Louis Mattar was not one to let something like fuel keep him from making his historic drive. So, he managed to find a way to keep 230 gallons of fuel on board. This allowed the car to drive a good distance without refueling but not far enough for Louie. If he wanted to make his drive to and from New York, he would have to find a way to get fuel three times. Luckily, he had people who were willing to support his crazy endeavor and the money to do the rest of the convincing. He made arrangements to have a tanker trunk drive beside him at airstrips along his route so that he could get fuel in the tanks while still not stopping.
It really did seem like Louie had thought of everything and that his drive was really going to happen. On September 20th, 1952 Louie and his two friends set off. They were making good time and doing well until about 60 hours into the drive when things started to go bad. All three of the men found themselves feeling sick and very constipated. None of them had been used to sitting for so long and it was obvious their bodies were not used to it either. While Louie Mattar had thought of some medications to bring and even had a small medicine cabinet, there was nothing to treat constipation. It seemed that the trio were going to have to give up until Louie remembered his mobile phone. He did the only thing he could think of and called the police. He explained the situation to the police. The police then called a local doctor who gave the police a bottle of laxatives. The police then pulled up alongside the moving car and handed over the medicine…saving the three men from discomfort and allowing the drive to continue.
On September 27th, 1952 Louie Mattar and his friends arrived back at his San Diego home having made the 6,320-mile drive in just 7 days and without stopping. The drive was so successful that Louie continued to make modifications and even designed a trailer that held more fluids and had a nice seating area for those who were not driving to have a bite to eat. So, in 1954 Louie and his two friends attempted another drive, this time from Anchorage, Alaska to Mexico City, a distance of 7,482 miles. They were once again successful. Today Louie’s car can be seen at the San Diego Automotive Museum.
