[autoavia]

In 1982 I started working for Lambert Ley Street Models which, at that time, was one of the leading model car specialists in the world for 1/43 whitemetal kits, handbuilt models, diecasts and plastic kits. 
 
 A fairly regular visitor was a guy called Alain Grandsard who owned a small diecast shop in France. He was a real character and I got on well with him as I spoke a little French. I visited him once around 1985 on the way to Le Mans and stayed overnight at his house. He showed me an Alpine A110 in his garage and mentioned that he had driven it in a major rally (Tour de Corse I think) but didn't elaborate. 
The following morning he insisted on driving me around Paris in his Mini Cooper to visit all his friends who had shops selling diecasts, Meccano and other collectables which was quite an experience as he seemed to drive everywhere almost flat out and just swerve around anything that got in his way. I have subsequently discovered that he was a very experienced and quite successful rally driver.  

 On some visits to Lamberts he was accompanied by a short man who rarely spoke a word. During one visit to Lamberts just before my Paris visit Alain introduced the other man " This is my friend Jean- Pierre Beltoise and we are opening a shop in Paris together".
He explained that Jean-Pierre Beltoise was interested in vintage model trains and Alain was intending to continue to sell diecasts. 
 When I was in Paris he took me to the shop called "Le Grenier de Grandmere" which was freshly decorated and he was expecting to open within a couple of weeks.  Unfortunately I don't think the shop worked out and he had to close.
 Beltoise always said hello on future visits but he was always quite happy to just stay in the background and it was difficult to get him involved in any conversation. I remember that he noticed a model of his crash helmet which had been in the display cabinet for years and his face lit up when I gave it to him as a present which didn't go down too well with my employer even though Alain always turned up with a litre bottle of Brandy as a gift and I offered to pay for the helmet anyway.  
 
 I later opened my own shop and after a couple of years in Southend I moved the shop to Brands Hatch. Alain called in regularly on his way back to Dover usually with a car full of diecasts and Heinz baked beans (apparently the ones Heinz sold in France didn't taste the same!) but unfortunately I lost contact when I lost my business.
 
 It seems strange that I knew both an F1 legend and a very accomplished rally driver but both were too modest to talk about their success in motorsport. It is a lasting regret that I didn't ask Jean-Pierre for an autograph and I was sorry to lose contact with Alain who was a pleasure to have known.