Yugoslavia, Bulgaria, Turkey, Iran, Afghanistan and Pakistan to India (Amritsar, Delhi, Benares, Patna), from there to Nepal (Khatmandu), then backinto India (Hyderabad, Madras) and on to Ceylon. Their return journey took themthrough Italy. In 86 days they passed through 21 countries, economizing on everything, even on time, driving at night when bad roads or unforeseen setbacks delayed,them in the daytime. They spent two weeks holiday in Nepal and Ceylon, the rest of the time averaging 261 miles a day. The trip was uneventful except for such incidents as the India-Pakistan war, a bombardment in Lahore, an epidemic of cholera in Iran, a monsoon fiood in India, a landslide caused by the monsoon in Nepal, and an encounter in Afghanistan with Tajik warrior tribesmen who took a great interest in their car and equipment. In the desert between Meshed and Teheran the car suffered 44 punctures in 620 miles-37 hours of slow progress without a moment’ s respite. They made up for this during the last-but-one leg of the return journey: Istanbul-Tulle, 1,540 miles in 47 hours non-stop.

Their total petrol consumption was 1,722 l ( 380 Imperial gallons), costing altogether 982 French Francs and corresponding to an average of 5.72 l per 100 kilometres ( close to 50 miles to the gallon). Oil consumption was normal, totalling 36 l ( 63 pints), with an oil-change every 1,400 miles. The 2 CV was bought by the trio for 3,700 French Francs. Although Jean-Paul took it down completely before departure in order to familiarize himself with the vehicle, it did not undergo any special trans formation for the trip apartfrom the attachment of li thin steel plates under the chassis. The total, east of the trip, for three persons and last ing three months, was 3,500 Francs.