The stars and the car. The day Claude Francois and his Mercedes were bombed

On June 25, 1977, Claude Francois left his Parisian home with four friends to join his mill in Danemois, south of the Paris region.

To do this, he took the A6 motorway with his last car, a Mercedes 450 SEL; The S-Class is equipped with a V8 engine that generates 286 horsepower. He doesn’t know yet that he’ll meet Guy Neumeyer, aka “The Crazy” at the wheel of his CX soon after. The Mercedes he bought and repainted in blue will become a legend.

Profession safe piercing

In his customer experience, Guy Neumeyer accompanies his regular associates with names resembling a cheap thriller: “Galoche”, “Riton”, “le Gros Denis” or “Pouquit”.

their specialty? From the beginning of the seventies, they were prevalent in banks where they cut vaults with a blowtorch. Suffice it to say that a large Mercedes that overtakes them on the highway will annoy them.

Above the law, they chase after the car and start shooting.

Seven 9mm traces

The chase will not end until you enter the village of Dannemois, when CX makes a turn on the outskirts of Claude François’ property.

Cloclo will find seven effects on the car: a bullet in the rear window, one in the right turn signal, one in a tire and one…in the dashboard. No one was hurt on the plane.

The next day, the singer opened his door to television and the media, with apparent shock. It must be said that in 1975, he survived an IRA attack at the Hilton Hotel in London.

special car

A new Mercedes 450 SEL was delivered to Claude Francois in 1976. Repainted in blue next to the 450 SLC. Registered 327 BJX 75, the 450 SEL was 5.06 meters long and weighed nearly two tons.

The machine is equipped as standard with an automatic gearbox and air suspension; It was a symbol of luxury.

It was fixed in the rules, and then owned by his friend Alain Dominique Perrin.

It was auctioned on September 5, 2015 by Bonhams Auctions for €97,500.