La Ferté-Vidame: From proving ground to “Goodwood à la française”?
Could the historic La Ferté-Vidame (LFV) proving ground in the Perche region be heading for a new future in the coming years: away from a shut-down Citroën test site and toward an open place dedicated to automotive culture, services, training, and tourism? Investor Tristan Duval thinks so. He intends to bring the site back to life—not as a mere memorial, but as a mixed-use location with an economic incentive for the region.
LFV is an exceptionally large area that was long closed off, with extensive infrastructure: woodland, workshop and operational buildings, and a wide-ranging network of tracks featuring many different test sections and road simulations. Its seclusion is what historically made the site so valuable: prototypes could be tested under real conditions—shielded from prying eyes and potential industrial espionage.
In July 2023, Stellantis announced its intention to dispose of the property and put it up for sale at the end of 2024. Owned for a long time by Citroën and then by Groupe PSA, the Ferté-Vidame site was no longer run directly by Stellantis but by Ségula, a French engineering group, but Stellantis still retains ownership.
The vision: a French Goodwood
After the end of industrial use and a period of standstill, Duval wants to transform the site together with partners into a “Goodwood in France”: a place where automotive history can be experienced while at the same time, new uses are developed. Duval’s revitalization vision is a place where the automobile, like the horse in the past, is given a home—a stage, and the necessary infrastructure. It will not be limited to reinstating Citroën, but in principle should also be open to other manufacturers.
Several building blocks are mentioned that are intended to work together: two hotels (business and family), a museum, offerings for training/road safety, and areas for test operations and leisure driving; in addition, activities such as karting are planned.
As an order of magnitude, an initial phase of around €10 million and a total of roughly €50–80 million are cited, depending on the scope of development.
Looking ahead, 250–400 jobs are expected and a rough time-frame of 2028 to 2030 for implementation is mentioned.
Locally there is interest, but also noticeable skepticism. Many want to see results, not just announcements.
23 years after its opening in Aulnay-sous-Bois near Paris, the Citroën Conservatory (aka Le Conservatoire) closed its doors in June 2024. In January 2025 at Rétromobile, it was announced by Xavier Peugeot and Loïc de la Roche that there is an earnest effort underway to build a new heritage site for Citroën and that all the vehicles in the collection have been moved and are safely warehoused in a facility in the Aulnay Soux Bois area.
It remains to be seen if LFV will be new location for the Citroën collection from Le Conservatoire to be on public display once again.