The Garage Métro seems to have been the last place where the lost Bugatti Atlantic (“La Voiture Noire” or rather “Le Belg. Coupé”) was seen. In the Francophone automotive culture the word “garage” has a wide range of meanings, from an actual garage to a big automotive showroom with a service station. In this case, the term “showroom” seems to be the most adequate.
The Garage Métro was located at Chaussée d’Alsemberg, 305-307 (later: 303-309) in Forest. It had been created by Mr. Gabriel Duhoux’s brother, Mr. Norbert Duhoux at the beginning of 1930s (https://archives.bruxelles.be/almanach/watch/AC/AC_1931/AC_1931_RUES%20STRATEN#page/11). Mr. Norbert is noted as the person in charge of the garage just in the Brussels Trade Almanacs from 1931 and 1932. Since 1933 the showroom was managed by Mr. G. Oosterbosch. Then, the most interesting person appears. Mr. René Dupont, who had been born in Sirault on the 19th of December 1889, took the place over in May or June 1935. He came there from Molenbeek-Saint-Jean, Rue de la Princesse, 14. His wife’s name was Irène Vanmarsenille.
Mr. Dupont is mentioned in “De Volksgazet” from the 28th of September 1939 as an example of a manager trying to take advantage of the war by lowering the wage of one of his employees who had been mistakenly drafted into the Belgian army. The case was publicized by a famous Belgian trade union activist Frans Liebaers.
Despite this reputation loss, the Garage Métro was pretty active in media during Mr. Dupont’s era. It is mentioned in several advertisements, mostly in “Le Soir” and in “La Dernière Heure”- both as a seller of used cars and motorbikes and as an employer searching for new workers. It seems that selling American vehicles was an important part of Garage Métro’s activities. However, an advertisement on page 17 of “Le Soir” from 5th of January 1936 informs that the showroom offered a “10hp Renault” (“hp” might mean a tax horsepower here).
When led by Mr. René Dupont, the Garage Métro presented itself as a demanding employer. For example, an advertisement from 19th of October 1940, announcing the search for sheet metal workers, bodywork specialists, mechanics-installers and upholsterers says “inutile de se présenter si pas très capable” (no point in showing up if not very skilled). This kind of expression can be found in more job adverts from that company, as it was really popular at that time. Mr. Gabriel Duhoux used a similar statement in a job advert issued for Garage Red Star in “Le Soir” from the 25th of February 1928- “Inut. se prés. si pas ou place anal. avec bon cert.” (not welcome if not from an analogous place with a good certificate), while he was looking for a watchman-washer.
The Bugatti episode of the Garage Métro story starts in 1945 or 1946 (most probably in June 1945, as some of the British and American liberators marched through Brussels in that month: https://www.brusselstimes.com/66604/how-sam-boon-contributed-to-the-liberation-of-brussels). The blue 57453/57222/57454 Bugatti Atlantic (i.e. the car that is widely known as “La voiture noire” because of its initial black color, and as “the 57453” because of the first of three chassis numbers that it subsequently received from the factory) was left by Mr. Gabriel Duhoux next to Le Berger Hotel with its keys in the ignition. An American soldier took the car for a joyride and crashed it into a street car near Rue d’Or
(https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=1082321568508194&id=843159335757753&set=a.1082301645176853). We have learned that the street cars bearing the numbers 4, 5, 6, 17, 34, 48, 98 had been used in that region.
Mr. Duhoux might have taken some legal action against the G.I. Thanks to Ante Furač’s great work we know about two judiciary cases dated 8th November 1945:
- n° 30736 in Ixelles
- n° 30770 in Uccle.
Unfortunately, the dossiers have not been accessible for us. They are not kept in the Belgian state archives.
After the accident the Bugatti was taken to a garage in Chaussée d’Alsemberg. Here is the description of the location (written in French).
The way from Rue Cervantès 47 to Place Albert can be seen on these maps:
The garage at 305 was, indeed, on the left side of the street. Although the address seems not to have been on the direct route form Rue Cervantès, 47 to Place Albert, it may be good to realize that it was probably possible to take the path to Chaussée d’Alsemberg through the yard (instead of walking through the Rue Cervantès to its crossing with Chaussée d’Alsemberg). If I remember well, the parking of the Intermarche at Chaussée d’Alsemberg, 303-309, can still be accessed from the yard of Rue Cervantès, 47.
A careful look into the Brussels Trade Almanac does not reveal more garages that could fit the criteria. The only thing that may cause doubts is the presence of the name Lays at Chaussée d’Alsemberg, 207. In 1930s, some Mr. Lays (maybe the cyclist named Joseph Lays) participated in Liège-Rome-Liège together with Mr. Gabriel Duhoux (https://www.ewrc-results.com/final/43613-liege-rome-liege-1933/ ). However, we have not found any trace of a garage managed by Mr. Lays under that address.
Another argument supporting the thesis that the Atlantic was stored in the Garage Métro is that the building at Chaussée d’Alsemberg 303-309 was multi-storey. Here is the mail from a person from the Goyvaerts family:
and a mail from a relative of Mr. Phillipe Henricot (Mr. Ph. Henricot bought the showroom in 1952 and created a car dealership together with Mr. Roomans- https://archives.bruxelles.be/almanach/watch/AC/AC_1954/AC_1954_RUES%20STRATEN#page/20):
The family of Mr. Gabriel Duhoux’s life partner says that there was a point in time when Duhoux siblings ceased to keep in contact. It may have happened some years after 1945. Nevertheless, it seems somewhat odd that Mr. Gabriel, who had created his own network of “Red Star” garages (first mentioned in a newspaper from 25th of February 1928, present in Brussels Trade Almanac since 1929- https://archives.bruxelles.be/almanach/watch/AC/AC_1929/AC_1929_RUES%20STRATEN#page/10), has probably entrusted his Bugatti to a company owned by his brother.
The nearness of Garage Métro might have been just one of the arguments why the place was chosen. Another reason may lie in the history of the “Garage Red Star”. While Garage Métro, owned by Mr. Norbert Duhoux, was a single showroom, Mr. Gabriel’s enterprise rapidly became a network. It started in 1929 as a “garage” at Chaussée d’Alsemberg, 102. However, Mr. Gabriel was a really go-ahead person so, in 1931 “Garage Red Star” had two addresses- in Saint-Gilles at Chaussée d’Alsemberg, 102 and in Schaerbeek at Rue Josaphat, 150. In newspapers from 1930 the Garage Red Star is mentioned as a sub-agent of the official Chevrolet trucks dealer “C.F. Wismeyer and co.”.
According to the Brussels Trade Almanac, since 1932 the facility in Schaerbeek was managed by Mr. V. Parmentier who remained in charge until 1939. In 1933 the Saint-Gilles location became the “Grand Garage Central de Saint-Gilles” managed by Mr. G. Vertommen. In 1939 it was still a “garage”, under Mr. Mondet’s supervision (https://archives.bruxelles.be/almanach/watch/AC/AC_1939/AC_1939_RUES%20STRATEN#page/16).
However, after the World War II, both addresses are absent in the Trade Almanac.
Another facility of the “Garage Red Star” began functioning on the 14th of July 1948 at rue de Mérode, 278/rue de Serbie, 83.
Ironically (or logically- we can only guess), it was about one month after Mr. Dupont’s departure from Chaussée d’Alsemberg, 305-307. I say “departure from Chaussée d’Alsemberg, 305-307” instead of “departure from Garage Métro” because the commercial court documents (once again: Thanks, Ante Furač! Great job!) inform that the company changed its address to Rue Longue Haie, 81 in Linkebeek. This is where Mr. Dupont moved. Some citizens of Linkebeek have memories of the mechanic. They say that his real estate at Rue Longue Haie, 81 is not remembered as a location of an automotive enterprise.
However, the commercial tribunal documents seem to register Mr. Dupont’s moving from Forest to Linkebeek as a change of the address of the Garage Métro.
Mr. Dupont died on the 3rd of January 1981. We managed to get the document that lists his heirs. The document mentions:
- an unemployed lady from the Vanmarsenille family (born in 1905),
- Mrs. Bertha-Ghislaine Gandibleu who died in 1994 (https://gw.geneanet.org/gandibleuxm?n=gandibleu&oc=&p=bertha+ghislaine)
- Mr. Louis Vandenhove- a carbons trader who died in Uccle on the 17th of May 2009
- Mr. Jean Mauroy- a mechanic who died in 1981.
We know that Mr. Mauroy bought a Chevrolet from the Garage Métro during a notarial sale in 1947 (great job, Valentin Gentil, thank You very much). Unfortunately, the children of Mr. Mauroy have never heard of the Bugatti. Moreover, they are not willing to give any clue as they seem to consider our research a possible threat to their privacy.
What we have been told is that Mr. Jean Mauroy left his uncle’s garage in 1945. Then, he co-created a new enterprise called Garage Mathy together with Mr. Guilielmus (Willy) Thysmans. The address of the enterprise can be seen in the Trade Almanac from 1948 (https://archives.bruxelles.be/almanach/watch/AC/AC_1948/AC_1948_NOMS%20NAMEN#page/218). It was Chaussée de Mons, 369. Then, the Garage Mathy moved to Rue du Collecteur, 35. Finally it became Établissements Mauroy et Thysmans at Rue Bolinckx, 49.
(source: https://archives.bruxelles.be/almanach/watch/AC/AC_1969/AC_1969_RUES%20STRATEN#page/44)
23rd of April 1948 is the date of the first ad published by the Garage Mathy in a newspaper.
It is near the time when Garage Métro actually ceased to function. The last mention seems to come from the 17th of January 1948 but it is really hard to find it on a page.
Despite possible controversies about Mr. Dupont’s ownership of the name, the Trade Almanacs from 1948 and 1952 still describe the showroom at Chaussée d’Alsemberg, 305-307 as “Garage Métro”.
There is some confusion about Mr. “P. Duhoux” mentioned in the Trade Almanac. As I have written before (http://motofiction.eu/gabriel-duhoux/), Mr. Gabriel’s brother’s birth certificate contains three names in the order “Pierre Joseph Norbert”, but “Norbert” is underlined. The Trade Almanacs tend to mention that person as “N. Duhoux”. Such notation can be found in 1931-1932 Almanacs alongside the Garage Métro’s name (https://archives.bruxelles.be/almanach/watch/AC/AC_1932/AC_1932_RUES%20STRATEN#page/10, https://archives.bruxelles.be/almanach/watch/AC/AC_1932/AC_1932_NOMS%20NAMEN#page/136). The surname and the initial of the first name “N. Duhoux” appear also in the Almanacs from 1954 and 1956 at Mr. Gabriel’s brother’s last address- a flat at Boulevard du Jardin Botanique, 2.
Therefore, Mr. “P. Duhoux” could have been a cousin of Mr. Gabriel and Mr. Norbert, Pierre Joseph Duhoux born on the 22nd of May 1902 in Braine l’Alleud and deceased on the 8th of November 1980. Mr. Pierre Joseph Duhoux was a father of Mr. François Duhoux who inherited Mr. Gabriel’s 1952 Mercedes A 220 (he received the car as a gift from Mrs. Thérèse Goyvaerts who forbid using it in the Brussels Capital Region to avoid a crash).
Mr. Norbert’s appearance at Boulevard du Jardin Botanique, 2 in the Almanac from 1954 has also another meaning. It may be a sign that Mr. Norbert lived at Chaussée d’Alsemberg, 303-309 before that year.
Ante Furač did a great job of retrieving a letter which documents that Mr. Norbert Duhoux had asked for another permission to build a garage at Chaussée d’Alsemberg, 303-309 in 1948. The letter was written by an advocate who represented Mr. Philippe Henricot. According to the letter, dated 9th of January 1959, Mr. Henricot had been owning the showroom since July 1952.
The Trade Almanac from 1953 still attributes the address Chaussée d’Alsemberg, 305-307 to the Garage Métro managed by Mr. P. Duhoux. Mr. Philippe Henricot (https://www.b-all.be/genealogie/getperson.php?personID=I3310&tree=tree1) appears in 1954 as a co-owner of a Panhard dealership, together with Mr. Roomans. Chaussée d’Alsemberg, 303-309 was one of its addresses, alongside avenue Louise 22a.
Around 1960 the showroom at Chaussée d’Alsemberg, 303-309 became a Škoda dealership (https://archives.bruxelles.be/almanach/watch/AC/AC_1960/AC_1960_RUES%20STRATEN#page/25).
It is almost safe to assume that the lost Atlantic either stayed in the Garage Métro till the end of the Henricot era or was moved to one of the Garage Red Star locations. A big argument against the hypothesis of a 1951-1954 sale is that such transaction would have been noticed by Mr. Jean De Dobbeleer as he bought the 57562 from Mr. Gabriel Duhoux in 1952.
Around 1958 (due to Mr. Gabriel Duhoux’s illness) the facilities which had belonged to the Garage Red Star network changed their names:
- the one at rue de Mérode, 278/rue de Serbie, 83 became Garage Warlotte (functioned at the beginning of 1958, therefore the new owner or manager appeared before Mr. Duhoux’s death),
- the one at rue Josaphat, 150 became garage Aux Quatre Rampes (the same story as with Warlotte),
- the one at Chaussée d’Alsemberg, 102 became Etabl. J. Demain (the same story as with the two mentioned above).
However, the possibility that Mr. Philippe Henricot bought the Bugatti with the Garage Métro can not be ruled out.
To be continued…
Andrzej Szczodrak
Many thanks to:
- Uwe, Ante and Valentin
- The Goyvaerts family
- Mrs. Martine Mauroy
- CBAC Asbl
- The inhabitants of Linkebeek
- Mrs. Danielle Hoslet who introduced me to the Almanac
- Mrs. Françoise Quatrus
- Mr. Paul Grant
- The inhabitants of Braine-l’Alleud, especially the members of the group “Braine-l’Alleud d’hier à aujourd’hui”
- The members of the groups : “Le Vieux Bruxelles”, “Le vieux Bxl“, “Anderlechtensia”, “FOREST, de hier, d’aujourd’hui et de demain !”, “I Love Forest – I Love Vorst”, “UCCLE FOREST histoire”