This time there was a good number of French cars present at the Autotron, in contrast to the last time I visited the show, in november 2015. Maybe they just waited until springtime arrived. Anyway, it only means even more diversity. Let’s look around.
1966 Fiat 850.
1963 BMW 700 LS Luxus.
1954 Citroën Traction Avant. The Traction Avant was introduced in 1934, the production ended in 1957.
1980 Volkswagen Golf S.
1965 Volvo Amazon.
1974 Ford Escort (first generation) with a 1.6 liter engine. A big engine for this car segment back then.
1961 Renault 4CV R1062, 747 cc engine.
The very famous Citroën 2CV.
1966 Mercedes-Benz 230 SL.
And its interior.
1979 BMW 520.
1960 Skoda Octavia.
1961 Austin A55 Cambridge MkII.
1976 Peugeot 404 diesel pickup truck. In France, the 404 pickup was offered until 1979.
1985 Renault 4 GTL.
1983 Renault 4 F4 with a 845 cc engine.
It was common practice that automakers built a panel van based on their small or compact car models.
1938 Cadillac Fleetwood Sixty Special.
1955 Chrysler New Yorker Deluxe 2dr Hardtop Coupe.
1977 Daimler Double Six.
1962 Mercedes-Benz 220 S Heckflosse.
1967 Auto Bianchi Bianchina Panoramica.
1975 Peugeot 304 convertible.
1962 Mercedes-Benz 190 SL.
Sehr schön !
1957 BMW Isetta.
1964 Goggomobil T250.
The Goggomobil’s interior.
1977 Mercedes-Benz 280 SE.
That’s the W116 S-Class.
1973 Peugeot 504.
Two 1957 Renaults, a Dauphine and the red one is a 4CV.
1968 Mercedes-Benz T2 Düsseldorfer Transporter, ex-fire department.
1970 Mercedes-Benz 300 SEL, W109-series.
1980 Volvo 264 GL Automatic.
1961 Opel Kapitän, Opel’s top model of yore.
1964 Opel Kadett A, Opel’s Volkswagen Beetle competitor.
Now where is that big black plastic engine cover ?
Two American visitors, next to a Volkswagen Golf Mk1 (see further above) and a Golf Mk2.
1953 Ford Anglia.
1948 D24-model Dodge.
1969 Mercedes-Benz 250 CE and a 1976 Fiat Nuova 500 Giardiniero.
1985 Citroën…
…CX 25 GTi automatic. Fast Magic Carpet Ride.
Clean 1990 Opel Kadett E hatchback Life-edition, 1.4 liter engine. The Kadett E was Opel’s last Kadett generation.
Still working hard for a living. A 1982 Mercedes-Benz T1 (with the 3.0 liter 88 hp 5-cylinder OM617 diesel engine) Bremer Transporter car hauler plus trailer. The Mercedes-Benz T1 was available as a van and as a chassis + cab (like the one in the picture). The best van and light truck of them all, by a wide margin.
On the other side of the Mercedes-Benz spectrum in the eighties: a 1988 560 SEL, W126-series S-Class.
Boys will be boys, a Zündapp KS 50 Super Sport.
1956 BMW 501.
Brutal, a 1974 BMW 2002 Turbo; 170 hp from its 1,990 cc 4-cylinder engine.
Interior of a 1959 BMW Isetta 300.
This is clearly the engine compartment of a ….
1977 Porsche 911 Targa, as used by the Dutch police (highway patrol) back then.
Look what we’ve got here, a 1961 Peugeot 404.
1988 Chrysler LeBaron convertible, next to a classic toy Jeep.
Before we leave, a 2008 GMC next to a 2014 Toyota.
I’m liking the yellow Cadillac that’s sitting next to the Zundapp!
That Gogomobile dash sure has a lot of ’55-’56 Chevy flavor to it.
Probably the only car shown I would NOT want to bring home is that Dodge. A classmate had one, a 4 door, when I was in high school. It was that same bright, metallic blue….I just didn’t care for it.
I’m likin’ that Peugeot diesel pickup in a really big way!
All right then, a few other shots. Its asking price was € 4,750.
And this.
“All right then, a few other shots. Its asking price was € 4,750. ”
.
STOP THAT ! I can afford it and love it to boot .
Lots of sweet Pugs here ,THANK YOU for the great photos ! .
-Nate
Nice eye candy. I’d take that ’55 Chrysler home, along with the 404 sedan and pickup.
You surprise me, Paul. All of this fascinating, even exotic European eye candy and you pick – the 55 Chrysler? Perhaps more of me has rubbed off on you than you have noticed. 🙂
Not to deny you the fact that you’ve been a positive Mopar influence, but I’ve always had a major thing for these, ever since my dad’s boss picked us up at the Cedar Rapids airport in his ’55 Chrysler sedan upon our arrival in 1960. His wife also came, in her ’49 Plymouth wagon. Guess which one I got to ride in. 🙁
The ’55 300 has always been in my Pantheon of the greatest handful of American cars ever. But I love pretty much all of the big, chunky yank tanks from the ’49 – 56 era. They’re the peak US experience, IMHO. Of course there are others from the low-rider years too.
I have to agree with you, Paul, on the ’55 Chrysler. I have always liked them and remember when they were just late model cars. I remember a light green one in our small town that was owned by the pest control company owner. I have to say that what I really like is the ’55 Imperial. Not sure why, but I always have. If I was wealthy and wanted a limo, it would have to be a ’55-’56 Imperial Crown.
Yep, those Chryslers and Imperials are one of my guilty pleasures.
Some fun stuff here! It is especially interesting to get a look at things that I don’t often (if ever) see here in the States. One of which is an 80s LeBaron convertible being taken seriously at a car show. 🙂
That Mercedes 230SL really calls to me. There is something about those M-B red leather and chrome-trimmed interiors of the 60s that floats my boat.
The “two American visitors” that you point out makes me realize 2 things. GM A body sedans of that 1968-72 generation have become all but extinct since everyone’s Aunt Gertrude replaced them with a Cutlass Ciera in the 80s. And, was that sedan body the least attractive vehicle ever to come out of Bill Mitchell’s studios? I think it may have been.
Well, above all, folks who bring a car -or a bunch of cars- to this event want to sell it / get rid of it…
You know…flipping stuff, trading, buying, selling, import, export…our main “hobbies”.
“And, was that sedan body the least attractive vehicle ever to come out of Bill Mitchell’s studios? ”
Not unless you count the (Rybicki-era but heavily Mitchell-influenced) bustleback Seville.
Gotta say I’m a big fan of the ’68-72 A four-door hardtops though. I wonder what they were thinking going with the curved upper rear on the post sedans.
The Opel engine compartment would be enjoyable to work in. Nice big shelves on three sides, enough room to lay out your tools and parts and manual.
This is clearly the engine compartment of a
2cv (eend)
(Lelijke) Eend 😉
That Kapitan. I was intrigued by the first shot, and then I saw the other angle. Gah! Head of product development: Homer Simpson. What a mess.
The front of the Kapitan has an Eastern Bloc flavor. The back half is 1958-59 Rambler.
“The front of the Kapitän has an Eastern Bloc flavor”. A captain from the Eastern Bloc, so to say.
They should have the ’38 Cadillac Sixty Special sedan displayed where it can be appreciated for the sterling design it is.
thanks so much Johannes for taking the time to post these. i rarely attend shows here in the US anymore. burn out from seeing the same old same. this however. eclectic! i wonder is that a factory trunk extension on the 2CV? that googamobile is like a toy car come to life. what a perfect name.
i remember as a little kid, just getting into cars, seeing an old autobianchi in a single detached garage in my neighborhood one day i asked the guy working on it if it was a mini, my exposure to foreign metal at that time being pretty limited. while he didn’t say “get lost kid”, he still just barked “NO” in answer to my question and turned back to the task at hand. maybe working on autobianchis brings out the worst in a person. maybe the curmudgeon was having a bad day. at the age of 10, i don’t think i would know what a bad day was yet. regardless, i was mad enough to bike to the library where i researched their car books till i now knew it was an autobianchi. i now felt confident enough to re-engage the old coot with my new knowledge but i never saw him, or the car in that garage again.
I saw those trunk extensions on the 2CV quite regularly in my younger years, but I don’t know if it was a factory option.
I have to wonder what today’s BMW dealer would think if you took the ’61 700LS in for a service….
If it was a BMW motorcycle dealer, they might not be too perplexed, as its engine is essentially an R69 boxer twin with a fan.
What an ace selection, Johannes. I must concur with Paul on the 55 Chrysler, but I’m also in a mind to take the green Golf and the CX if I can replace the plastic with chrome. I already have a W116 280SE in my collection, so I’ll pass on your example but that W109 looks nice. Did you happen to see what powered it?
3.5 liter V8. It also says that the air suspension works well and that it’s a rust free and unrestored car. You can also read what the man wants for it.
Cheers
I can see a lot of the American cars you showed ending up there but a GREEN 69 Malibu sedan??? I appreciate it, I just would love to know the backstory how it ended up in Europe. that wasn’t even a keeper here in North America!
Pretty much all US brands were imported into the Netherlands in the sixties and seventies. Apart from that, there’s a lively import of all kinds of US vehicles into Northwestern Europe. From a green 1969 Malibu to a Kenworth W900, and everything inbetween. Including brand new pickup trucks, all grey import vehicles.
Many fascinating cars, great piece, thanks!
I’m particularly interested in the BMW 700 Luxus. If one American auto enthusiast in 100 iis familiar with BMW’s (bad) Isetta, I’d say 1 in 500 knows about the 700
I saw several of these in Greece in the 70s.
This car kept Bmw afloat till the 1964 new class.
Can we get a curbside Classic on this please?
All great – a nice combination of US and European iron. I’ll take the ’55 Chrysler and either Mercedes SL. The Traction Avant is always a favorite as well.