03. Christophe COLLARO - The MyLittleRedCar column in AUTOHEROES #018

Pilot in short trousers

In June 1970, I participated in my first 24 Hours of Le Mans; I was nine years old. My best friend and I were going to take advantage of my parents' absence that weekend to take over our Parisian apartment on Rue du Dobropol with our 1/43 scale Solido models. The long hallway leading to the bedrooms was surprisingly similar to the Mulsanne Straight! That's where the difference would be made, but we had to be careful not to hit the wall at high speed, especially since a wheel could easily get stuck on a stray dog ​​hair that had escaped the vacuum cleaner...

It's decided, we too will brave the night and do a 24-hour race! Staying awake doesn't scare us, some of our races have already lasted several hours... I'm "driving" in particular the blue Matra 650 of my idol Jean-Pierre Beltoise and even if in Sarthe the fight seems unequal with the Porsches and Ferraris, I know my playing field by heart and I hope that my motivation and my "virtuosity" will allow me to defy the predictions.
We're ready, the starting grid looks great with the Corvettes and Lola T70s, Alfa 33s and other 911Ss (and 914/6s...)
We had to borrow some cars from friends, and we're under extra pressure to make sure they don't show too much damage from this terrible ordeal. There aren't complaints everywhere in the apartment, and there are places where it's best not to go!
I turned on the television and in the distance I could hear the passionate voice of my brother Stéphane commentating on the race.
He has just informed us that the 7th art is at the heart of the action for this edition of the 24 Hours with a certain Steve McQueen who is shooting a film that will remain legendary and contribute to his own: Le Mans!
History will only remember Jean-Pierre Beltoise's Matra's retirement in the 6th hour of the race due to a mechanical problem, but on my side, my Matra suffered a breakdown at almost the same time that would put it out of the race "for quite a while": its "driver" fell asleep, who, at the tender age of 9, was only able to complete a single stint...

Sometimes it's good to grow up, 22 years later, in 1992, my brother Stéphane suggested I replace him in the Tour Auto alongside a certain... Jean-Pierre Beltoise who was driving the car with which he had triumphed in the same event in 1970 associated with Patrick Depailler and Jean Todt.
The unforgettable sound of the Matra V12, the still intact virtuosity of its driver and the magic of this event being reborn (thank you Patrick Peter) will remain forever etched in my memory.
And guess who was on the trip, nestled in the right pocket of my overalls? A small blue Solido car, 1/43 scale, admittedly a little dented, but very proud to be part of this adventure... at 1:1 scale!

Christophe Collaro for MyLittleRedCar

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