Elise Artigau 4:47 p.m., April 4, 2024

François Hollande's old scooter will be auctioned on May 26. It was on this three-wheeler that the Head of State secretly visited Julie Gayet to live out his romance. But a series of candid photos revealed the president's extramarital affair.

34,000 kilometers on the clock and photos that have gone around the world. François Hollande's old scooter continues to attract attention. Ten years after the revelation of his relationship with Julie Gayet, the famous Piaggio on which the president was going to meet the actress on the sly will be put up for auction on May 26. It is at the Château d'Antigny, in Côte-d'Or, on the occasion of the Rouillac firm's annual Garden Party, that this now legendary three-wheeler will be able to change owners. Price to buy it: 10,000 euros. 

“This scooter is the right one”

A clearly high price, and for good reason it was "used by President François Hollande to join incognito, gallantly, the actress Julie Gayet, rue du Cirque, on New Year's Day 2014", recalls the auctioneer in the The sale announcement was put online this Tuesday.

Although it has changed hands several times over 10 years, this 125 cc has until now belonged to a couple, Patrick and Manola, who bought it to celebrate their golden wedding anniversary [50 years of marriage, editor's note] . François Hollande even made a dedication to them in his book 

Bouleversements

, released in 2022: “To Patrick and Manola who had the chance to ride my scooter to better share their happiness”, “this scooter is the right one”.

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A symbol of scandal

Moreover, this is not the first time that François Hollande has returned with humor to this significant episode of his five-year term. Barely a year after his departure from the Élysée, when students asked him if he was more of an “Uber or a scooter”, he replied “Scooter of course!” He did it again in 2020 during an interview on the Deezer platform where he was asked about the music he listens to on a scooter in Paris, he proudly replied "My lover from Saint-Jean".

In any case, this scooter entered the legend by partly symbolizing one of the scandals of the Hollande era, even forcing him to publish a press release to announce his romantic breakup with journalist Valérie Trierweiler.

It now remains to be seen what it has in store for its next owner...