Dual Circuit hydraulic brakes Adaptive electric stability control (ESP) Acceleration skid regulations (ASR) 100 Litre plastic fuel tank Floating caliper discs front and rear. Antilock braking system (ABS) Comfort drivers seat with armrest Remote control central locking EVM front bumper spoiler with integrated daytime running lights EVM body moulded side skirts in matching vehicle colour EVM wrap-around rear bumper spoiler Drivers seat in matching leather. Driver's area floor covered in soft pile carpet Suede finish on entry doors and A-pillars Bottom of dash and door panels colour matched 12 Volt DC socket Rear row of seats on raised pedestal Luggage partition incorporating boot pedestal and raised floor Full-height fixed partition closing off boot area Complete floor covered in hard-wearing non-slip flooring Complete floor covered in wood-effect non-slip flooring Complete floor covered in flat pile carpet

Centre aisle carpet with brass button putting down pins Full draw pleated curtains Window blinds on side windows Sliding blinds on standard window screen EVM stepped curved double glazed saloon side windows in privacy grey with original aperture inside Original Mercedes-Benz front windscreen Glass-top roof vent 500 x 1000 mm EVM large framed curved double glazed saloon side windows in privacy grey with leather finished interior window cappingsair handling unit condensate trap Large coach-type panoramic windscreen with twin roller blindsair conditioner split unit 12000 btu Glass panoramic roof with manual sliding blindsfreon leak in home ac unit Mercedes-Benz in-dash air conditioning

Eberspacher saloon air conditioning ducted through rack, exiting through passenger service units Eberspacher tap in saloon airconditioning ducted through rack, exiting through passenger service units Eberspacher roof mounted 15.5KW saloon air conditioning ducted through rack, exiting through passenger service units. Mercedes Audio 15 upgrade radio/SD with Mercedes-Benz speakers in dash Saloon speakers integrated in passenger service units Audio 15 with Becker Map Pilot and navigation PA system with hand microphone, cable and clip fitted on dash Additional microphone socket and clip fitted on left-hand B-pillar Driver's pedestal microphone mounted on right-hand B-pillar 17" monitor recessed in roof at front 17" monitor recessed in roof at rear DVD Player incorporated in top of dash EVM Executive 110 seat Three point seat belts Leather cushioned arm rests to aisle side on all seats Reclining back rest on all seats

Recessed handles in seat backs Mercedes-Benz logo stamped on head rests Mercedes-Benz logo embroidered in head rest Side-shift mechanism on aisle-side seats Side flaps with additional soft foam on seat backs and base Full-length strip lights and LED night lights Roof mounted LED night light with blue and white night lights Gangway LED strip lighting with white night lights Exterior front and rear marker lights Exterior Hella oranged recessed marker lights 3 no marker lights across window screen 3 no marker lights across rear Front and rear mud flaps Durabrite forged alloy wheels They're the "cars rapides" – a fleet of distinctive, hand-painted minibuses that have become a national symbol in Senegal. True to their name, they're fast-moving vehicles. And almost all of them are decorated with a pair of eyes on the front and rear. One artist who paints the cars says the goal is to humanize them: "It's just like my face, with a nose and a mouth — with an extra pair of eyes at the back."

The colorful 12-seat vehicles have become a trademark in the capital, Dakar, and other cities. But blink and you may miss them. The government is planning to phase out the cars rapides by 2018 because they're old and need to be replaced with buses that can hold more passengers. The vehicles have been zooming down roads of Dakar and other towns for more than half a century, says driver Moustapha Kane, "during my grandparents' time." Passengers and conductors sometimes perilously hang off the backs and sides of the overcrowded vehicles. The popular minibuses — in bright blues, whites, yellows, oranges, reds and greens — are symbols of Senegalese art on the move. In addition to eyes that look directly at you, they're adorned with names, mostly of Muslim religious leaders and their disciples — Mame Diarra Bousso, Khalifa Ababacar Sy. Almost all have "Alhamdoulilahi" (Give thanks to God) painted on them as well as depictions of flags, horses, eagles and intricate designs. The gas cap is padlocked and painted with an extra flourish.

Kalidou Diallo, 33, is a meticulous car rapide artist known by his nickname Neyoo, Wearing a t-shirt splattered with paint, he says he has been hand-decorating the minibuses for 17 years, first under the guidance of his uncle, then with his cousin. The minibuses have been rumbling along the roads for decades. Many have 25 years under their belts and are getting old, rickety — even dangerous — say Senegal's transport authorities, which is why they're being pensioned off. Neyoo says he regrets it'll soon be the end of the road for the cars rapides. "What can you do," he asks, "when the authorities want to modernize and draft in newer buses?" "But will passengers be able to afford the fares?" he wonders out loud. No other form of transport, except maybe a horse and cart, is cheaper than the cars rapides. Murmuring under his breath, Neyoo complains that officials have no idea how indispensable the mass transit minibuses are for cash-strapped Senegalese, "because they sit in their 4-wheel vehicles, playing with their expensive mobile phones, with the air conditioner on full blast, and have never taken a car rapide."

Passengers like Celestine Awa Diatta, speak fondly about the ubiquitous minibuses. "I jump on the cars rapides all the time," she says as she bundles herself into the back of one, rushing to pick up a child from school. "They're affordable, that's why you see so many people lining up to take a ride for a few cents." Diatta says the eye-catching cars rapides efficiently ferry her and her family around Dakar. She's philosophical about the fact that she may soon have to find another way to get about town. Pape Omar Pouye, one of the artists who paints the cars rapides, says phasing out the legendary minibuses will mark the end of an era. But he believes their legacy will endure, because they have become a mirror of Dakar and a symbol of Senegal, where key chains, trays and plates are sold depicting the buses. And that's not the only way the art of the buses is celebrated. Pouye helped paint the Senegalese car rapide on display at the Musee de l'Homme — the Museum of Mankind — in Paris.