Carre d'Or

Center commercial Carré d'Or, Perpignan, is the meeting place for RVA66 (Rassemblement Vehicules Anciens du 66) - a Cars & Coffee event that takes place on the first Sunday of every month.

Sunday photo: Car meeting at the shopping centre

Posted 07/10/2024 by Terje Bjørnstad

We have been here many times before – Carre d'Or shopping center outside Perpignan in France. On the first Sunday of each month, the parking area is used for a car meeting - in the same spirit as Cars and Coffee. Here you can brush up on your car knowledge with cars you may only see once in your life.

Maserati or Dodge?

My wife is on the trip and she really likes Maserati because of the tasteful interiors with the Maserati monogram embossed into the leather headrests. Sometimes we talk about what we would buy if we won the Lotto - for example 130 million or something like that. As we stroll among the cars on display on the Carre d'Or, she asks me which car I would buy if we won the lottery. I'm not sure, though Maserati Gran Turismo is a good candidate. I'm not going to drive fast, and I'm not going to impress anyone. I just want a pleasant atmosphere out on the road. A little further away stands one Dodge Challenger SRT with the Hemi V8. But the interior of the Challenger is far less exclusive than the Italian. Then it also costs "only" a third of what you have to pay for a new Maserati Gran Turismo - but maybe that doesn't mean much when you've won the lottery?

Ford Thunderbird mk2

1960 Ford Thunderbird

Backdated

I only needed to take a quick glance across the space where the Porsches were lined up to discover the finest of them all. It is a 1987 model "backdated" - a restomod with modern technology and the classic, original Porsche look.

BMW 2002

Panhard Dyna X

The first model after the war had an aluminum body and a 2-cylinder air-cooled engine - which would eventually become a common concept for subsequent models.

On two wheels in the turn

We had the pleasure of driving behind a Citroen Ami Break on the way to the meeting. It was wonderful to see how it rocked and dove on the road, especially on the roundabouts. My wife thought the car was going to overturn with the two guys on board. A few decades ago, the car journalists speculated whether the Citroens could topple over. They don't. The car sways and tips, but the wheels are planted to the ground the whole time.

We caught a glimpse of this Citroen Ami Break on its way to the car meet.

Citroen Ami Break series 2.

Alpine V6 Turbo

The model was developed after Renault took over Alpine. The cars are built in fiberglass on a tubular steel frame with a V6 engine in aluminium, based on the so-called PRV engine. The Alpine GTA could be delivered with two engine choices, – V6 GTA with 160 HP and V6 turbo with 200 HP.

See

Carre d'Or Perpignan

Sunday photo: A golden car meeting

Posted 03/06/2024 by Terje Bjørnstad

Carré D'or — Lamborghini Avantador LP700-4

We are currently in France, and as usual have visited the monthly car meeting in Perpignan, more precisely at the shopping center Carré D'or. On Sundays, the center is closed, and then the organizers of the car meeting get to collect old, rare and exclusive cars, owners and other car enthusiasts.

Many of the cars appear regularly. On Sunday before lunch, the roads are quiet. Then you can safely drive with the "finbilen" and many people take out their bikes for the week's short trip. I myself am often out cycling at that time. Cycling is a recognized sport here, not just during the Tour de France. It's fun cycling on a country road to meet a bunch of cheerful, mature gentlemen on an excursion with old mopeds, or a nice old 2CV with the roof down.

At car meets like this, you often meet visitors from the neighboring towns, or newly minted fine car owners with their newly acquired vehicles. One of these was the Aventador in the main picture. It was difficult to take a picture, because everyone wanted to take a closer look at it. What a beast! It has a V12 of 6,5 liters and 700 hp visible through the tailgate. The car is native to the neighboring town and I think it's quite special to see a car like that with insects on the front, hot wheels and a bit of dust after being on the road. Cars like this should of course be driven - not used for decoration.

Another "golden" car is this Mercedes-Benz 600 - judging by the nameplate, a 1972 model. It had entered the back road of the Carré D'or, and we caught a glimpse of it before it was driven into the square.

Palms and Americans

The palm trees at the shopping center have been planted. They grow well, but natural palms do not grow in the forests here. The palm trees and shopping center are reminiscent of the southern states of the USA. With some nice American cars under the Stars and Stripes, part of the parking lot was turned into Miami, or something like that.

Special French

Renault 8

Citroën Dyane

Some English features

Mini Moke interior

MGB – A British Classic

Three cars from Karmann

Porsche 928 GT Cup

Audi Coupé

Summer cars from Alfa Romeo

See

The organizer's website RVA66

French classics 9

Posted 09/05/2023 by Terje Bjørnstad

It could have disappeared - the monthly car meet in Perpignan that has been running on the first Sunday of every month for 24 years. This spring, however, the organizers had had enough. They had grown tired of the ever-increasing number of BMWs and Mercedes-Benzes without classic status - with owners more interested in 'kids' and 'robbers' than cultivating a passion for old cars.

When the organizers tried to stop the influx of these cars, conflicts arose. Car meetings in Perpignan are run as a personal initiative. The organizer is free to limit access to the meetings.

But the matter has several sides. A broad event like this is of interest to many. Is it discriminatory to exclude certain vehicle groups? What criteria should be used as a basis for excluding "popular" street cars? Car model, year model, tuned engines and fat tires – or the drivers' appearance? This is a problem for other car meets as well. Earlier this year I was on my way to a car meet in England ONLY reserved for supercars. There, the organizers had made it clear in advance that people with Audis, BMWs and Mercedes were not welcome on the grounds that these vehicles are not special enough.

In Perpignan, the organizers have come up with a good solution with registration in the form of an annual pass and rules for how to behave. There are also requirements for the vehicles – age or that the vehicle is special and exceptional, etc.

I am happy that the organizers chose to continue and that many participants have appreciated the scheme. Last Sunday, not only vehicles that were old, but also rare, exclusive and special arrived to the delight of many.

Pictures

Ex Renault 4, Citroen Ami phase 2, MG 1300

Citroen BX 16V

Citroen BX GTI

This edition of the Citroen BX has a 16-valve engine of 1,9 liters producing 160 HP. It can do 0-100 in 7,9 seconds. The Citroen BX is a rare feature at car fairs. Where has everyone gone? This was a very popular model in the 80s. There were two Citroen BXs that had found their way to Perpignan this Sunday.

Citroen GSA X1

The Citroen GSA was the successor to the GS. A major improvement with the GSA was that it was styled as a hatchback coupé. The GSA X1 has been given sporty equipment, including round instruments and rear spoiler. The engine was 1300 ccm with 65 HP. The model was produced between 1983 and 1985.

Puma 1600 GTE

Puma 1600 GT

Puma 1600 GTE with engine from Volkswagen

Puma GT

Brazilian car factory that built light sports cars with mechanics from other Brazilian car brands. The Puma GT and GTE were built on chassis from Karmann Ghia (Volkswagen) and with engines from Volkswagen. This car is from around 1980 and has an air-cooled Volkswagen engine of 1600 ccm and 70 HP. The bodywork is made of fiberglass and the entire body weighs less than 700 kg. Rare car from Brazil to Perpignan.

Volvo Amazon Manor wagon on French plates

Volkswagen T2 Van from Brazil?

Renault Estafette (front), Citroen DS Pallas (rear)

Porsche 356A, Sud Classic Cars, St.Esteve

Renault 4 Sixties

Renault from the 80s with two sunroofs

Renault brought 60s nostalgia into a youthful version of the R4

Renault 4 Sixties

The Sixties was a campaign model of the Renault 4 GTL produced in 1985 in a limited edition. What made the variant special were special colors - both outside and inside. It also got two plexiglass sunroofs. The cars were equipped with the 1,1 liter engine and 4-speed gearbox which was operated via "umbrella gear". According to advertising at the time, Renault was targeting a young audience – perhaps in an attempt to make the Renault 4 cool again. The Renault 4 was easy to drive and offered plenty of space for a reasonable purchase price.

BMW 7 Series (E23)

1967 Ford Galaxy

Ford Capri 1700 GT XLR

Ford Capri GT 1700 XLR

The Ford Capri was produced both in England and in Germany. They used the engines they had. The car in the picture has a 1700 V4 engine manufactured in Germany. English Ford also had the V4 from the Corsair series which was also used in the Capri.

Peugeot 202

Peugeot 202 – family car and holiday car from the 40s

Renault 4CV

Indian motorcycle has started on the way home

Pre-war models. Packard and more.

volkswagen-bus-t1-t2-rva66

Carre d'Or

The car meet is held at one of the many shopping centers around Perpignan. Carre d'Or is located along the flyover between Perpignan city and the coastal town of Canet-en-Roussillon. Over the years, the event has been held in several places around the city.

After having lunch at one of the eateries there, we found these beautiful Volkswagen buses left after the meeting.