“This road evokes the sun, the plane trees and the “thirty glorious years””: Thierry Dubois, “M. Nationale 7”

He has left his mark everywhere. At the Nationale 7 Museum in Montélimar (Drôme), where his drawings adorn the walls of the enclosure; at the 200 Bornes in Pouilly-sur-Loire (Nièvre), a legendary roadhouse on the old holiday route where his illustrations can be seen; or, soon, at the L'Etape bleue restaurant in Saint-Prix, in Allier, where the coasters will be adorned with his pencil strokes. The illustrator Thierry Dubois is an icon for lovers of the N7.

In his apartment in Hauts-de-Seine, the sixty-year-old has created a sanctuary for himself. On shelves, mile markers sit alongside miniature vintage cars and unusual objects, manicure kits and colognes, all stamped "N 7." Enameled plaques from former establishments cover the walls. In his library, the illustrator stores a succession of binders compiling thousands of archived images. On his drawing table, lit by a lamp around which a N 7 pennant is twisted, an unfinished sketch depicts the restaurant L'Etape bleue—the famous coasters are in the works.

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