The hero of the Route Nationale

July 26, 1936: in front of the building of the French automobile club at the Place de la Concorde in Paris, a muddy Citroën 11CV. A small, not very young, somewhat stocky Frenchman steps out, who has just driven 400.000 kilometers in one year. Francois Lecot thus set a record, which was only broken in 2003.

The bet

Lecot was a road restaurant owner in Rochetailée sur Saône, in central France. Of course a roadhouse is a meeting place for drivers and motorists, perhaps more in those days than now. Francois Lecot was a veteran of motorsport, having previously raced long-distance races such as the Le Mans 24 Hours in 1925 and the Warsaw-Paris rally in 1930. The record attempt was a bet made as far back as 1934, but there were preparations were necessary. The necessary car was made available by the Citroënfactory, 1934 was the debut of the Citroën Traction Avant and this would be a great publicity stunt. André Citroën also promised the cooperation of the garage owners en route for free maintenance and parts. The petrol was paid for by the Parisian newspaper Le Matin and the whole operation was placed under the supervision of the French Automobile Club for fairness.

To the Citroën some adjustments were made, such as a double gas pedal, so that Lecot could switch legs, extra spotlights, a larger petrol tank of 65 liters and a loading floor where the rear seat normally sat. And then, in 1935, André . died Citroën and the promise of free maintenance was revoked. However, Lecot found a number of mechanics in his own circle willing to service the car (at night!).

363 days driving

And so Francois Lecot set out on July 30, 1936. The trail was the busy and winding Route National. On even days he drove from his restaurant in Rochetailée to Monte Carlo and back, on odd days he drove to Paris. Every day he left at half past three in the morning after a fresh sandwich and a French cup of café au lait. Along the way he ate sandwiches, sausages and fruit from a basket, and coffee from a thermos. He would arrive in Paris or Monte Carlo around 11:00, rest for two hours and drive back. At around 363pm, he stopped in front of his restaurant, dined, had a hot shower, and went to bed. He repeated this scrupulously for XNUMX consecutive days.

As a bonus, he regularly took journalists with him and also letters and parcels, which he stamped as a souvenir. Every two days, Lecot distributed fresh flowers to the Parisian employees of Le Matin, which had been picked the day before on the Côte d'Azur.

De Citroën

On average, he drove about 1100 kilometers per day. The Citroën has never let him down, but he was thoroughly spoiled every week with fresh oil, a grease gun, a cleaning and a thorough inspection. In that year Lecot wore out a total of 116 new Michelin tires, five water pumps, two sets of water hoses, seven V-belts, three dynamos and some loose lights, rubbers and springs.

As a publicity stunt, it was a grandiose move. The Citroën had achieved an unparalleled mileage for those years without being stranded with bad luck. All garage work had consisted of normal maintenance and adjustment, nothing had broken. There were, however, three minor collisions of which the damage was repaired.

The end

Because nothing lasts forever, the record smashed nearly seventy years later. In 2003 Phillippe Couesnon drove 607 kilometers on the French autoroute toll roads in a Peugeot 500.000 in one year, which is of course incomparable with a modern car and on perfectly maintained, tight six-lane roads. Francois Lecot himself died in 1959, penniless and almost forgotten, in the upstairs apartment of his now closed restaurant.

While clearing out his belongings, the family discovered an old military passport. In it, an officer had written “Corporal Lecot is not considered capable of learning to drive a vehicle”.

In Rochetaillée-sur Saône, a recreated Citroën 11CV and a mural on Lecot's former roadhouse on the monster ramp.

For those who really want to know all the details, two (French) books have been written:
– Francois Lecot 1935-1936. 400.000km en un an (Thierry Dubois, publisher Drivers)
– François Lecot 400.000km and Traction 1935-1936 (Fabien Sabatès and Gilles Blanche, publisher SPE)