Who wants to go far, spare his mount. This could be the saying of Picard Fabrice Gommé, a resident of Oise. The man wanted to pay tribute to the workers of the Lion brand. He went this Friday, May 27 with his faithful car to the historic factory of Sochaux in the Doubs.
Quite a symbol. The car crossed the one million kilometer mark within the grounds of the Doubs factory, to which the careful motorist had been preparing an anniversary journey for several months. In the factory, workers were waiting for him. They organized a guard of honor!
Triumphant welcome for a Peugeot 307, with exceptional longevity. • © Denis Colle – France Televisions
“Look at them, it’s human warmth. We look at each other, we understand each other. We do this together. They did the car, we the miles. And my mechanic did the maintenance,” says the owner of the vehicle. “There is a bit of me in the million” proudly launches a Sochaux employee who has worked on the site for many years.
Fabrice Gomme is like his car. We do not stop it when it comes to talking about the one who is part of the family.
His 307 SW station wagon purchased second-hand in 2007 from a Peugeot dealership in Compiègne in the Oise has exceptional longevity. “I bought it in 2007 from a Peugeot dealer, I knew exactly what vehicle I wanted. A big car for my four children with three rows of seats to be able to put my last in the back” says the owner of the vehicle. a stop also in front of the Stellantis factory in Trémery near Metz in Moselle where the engine was designed.
This car has circled the earth almost 25 times, it has spent 5510 nights under the stars, without a garage, it has little rust. It is surprising after 15 years to see her in this state.
Fabrice Gommé
“At the time, we didn’t have all the data, but I had done some research, I had read a lot of the magazine press, and I had found out about one engine in particular, the one fitted to the 306 and which allowed to go at least up to 500,000 km. By choosing this engine, I knew I would go far, but I never imagined going up to a million kilometres” recalls Fabrice Gommé. Only the alternator and the clutch box have been changed.
Fabrice Gommé the old man and “millionaire” Peugeot 307. • © France 3 Lorraine
The 307, 53-year-old man also works in the industry. He wanted to organize a thank you tour for the employees of the Peugeot factories. From May 26 to 29, he will criss-cross Peugeot sites.
“I absolutely wanted to see the people who tightened the bolts and the engines”. A way to thank them. With a million kilometers, of course, this customer saw the doors open easily. An unexpected publicity stunt for the French car brand.
For the road trip to Sochaux, Fabrice created with his relatives the association “One million km in 307.” • © Fabrice Gomme
After a stop during his lifetime, at the Peugeot automobile museum, the 307 with a million kilometers will resume the road to Oise in a few days. “I hope she will bring me home, I’ve been afraid she’ll let me go for three years,” said Fabrice Gommé with a smile. This car, which runs on diesel, has probably survived in recent months after around forty services and 11 technical checks. “I paid for this car several times” calculated its driver! It represents an entire era, and the history of an entire family. The four children in the family all did their accompanied driving there.