Mrs. mcc.pj and I are currently relocating to the US, after several years in Australia. And since it’s not every day that you have a free month or two off work, we’re taking the long way home via Europe. Our first stop is Paris, and naturally, I’ve been excited to see what kind of classics can be found curbside in France.
I’ll get the bad news out of the way first: there aren’t really that many of them. As with many metro areas, it seems that if you can afford to run a car in Paris, you can also afford a nice one, because late-model Teutons make up much of the automotive landscape. The rest is largely comprised of mopeds and Smart cars. I had half-hoped to see a 2CV on every other corner, so this was something of a let-down. But fear not, mes amis, as CCs are far from extinct even here.
Let’s get started with a proper Gallic basket case. This ’90s XM may not be a 2CV, but it is viewed by many as the last ‘real’ Citroen, being the direct successor to the CX, and the iconic DS before that. Like those cars, the XM was fitted with Citroen’s trademark hydropneumatic self-levelling suspension, plus its sensitive hydraulic brakes and steering. But Citroen toned down these features–and the XM’s styling–in an unfortunate attempt to compete with more ‘mainstream’ brands. As a result, the XM suffered something of a charm deficit, and flopped in most markets. It was discontinued without a replacement in 2000.
Citroen without a big, wafty executive car? Quelle disastre! Fortunately, Citroen tried again in 2005 with this car, the C6. Its reception outside France has been lukewarm–it was sold in Australia, and I saw maybe two of them in as many years. But its styling revives some of Citroen’s old spaceship quirkiness, and it being French, the snail-shell taillights are amusing. The C6 is also a favourite among French government officials, so it cuts quite a formidable swath in traffic.
On the more proletarian side of things, here’s a Renault 4–the closest I got to a 2CV. The 4 wasn’t in production as long as its Citroen counterpart, but it still had quite a lifespan, being built from 1961 to 1992. In that time, over eight million were made. And with front-wheel-drive, a roomy hatchback body, and a space-efficient dash-mounted shifter, it was certainly the shape of things to come in the Euro family-car market. Just watch your chin when you open that rear gate–it’s long, and looks ready to deliver a knockout.
Here’s the 4’s spiritual successor: the Renault Twingo. Compared to the task this car faced, the 4 had it easy. That car was the product of an age when many French families were buying their first car ever, and all they wanted was cheap wheels. But when the Twingo launched in 1993, France was a fully mature automotive market, and cheap wheels also had to be cheerful, funky, and fashionable to sell. Renault nailed the brief. Twingos are everywhere in Paris, most in better shape than this well-worn example.
That’s the luxury- and entry-levels covered, but the French–like most Europeans–are also big fans of the ‘hot hatch’. I was delighted to stumble upon one of the hottest built in the 1990s: a Renault Clio Williams. Less than 4,000 of these were made, all in 1993, and all finished in a Subaru-esque blue and gold paint scheme. With 2.0 liters and 145 horses stuffed in the nose of a 2,200 lb front-wheel drive-chassis, I can only imagine the rear-wheel-lifting mischief you could get up to in one of these…
… or, for that matter, in one of these. Peugeot’s 106 GTi was a contemporary of (and competitor to) Renault’s sportiest Clios, and it’s reputed to be just about as much fun to drive. I’ve only ever ‘driven’ these miniature hot hatches as a teenager, through a controller, in early instalments of Gran Turismo. I’d love to try one on the road–though I’d pass on this particular example. If you think the yellow faux-Recaro seats are bad, be thankful you can’t see the enormous fart can on the back.
Had enough of French cars? No problem, as there’s no shortage of imports in Paris. Take this MINI, for example. Though it abandoned the US market in the late ’60s, Rover continued building the ‘old’ MINI long after its disappearance Stateside, all the way up until model year 2000. So to Europeans, there was little discontinuity between the classic icon and the BMW-designed ‘new MINI’. This example likely dates from the mid- to late-’90s.
From the other side of the Channel, here’s a Mercedes-Benz A-Class. As one of the smallest Benzes ever at the time of its 1998 debut, Mercedes invested a great deal in ensuring this car was safe–and that it was seen as such by consumers. Unfortunately, these efforts were overshadowed by its spectacular failure in a Swedish ‘moose test’, in which an early A-Class was swerved violently around an obstacle at speed–and promptly rolled onto its roof.
That was sad for Mercedes, but there’s nothing as sad as this facelifted Ford Fiesta, circa 1996. Forget the third-generation Taurus–I’m nominating this car for the ‘Most Unhappy With My New-Edge Ford Design Language’ award. Can someone please give this thing a hug?
Time for a palate cleanser, and one you don’t exactly see every day: a 1967 Toyota 2000GT. No, it’s technically not curbside, but it is housed in a Toyota showroom on the Champs d’Elysees, and that’s curbside. Anyway, just look at it–that should be enough to justify its presence here.
If you’re not familiar with the 2000GT, it’s essentially the late-’60s ancestor of the Lexus LF-A: a nimble, high-revving Japanese ‘supercar’ meant to showcase what Toyota was technically and aesthetically capable of in its day. Low, lightweight, and powered by a tuneful inline Six, the 2000GT was highly praised by Western reviewers when new, and has begun to command Lottery money today. Only 337 were built.
While it’s nowhere near as rare, I was also quite happy to find this Fiat Barchetta parked near the Eiffel Tower. Its name is Italian for ‘little boat’, and its flowing, gently bulbous lines carry the theme well–it’s sure to attain classic status in another decade or two. But mechanically, the Barchetta is perhaps best described as a sort of Latin Mercury Capri, with front-wheel-drive, a reputation for suspect build quality, and none-too-forceful performance, at 130 hp and 9.0 seconds 0-60.
Judging by its duct-tape top ‘repairs’, this particular Barchetta is also nearing the most precarious stage in any car’s life. Its next few years are likely to go one of two ways: neglect, ‘beater’ status and the crusher, or salvation at the hands of a sympathetic enthusiast. Let’s hope it’s the latter.
Happily, I saw a number of cars in Paris that came out on the right side of that juncture, like this Fiat 500L. The 500 was Italy’s answer to the VW Beetle, with a tiny, rear air-cooled engine and the sort of folk-hero identity that comes with putting thousands of families on the road for the first time. This example was executing an extraordinarily neat parallel-parking job on a Renault dealer’s forecourt. For a sense of scale–the hulks on either side of it would easily be considered ‘compact’ in the US.
Other survivors include this Peugeot 304. But unlike the pristine Fiat, this car looks Eastern Bloc rough-and-ready, with its bile-green paintjob and sandblast-finish wheel rims. Add a bull bar, some fog lights, and ‘Paris-to-Dakar’ body decals, and it’s ready for the classic rally circuit.
Wrapping things up, it just wouldn’t be France without ‘Le Car’, so here’s a Renault 5. Fun fact about this one: the styling of this second-generation 5 is the work of none other than Marcello Gandini, the man responsible for Lamborghini’s Miura and Countach, Maserati’s Ghibli, the Lancia Stratos, and the Alfa Romeo Montreal. What I can I say? We all phone it in some days.
But while it was no surprise to see the 5 on Parisian roads, this sighting took me completely off-guard. Is that really what I think it is?
Indeed, in repose before a stylish storefront, with an urban-chic Polo on one side and a luxury Mercedes on the other, sat one of GM’s Dustbusters. What was it doing here? Was one of the locals such a big fan that they’d imported one from the US? If so, why? Or did an American relocate to France, take their car with them, and never get around to replacing it?
As usual, the Internets provided answers. It turns out that the Trans Sport was actually sold in Europe for a number of years in the 1990s–although, for some reason, many of them used the Oldsmobile Silhouette’s body panels, including the pictured car. Other Euro peculiarities included extra lights, an available 2.3-liter four-cylinder engine (which must have been a real treat, with its 137 horsepower), and a five-speed manual transmission. You could even opt for a diesel/manual Dustbuster, which is probably a dream car for someone, somewhere on this site.
That’s one city down, four to go. And while my primary focus this trip may not be snapping photos of aging cars–which may relieve some of you regarding my sanity–I will have the phone cam at the ready. Au revoir, and hope to post back in a few days.
The Renault Twingo’s history is very interesting.
Designed by Patrick LeQuement, whose philosophy is “It does not matter if people like my designs, as long as they talk about them” was the father of the Ford Sierra, the Renault Velsatis and Avantime and this little toddler
I remember seeing them for the first time, brand spanking new on a trailer
We were on the road to Le Mans 24 hours.
And started to cuddle the little darlings.
The Twingo is one of those cars like the real Beetle and Mini, it is sex less and class less.
The rear seat can be moved forward and backward, the car actually behaves like a big car. Giving enough room for four people.
Quiet, comfortable ride and good suspension.
It has all the typical French pro’s and no rust.
Like Renault has done before with the Renault 4 and the Renault R 16, they discovered a completely new niche with the Twingo.
For me it is the Mini re-invented.
And of course, we have one.
And I simply love it.
When I went to Paris in 2000, the Twingo comprised about 50% of the traffic it seemed. I love them, they’re all yellow, purple, bright blue or green, and with their asymmetrical grille, and goofy “face” from the headlights, just such a cheerful little car.
I believe it was, more precisely, “If 70% of people hate a design, the remain 30% will love it with proportionate passion”—i. e. strongly polarizing design has an upside as well as a down.
Could serve as a motto for enthusiasts of French cars as well.
Interestingly enough, that was the same theory behind the then-radical mid ’90s Dodge Ram pickups.
Let me tell you the story:
LeQuement designed the Twingo as a possible nich for Renault.
Renault kept small intimite exhibitions, where true and loyal Renault clientele could give their opinion about possible fututre models.
The Twingo got almost 70% of Nay’s, but the other 30% of customers simply aksed : When can we buy one ?
So the marketing people of Renault dismissed the Twingo.
But LeQuement went to the chairman and said to him : 30% of thepeople want one, and this is a percentage we never met so high.
They decided to take the Twingo into production, but to keep costs low they installed the old 8 valve Sierra engine (from the sixties in it) and they did NOT develop a RHD version.
To me this was the biggest mistake, because the Brits and the Japanese love cars with this sex-less and class-less appeal.
The Twingo was actually firstly intended to run a production life of 3 -4 maximum 5 years, more as an alternative mode of transport.
The rest, as they say in the Dordogne, is history.
Thank you for that little homage to the Twingo, one of my favorite cars of the modern era. It’s hard to believe what a cult following it engendered, but it just goes to show you that a bit of creativity and good design along with not taking oneself too seriously can create a real winner.
I love the Twingo. The seating on those is super clever, the Fisher Price like interior rocks and toward the end Renault fitted them with a 1.2 16V engine. I wish I could buy one down here.
Mine would be like that yellow one (sans dents), 1.2 16V engine and with the awesome full length fabric roof I saw on some of them parked in Italy.
The Twingo, like the R5 and SuperCinque (pictured) were pure genius. It’s sad to see what happened to the Twingo with its first major redesign.
Très bien! J’aime la C6 et la Pontiac. And there’s the basic French I remember from high school.
In regards to the Trans Sport using the Silhouette nose, European export Dustbusters were actually the reason that the Silhouette never received the facelift the Lumina and N.A.-spec Trans Sport received. The shape was apparently more well-received in Europe than the U.S. To keep costs down, GM kept the original nose on one North American van.
A perfect time for me to mention one of my favorite automotive books:
http://www.amazon.com/Classics-Street-Automotive-Odyssey-France/dp/0872331210
“Classics on the Street: An Automotive Odyssey, France 1953”
It’s the spiritual predecessor to this site: a young engineer (and future GM designer) was studying in France, and he captured dozens of curbside classics! Of course, back then, CCs meant Talbots, Delahayes, Bugattis… it’s mindblowing what used to be prowling around Paris.
Now that book is a must have. I will order it right now. Thanks for the tip!
Oddly enough, I passed a 2CV going the other way while I was returning to work from lunch today.
Last night I attended a cruise night and there was a 1964 DKW there with it’s little 3-cylinder 2-stroke. I don’t believe I’ve ever seen one in person before. I was surprised at the exceptional number of unusual classics in attendance.
“You could even opt for a diesel/manual Dustbuster, which is probably a dream car for someone, somewhere on this site.”
You lookin at me?
Add me in to that list.
A bit of research into this Diesel manual trans Transport found out some interesting info. The Turbo Diesel engine offered in this thing was a PSA sourced 1.9l 90HP engine(XUD) which for such a heavy van would make for a miserable drive.
Ironically the Europeans were more taken with the looks of the Dustbuster Vans then the Americans were. Perhaps because of the Espace?
I didn’t have anyone in particular in mind, but I’m glad you’ve both put your hand up. Hypothesis proven!
The dustbuster actually looks right at home there, I could see a Citroen buyer cross shopping that.
I agree. I always thought the DustBusters looked more Gallic than American. It looks like it could’ve been a Citroen.
The Citroen DB! It must cost a small fortune to register and keep one running in Paris.
On my first trip to Paris, I rushed out of CDG Airport to watch traffic (my first trip as a car nerd to Europe), while the rest of my friends went to the baggage carousel, I’ll never forget, the first vehicle I saw my whole life in Europe… was a Pontiac Transport parked at the curb. In a horrible custom “paint the badges and window trim too” metallic purple. And everyone said Europeans were so sophisticated…
Thanks for sharing!
The two Citroen 5-doors seem like they’re descended from the Espada from earlier. I’d prefer a hatch sedan to the current style of 4-doors with mail slot trunk openings.
I want to like that Fiat Barchetta, but it has sort of a battery-powered personal massage device look about it…
Oh that 2000GT is stunning! The best response to the claim of passionless Toyotas.
Is the advetisement behind it showing a pic of the topless GT86 that made the rounds of the ‘nets a few months ago? After a month of finally slowing FRS sales, its time Toyota kicked production of this into high gear.
It was indeed. Behind the pictured 2000GT was a roomful of display GT86s for people to poke around and sit in. Toyota clearly wanted visitors to draw a parallel between the two.
Though if they’d really wanted to do that, they would’ve interspersed the white 86 convertible footage with scenes of the custom white 2000GT convertible Bond car.
Like most surviving dustbusters, it looks like the one pictured is wearing 3800 badges.
And Twingos are awesome.
Just ordinary French cars XMs are a bit thin on the ground here but everything except the dustbuster I see here on a regular basis.
Minor detail. I believe the DustBuster pictured has Pontiac Transport bumpers and side cladding, not those from an Oldsmobile Silhouette. And Transport wheels. It is painted a typical Silhouette color. It seems most Transports were white. Silhouette sounds much more French than Transport however. 🙂 (I had a Transport for a short time at the end of it’s life. The transmission let go after a few months of using it to haul stuff to a storage unit.)
I really like the Toyoya GT,another car I’ve never seen til now.
You never saw the James Bond Movie You Only Live Twice? The car had a big role in the movie.
I did see it a very long time ago and can’t remember any of it!That’s middle age for you
The Europeans liked their Dustbuster vans with the original nose. When the Chevy and Pontiac had their noses bobbed in 1994, the Oldsmobile kept the old nose for European buyers.
In the summer of 1988, I went on a two-week trip to France with my high school, just after graduation. I kept a journal (which I don’t have handy, but I believe I still have it packed away somewhere). One of things I wrote about in the journal was any American cars I encountered. I think I saw about a dozen over the time I was there. The oddest one I remember, in terms of “why on earth would anyone bother bringing one of those over here?”, was an FWD X-body Buick Skylark.
I studied all the European cars as well, of course, as any future CC’er would have. I recall there still being a lot of 2CVs around (I think they were still in production at that point). I was thrown for a loop by the Talbot Horizons I saw, which I had never heard of before but were obviously related to the Plymouth Horizons back home. I remember trying to work out Ford’s European lineup, and figure out how the different models I saw fit together.
Another recollection I have is that the Japanese brands were not nearly as common in France as in the northeastern U.S. IIRC, there were one or two Japanese brands that were somewhat common, though not as much so as in the U.S. (I think Honda may have one of them), and the rest were not popular, if they had any presence at all. I don’t think I saw very many Toyotas.
Back then, the Europeans used quotas to keep the Japanese presence to a minimum. They saw what was happening in the US, and didn’t want the same thing to happen to their own auto industries.
It was also difficult for the Japanese to get distribution, because dealers would be bound by non-compete clauses that would forbid them from carrying that inventory. Those types of agreements haven’t been legal in the US for decades.
I’m not aware of any actual quotas; certainly not in Germany, Austria and the UK. I read a lot about the “Japanische Welle” (Japanese Wave) in auto motor und sport in the eighties; truth is they were pretty scared that it was going to be a repeat.
When the Toyota Starlet rose to the very top of the ADAC Pannenstatistik (break down stats), that was a wake up call. And the Mazda 626 was at one point the best selling Japanese car in Germany, and developed quite a rep for reliability.
It really forced VW and the others to get serious about reliability, and the change was quite dramatic. Auto Motor und Sport had lots of long term tests (100,000 km), and the improvement in European cars in their tests from the seventies to the nineties was huge.
In the UK< Japanese cars have had a very substantial market share for decades, but it's been harder in the rest of Western Europe. The Japanese have struggled to build up an adequate dealer network, and capture/maintain a level of market share to have adequate scale in support, parts, service, dealers , advertising and marketing. Basically, they're mostly just hanging on, and for the most part, struggle with being profitable in Europe. It's important to note that there have been quite reliable statements made that the big Japanese firms make between 75% to 90% of their profits in North America, at least when things are going well here. Japan is brutally competitive, and European ops are struggling. America is the land of sake and honey for the Japanese. That's been the case for a long time, and still is.
I think what finally happened was that the Japanese agreed to export less cars to Europe and the US:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Voluntary_export_restraints
http://perc.org/articles/voluntary-export-restraints-automobiles
And if I recall correctly, that was a reason also for the Japanese developing luxury brands like Lexus, so they could earn more per car, now that the number of cars they could sell was limited.
This article from 1995 will give you a sense of the quotas that were prevalent at the time.
http://www.nytimes.com/1995/06/28/business/for-japan-auto-makers-it-s-tougher-in-europe.html
The French and Italians had the highest barriers. The heyday for restrictions was during the 70s and 80s. While the Japanese were making great inroads in the US, those quotas and distribution limitations were keeping them from gaining much ground in western Europe. Those quotas not only limit sales, but they have the effect of raising the cost of doing business by reducing opportunities for scale.
Yes, although it specifically mentions curbs in France and Italy. I read auto motor und sport religiously during this whole era, and there was never a mention of any curbs in Germany, which I’m fairly confident didn’t exist there (and Austria/Switzerland). Of course, they’re not exactly all of Europe.
The issue was covered extensively there in the press, and VW (and others) were really quite worried (more like scared). The reliability (and production efficiency) of Toyotas and other Japanese brands was a major buzz. But the coming tsunami turned into a fairly weak tide. The locals were more in tune with what their markets wanted, and by improving their reliability to a reasonable level, the Japanese cars suddenly didn’t look all that attractive anymore.
Germans in particular are very big on the dynamic qualities of their cars, and the Japanese didn’t do so well there. There were well-reported repeated issues of Toyota brakes not performing up to the level of German car brakes on very grueling mountain tests by AMS. Things like that hurt them among the more demanding buyers.
It’s a fairly complex story, it would take a bit of research and time to do it justice. But it was interesting to watch it unfold. Japanese cars don’t get all that much attention anymore in Germany in the press.
The Brits also had quotas. Basically, every nation that had a domestic car industry had a quota system, except for the Germans.
But distribution was a problem everywhere; setting up a dealer network in the US was far easier, as the courts here made it illegal for manufacturers to prevent their franchisees from doing business with others.
In Gerrmany, the nature of the company car market hurts outsiders. Most employers form only one fleet relationship, which effectively restricts anyone aside from BMW, Daimler and VAG from competing for the bulk of that business. About half of new cars sold in Germany are company cars, and among luxury cars, the rate of company cars is higher still. Non-Germans trying to break into that will have a formidable wall to climb, yet the failure to access it effectively means having no shot at half of the market.
I would look forward to see some photos of Peugeot 504 or 404s.if you get to see those.i went to argentina in june&i was shocked to see the amount of 504s on street.by the way that Toyota worth like quarter of million dollars here in states.amazing pictures,thank you.
I came across this 1977 404 pick-up at the website of a classic car dealer, I never knew these existed. It still has the original French plates.
Have you seen this? https://www.curbsideclassic.com/automotive-histories/the-worlds-greatest-wagons-peugeot-203-403-404-504-505-an-illustrated-history/
Or this? https://www.curbsideclassic.com/blog/cc-capsule-peugeot-504-pickup-bound-for-africa/
Thanks for the links ! I really enjoyed the 404 and 504 “truck editions”.
One of my uncles was and still is a very loyal Peugeot driver. He both had the 404 and 504 sedan. If I remember correctly these cars were both light blue with a beautiful tan interior.
He was “unfaithful” only once when he bought a VW Jetta, but since quite a while he’s back on the Peugeot track with a 307 and later a 308, both hatchbacks.
Here’s a direct link to the ad of the 1977 404 pick-up. There’s a nice collection of pictures. The man often gets his survivors/unmolested classics from southern France, nice dry and warm climate.
http://www.ruylclassics.nl/peugeot03_eng.htm
Give your location, Johannes, would that classic car dealer happen to be ‘The Gallery Brummen’? I’m far too cheap and far away to benefit from their services… but they keep a damn good website that I visit regularly. Their comprehensive inventory of ’60s-’70s GTs, exotics, and sports cars qualifies as true car-centerfold material.
If anyone’s never been: http://thegallerybrummen.nl/nl_NL/welkom.html
mcc.pj, the 1977 404 pick-up is for sale at classic car dealer mr. Alphons Ruyl. He’s located in the south of the Netherlands, Zuid Limburg.
He’s got a very fine inventory of European survivors (original, unmolested and very well maintained cars)
Here’s a link to his website, I already selected the English version:
http://www.ruylclassics.nl/menu_eng.html
I know the Gallery Brummen you mention, a very well known classic car dealer over here. They’ve got classic cars in every price class. Mostly European cars but also US cars, like the Jeep Wagoneer.
I’ve heard that they sell about 400 classics a year, all over the world.
You can visit them just for fun, it’s a sort of museum too with a lunchroom etc.
speaking of Peugeot 404s,there is a very clean one on Portland craigslist in amazing condition&all stocked.never seen one before.kind of looks like some English cars from same era.
Nice…I’m tempted, but the price ($10k) is a bit steep. But that seems to be the trend: up.
The only time I’ve ever been to Paris was the summer of 1978. Back then, 2CVs were indeed on every corner.
So the French like Dustbuster vans? That would make them the automotive equivalent of Jerry Lewis. I don’t care for the slapstick styling, personally.
The Toyota 2000 is pretty impressive, but of all the cars featured, the one I like the most is that little Fiat 500. Of course, I’m a sucker for anything with an air-cooled engine, perhaps because I was brought home from the hospital in a 1960 Corvair.
MINI is the way BMW styles the name of the car. The original became known as the Mini, just a proper noun, not some sort of stylized description of a car.
So that BMC/etc/Rover car, the real one, is a Mini. The BMW car the size of a Toyota Tercel is a MINI.
Instead of a hug for that Fiesta, it’s better to kill it with fire. Seriously. Rear legroom is horrendous and overall is not very big inside. They handled well. The facelift that came after that improved things outside but iinterior was mostly carryover.
I would like to drive either the Clio or the 106. Those must be real fun.
So you left Straya in the end. All the best.
Thanks for that. We’ve left for now–but we’re not convinced we won’t be back in the long term. Work was sponsoring me, but the immigration process had dragged out for damn-near two years and we wanted a chance to regroup for family reasons. I’m making no secret of the fact that I’d like to return if and when it’s practical!
No worries mate.
The process has changed and the requirements are harder now than we did the paperwork.
In France an American made car ( a gasguzzler) is seen as being very rich or well off.
The French fiscal system makes you pay your roadtaxes in the fuel you put in your tank, so fuel has always been rather expensive and that is why French and Italian cars were always economical with fuel.
In Paris for instance you were always highly regarded if you drioe a Range Rover, because it said to the people ” he’s got a house in the country as well ”
And the French love their Cadillacs, because Cadillac is named after a French Marquis who emigrated to America.
Like the Dutch have something with Citroën, because Andre Citroën was the son of Dutch Jewish immigrants.
You remember the 1970 movie “Le Cercle Rouge” ? Alain Delon’s character
(Alain Delon, Mr. Cool himself, like Steve McQueen in the US) bought a black Plymouth Fury. The car became a character of its own throughout the whole movie. There were more US cars in the movie, all driven by crooks….
Somehow these cars fitted really well in the wide rural French winter landscape.
If you haven’t watched this movie yet I can recommend it, it’s a Masterpiece !
Big American cars were pretty popular in the Netherlands during the sixties and seventies. And this is remarkable: the owners were either bad guys or the local dignitaries, really, nothing inbetween. I assume these people were the only ones who could affort the road tax and gas bills.
So one way or the other, you’d better respect the owner of a land yacht, same as in France in those days I guess.
You could be right about classic Citroëns. I’ve read that there are actually more DS models in the Netherlands now than in France. And I must say, most of them are in a superb condition.
Is the same in Japan. Mafia bosses use expensive imported cars, and leave them left hand drive to show off they are directly imported and therefore more expensive.
I was visiting Paris about 2 years ago, filled with hope that I’d find many (French) classics parked along the road. I was rather disappointed, there were actually very few classic cars to be seen, just like you mentioned. I suspect it also has to do with the fact that if you own a car you care about, you don’t leave it parked in any street in Paris – judging by all the dents in even brand new cars.
On the other hand, I just returned from a 5-day trip to Berlin. This in contrary to Paris seems to be a classic car heaven. There were so many W123s and Beetles parked at literary almost every street I entered, I stopped bothering taking photos after a while. I only went for the more interesting stuff, and I’ll be flooding the cohort with photos from that trip in a short while 🙂
Looking forward to it. We went to Berlin just after this. It’s the kind of city I could spend months in… or years. So fascinating. We only had a couple days though, and I didn’t catch as many cars as I would have liked.
Here’s my “riverside” classic shot while in Paris – not something I expected to see while on the boat tour!
The perfect lifeboat.
The dustbusters were very inexpenive in europe when they came out here. Almost bought one till I remembered how great GM cars hold up. Hardly ever see them on the road anymore.
My wife had the Fiat. Most dangerous car ever. Hers was red and other drvers tried to push her off the road, dammed fools did not realize it was a Fiat, thinking it was another italian mark.
If you want to see older cars you have to come to the south of France. Not so many young people and the elders tend to have cars thy bought at the epoch.
I’ve spent a lot of time in Europe. Not once did I see an American car there that ever fit in. They always look like an alien presence within that context; even the small ones don’t look quite right.
The oddest sighting was an Escalade with Dutch plates in Amsterdam. Here, they’re a dime a dozen and almost invisible, but there it was quite conspicuous, and looked completely over-the-top and out of place amongst all of the compacts and big Benzes. I can’t imagine why anyone would want to pay European-level prices for such a thing. (They’re not cheap over there.)
Like this Hummer I shot in Paris last time there:
As a diecast collector, I learnt of the sale of the Pontiac Trans Sport in France because of this Majorette (the French equivalent of Matchbox).
http://flic.kr/p/f8X8mX
In the French movie “Un Prophete” the villain drives an armored Suburban with French (possibly Corsican) plates. My thoughts were
1) Was it ever sold in Europe? I know there was a Holden Suburban in Australia briefly
2) How was it imported?
3) Isn’t that a bit conspicuous for a middle aged Corsican mob boss?
4) Oh the gas bills
What vintage Subrurban? Chevrolet dealers in Europe traditionally had/have a fairly limited selection of official imports, but there have been large importers that specialize in US cars for almost forever. They will sell you just about anything, but not cheaply. So if you have to have a Suburban (or this Hummer I shot in Paris), they’ve got it or can get it.
That’s right, “not cheaply”…a new Challenger V8 will set you back 100,000 euro or so. Let’s say there is some degree of passion involved if you do that.
But as you say, you can import any (new or used) car or truck from the US you want.
US pick-up trucks are pretty popular though, but only if you use them for your profession. Then they are “commercial vehicles” and that means they are much cheaper to buy and to drive. (less road tax for example)
They either got a diesel engine or a V8 gasoline engine running on LPG to keep the fuel costs acceptable. LPG is the cheapest fuel here per liter/gallon and the mileage is as good (or bad) as the original gasoline engine.
Here’s a whole truckload of “historic” pictures of American cars in the Netherlands. It’s a topic on a Dutch web forum for owners and enthusiasts of old and new US cars.
http://www.amerikaanseautopagina.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=69949&hilit=amerikanen+jaren+zeventig