Dauphine Chapron

French classics — Two fine Frenchmen. The Peugeot 205 Rallye was built for homologation in the rally class under 1400 ccm. It was also sold here at home.

Through a series of articles, I have presented French classics that I have come across at various car shows in France. It is not only about cars that are produced in France – but also cars that the French love.

Reunion with a local car meet

For the first time since Covid, it has been possible to visit the local monthly car meet in my part of France. The concept is the same as Cars and Coffee – an event open to all vehicles that owners would like to show off to like-minded people. The difference from our own events is the selection of cars and the audience.

Great car interest

You rarely find Volvo or Saab here - nor as many Japanese cars as at home. Here by the Mediterranean, it is Latin cars that dominate with fresh touches of Americans. American muscle cars are the same across the board. What I particularly appreciate is everyone who comes by only as spectators. The car is part of our culture and history. That's why I think it's great to see people taking pictures of family members in front of beautiful cars, grandfathers telling their grandchildren about the cars of old, and car geeks discussing details with the owners. It is about a broad car culture.

Today's favourites

I recognized several of the cars from the time before Covid. If I were to single out a winner in my eyes, it would have to be the Renault Dauphine Cabriolet signed by Henri Chapron. If I could choose a car for my own garage, it would have to be the Simca Rallye 2. My brother-in-law particularly liked the two-stroke Chevy Corvette C3 from the 70s - for many the finest model. We also got to study two new Corvettes in the C7 series up close. You can say that GM has been faithful to the concept. The C7 is a worthy successor to classics like the C3. The all-new Corvette C8, on the other hand, has a mid-mounted engine. It is therefore not impossible that the C7 can get the status of "the last real Corvette"?
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About the meeting

The meeting place is the area around the Chateau Roussillon shopping center outside Perpignan. The meeting is open to all enthusiasts of old, rare or special vehicles. They meet on Sunday of each month - officially from 9.00 a.m. to 12.00 p.m. In practice, most people arrive around 10 and leave at exactly 11 to make it back for lunch. Sunday lunch with the extended family is the highlight for many French people.

Link to the car meeting

To see the official photos on the association's website, you have to scroll far down the page – until you reach the photo of a gray Renault 10. Click on the photo and you will be taken to the association's Flickr page.

The images

The pictures here on Terje's cars will eventually be posted on the reviews of the respective car models in the Car Catalog . This also applies to some pictures that have not yet been published. The pictures can be enlarged by clicking on them.