NOCES VÉNITIENNES

4 Chicago
to give them to anyone who’s interested.” Somewhere near Nantes in
France, Tristan, yet to turn 20, closes the book and falls asleep with a
smile on his lips. He dreams of far horizons, discoveries and adventures.
He dreams that he is starting up Bucephalus, the 2CV. A host
of unfamiliar landscapes fl y past. New faces greet him. Tristan is
woken suddenly by a jolt. Tristan is onboard a 2CV on a bumpy road
in deepest Thailand. “We’ll never make it,” sighs Quentin, his fellow
traveller. “Oh yes we will. Just wait and see”. And Bucephalus did
make it. She even crossed whole continents to return to Paris.
This story, this real-life dream, started in 2007, when Tristan read
the travel memoirs of Édouard Cortes and Jean-Baptiste Flichy, two
mates who set off to explore the Orient in the footsteps of Guy de
Larigaudie, the great 20th century explorer. Their trusty steed for
the great adventure was a 1977 vintage 2CV 6 called Bucephalus,
after Alexander the Great’s horse. Together, they drove the
16,000 km from Paris to the city formerly known as Saigon in Vietnam.
They kept a record of their journey in a book that ends with the
challenging lines, “We’d be happy to give the keys to anyone who’s
interested”. And Tristan is very interested. He meets Édouard and
Jean-Baptiste. They are excited about his idea. Tristan takes a plane
to Phnom Penh, with the keys in his pocket. First, he has to fi nd
Bucephalus and put her in a safe place. When he arrives in Cambodia,
he heads straight for Bavet in the south-east of the country,
where his predecessors had left the 2CV in a farmer’s hands. “The
sketchy directions on a scrap of paper simply consisted of a cross
marking the spot where they left their car,” explains Tristan. “The
closer I came, the more excited I was. I explained the purpose of my
visit to some locals who had trouble understanding me. I fi nally spotted
Bucephalus in a paddy fi eld, where the farmer had left her to
clear out some space in his garage. I couldn’t believe my eyes. She
was in one piece. In a sorry state, but in one piece! And I even managed
to start the engine. Unbelievable!” Tristan took the 2CV to the
house of a friend who lives in Cambodia. Once Bucephalus was safe
and sound, he returned to France and decided to start preparing his
project for Bucephalus’ return.
The idea consisted in returning to Cambodia and bringing
Bucephalus back to Paris. And that is precisely what Tristan Villemain
and Quentin Renaud did, crossing southern Asia and Australia,
before driving up through South and North America as far as Canada.
An odyssey that lasted one year. And a wealth of memories.
They are spoilt for choice. “In the Andes, we tried to consume as little
fuel as possible. We drove downhill in neutral and with the engine
off! Not very safe, but all part of the course. We also set off to cross
3,000 km of desert in Australia with just two extra jerry cans
containing 15 l of petrol and 10 l of water. It was very much a case of
carpe diem!” But Tristan and Quentin could count on their legendary
steed. “I was never scared at the thought of setting off in a 2CV,
because I knew full well that she could take it.” They also received a
warm welcome from 2CV fans everywhere, in Citroën’s international
network and on the road. “The 2CV was our best passport. We didn’t
get a single ticket and nothing at all was stolen or pilfered.” And the
complicity between the two well-matched teamsters did the rest.
“I was unbeatable when it came to the mechanical side of things and
Quentin is someone with extraordinary human qualities. But he is
also very down-to-earth, while I am more of a dreamer. As far as I am
concerned, Bucephalus is a person with her own identity. For Quentin,
she is just a car.” A car that is now taking a well-earned rest near
Nantes, while the two adventurers are still just as busy. “We are
going through some big changes. Quentin is a carpenter and has set
up his own business. For the time being, I have a job in sailing. I act
as the intermediary between people who are interested in RC44 type
luxury pleasure boats”. Aged 23, Tristan is also thinking about his
next “crazy project”, while he waits for the book recounting Bucephalus’
adventures all over the world to be published. The book is due out in
October 2011.
LÉGENDE - LEGEND
5 Chutes du Niagara / Niagara Falls 6 New York
ARRIVÉE TRIOMPHALE
Le 29 janvier 2011, après un périple
de 45 000 km sur les routes du
monde, Bucéphale coiffée d’un
immense drapeau bleu-blancrouge,
entre enfi n dans Paris.
Un cortège d’une soixantaine
de 2CV se forme pour escorter
l’équipage. On reconnaît le club
des Deuch’s du Val Drouette, le
Raid 2CV Team, la Deuché Vita,
le 2cv Club Francilien... La colonne
descend les Champs Élysées.
Tristan écrit : « Les passants en
oublient leurs occupations. Les
conducteurs des autres véhicules
se joignent à la fête en klaxonnant.
Même les militaires en faction
sortent leur téléphone pour
prendre en photo ce défi lé
étonnant. Un couple intrigué par
le nombre de 2CV nous hèle au
passage. C’est un oncle et une
tante de Tristan ! »
A TRIUMPHAL HOMECOMING
On 29 January 2011, after travelling
45,000 km all over the world,
Bucephalus returned to Paris, draped in
a huge French fl ag. A motorcade of some
60 2CVs escorted the crew of adventurers.
Everyone knows the Deuch’s du Val
Drouette, the Raid 2CV Team, the Deuché
Vita and the 2CV Club Francilien clubs.
The cars even drove down the Champs
Élysées. Tristan writes: “Onlookers
stopped whatever they were doing.
Drivers in other vehicles joined in the fun
by sounding their horns. Even the soldiers
on duty whipped out their mobiles to take
a snapshot of this curious parade. One
intrigued couple called us as we drove
past. It was Tristan’s aunt and uncle!”
...
CMAG _ JUILLET-AOÛT/JULY-AUGUST 2011
45