Way back in 1993, before the movie version of Tony Stark ever improvised his first Iron Man suit, a frenchman named Emile Leray escaped being stranded in the desert in northwest Africa by converting his broken-down car into a working motorcycle.

Unlike Stark, Leray managed to hack together his escape plan without essential tools like welding torches and arc reactors. All he had was a hacksaw. Apparently, Leray drilled the necessary holes by bending, sawing, and then unbending various metal parts.

It all sounds a bit farfetched -- after all, repairing a car has to be easier than building an entire motorcycle, right? -- but it's apparently a true story.

If you're able to read French, you can find the original story at Chameau D'acier.

[gizmodo.]