BUICK PROVED MASTER

NZ Truth, Issue 1294, 25 September 1930, Page 10

BUICK PROVED MASTER

.. ; ♦ ». :'■■■" • ' . • ' Ocean-To-Ocean Trip Across Africa Proves Adventurous

NIGHT DRIVING IN DESERT

The thrill of big-game hunting, the uncertainty of exploring where n£ white man had ever been before, the dangers of tropical fevers and sleeping sickness as well as the indescribable monotony of the African desert, are an old story now- to a little group of friends who recently made the first ocean-to-ocean trip across Africa that has ever been accomplished by motor-car.

pHARL.ES E. BEDAUX, with four V-» guests and a proup of twenty native guides and servants, . made the" journey from Touraine, France, through Kenya Colony, through the Soudan, French Equatorial Africa, Nigeria, north through the Sahara Desert to Algiers, and along the coast to, Casablanca, Morocco, covering a distance of 9500 miles m five months. The African trip itself took three months and a, week. From the sheltered harbor of- Mombaasa to, Casablanca, Mr. Bedaux drove the lead carr— a Buick Master 30 touring model — without once relinquishing ' the wheel, for no other reason than the satisfaction of proving that motorcars are competent to cope with any and all conditions. . , The Buick touring car and six trucks, carrying provisions for the long trek, were shipped to an inland starting-point, from where the party made a three weeks' detour into the dense jungles of Southern Kenya and northern Tanganyika. This part of the trip was osten« sibly a. hunting expedition, but m reality it was to test the cars, for if they could stand the hazards of that wilderness, they were reasonably sure to be able to cope with anything they might encounter the rest of the way. After the hunting expedition, on which the party got several lions and fine specimens of hippopotami, the real part of the journey began*. Into the heart of the jungle the party pushed its way unfalteringly. They came upon sections where no

white man, let alone any motor-cars, had ever go"fie before. The natives there reacted strangely to' the phenomenon of these queer beasts on wheels. Instead of displaying fright or curiosity, they were so slow to make any sense of the situation that they would not even get out of the way of the oncoming car. Staring with uncomprehending eyes, it seemed as though they would have let the car run over them rather than step aside. • ■ Much of the actual travelling was done by night, because of the j intense heat, and m the daytime ! tents were pitched and the party camped and rested. Their trip through the desert was epochal m that they were the largest party ever to attempt that sea of sand. : Never before had standard cars made the journey. Such motor vehicles as" had x traversed those treacherous miles -before were especially equipped with caterpillar wheels and travelled m relays. Night driving m the desert, according to Mr. Bedaux,- is fraught With greater dangers than the mysteries of the jungle. The path of light made by the headlights, contrasting vividly with the darkness, made the effect of snow, against pine woods. Contrary to general impressions, the nights are, very cold m the desert, and the sensation of banked fenow and |pine woods was so realistic that Mr. Bedaux said he would often have to hit the top of the car to give himself assurance against this dangerous hallucination.

The roominess of the four-door Singer Junior is well shown m this illustration. Sturdy, large-hubbed wine wheels and stream-line body add to the good looks of this fine lightweight, which can carry four and even five grown-ups for 40 to JSO miles on a gallon of fuel.