The scooter on which the former President of the Republic was photographed by Closer joining his lover Julie Gayet from the Élysée is being auctioned this Sunday.
“This scooter is the right one.” François Hollande himself had certified it to its current owner: the bike he has in his hands is indeed the one that the former President of the Republic rode to find his lover Julie Gayet when he was at the Élysée. A piece of history put up for auction this Sunday, May 26, by the Rouillac auction house. Starting price: 10,000 euros.
The Italian three-wheeler, however, has not “nothing like a racing car”, recognizes the ad. This gray Piaggio MP3 125 cm3, 14 years old, has more than 34,000 kilometers on the clock. It is listed for less than 1300 euros on Argus. But the auctioneers believe that this scooter entered “in the category of legendary vehicles” in January 2014, when François Hollande was photographed on board, croissants in hand, meeting Julie Gayet on rue du Cirque while he was still in a relationship with Valérie Trierweiler. Published in Closerthe images of the president – and the scooter – had gone around the world.
Sold by the Élysée at the end of 2015
“A man like any other, on a scooter like any other”, laughs the announcement of the auction. It left the Élysée vehicle fleet at the end of 2015, sold at auction by the Domaines. Its current owner, Patrick Sionneau, a septuagenarian from Loir-et-Cher, told the World in June 2023 having bought the machine from a friend. The scooter had previously passed into the hands of another individual and a mechanic in Poitou.
The initial registration document attests to this: the first owner of the vehicle was indeed the “presidency of the Republic”. To be sure, however, Patrick Sionneau sent a friend to have the photos authenticated by François Hollande during a signing session of one of his books. Affirmative, replied the former president in his dedication. And to add: “To Patrick and Manola, who had the chance to ride my scooter. To better share their happiness.” “I’ve always had scooters, and this was the last one so it’s even more valuable!”François Hollande reacted in April on France 5.
Patrick Sionneau’s state of health unfortunately did not allow him to climb on the bike. But he said he wanted to exhibit it at flea markets or village festivals so that the curious could take a photo with it. François Hollande assured to follow “the career of this scooter in the various sales of auctioneers with attention, to see if, in some way, [il] gains value”.
