Her voice is a little cracky, but she gives relevant information. This voice is not that of Daniel Piébourg. It is that of his car, an electronic Renault 11 TSE from 1983, which makes all his pride and that of his wife Claudine, with whom he lives in a pretty house in Lucé.
The couple love each other and also love cars. Sorry, the Renaults. R4, R5 LS, Fuego, Clio 1, R19, two Lagunas, six or seven Scenics – he no longer counts them – and above all, in the back of the garage, a Juva 4 from 1956, a convertible 4CV from 1952. And of course the Renault 11, blue schist, the darling, which is still used almost daily for short trips, in addition to rides with the Retro Motorbike Club of Chartres.
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This R11 speaks. Not like Kitt in the K 2000 series, in the 1980s, but a synthetic voice warns the driver in the event of a problem: door left open, engine overheating, burnt out bulb… The list is long, and Daniel Piébourg never tires of listen to it.
Start of digital display
On this model, the options and equipment are numerous, which pleases its owners. “This is the beginning of the digital display on the dashboard”, explains Daniel Piébourg.
“Already at the time, it calculated instantaneous fuel consumption!”
Daniel Piébourg (empty)
And then there is the hi-fi system that will later equip the most upscale Renault saloons, such as the Renault 25, or the Espace: a K7 car radio with its amplifier and six speakers, all made at the Radiotechnique in Rambouillet.
Under the hood: 72 HP and space to store oil or coolant containers. “At the time, you could buy lots of accessories,” the couple still remember. You still had to pay the price: 68,400 francs, the equivalent of around €23,000 today (including inflation).
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A car and memories
Daniel Piébourg has always loved cars. Son of a mechanic from Francourville, he has been immersed in the industry since his early childhood. “My father always advised me against taking over his business, because he said it was difficult and considered that he spent as much time on paperwork as under the engine of cars.”
Beyond the object, the Renault 11 of the Piébourg couple also represents a story. Their story. “It’s the car in which we got married,” they note.
“It’s the car for the first holidays with the children in Vendée. It’s also the car that took us to Champagne with the family to harvest, and come back with a full trunk!”
According to them, more and more enthusiasts are interested in these cars which are beginning to become collector’s cars without being old clunkers from the beginning of the 20th century. We call it youngtimers.
Francois Feuilleux
#Collection #Lucé #life #love #Renault #proud #R11
