Nice summer days in the South of France have resulted in pictures of some special cars. Welcome to the second post in the series "French classics"!
Renault Vel Satis
When state-owned Renault makes a prestige car, it naturally also makes a car for the president. The last president to use Vel Satis was Nicolas Sarkozy until 2010 when production was discontinued. The model had then been in production since 2002 with a facelift in 2005. The car pictured is before the facelift, - in my opinion the most beautiful, with vertical slanted ribs in the grill. After the facelift, the front was made simpler, more anonymous and featureless. It didn't help much with chrome strips in the grill, chrome-plated door handles and two separate exhaust pipes.
I saw two Vel Satis during my last stay in my French region. The pictured car in color Azure blue and a facelifted car in a reddish orange color. A combination that absolutely removed what little prestige this model has. And the lack of prestige is perhaps the biggest objection to Vel Satis. Not a bad car, just a bit special, - but not special enough, perhaps? A French classic that certainly belongs among classy summer houses near my sleepy Mediterranean town.
Citroen XM
Large passenger cars have never been particularly attractive in my southern part of France, all the way to the Spanish border. Partly because there aren't that many wealthy people living here, and partly because the streets in the old towns are rather narrow. One of our local taxi owners whizzes around a black Citroën C6. He is an exception. Large Citroëns are rare. I have only managed to find CXs and XMs from scrap cars. Even the C5 is a rare sight, then often with signs from other, more prosperous regions of France. I took a picture of this silver gray XM outside a small garage I pass on my bike rides. Beautiful, patinated shared cars are scattered around the workshop owner's garden and out over the field.
Peugeot 305 Estate
Toyota Land Cruiser BJ46
I am fairly certain that Toyota has never produced Land Cruisers in France. They are nevertheless very popular here, - especially in the mountain areas of the Pyrenees where the driving conditions can put ordinary cars to the test. It is in particular the Land Cruiser's 70 series that most are sold. The first Land Cruisers, the 40 series, are a rare sight. Early cars often suffered from rust problems, although in this part of the world the climate is so dry that rust rarely takes hold. And as everyone knows, - if you can keep the rust off a Land Cruiser, then you have a car for life.
The pictured Land Cruiser is an extended version on a short wheelbase. It is probably a version from the early 80s. I'm having trouble finding similar cars online. Especially the position of the rear side windows. I found the pair for sale on a French website. It was a 1983 model BJ46. Early Land Cruisers were built as open jeeps, with the closed models fitted with a fiberglass top. I think the special top may be special to cars delivered here in France, or that it is retrofitted. Considering how good the pictured car looks, it must have undergone a thorough renovation.
I think the cars in the 40 series are really tough. They are also expensive. A cult car for those who know what this is. Undoubtedly a classic. Not quite French, - but wondering if the top could not be made in France - or especially for the French market.
Renault Caravelle
It was early Friday night. Someone had made the journey into town in their newly renovated red Renault Caravelle. A gem that looked like it came straight out of a hand-colored French postcard from the 60s. With a rear engine, it is not too difficult to imagine the kinship of the Renault Dauphine and the R8.
Byrrh Renault Goelette
The car is based on a 1961 model Renault Gôelette. I have studied the details of the dashboard, and can confirm that it is undoubtedly the Gôelette. A handful of similar barrel trucks are said to have been made for other wine producers, but have no idea if they are still alive. The Byrrh car is so absolutely alive as it thunders through narrow village streets with blaring music and loudspeakers spreading the happy tidings. Everything sounds like it did in the early 60s - in speakers without bass. No modern Russebus sound here, no!
Reanult Gôelette [go-e-lett] were popular utility vehicles here at home. According to Club Renault Norvège, they must have been used by the Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation and the Norwegian Post Office. Wondering if it would have been possible to get a Gôelette wine barrel car approved in Norway?
Ford Transit mk2 Camper
I'm guessing that the Transit in the picture is manufactured in Germany. I have not been able to find out who produced the superstructure. Maybe it's French-made? I have seen British Transit campers, but they have different bodies to the ones I see in France. I have seen several well-functioning camper vans based on the Ford Transit mk2. This is far from being a museum piece. They are used for proper camping.
The depicted model has been observed in several places in the city. Also in a municipal parking lot with camping chairs outside. In small towns, I don't think it's a problem to spend a few days in the motorhome, but on the bathing beaches, physical barriers have been introduced to avoid the invasion of camper vans.
As classics, I think Transit campers may gain popularity in the wake of Volkswagen campers based on the T1 and T2. This is real retro camping!
The immortal French
I think the longest-lived French classic will be the Citroën Méhari made in soft plastic with a Citroën Dyane engine. The bodies can be re-molded, and you can actually buy completely new and unused engine installations based on the air-cooled 602 ccm engine. Many people use Méhari for local trips, - to the city, to the shop and to the beach. If you can cough up 15 euros, you will get a great copy.
Under Immortal French also includes Citroën 2CV and Renault 4. Many of these cars are still in operation for daily transport purposes. I still see a trend towards more and more young people buying these cars. Cool'ere car is difficult to acquire on a youthful budget. The cars are often painted or "styled" in some other way. The cars are taken care of, but can never beat an original patinated car!
Click on the images below to see them in a larger format.
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