HOME ON THE RIVIERA

Home on the Riviera

Photographer: Razasan

The unmatched appeal of a vintage 911 Targa and a French coastal backdrop.

Certain landscapes are meant to absorb specific cars and their stories. This is the case for Geoffroy and his 1989 911 3.2L Targa, which is most at home on the “route du Trayas”, a curvy stretch of road between rock and sea that he takes when departing his native Cannes to reach the summer-scented towns of Cap Roux or Cap Esterel.

The former, meaning “Red Headland”, looks exactly how it sounds: covered in crimson dust which shows up most in places dug out to make way for slow regional trains racing cars by the coast. Their furtive appearances are still rare enough to allow for introspective drivers to feel alone for minutes on end with only the hypnotising Mediterranean or the next curve ahead.

Geoffroy’s Targa is local to these cliffs, and its deep, liquid black paint contrasts in a rather dramatic way with the rocky background and seaside castles. Other less medieval buildings lie above in the plush hills of Théoule-sur-Mer, including the famously curvaceous work of Antti Lovag, against which the Porsche can hardly compete with its more rational silhouette.

Geoffroy spent over two years looking for a cabriolet or targa from the German brand — a soft spot for open tops that is easy to understand when one considers the surroundings. He found this one in Chambéry, conveniently close to Méribel, a French ski resort where he operates his creative offices.

Geoffroy spent over two years looking for a cabriolet or targa from the German brand — a soft spot for open tops that is easy to understand when one considers the surroundings.

The car is all original, and with Geoffroy being only the second owner, the condition has stayed pretty pristine.

The car is all original, and with Geoffroy being only the second owner, the condition has stayed pretty pristine. He’s not shy of using it well however, often on road trips over the Alps or into Italy — even over to the island of Elba or the metropolis of Rome at times. There’s also a mix of perfection and patina that he especially likes; he prefers his door handles speckled with traces of use over newly mounted ones, for example. It is this exact love for the analogue that transpires in several of his other obsessions — like motorbikes, skate or photography — all at home in this idyllic southern landscape.