Vilebrequin, Top Gear, Twitch… the craziest car garage in France is located in Yvelines

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Joseph and Arthur hardly go unnoticed. One wears two-tone glasses – part pink and part orange – while the other always has his Pikachu cap nearby. And if you’ve already seen these two somewhere, it’s probably because they appeared in several videos from Vilebrequin, the former first French-speaking YouTube channel talking about automobiles (2.48M subscribers) before the separation of the two members in December 2023.

Known for creating motorized vehicles of all kinds and restore old vehiclesthey also have growing social networks with millions of views. Without forgetting their garage, La Fabrique Auto, where the magic happens, in Méré (Yvelines). Portrait of this company, with many hats.

A meeting at the CNVA

Their story begins in 2019, in the corridors of the National Conservatory of Ancient Vehicles. At this time, Arthur was doing his first year there as a mechanical trainer (he was also there as a student). And Joseph was part of the first group he supervised.

“I found him curious, clumsy. The very first day he broke a screw. How can you not notice it? »

“In my defense, the screw was rusty,” Joseph added. This is the beginning of their friendship, linked by love of cars “and clowning.”

Subsequently, they maintain links with each other and with the Conservatory. In 2020, the Covid pandemic rages and Arthur joins the CNVA team who wanted to develop online courses. For his part, Joseph had become educational manager. “That’s when we started working together,” notes Arthur.

Crankshaft boost

Very quickly, the Vilebrequin YouTube channel, made up of Sylvain Lyve and Pierre Chabrier, came into the equation. At that time, the channel was not yet at its peak, but “it was on its way to becoming the biggest automotive YouTube channel French-speaking, and she later became so,” recalls Arthur.

“It is thanks to the CNVA that we had the opportunity to work with Vilebrequin. They wanted to do stupid things with cars and needed technical expertise. For our part, the Joseph and Arthur duo were already doing well. »

The first construction they made for themselves was remote controlled cars used in the video “Driving with a PS4 controller: is it possible? », released on 1^is September 2022. Success with more than 3 million views.

“We had made prototypes. Pierre and Sylvain came to test them and they ordered five. That’s how La Fabrique Auto was born,” laughs Joseph.

Between their work at the CNVA and their increasingly important activity with the Vilebrequin chain, the choice was quickly made. “We were lacking new ideas at the CNVA. Vilebrequin brought us a lot of action and things to do. And it was very fun for us,” admits Joseph.

Creation of La Fabrique Auto

A month after the release of this video on YouTube, they left the CNVA and launched La Fabrique Auto. Originally, they were installed at Villebon-sur-Yvette (dept. 91). “Not a very cool place,” explains Arthur. After some necessary work, La Fabrique Auto officially opened on December 4, 2022.

“La Fabrique Auto is therefore a garage specializing in the modification of vehicles, mainly old cars. Most of the time, it’s for filming.”

But unlike cinema, the creations they make for YouTube or television shoots must be perfectly functional and resist as much as possible. “It’s not just about image or entertainment. Everything has to fit and be secure. When we created a vehicle capable of refueling while driving for the Sylvain Lyve channel, we really had to refuel while driving,” admits Arthur.

The duo also collaborated with the Top Gear team throughout 2023, another guarantee of their expertise and growing reputation.

Moving to Méré

May 2024 marks a new turning point for La Fabrique Auto: the move of their workshop to Méré.

“It was a stroke of luck. The previous owner – who we know – called us to offer us some equipment he had left over. We went there and immediately noticed the premises. And he told us: Do you want it? There is no one left, we can rent it to you. Not only is it close to Paris, but it is also in an industrial zone, where you can make noise and test vehicles without disturbing anyone. We immediately accepted,” explains Joseph. Coincidentally, the latter lives a few minutes away, in Élancourt.

This new location allows the duo to better respond to demand, particularly for filming, and to offer easier access to customers. And as Arthur points out: “Les Yvelines is a very nice department. There is a large community of vintage car enthusiasts. »

A hit on social networks

“We mixed a bit of cars and a lot of antics.” This is how Joseph sums up the duo’s activity on social networks. They have a TikTok account at 342,000 subscribers and videos that exceed 3M views. As well as an Instagram account (313,000 subscribers) which works just as well.

Added to this is a Twitch channel followed by 44,000 people. On each of the platforms, they make mechanical popularization in a fun and entertaining way.

A real hit that the partners had no idea about. And this, even if they are well aware of the boost they have received.

“We started the adventure of social networks in easy mode. Arthur already appeared regularly on Vilebrequin videos at the time,” recalls Joseph. “Joseph also appeared from time to time. But if we look at the Top 10 of Vilebrequin’s most viewed videos, half of them contain our work,” adds Arthur.

The story of Arthur and Joseph is that of enthusiasts who knew how to seize opportunities when they presented themselves to them. It is that ofa duo that works by their humor but above all by their hard work. These are two perfectionists who have placed themselves in a niche that is automobiles on social networks by bringing their touch of freshness to it. In other words, the biggest engine of the company is not what they put under the hoods of their cars, but their unwavering determination.

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