Station Service Ouverte France | Drive-by Snapshots by Sebastian Motsch (2013)

Bodies, Carcasses and Zombies

Flag FranceLost Places

Drive-by Snapshots   |   Lost Places   |   Rust in Peace


Beheaded bodies, robbed carcasses and zombies

Discovering a defunct service station displaying a sign saying Station Ouverte was already weird in its’ own right. The place looked like it had been left in a hurry and the proprietors haven’t returned since. Being the kind of person who is always keen to figure out what might have happened, I walked around the building and found… the carcass of a little vehicle the French call La Deuche. Surrounded by what looked like refrigerators and washing machines that fell out of the sky, the vintage body was turned on its’ side, never to rise again. The two oval cylinders in the background caught my eye and triggered my interest. So, after carefully moving around the Citroën 2CV, I looked at them from a different angle…

Station Service Ouverte France | Drive-by Snapshots by Sebastian Motsch (2013)

…only to realize that I was looking straight at two beheaded bodies!

Station Service Ouverte France | Drive-by Snapshots by Sebastian Motsch (2013)

Why and when the cabs have been removed from the once wonderfully detailed tank trucks is a mystery not likely to be solved anytime soon. Who or what could be responsible for beheading not only one but two Titans?!?

Station Service Ouverte France | Drive-by Snapshots by Sebastian Motsch (2013)

You know the feeling of being watched from behind your back, right? Experiencing exactly that strange feeling, I slowly turned around. An yes, indeed… a quintet of mean looking strangers had assembled. Or had they been there before I turned around to take a closer look at the scene pictured above?

Station Service Ouverte France | Drive-by Snapshots by Sebastian Motsch (2013)

Looking intimidated is not a good way to be facing potential foes! To keep them at bay, the Canon was armed with a new 16GB magazine of high speed firepower. It seemed to work, judging by the surprised look of the JCB. And because he didn’t dare to move…

Station Service Ouverte France | Drive-by Snapshots by Sebastian Motsch (2013)

… the opportunity to take a close-up picture was more than welcomed. But thinking about one of the zombies waking up and taking the controls did accelerate the process of documenting the details.

Station Service Ouverte France | Drive-by Snapshots by Sebastian Motsch (2013)

Hearing a faint voice whispering “take me with you, turn me into a Hot Rod and call me Christine stopped me in my tracks. Turning around I could see the potential of the idea – but sure enough, this might end in a disaster sooner or later. Or something even worse. Just ask Arnie Cunningham.

Station Service Ouverte France | Drive-by Snapshots by Sebastian Motsch (2013)

Station Service Ouverte France | Drive-by Snapshots by Sebastian Motsch (2013) Station Service Ouverte France | Drive-by Snapshots by Sebastian Motsch (2013)

When the camera clicked again, the JCB looked straight at me. Uh oh!

Station Service Ouverte France | Drive-by Snapshots by Sebastian Motsch (2013)

Better mount the white iron horse quickly and disappear before the return of the zombies!

Station Service Ouverte France | Drive-by Snapshots by Sebastian Motsch (2013)

Oh no! Wait a second… this might actually hurt 😉

Station Service Ouverte France | Drive-by Snapshots by Sebastian Motsch (2013)

BTW: Cheap gas station or sheep gas station? You decide!


Sebastian Motsch   |   instagram @drivebysnapshots