"It can go up to 120 km/h": Gregory tinkered with his 4CV to be able to drive on the motorway

When he leaves his school cafeteria in a middle school in Nogent-sur-Marne , Grégory cherishes his free afternoons, especially for driving and maintaining his Renault 4CV . This legendary French car, produced between 1947 and 1961 , has become the center of his social life. "I use it every day except when it rains, because it gets wet," he confides. It's a car from another era. Inside, it's cold when it's cold, warm when it's hot. In other words, there's no air conditioning or heating: it dates back to the 1950s. That's what makes it so charming.

A love born thirty years ago, in front of a film with Jane Birkin and Pierre Richard : "My head is rising ." "At one point, we see this car," he remembers. Family influence is also not unrelated to this love of beautiful mechanics: "my father was a rally driver in an R5 , he even did the Paris-Dakar with Stephanie Fugain." But paradoxically, this passionate father "always forbade" him from touching his cars, creating a frustration that would only fuel his future passion for automotive jewels.

In 1991, Gregory was 19 years old. He had just passed his driving test . Without further ado, he bought a 4CV, but a few months later, it was simply stolen from his garage. He bought another, cheaper model, the R5, and for 27 years he would give up the 4CV.

Here we are in 2018. Through word of mouth, the chef found a 4CV model in a private home. "It was very beautiful but had mechanical and electrical problems. I drove it 5 km and broke down. I noticed that there were major oil and fuel leaks. When I told the seller, he didn't want to hear anything," he says. Without much mechanical knowledge, Grégory tried to change the carburetor, but to no avail, he sold the car and lost 2,000 euros in the process. A mishap.

"Six months later, I bought the one I have now, found on Leboncoin 3 km from my house, for 9,000 euros. It was in very good condition and everything worked," recalls the chef. A few weeks later, he met a mechanic who specialized in this type of model. "I opened the hood, and the guy said to me, 'It would be nice to transform it.'" The latter's idea was to modify the vehicle with the more powerful engine of a Dauphine Gordini. The result: his 4 CV has a 4-speed gearbox (instead of 3) and can reach speeds of up to 120 km/h.

Beyond the mechanics, Gregory redid a large part of the basic carcass. He changed a 6-volt battery for a 12-volt one, added motorcycle indicators front and rear, and adapted the seats to thicker adjustable backrests. "I also added a fuel pressure gauge, a wooden steering wheel, and repainted the engine blue. I even put a Vespa scooter rack on the back," he lists. These modifications give his model great originality and allow it to stand out at car gatherings among enthusiasts.

Gatherings in which he participates about fifty times a year. "I'm fully into it," he enthuses. From Sucy-en-Brie to Ozoir-la-Ferrière, via the big annual meeting in Chelles on May 1st (1600 cars from the 50s), his diary is full. It must be said that Grégory attends several car clubs and has even created his own on Facebook. "I am part of Sucy Classique Club, and Ozoir en Ancienne, and am president of a friends' club, which we called Olds cars Saint-Maur 94." This allows him to meet up with friends, when opportunities are lacking, and simply to talk about mechanics.

The fact remains that behind the wheel of his 4CV, the chef never goes unnoticed. "People stop me, especially those in their 70s and 80s," he says. While the car arouses nostalgia among the elderly, it's not uncommon for it to also attract the curiosity of younger people. It's all a question of transmission.