A vehicle “taponneux” has been turning heads for the past few days in the greater Quebec City region with his modified car worthy of the famous Christmas film Le Sapin a des boules.
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“I’m thrilled to see the reaction of people when they see me coming. They have sparkling eyes and it puts a little joy in their hearts, perfect for the Holidays! “Simply launches Francis Lemay, met by the Journal.
The 20-year-old man from Saint-Agapit, southwest of Lévis, has toured social networks on both sides of the river. Many thought they had been blindsided by being overtaken by a car straight out of a Christmas tale.
Mr. Lemay travels aboard an old Mazda Miata equipped with 600 feet of light garlands and a real Christmas tree a few meters high. All held together with tape, ratchet straps and operated with a little imagination.
“I can go everywhere, except in drive-thru and underground parking lots! “, assures the young man who installed the tree in a steel pipe to ensure its maintenance.
Not the first time
Mr. Lemay has been engaged in this extraordinary activity for three years now, each time pushing the “delirium” a little further. And that’s only for Christmas.
On Halloween, he put ‘teeth’ on one of his cars, while adding red lights and a skull on the antenna to blend in with the background
“I’m a taponneur, I like to make my cars a little more unique,” he explains.
“It has its little effect, people sometimes try to film me when I’m on the road and they give me thumbs up. There is even a motorist who has already turned around to come and congratulate me! “, he adds, laughing.
No arrests
Despite the unusual appearance of his “Christmas float”, Francis Lemay claims to have never received a fine in connection with the Highway Safety Code.
However, he was intercepted for the first time this week, on Grande Allée, where the police informed him that the tree could hide his rear view.
“They told me I should be okay if I pruned the lower branches a bit to clear the view. That’s what I’m going to do, ”says the young man.
Asked about the legality of such a vehicle, the Sûreté du Québec (SQ) was unable to answer our questions yesterday.