a decades-long love story

The caralmost always, has also been a effective representation tool before simple mobility. Brigitte Bardot he has gone through all its possible declinations, without ever becoming rigid in a specific style or idea. His relationship with four wheels he has always been instinctive, adhering to the phases of life rather than to the public image, and this is perhaps also why he continues to tell a lot about his time.

In the 1958when her notoriety had already surpassed all limits, Bardot purchased not far from Saint-Tropez the Madrague estate, destined to become its true gravitational center. In those years he often drove one Simca 8 1200 convertiblea choice consistent with a still intimate urban context and with an image which, although already famous, had not yet assumed global dimensions. Next to her, Roger Vadim he preferred one Lancia Aurelia B24also marking two different sensibilities on the automotive level. And precisely in 1958 another unforgettable shot was taken: the one where she, twenty-three years old, elegantly poses on the hood of a Lancia Flaminia in front of the Hotel Miramonti, then the most famous hotel in Cortina d’Ampezzo.

By virtue of his fame and more, Renault chose her as the face for the launch of the Floridaspider built on the mechanics of the Dauphine and designed to embody an idea of light, accessible, modern elegance. The operation had an enormous impact and, in Bardot’s case, it was not confined to communication: the Floride truly became her personal car, confirming an authentic identification between product and character, also sealed by its presence on the cover of Four wheels in May 1961.

With them seventies and the growth of his status as an icon, inevitably also came the absolute luxury. Buying one Rolls-Royce Silver Cloud II Mullinerdetected by Charles Aznavourmarked a different phase, more distant, more protected. He used it in the 16th arrondissement of Paris for a relatively short period, as if to confirm that that car represented a parenthesis, rather than a definitive choice.

Much more lasting, however, was his connection with vehicles simple and functional. In the eighties Brigitte Bardot was immortalized several times aboard one Mini Mokeperfect for moving around the dirt roads around Madrague. Even more significant is the relationship with Renault 4 Van biancawhich became the car of his final years. A modest car, symbol of Rural Francewho accompanied her on short daily trips between La Madrague and La Garrigue, the villa where she housed her animals. A passion that had not escaped the media: in October 2023, at the age of 89, Bardot was photographed by Paris Match while he was driving that very R4. The images showed her driving with her hair tied back and large sunglasses, having just been released from hospital.

There is also a more lateral, but emblematic, connection with the world of supercar. Brigitte Bardot was in fact a passenger on one Lamborghini Miura exceptional, the famous “Millechiodi“. Born in 1969 as Miura S chassis #4302, midnight blue with mustard interior, the car was seriously damaged in an accident before being purchased by Gianni Sotgiu e Walter Ronchialready linked to the history of the Miura Jota. Rebuilt according to a personal vision — entirely riveted in the right places — Millechiodi hosted Bardot as a passenger when the car belonged to Franco Galliwho not surprisingly also entrusted the steering wheel to his friend François Cevertthen romantically linked to the actress, to personally guarantee the comfort of the beautiful Brigitte.

From the Simka at the Floridafrom the Rolls-Royce at the 4Lpassing through one Unrepeatable measurementthe history of Brigitte Bardot and cars has never been about collecting, but about use, context, time. A decades-long love storywhich ended yesterday with death of the French diva at the age of 91and which continues to tell much more than it seems, not only about her, but about the car as a mirror of society.

Finally, the most unexpected link with the car does not arise from a personal choice, but from a cultural reflection. During the planning of the first Mid-engine road Ferrarithe acronym BB it began to circulate informally among technicians and designers, as he would recount years later Leonardo Fioravanti. Not a declared homage, but the result of a spontaneous association between beauty, desire and emotional intensity. Officially Berlinetta Boxerthe 512 BB However, he brought with him that acronym, which became an integral part of the myth.

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