PORTRAITS

Valérie et Yannick Panagiotis

Le Provençal, the “Neo-Provençale” and the car enthusiast

By Benjamin Perles

The Panagiotis continue their entrepreneurial adventure after buying the Domaine de la Citadelle estate in 2022. Luberon-born Yannick is the grandson of the Ménerbes mushroom farmer; Valérie, from Languedoc, set up her Aroma-Zone business in Cabrières in 2005. The Panasport workshop, formerly a papermill, still retains traces of its past, with the mixers that used to grind worn-out sails from sailboats. The workshop frame comes from their masts, a reminder that upcycling is not a 21st-century invention. The site was turned into a crystal glassworks – in operation until 2000.

“We had been looking for somewhere to house our private automobile collection for several years. This abandoned spot was a natural choice for storage plus a place to work and exhibit.” They aim to bring together enthusiasts to restore, maintain, prepare, or do no more than share their love of cars.

“I’m 100% enthusiastic about cars, from the modest 4L to the prestigious 911. Nothing pains me more than seeing these masterpieces in disrepair.” Yannick knows that thanks to the diversity of their collection, everyone will find a model that strikes a chord, tells a story, or elicits a real-life experience.“I come from Gévaudan; one of my ancestors was the beast’s first victim,” Valérie confides. They met at the wheel 14 years ago. “She’s a better pilot than I am a co-pilot.” Valérie has it in her blood. Yannick was evacuated from their race by helicopter on 14 January 2023 with three broken vertebrae, and she drove the 700 km to her hospital room solo.

“Vineyards at La Citadelle, motorsport at La Cristallerie, but we never mix the two.” Theirs is a story of passion and heritage, an invitation to share the same passion for beautiful things and great moments.