Respecting Motul's heritage, the restoration of the 'Vagabond'

The restoration of this Renault AHS3 Truck, which was discovered in the beginning of 2018 on an abandoned car demolition center in the North of France, is making nice progress after six months of hard manual work. The truck was named ‘the Vagabond’ because of its extensive journey through all villages and cities around France for several decades as the official Motul oil delivery truck.

Frédéric and Loic, the two French passionate mechanics who take the lead in this meticulous restoration process, take you along their journey. They are two craftsmen specialized in oldtimer restoration and who run their own restoration business since several years. Their mindset is to preserve and bring back to life the cultural heritage such as this Vagabond Motul delivery truck.

We brought a visit to their workshop near Bourges, France, to talk about the hours of work, scouring, the brushing to bare metal and repainting it to restore its original patina, without making it look like a brand-new Factory truck.

The restoration has started 6 months ago, and everything is going very well. The two French mechanics completely felt in love with this truck and are delivering outstanding work.

All parts have now been dismantled, the metal has been grinded, sanded and repainted. The restoration of the chassis is halfway, and the engine and the gearbox have been brought back to life! The parts of the truck are 76 years old but look like new again...

The next significative step is scheduled on the 21st of March. The engine will be mounted back in the chassis and restarted for the first time since the "Vagabond’s" very long winter hibernation! We will keep you posted!