Mousse DS 03NB

I was very quickly attracted by cars. From the age of 3, in 1965, I already had a small collection of plastic Norev miniatures at 1/43rd. The Simca Aronde, Peugeot 403 and other Renault Frégate had no secrets for me. Perched on the back seat of my father's blue Citroën ID 19, I had fun identifying the cars that followed us. A real game!

It's in high school, in Strasbourg, that I meet three car's enthusiasts: Christophe, Michel and François. The four of us are an atypical group of young model collectors at 1/43rd. We are in 1978, a very successful year for us, with well-stocked exchanges. Two years later, I landed my license at the age of 18, and in the process I buy a gray A 112 Autobianchi.

With Christian, an exceptional car enthusiast, we have the idea in 1984 to create a club: the APAS (Amicale of Automobile Passionists of Strasbourg). The goal: to move in France, but also in Germany, Switzerland and Italy, to attend concentrations and make many photos. Notably Ferrari, Lamborghini, Maserati, Aston Martin: four essential brands in our eyes.

In the spring of 1986, by chance, I'm having a look at the magazine Auto-Passion in which I learn that the editor is launching a "best article" contest. How to participate: tell a story around the automobile, full of photos. Providential: with my friend Christian, we had just gone to Switzerland, in search of thrills. With fresh memories in our head: a Ferrari concentration in Italy, and a quick stay in Switzerland into the garage Graber. In his shop window, five Ferrari 288 GTO brand new. The icing on the cake: Back in Strasbourg, by the German city of Kehl, here we come face to face with a test prototype Porsche 959 stopped at an Aral gas station. Photos! Banco: I won first prize in the Auto-Passion contest. What if I report in the future, at a steady pace? In 1987, I offered my services to the editorial staff of La Vie de l'Auto.

Ok for them and for me! Since then, I have continued to go to events and to collectors at the international level.

In early December 2009, I have a revelation for the hidden side of the scenery: wrecks abandoned in nature. Robert, a passionate friend of old cars, contacted me and asked me if a forest with 300 wrecks was in my rope. On December 10, we are both in Châtillon, Belgium. Extraordinary!

Passionate about cars, but also photography, I was in heaven ! The click: Polisot in 2011 and 2013, then Brazey in 2016 was a new Eden for me. The one where rust and moss reign supreme. Now, I was going to hunt wrecks along with other followers of this exciting discipline. Objective: to magnify Sleeping Beauties in pictures.