On Sunday, a public auction was held where a "scooter" was sold that former French President François Hollande used to secretly leave the Élysée Palace to meet his mistress. The buyer of this Piaggio MP3 125 scooter intends to display it at the "Bretsij Éa Kolesion" car museum he owns in Gali, western France.
The buyer, Denis Briere, explained in a phone statement that this scooter is "part of France's history. I will display it alongside the 120 vehicles I already own, with manufacturing dates ranging from 1922 to today."
Photographs taken covertly in 2014 showed President Hollande with his helmet concealing his face during a secret visit to his new partner at the time, actress, director, and producer Julie Gayet, who later became his wife.
Valérie Trierweiler, who was Hollande's partner when he was involved with Gayet, published a scathing book shortly afterwards titled "Merci pour ce moment" ("Thank You for This Moment") about the secrets of her life in the Élysée with the socialist president elected in 2012.
The auction, organized by the "Rouillac" house at the Dartyne Palace in Montbazens, lasted only ten minutes and involved about 40 participants. According to the registration document, the "Presidency of the Republic" was the scooter's first owner. Its odometer shows a distance of 34,000 kilometers. The auction house indicated that the scooter's price in the used vehicle market ranges from 1,300 to 4,000 euros, yet it was sold for 20,500 euros.
