Topic: Art and cars #40 - Françoise Sagan and her Aston-Martin DB2/4

[Ray B.]

Who is she, and what particular car can she be connected with?

Art and cars. Painters, writers, musicians, actors, movie makers: in a nutshell, artists. Cars of special importance in their work, or in their life.

 Rule is: you identify the artist, you have one week to find the rest of the answer. After that, the hunt is opened and anyone can rob you of your point.
Thanks!

[Ray B.]

Experts, have at it, as the old saying goes.

[guido66]

kd lang?

[Ray B.]

No sir

[Amsterdam]

Is she an actrice?

[Ray B.]

No.

[Amsterdam]

Pretty obvious I don't know who she is. A writer maby?

[Ray B.]

You may not know her but you're spot on on this: a writer indeed.

[cmetisse]

This is Françoise Sagan ! A true car-lover, who liked to drive her Aston-Martin, Ferrari, AC Cobra or Maserati barefoot... And she wrote a lot about speed and fast cars in her books, too !
R.I.P.

[Ray B.]

Bingo, sir.
Now what car would you especially connect her with? Like yo say, she had many, but this one changed the course of her life. Make and model, and possibly with a picture.
Locked for you 72 hours.

[Otto Puzzell]

She bears an uncanny resemblance to Eric Idle

[Amsterdam]

I believe you are refering to the terrible accident she had on 13th of April 1957, when she and three of her friends where driving her Aston Martin DB2/4 Mark 2 Cabrio on the Route Nationale 448 near Milly-la-Forêt.
She bearly surrvived this accident, wich resulted in a life full of pain and using about anything that she could to kill this pain.
These habbits caused many problems in the rest of her life.

[Ray B.]

Having duly respected the 72 hours delay offered to cmetisse, you could steal the point, Amsterdam.
But if I did mean her Aston-Martin, my research (and it wasn't easy) showed that it was not a DB2/4, but another model.

Now it's between the both of you. The first who gives me the correct model wins.

[Amsterdam]

That means that a lot of sources are wrong about this car. Now I have found a source who says it was GREGOIRE-SPORT 1957. There is a picture where she herself is checking out the engine with Jean Albert Gregoire.
But taking notice of your last reply, was it a Aston Martin but a diffrent model??

Additional information

This car, equipped with a GREGOIRE R mechanic and a CONSTANTIN compressor was presented at the Grand Palais on October 3, 1957aving had little success, ten models of the car were sold, one of which was bought by Françoise SAGAN. In April 1957, the writer had a serious car accident in this automobile]


Or could this be the next source being wrong about the accident car

[Ray B.]

No, I mean an Aston Martin, everybody seems to agree on that, but a different model. I'll try to find back my source to check its reliability, which seemed fine.

[Ray B.]

I have two sources saying it was a MkIII, bought used (most others agree with you). Used is kind of weird, because I read that the MkIII started in 1957, the year of her accident. We could both be right because a MkIII is a revamped DB2/4, a name who had been dropped at the time.
So, I'll give you the point anyway.
I also read that the car had been repaired and was still around.
Anyone who comes with a picture of Sagan and the car, or the car now (with sufficient evidence that it's hers) will solve this small mystery and earn another point.

[Amsterdam]

Thank you.
So far I have found only sources who mentioned it to be the Aston Martin DB2/4 MK II and only one who came with the Gregoire wich is obvious wrong.
I did not find any mentioning the MK III

I have not seen a photo of her with the Aston, only with some of her other cars. I will try to find it

Funny you say that she would have had the MK III before it was presented, the same was mentioned about the wrong Gregoire who was presented october 57 also 6 months after the acccident.

Maby she was besides a writer also a test driver

P.S.
Please do correct me if I am wrong because my memory can leave at  times.
but If I am not mistaking you did not gave me a point, as my score was, and still is 26.

[Ray B.]

I can't find exactly since when in 1957 the Mk III was offered. Of course my source saying she bought it used is wrong, unless it means a Mk II.

I always give the points when I move the puzzle to solved. You'll havee it, don't worry. I just leave this one here a few days before burying it, if any one would come with the solution.

[Amsterdam]

Still looking for it myself. It seems her name is mentioned by all of the  cars she owned where I found picures off,  butt still no picture of the Aston Martin with or without her in it.
Maby the time between the purchase and the accident was to short of time to take any pictures?

Oh!.. and not worried at all. I am not here for the points. Just checking if my memory had left me again.

[Ray B.]

Maby the time between the purchase and the accident was to short of time to take any pictures?

I also think that this may be the answer.

[geology]

this might be what you are looking for

[geology]

apologies to Amsterdam, not sure if this was open to all yet or not, might have jumped the gun a bit.

[Amsterdam]

apologies to Amsterdam, not sure if this was open to all yet or not, might have jumped the gun a bit.

No apologies!  its absolutly OK. It was not locked for me. An extra point would be awarded to the one with the picture of the exact Aston Martin, and it seems you have earnt it

Well done!

It is in very bad shape but it looks to me like the MK II

[Ray B.]

Well done, the both of you, and one deserved point to each. I had searched in vain for that precision, and you even bring up a picture. A DB 2/4 it is.