Renault Master, Dacia Jogger, Yamaha quad… Their crazy metamorphosis for the Tour de France caravan

In a workshop in the small town of Jouy (Eure-et-Loir), preparations are underway for one of the most important traditions of the Tour de France : the famous publicity caravan . Here, a few days before the start of the competition, 60 of the 150 vehicles that make up this unique procession come to life, a true institution born in 1930 and which has become inseparable from the Grande Boucle.

These are the places where the characteristic sounds of a major construction site resonate. The whistle of the locksmiths' blowtorches as they cut and weld the frames, the whir of the carpenters' saws shaping the wooden structures, the meticulous work of the sculptors and painters who craft all the decorative elements. Each trade brings its expertise to this creative alchemy where traditional craftsmanship is put to the service of advertising marketing.

Let's take the example of a newcomer from the 2025 edition: the Basic-Fit caravan that the brand presented to the press on June 24. The first ingredient for a successful caravan: finding vehicles that are easy to transform. A Renault Master utility vehicle, two Dacia Joggers and a Yamaha quad bike . But you should definitely not get attached to this raw material, because it immediately undergoes a radical metamorphosis.

The locksmiths quickly removed the Renault Master's cab completely, freeing up an entire platform on which decorative elements could be installed. The two Dacia Joggers saw their silhouettes transformed by the addition of a full cab mounted on their roofs, and the quad bike was covered with a giant sculpture of the Basic-Fit backpack. At the helm of the transformation: Nicolas Pécourt and his partner Max Routhiau, from the events agency BBN.

Even before the locksmiths begin their transformation work, they are the ones who must design a decor capable of capturing the public's attention, at thirty-four kilometers per hour, the average speed of the caravan on the roads of the Tour . The vehicle must tell an " easily understandable story," explains Fabien Rouget, Basic-Fit spokesperson. This search for communication effectiveness guides all creative decisions. The display areas are calculated for optimal readability from the roadside, the colors chosen for their visual impact, and the typography sized to remain decipherable in motion.

Concretely, the work to set up the Basic-Fit caravan began in April. First, the specifications imposed by the ASO (Amaury Sport Organisation, the Tour's organizing agency) were in mind: a maximum height of 3.80 meters, increasingly strict emission standards, and mandatory safety devices (harnesses and seat belts, vehicle rollover protection, etc.). Then, the two colleagues from the BMN agency can rely on their experience. "About ten years ago, we noticed that the Renault Master engines were constantly overheating, so we rectified the situation by adding ventilation grilles to the decorative structures ," explains Nicolas Pécourt.

Beyond the technical and regulatory constraints, art and creation take over. For the Basic-Fit caravan, the main challenge was to faithfully reproduce the iconic backpack. Faustine Perret, the workshop's props and decorator, explains the challenges of this design: "We had to define the final size. At first, we worked to scale on a model, but we had to change it. The reproduced size of the bag didn't fit on the quad... So from the start, the scale of the bag didn't correspond to reality... "

From this first dimensional constraint, the team had to completely redefine the proportions. " We then asked ourselves: what size should this bag be to be as close as possible to reality? We also had to maintain the correct placement of the pockets, the rectangular shapes, the fact that it was a bag that stood up... but that there was still volume, that it looked authentic..."

A meticulous work that finds a resolution thanks to the workshop's artisanal know-how . " We take polystyrene blocks, we cut some blocks with hot wire to rough out the shape, then we refine with knives and sandpaper , explains Faustine , then come the epoxy resins that we mix and with which we impregnate a fabric to give the final texture ." One of the most delicate challenges remains the reproduction of the details that make the caravan authentic: how to make the folds of the bag appear natural, so that they don't look like a 'sheet'? "The shape is inevitably a little damaged during the process, we have to tirelessly sand and re-tighten the shapes, then make the small paint touch-ups ," replies the props master.

Ten full days before the first stage of the Tour de France, it will be the turn of the safety commissions to check the conformity of each vehicle in the caravan, and to test the ergonomics of the positions for the hosts and hostesses, or the proper functioning of the safety devices. For Basic-Fit, this first participation in the Tour de France will be the opportunity to reveal itself to the eyes of the world. " For a brand, it's an event that leaves its mark all over the world, and this one makes sense with our values ​​of surpassing oneself," emphasizes Fabien Rouget. Partner of the team classification, the brand has signed a four-year contract, and wants to demonstrate its long-term commitment to this unique adventure that is the Tour de France .

At the Jouy workshop, every brushstroke, every weld, every adjustment helps perpetuate the magic of a century-old tradition. A tradition that continues to evolve, with the arrival of new brands on the Tour every year.