GOOD FOR THE LONG HAUL; 1947 Chevrolet Fleetmaster Special Deluxe Wagon.(Escape Roads)

Byline: BOB TOMAINE

Station wagons have ferried passengers to railroad stations, carried campers and worked for tradesmen. In 1948, one covered the length of Africa.

Henry Donner was a professor of astronomy and geology at what was then Western Reserve University in Cleveland, when he and his wife drove a 1947 Chevrolet through Africa while studying geological formations and comparing star measurements with those made on previous trips. The car had heavy-duty springs and fan, a winch, dual batteries, spotlights and a skid plate; it was outfitted with a bed, screens and curtains, spares and extra supplies.

The Donners and the Chevrolet wagon sailed from New York to Le Havre, France, then traveled on to Paris and then to Marseille, where they set sail for Algiers. There, English travelers leaving in four-wheel-drive military vehicles predicted the Chevrolet's defeat. The Donners and one English truck followed and were joined en route by an ex-military Dodge. After fighting sandstorms, searching for gas and food, getting stuck, breaking the winch and pushing for hours in first gear, they caught up to the Brits who had doubted the Chevrolet. In 74 days, across 9400 miles, they reached Bloemfontein, South Africa.

The car, which was owned by the university and used later by Donner on student trips to Colorado, was sold several times through the years. In 1971, Larry Nagode bought what he thought was simply a 1947 Chevrolet Fleetmaster Special Deluxe woody. He was told by the seller that Western Reserve had owned it, and traces of the name remained on the body, so Nagode learned the car's story ...