The next generation: Victor Pund

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A young man mingles in the crowd at Montlhéry. He is not flamboyantly dressed, but on his wrist a little rectangle of sapphire, crossed diagonally by a band of ivory, catches the attention of the sharper eye. He is 27-year-old Victor Pund. At this early stage in his life, it will serve to introduce him as the son of Christophe Pund, of Galerie des Damiers, though he says, "I want to make my own way. I want to be Victor Pund, not only the son of Christophe Pund. I want to win or lose my own fortune, and make my own choices," which is an admirable attitude, and one which in part accounts for the handsome indigo timepiece just alluded to.

Victor does not mean to follow his father into the historic motor trade. He has developed his own interest in antique watches, which is a fascinating world all of its own and one not altogether dissimilar to old cars—just as in the car world, the attraction of a watch lies in its engineering, styling and craftsmanship, and Victor is far from alone in having a combined appreciation of cars and clockwork. For Montlhéry, he has put on a very special French Talbot watch from the 1940s, which once belonged to a director of Talbot. It serves as an interesting talking point, and a very effective advertisement for his own business, Vicowatches.

"Cars are a passion," he affirms, "but I don't want to work with them as it would be very easy to make comparisons with my father. Besides, if I want to buy a classic car it is quite expensive. Cars come with a story, but so do watches—they have in common the ability to inspire strong feelings. It's different world, but less expensive."

Certainly, he talks about watches with a quiet but assured appreciation, which we experience when we slip behind the wheel of a much-loved motor car. "I love doing research, thinking about development, learning the story of the watch and its designer, understanding it within the context of the period and seeing the evolution of the technology."

For Victor, and also for Christophe, the same thoughts and emotions apply to cars as well. "Cars have always been a passion of my father's," Victor says, "and he started to collect them. I shared his love for cars with stories, or other ones which inspire emotion, whether through racing them or just through their design. I grew up around Italian cars from the '50s and '60s like OSCAs and Maseratis, but we sometimes had pre-war cars which told stories, like the Bugatti Type 51 which won a race. Every time, we look for a specific model. I love it when a car's hard to find, or it's just something different. I started driving classic cars when I was around 19 or 20, and then I started driving pre-war cars two or three years ago."

For the time being, Victor has not ventured to buy his own historic car. He is in a fortunate position, and with his father's collection having been made available to him, he is quite spoilt for choice already. He has driven them enough by now to make up his mind about them. "My favourite one is the Amilcar C6. I love racing cars which you can drive on the road. The C6 is great because you have a lot of power and you can do what you want with it. My second favourite would be the Bugatti Type 43 or the Invicta, because you can carry a passenger and wear a suit, but still drive fast and experience a lot of emotions."

The Type 43, actually, was not one of his father's cars, but one which belonged to family friend Luc Slijpen. This gave Victor his first taste of the BeForty Rally, the Dutch tour for enthusiasts aged under forty, when he travelled as part of the Slijpen team.

Victor is not driving at Montlhéry, but he is becoming increasingly immersed in the world of rallies and events. The week before the Vintage Revival, he participated once again in the BeForty with a very significant car, the 1956 Broadley Special. It combines an Austin Seven chassis with a Ford 1,172cc sidevalve engine and a sort of proto-Lotus Seven aluminium body. In that respect, it was like many specials of the period, but this was no crude amateur concoction; its builder was talented engineer Eric Broadley, who would go on to found Lola. "It was a wedding gift from my father to my mother," says Victor. With his father, he has also driven in the Generations Rally. These opportunities for driving and socialising represent to him the most enjoyable aspect of historic vehicle ownership: "I like to see my friends at these rallies, and I want to be more present at car events."

We hope he gets his wish. It's an excellent hobby to belong to, as he has found out, and we might look forward to welcoming him into the ranks of vintage car ownership at some stage in the future.

Words: Zack Stiling
Photographs: Victor Pund

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