Created in 1996 and recognised as a public-interest body since 1997, the Fondation du Patrimoine safeguards and enhances the French heritage, mainly its built heritage not protected as historic monuments.
Since 2008, thanks to support from Motul, the Fondation du Patrimoine has launched into an entirely different avenue of safeguarding, that of the rolling motorised vehicles heritage!
This is an extremely enriching and enthralling joint undertaking which has already allowed the restoration of nine vehicles of all kinds. For instance, after a 1923 Renault fire-brigade lorry, the Porsche 917 exhibited at the Museum of the 24 Hours of Le Mans or else a 1937 Georges Irat MDU cabriolet, a 1936 Saurer type CRD Diesel lorry was unveiled in restored condition on 25 October. For the occasion, regional journalists and representatives of the three entities involved in this project – the Fondation du Patrimoine, Motul and the Fondation Marius Berliet which owns the vehicle – made the trip to the Lyon suburb to immortalise the first driving sessions of the lorry since its restoration. It was an especially meticulous restoration requiring no less than 2,000 hours of work. This witness of a bygone era will now join the other gems in the collection at the Fondation Marius Berliet. An official presentation to the public is also planned in February 2012 when the vehicle will be exhibited at the Retromobile Show.
Next unveiling scheduled for 10 November when it will be the turn of a Bugatti Type 28 Torpedo, owned by the association managing the national automobile museum – Collection Schlumpf in Mulhouse, it too restored thanks to support from the Fondation du Patrimoine and Motul.
