"I first encountered cars when I met my husband. I was 15 and a half and didn't yet have my driving license," says Hélène with a smile. "We started by doing up an old Volkswagen together: four oily hands in the engine! We were soon hooked. But it's well known that once you start collecting, the more you have the more you want. We were very soon hankering after a racing Porsche. Now we have ten emblematic VWs and as many vintage Porsches, including my favourite, the 8-cylinder 944 Turbo S. Every April we take turns at its wheel for the Tour Auto Optic 2000. Apart from this shared passion, I help Régis at the Lustrerie Mathieu in Gargas, Vaucluse, where he restores antique chandeliers and lighting. Having trained in industrial psychology, I look after the personnel and financial sides of the business while Régis spends all his time designing and restoring." Yes, sports cars are for women too. Just think of all the events they take part in, and all-women events like the Rallye des Princesses. "Rather than track racing, we like outings with friends, driving around the magnificent roads of Provence. And we often change cars two or three times in one day when driving for our work; it keeps the cars in trim but it's also for the pleasure."
Par Louis Badie
Illustration Jean-Baptiste Gaubert