Of course. Forgot about it I followed them several times. The closest was 30mins distant from my home, when they crossed Alsace. The fartherst was following them from Clermont-Ferrand to the finish in Biarritz. Back to topic: When I find the leisure for it, I will 'drive' that most probable route section once more via google Street View Best Martin
But visiting the "parc fermé" in the Tuileries, you won't hear the cars...nor can you see these "in action". Back to the topic: I searched for the garage, but no luck so far; it has probably changed owner, if it is still in business. The easiest solution would be the "low-technology" one, that is the 1988 telephone registry for the "Département de la Haute-Marne". Rgds
I believe, many of you like the pictures in the first post. Here's one more. A closer shot of the Espada, one can see at the shop entrance. Image Unavailable, Please Login Best Regards Martin
None of the car so far seems to be registered in "52", which is not very surprising, as there were probably very few exotics in that "département", if any, but suggests that the shop was doing some special work: the Miura is registered "06", and the Espada "33", which in both cases would have been about 650 kms away (400 miles). Rgds
Well, there is indeed a connection between the "Bourlon de Rouvres" family and the departement de la Haute-Marne, but, and only as far as I know, the connection is only political, the family didn't have business here (to the best of my knowledge). The wealth of the grand-father, Charles Bourlon de Rouvres, came from the beetle sugar (hence the "Fabriques Sucre") but not in the Haute-Marne, where there are no beetles (more of the north-east crown around Paris: Aisne, Seine-et-Marne, etc...). It seems that he choose that "département" to be elected député there only because the perspective of success were good. Again, as far as I know, Cyril de Rouvre didn't spend his childhood there (he was born in Paris) hadn't any business there (but he had so many businesses at one time that nothing would surprise me in that matter...) and decided to get elected as mayor of Chaumont in 1989 partly out of nostalgia for the département from which his Grand-father was député, but - to the best of my knowledge - didn't have business here. It is true of course that Cyril de Rouvre always had fast cars: Ferraris, Facel-Vegas, etc...that he participated twice in the Paris-Dakar. His involvement in Formula One began in 1989 when he bought AGS, that he sold two years later to buy first a 35% stake in Ligier, then the rest of Guy Ligier shares. For Ligier, as you know, we would have to go south to Vichy, or - South again but the trip is slightly shorter - to Nevers and Magny-Cours. So I can't see any evident connection, but who knows...after all, the man had at one time a sample of almost any type of business... (I'm afraid this could take us quite far from the identification of the "garage" in the pictures, but your idea makes sense) Rgds
I think I earned a bottle of Champagne ! 15 Rue de Verdun, Éclaron-Braucourt-Sainte-Livière, Grand Est
Seems right. Although "Grand Est" was not invented in 1988, it was still the true name of "Champagne-Ardennes". The place looks the same, but (and this is not a critic towards VetroresinaNL...) we are still missing information about the "garage" itself and why these exotics were there in the middle of nowhere. https://www.google.fr/maps/place/15+Rue+de+Verdun,+52290+%C3%89claron-Braucourt-Sainte-Livi%C3%A8re/@48.5916561,4.8671714,3a,66.8y,301.73h,90t/data=!3m4!1e1!3m2!1sOHE0HeMmicKOMWSsYKJ5eg!2e0!4m2!3m1!1s0x47ec78f4035ed237:0x8fd3fa5b3e1e59cc Rgds
Well done vetroresina. But I just wonder, which sight is more sad. The exotics parced in the grass or how the place looks now. Best Regards Martin
Considering the system of numbering the streets in France (odd numbers on one side, even numbers on the other) and the parking lot being on number 15, the garage, which, according to Martin's pictures, is just across the street, should be theoretically at number 14, 16 or 18... There is a garage today at 18, rue de Verdun in that village, but it is not dealing with sportscars or exotics.... Rgds
Something complete different, something I did not manage to find out was the original storage location of the Jacques Baillon 'collection'. Do you perhaps where this was?
You see me surprised, VetroresinaNL: you manage to find an unknown garage in the middle of nowhere, but you can’t find what almost everyone knows? The collection was exactly in the village of Echiré, au Château-Gaillard (near Niort), Département des Deux-Sèvres (79) https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/%C3%89chir%C3%A9 Scroll down to the middle of the page in the enclosed link, chapter « Où se trouvait cette collection?” https://lautomobileancienne.com/collection-roger-baillon/ Quite a number of people knew this, by the way. It was part of Artcurial usual "circus" to present the collection as “secret, forgotten”, etc… But it was locally rather well know, as part of it had already been auctioned after seizure by the tax administration in 1979, then again in 1985. Many knew about the collection, but it slowly began to be forgotten after 1985, except by the locals, until the Artcurial sale. Rgds
No...I'd rather think it is an effect of the "smoke curtain" and the "theatre" that Artcurial made about it; the truth is that the locals all knew about it, even if what was exactly left of the collection was difficult to assess, as the walls make it difficult to photograph. As the Baillon business (a trucking company) disappeared after the seventies, and after the two sales by seasure of 1979 and 1985, the knowledge of the collection faded slowly, except for the locals close to it. It sprang into light again with the announcement of the forgotten "California" by Artcurial, but the truth is simply that the collection had to be sold for tax reasons (slightly less glamorous, shall we say?) Rgds
I know the story and I was at Retromobile during the auction. Just the setting of how Artcurial displayed the vehicles was quite a thing. Never seen before and I assume never will. The prices some of the vehicle reaches was just amazing (or stupid). But great to finally know where they lived! Thank you for that.
Now I know and google the place, one can fin aerial pictures made before the find and it is intriguing to almost see the cars. Well almost then. Quite amazing...
Trying not to derail Martin's thread, but, with the exception of the "California", I wonder how many of those who bought cars from the Baillon collection at the Retromobile's auction are still happy today with what they clearly overpayed, now that the market has calmed down? (to say nothing about the deriliction of most cars sold...) Rgds
I had some family who lived near that place at that time. And I had heard some comment about "that major from Paris who drove his sports cars through the countryside" May he store / service / bring some of his car around .....
