Video - Benoît Tréluyer back at the wheel of his first Le Mans baby: the 2002 "Playstation" Viper GTS-R

Florent Moulin has always been a Viper fan and would have liked to be at the start of the 24 H. of Le Mans in a GTS-R with the 'Equipe de France' logo. So when he had the opportunity to buy the C41 chassis driven in 2001 by Cochet-Dayraut-Terrien and then in 2002 by Cochet-Belloc-Tréluyer, the boss of Art & Revs did not hesitate for long. "I bought it in 2011", he told Endurance-Info.

However, sold to Mirabeau Compétition and then to Sport Garage, he found it in a very poor condition. As a result of an amazing feat by his GTS-R Heritage department, the GTS-R came out of his workshops as good as new, after 1800 hours of work. Even if Covid slowed down the project. ''I wanted an identical restoration," explains Moulin. ''Restoring this Viper to its 2002 specification allows us to show our skill. Moreover, we had to rebuild many parts that were no longer available. The chassis was rebuilt first, then everything was put on hold until January 2022. We had six months before the Goodwood Festival of Speed.''

But the GTS-R Heritage team did it and the 'Playstation Viper' made its first public appearance in July at the 2022 Goodwood Festival of Speed, where it was one of the stars and was signed by... Benoît Tréluyer. One week later, it took part in the Endurance Racing Legends race during Le Mans Classic, returning to its garden. "I am both surprised and delighted by this enthusiasm", admits Moulin. ''The Viper is an extraordinary car with an exceptional track record and this livery is incredible. To bring it back to Le Mans 20 years later is a big thing for me.''

But to complete the circle, the reptile wearing the #52 had to find one of the men who had driven it to the third step of the GTS podium in La Sarthe 20 years ago. That's where Once Upon A Car came in, as we came up with the idea of allowing Benoît Tréluyer to get back behind the wheel of the car that made him fall in love with the 24 Hours of Le Mans, this race he won three times with Audi and which made him a legend.

The emotion was strong October 4, 2022 on the Paul-Ricard circuit. A day that Art & Revs, Once Upon A Car and even more Benoît Tréluyer are not ready to forget... We hope that the pleasure we had that day will be reflected in this video. An advice to enjoy the sound of the American V10 : put on headphones ?