Denis PECHIN was born in 1949 in Montbéliard, into an old Protestant family. He currently lives in the family home in Vieux-Charmont, built in 1875 by his great-grandfather.

He studied for part of his education in Montbéliard “at Le Viette”. Passionate about cars, he joined Peugeot in 1971 and left in 2007. His passion for automobiles started very early: he still owns the Dinky Toys miniature his father gave him when he was two years old.

In 1968 he obtained his driving licence and became a track marshal for the French Motorsport Federation in 1970, then a technical inspector until 2000. He checked the compliance of racing vehicles in major rallies, including 14 Paris–Dakar rallies and 13 Formula 1 Grands Prix. Over time, his passion evolved towards historic vehicles. He now owns several collector cars and is currently Vice President of the Club des Vieux Volants Francs-Comtois.

His attachment to the Pays de Montbéliard comes from birth—his “roots”. He is passionate about heritage, especially industrial heritage and its great families (Japy, Peugeot, Oehmichen, Marti, etc.).

The history of Montbéliard is also fascinating due to the Germanic influence brought by the Dukes of Württemberg, the Schickhardt architecture, and the contribution of Protestantism and the Anabaptists to the development of this duchy.

He takes great pleasure in sharing the region’s heritage with tourists during classic car tours organized by the tourist office, as well as during guided visits he leads for the Musée de l’Aventure Peugeot.

“Being an Ambassador of the Pays de Montbéliard is natural for me, as I have always promoted the value of our beautiful region.”