13. François FOUQUET-HATEVILAIN - The MyLittleRedCar column in AUTOHEROES #024

The Grand Prix of Happiness

As a true epicurean, throughout his travels on historic racing circuits, Francois Fouquet-Hatevilain chose the pursuit of happiness.

"The "My Little Red Car" concept of searching in one's childhood memories for the reason for an irresistible passion for automobiles intrigued me greatly.

Indeed, I don't really have a specific first memory of cars, as I've always felt that they were a part of me. Of course, the smells of gasoline, oil, and old grease from my grandfather's Renault garage are a clear and genuine Proustian madeleine, an inexhaustible source of sweet nostalgia. It was one of those village garages that, in the 80s, still looked like a postcard straight out of the 50s. I couldn't have been more than five years old when I would rush off as soon as I woke up to join him in this world filled with mechanical marvels. Armed with the sausage sandwich my grandmother made, I happily poured premium or regular gas, often receiving a small coin for my piggy bank.

My father and grandfather restored cars salvaged from junkyards, and that's how I saw Hotchkiss, Traction Avant, and Salmon cars accumulate. My father was indeed passionate about legendary French cars, and his dreams of Bugattis, Gordinis, and DBs quickly became mine. He would take me to historic races like the Monaco Grand Prix, and of course, I could already picture myself there! Through sheer perseverance, he acquired some of these racing cars, miniature replicas of which were already the greatest joy of my childhood. How many times did I strain my vocal cords trying to imitate the sound of my little racing cars accelerating!

Therefore, there is no need to resort to extensive psychoanalytic studies to understand my attraction to the famous historic racing circuits and the pleasure of driving these racing cars as often as possible, and in particular the DB Panhard acquired by my father from the Reims Museum in the 90s.

However, I believe that if I dedicate all my free time to it, and if this passion consumes most of my leisure time, it's not solely to satisfy my childhood desires. Certainly, I rediscover in the paddocks the pleasure of reminiscing about the smell of engine oil and the dreams of speed, but as with any pleasure, it would then only be a fleeting and fragmented joy. On the contrary, it's something more constant, more immutable, a true state of mind. I've chosen to rev the engines of my cars by competing in races rather than granting them simple Sunday outings, just as some children prefer to wear their toys out completely rather than display them shiny in a glass case. The DB suffered the consequences with an engine failure at Spa Classic in May 2019, but it was repaired in record time to finish first in the performance index at the Grand Prix de l'Age d'Or in June of the same year. She has been racking up impressive performances ever since.

I think any classic car enthusiast will understand what I'm trying to say. Experiencing this feeling isn't simply a quest for fleeting pleasures linked to speed or acquiring new models. No, it's a true lifestyle, a state of satisfaction as constant as the scratches left on that little boy's toy car: the very definition of happiness!

The childhood scenes of Francois Fouquet-Hatevilain could almost be integrated into Edward Hopper paintings, French style!

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