Xavier Micheron: "My passion for the 24 Hours of Le Mans dates to my childhood. I have very vivid memories of going to Le Mans with my dad and brother Thierry. Back then we managed to sleep a little, around three or four in the morning, but in the car (smile, Ed.). It marked me because we were still at the race like the drivers were, but we were going to sleep while they continued to compete all night. To me, racing during the night was somehow heroic, and the noise and the smells...that's Le Mans to me.

I have enormous respect for the race and for the drivers who do it. And of course, I love the cars of that era, let's say the 1970s, like the Porsche 935 and 936, the GTs and prototypes. There was an impressive diversity. Another fascinating aspect was the coexistence between the ultra-professional teams who came to win and the smaller ones determined to do their best. You couldn't help by love both Jacky Ickx's Porsche and the 911 fielded by a little team. And then you have the high drama such as a nearly certain win slipping away because of a leaky radiator, for example."

In his 40s, Micheron decided to make the 24 Hours of Le Mans a labor of love with Ascott Collection in the trade of vintage racing cars. "The guideline that determines the purchase of any car is Le Mans. The most important cars that have been or are a part of Ascott Collection are the ones that have done Le Mans."

PHOTOS (Copyright - Ascott Collection): At the top, Ascott Collection's booth at the 2020 Rétromobile show in Paris, with on display the #30 Nissan R390 GT1 and #51 Chrysler Viper from the 1998 24 Hours of Le Mans. Above, the Lola T600 from the 1981 race on the track at the 2018 Le Mans Classic.

Ascott Collection is also about having fun on the track, namely at the Le Mans Classic, and the pride in obtaining cars that are both unusual and striking. "In 2018, I did the Le Mans Classic with an extremely interesting car, the Lola T600, the very first ground effect prototype to participate in the 24 Hours of Le Mans, in 1981. It finished 15th. It was powered by a Cosworth engine and unfortunately experienced gearbox troubles as of the first lap. The presence of the Howmet in Group 5 and the Lola T600 in Group 6 was a wonderful combination. Ascott Collection also acquired another T600 from the 1981 24 Hours that was powered with a Porsche 935 engine. The car was not ready when it arrived at Le Mans, it wasn't painted yet and the turbocharger hoses were not yet finalised. The car ran without supercharging pressure and failed to qualify. In 2018, I started driving a Lola B98 from the 2000 24 Hours of Le Mans. It is a fantastic car, restored to Le Mans configuration, with which I won the Endurance Racing Legend championship in the Proto A class."

PHOTOS: Two more gems at Ascott Collection. Above (Copyright - Ascott Collection): The MG Lola driven at the 2001 and 2002 24 Hours of Le Mans by 1992 winner Mark Blundell, Julian Bailey and Kevin McGarrity. Below (Copyright - Ascott Collection/Cathy Dubuisson): The Aston Martin AMR1 that finished 11th at the 1989 race thanks to Costas Los, Brian Redman and Michael Roe. The second car at the start shared by David Leslie, Ray Mallock and David Sears was forced to retire. 

"In 2020 at Rétromobile we exhibited two iconic cars from 1998: the Nissan R390 GT1, an absolute rarity directly from the Nissan collection in Japan, and the C9 chassis Viper GTS-R that had scored a one-two in its class at that year's 24 Hours. The Nissan had also done the 1999 race, fielded by Paul Belmondo's team in the famous Playstation-Rent A Car livery. The car had been specially made for Le Mans. It was first entered in 1997 with a high performance level but reliability concerns. In 1998, four cars were fielded, three by the factory and one by a private team. The performances failed to match those of their competitors, but the reliability was undeniable, with all four in the top 10 (third, fifth, sixth and 10th, Ed.). According to the nomenclature of Tom Walkinshaw Racing who developed the car, Ascott Collection has the chassis number R8 that finished fifth in 1998. After the race, the car was returned to Japan and remained in the Nissan collection until it was purchased by Ascott. It is currently the only one of its kind on the European continent."

Another remarkable prototype, this time British, is in the expert care of Ascott Collection: "The Aston Martin AMR1 from 1989 is also an outstanding car, if for no other reason than its sound since many enthusiasts have said it greatly marked them." Ascott Collection cars are symbols of the originality, innovation and performance of the 24 Hours of Le Mans and are for Xavier Micheron an undying labor of love.