Mandarine, the Alesian BMW that dreams of historic Corsica

Marie Alonso, Jacques Cottet-Spinosa et la BMW 1600 baptisée Mandarine prête pour la Corse. Midi Libre – Stéphane Barbier

Jacques Cottet-Spinoza et Marie Alonso, les deux amateurs de véhicules d'époques, réguliers du Cévennes & Cars, s’aligneront au départ du prochain Tour de Corse historique.

She was born in 1972, with a Colorado dress and nickname, of course, Mandarine. She is this BMW that Jacques Cottet-Spinoza fell in love with, taking his co-driver Marie Alonso in his wake, that cannot be invented, in a crazy dream: the historic Tour de Corse in next October.
For a tangerine, the change of scenery will not be too marked even if its acclimatization to the land of the clementine will be done with the technical assistance of Théo, 24 years old, Marie's son. A trio about to discover one of the three legendary circuits for all fans who respect each other in addition to the historic Monte-Carlo rally and the Tour de France automobile. A dream with a certain cost, more than 10,000 €, but which cannot be lived without passion…
"Of the most prestigious rallies in the world, it’s surely the most beautiful, assures Jacques, the owner of the car. The roads, with this car, will be more than fun and at the end, there will surely be a victory!" The win, a natural inclination for this car nut entrusted to the mechanic François Laurent, former workshop manager at BMW, the care of installing two Weber carburettors, double body, in order to cross, serenely, the finish line. And serenity is necessary, since it is on regularity, over the five days of racing, that the participants will be judged. Being neither too early nor too late, which will be more complicated given the beauty of the landscapes that will be crossed, is the rule of the historical tour.
Co-pilot, Marie Alonso, also involved in the organization of Cévennes & Cars, is in the oven and at the mill to regulate communication and the creation of the future association, Mandarine team, in order to obtain funding. And thus defending a certain vision of the automobile recognizes the one who drove a 309 GTI, 205 GTI or Clio 16 S while Jacques enjoyed himself at the wheel of a BMW M3. “The electric or hybrid car is not really our thing,” she smiles, adjusting her Sparco suit with orange trims. Behind that, there is the desire to save a heritage, to bring to life these vehicles which provoke a reaction. I call it the “good mood” because those who pass us, smile, greet us with a thumbs up, beacon us. " 
A victorious tangerine in a race without a glitch, the objective has something to seduce…

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