French title
Chassis n°7T01A120268

- The Ford Mustang of Jean-Paul Belmondo in 'Le Marginal'
- An absolute legend for an entire generation
- Jean-Paul Belmondo's tribute to Steve McQueen in Bullitt
- The most famous Mustang in French cinema

26 October 1983 : Le Marginal was released at the cinema. A huge box-office success with 5 million tickets sold. A film by Jacques Deray in which we find Jean-Paul Belmondo playing Commissaire Jordan, a no-nonsense cop whose methods cause as many problems for his superiors as the criminals he is chasing. The film is packed with stunts performed by Belmondo himself, set up and adjusted to the nearest millimetre by the Master of the discipline in international cinema, his faithful friend Rémy Julienne and team.
The film lasts 100 minutes and, in the 78th minute, Jean-Paul Belmondo gets behind the wheel of a dark green Mustang 66. He sets off in the beefed-up, lowered machine with wide wheels and flared wheel arches, in hot pursuit of bandits driving a Plymouth Volare ; a now legendary chase scene that will be remembered for generations. Filmed as a tribute to Steve McQueen's famous car chase in Bullitt, it lasted nearly four minutes, shot through the streets of Aubervilliers, in the 19th and 13th arrondissements of Paris. Before the film, and since 1971, the car had belonged to Jean-Michel Brault who, for his own enjoyment, had had the big V8 289 ci engine prepared by the specialist Michel Mockriky. There are two photos in the file of the Mustang before the film, courtesy of Bernard Afchain who maintained it. For the filming, Rémy Julienne prepared two Mustangs. One was destroyed after the film and the other, '9 TL 75', stayed tucked away for a long time at the property of Jo Cote (from Rémy Julienne's team), until the day he had it taken to a scrapyard. It was recovered by an enthusiast of the model and later sold to the current owner in a dilapidated condition. A fan of Jean-Paul Belmondo, he committed to returning the car to how it was in the film, brutally aggressive, its V8 roaring through the open side exhaust, with flared wheel arches and wide wheels, huge head lights in the grille and a plexiglass roof, which had been fitted to enable the camera shots. He took no short cuts with the costs incurred and this is clear from the result ; the Mustang from Marginal has been resurrected and is mind-blowing.

The registration number is that of the film, '9 TL 75', which is recorded on the original registration document dated 3 May 1971 in the name of Jean-Michel Brault who lived in the 14th arrondissement in Paris. The date it was first road registered was 5 December 1966.
To acquire this Mustang that is universally recognised at first glance is like owning a part of our collective memory, our cultural heritage, a cult car, driven by a Belmondo who has been a male role model for a generation.

" I was 9 years old when I went to see Le Marginal, in the only cinema in Saint-Céré, the MJC. When you're a small boy, how can you not place yourself into the image Jean-Paul Belmondo projects, imitate his walk, his look. He is the man who knows no fear, gun slung in his belt, the no-nonsense cop with unorthodox methods, a man of his word, upright, a vigilante, an example of how we would like to be when we grow up. And when this same kid looks at cars with this much passion, the Mustang from the car chase in Le Marginal stays in his mind for ever and becomes a legend. How many times have I seen this film and always with so much affection ? It is not a Film d'auteur, no, but it's a good, effective action film in which the dialogue of Audiard will resonate in my memory forever and Bébel's lines have become quotes. Presenting this car for sale is a chance for me to pay tribute to Jean-Paul Belmondo, who in a way shaped me, along with so many kids of my generation.

Matthieu Lamoure

Full catalogue and more photos https://www.artcurial.com/en/sale-4315-retromobile-2023-artcurial-motorcars