4x4s.org NAMED MODEL · 1922
NAMED MODELSpecial · ExpeditionFrance

K1 of the first Sahara crossing (1922–23)

The five K1 half-tracks of the first motor crossing of the Sahara, from Touggourt to Timbuktu between 17 December 1922 and 7 January 1923, and back by 6 March: Scarabée d’Or, Croissant d’Argent, Tortue Volante, Chenille Rampante and Bœuf Apis, led by Georges-Marie Haardt and Louis Audouin-Dubreuil.

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BASE VEHICLEKégresse K1 and P4 T (10 HP B2, 1921–26)BUILT BYCitroënIN SERVICE1922OPERATED INAlgeria, MaliPRODUCTION5LAYOUT2 wheels · 88.6″

The record

The cars were given two extra side radiators, a steam condenser and louvred bonnets after trials in North Africa. The mission studied fast links between France’s African territories; André Citroën drove out with three more half-tracks to meet it on its return in February 1923, and Scarabée d’Or was afterwards shown at the Musée de l’Armée in the Invalides.

Specification

MANUFACTURERCitroën ↗
Paris (half-track department at Suresnes, then Courbevoie)
MANUFACTURED1922
ENGINECitroën 10 HP four, 1,452 cc, 20 hpCitroën 10 HP four (B2/B12)
PRODUCTION RUN5
COUNTRY OF ORIGINFrance
OPERATED INAlgeria, Mali
STATUSexpedition vehicles
RECORD KINDNamed model
MODEL LINEKégresse 10 HP
FAMILYKégresse 10 HP
WHEELS2
NOMINAL WHEELBASE88.6″
BODY STYLEtorpedo
CATEGORYSpecial · Expedition

Catalogue fields describe the vehicle's structure and body as this registry records it. They are not certified factory measurements, and no performance figures are published here.

Variants & colours

Base model variants

AI rendering impression

An AI rendering impression starts from a 3D model of this vehicle, which an image model then paints into a scene. It is an artist's impression of the type, made to give a feel for the vehicle in its element — not a photograph, and not a record of any particular vehicle.

Proportions, fittings, markings, colours and the setting can all drift from the original in the process. For the vehicle's actual details, rely on the specification, the photographs and the cited sources on this page.

Sources

  1. 1Les autochenilles Kégresse (Pascal Honegger, 2015) ↗Krybebåndssocietetet (kegresse.dk) · accessed 2026-09-24SOURCE
  2. 2Raid Citroën Touggourt-Tombouctou : « La croisière des sables » ↗l'Automobile Ancienne · accessed 2026-09-24SOURCE
  3. 3Croisière noire ↗Wikipédia · accessed 2026-09-24SOURCE

Registry record updated 2026-09-24 · status: researched