Spotted's Spottings (2025 France holiday #4 02/08/2025)

[Spottedlaurel]

40 minutes ago, wuvvum said:

RWD Master is a new one on me - as you say, I'd only previously seen RWD on the heavy-duty Iveco Daily-based versions.  Could be a 4x4 Dangel-style conversion I suppose.

Will take a look at my unedited photo to see if the stickers give any clue as to what it is.

[Spottedlaurel]

20 hours ago, wuvvum said:

I think these days when you re-register a car it's automatically issued with a new-style plate, even if it's staying within the same département.

RWD Master is a new one on me - as you say, I'd only previously seen RWD on the heavy-duty Iveco Daily-based versions.  Could be a 4x4 Dangel-style conversion I suppose.

I looked at the original photo and there was nothing immediately obvious. It'll have to remain a mystery, or maybe someday I'll see a similar one which will help work it out.

 

On the way home now, not really something to enjoy but at least finding more stuff livens up the journey a bit:

Have previously seen an Espero in France but never a Nexia.

 

 

These all at the same place, whether it was a repair/restoration specialist or just the premises of a collector I don't know. Shame I couldn't get a better shot of the CX, but pleasing to see three generations of big Citroen together.

Still looked to be used for work.

Tidy for an early-ish Mk3.

Funny to think this probably isn't very much older than the Transit, indeed possible that it is actually newer - Wikipedia says they remained in production until 1991.

Impressive lacquer peel.

 

These two at the same garage.

Another Millésime. Didn't realise at the time that le chat was watching me....

I'd seen this tidy 6 outside when we drove past on the way down, but didn't have time to stop. They also had a few other things.....

 

 

Not sure if it's a museum of sorts, one person's collection or storage for a group of enthusiasts, but there was certainly a good variety.

Looked solid for one of these.

Croma was the only thing of interest on the autoroute (on our side at least, I think there was a 504 and one or two others heading the opposite way).

 

 

Got slightly lost finding our way to the hotel, but if we hadn't have done I wouldn't have seen these.

That's it for 2024. Just over four weeks until this year's trip, heading quite a way down and staying within sight of Mont Ventoux. There was some good stuff to be seen last time we were down that way (2018), hopefully that'll still be the case this year.

[Spottedlaurel]

Having barely finished uploading last year's photos we're already back in France. Usually we do an overnight Newhaven-Dieppe crossing but that didn't work quite so well with timings and where we wanted to get to this year. Did an overnight stop outside Ashford then got an early AM tunnel crossing. scooted through the north as quickly as possible and stayed near Dijon with the eventual aim being to get to the Vaucluse area. Managed to get a bit of cross-country driving into the journey so there'll be some random stuff from on the way down plus whatever I find around Provence. Early indications are promising.

Anything seen on the way down to the ferry/tunnel counts as a holiday spot, this year it was just this one (I suspect I'll be seeing quite a few more). Also caught sight of a rather funky orange SAAB 99/900 4/5-door heading the other way on the A12.

 

Dutch holidaymakers provided the only things of note on the northern autoroutes, the motorhome was another Talbot/Peugeot/Fiat/Citroen. The A26 down to Troyes was a pleasure, more than can be said of the A6/A7 further south....

At Troyes we turned off the autoroute and headed cross-country to Dijon, through attractive countryside which followed the Seine for much of the way. This odd-panel 2CV was an approriate first proper French spot.

Presumably a DAF, for some reason I want to say 2800.

An interesting thing here, looks to be a "Production" special edition, 1 of 300 built to celebrate the GTV's success in production car racing.

Seem to be doing slightly better on Patrols than Land Cruisers so far this year.

 

A little battle-scarred but doing well for approaching 40 years old. Also saw a facelift model on a driveway but not yet managed to get a photo of one.

This batch feels like a good way to finish for now......

 

 

 

All these at the same garage. Particularly good to see the Simca and Talbot pair (after seeing a tidy 1301/1501 on the move earlier in the day). XM a brave purchase at that price with no test?

More to come another day.

[Spottedlaurel]

A few more....

On German plates, not in an obviously touristy area.

First Land Cruiser, doubtless there will be more.

Took a very obscure route on small roads around DIjon and found this, first I've seen out in the wild for a few years.

At least three dead XMs here plus some sort of Amercican (GM?) pickup.

Master SL saw this on the forecourt of a small Renault dealership/agency. An automatic too.

This sounded great, and fair play to him for having all the family on board.

This oddity brightened up the journy in slow traffic on the southern autoroutes.

Not just an AX, but an AX Ten. Yet another special edition which appears to differ very little from all of the others. Did look tidy. Have seen a few other AXs in everyday use.

[Spottedlaurel]

Finally getting near to our holiday accommodation on the Saturday, found this field full of good stuff:

A very significant tick on the Renault bingo card, a 7! Taunus also good to see, and rusty H-van almost an inevitability.

Looks like a GL?

Tidy pre-facelift 305.

Chambord, which was apparently top of the Simca big car range above Vedette and Beaulieu.

Autobianchi? Also possibly a Visa rather than C15 alongside it.

As can be seen from the background of the above photos they had quite a collection of C15s. The STreetview shot from 2019 shows nothing here at all, so they've done quite well to amass such a collection over the last few years.

Final one for the Saturday, a timework but reatively tidy Corsa Viva.

Looks like a 30, one of the more attractive special editions.

 

Heading out to a local car meet we saw other old things out and about, the 404 was particularly nice.

[Spottedlaurel]

I'll leave what was at the meet/show for the moment and continue with the other stuff.....

Still a few of these in use.

This place had a load of old agricultural stuff alongside what I think is a Saviem Galion, in the classic blue of on an old French commercial vehicle.

VItaras still seem to be moderately popular as a smaller 4wd.

Another Viva edition Corsa, looking a little battered.

Master SL managed to get a shot of this one, a relative rarity in France in my experience. Hoped it was heading to the car meet, like the KG further back, but sadly not.

As on previous trips I seem to be seeing more Hondas than other older Japanese cars.

Looks like a 4x4, seemingly for sale but didn't notice the price.

Can't recall seeing any 75s or R8 200/400s yet.

Saw a similar Nissan D21 pickup a day or two later, and an old-ish Hilux too.

Surely restored to be in this condition? Great colour, and seems to belong to a local as I've seen it parked elsewhere in the village.

See, another older Honda. And another of those Renault vans.

Final one for now, this 190 looked tidy.

[mk2_craig]

That 4 is just perfect, not excessively tarted up or otherwise “quatrelle scene customised” like a lot of them seem to be now. The other spots are great too, I think that Talbot fourgonnette is my favourite. 

[Spottedlaurel]

42 minutes ago, mk2_craig said:

That 4 is just perfect, not excessively tarted up or otherwise “quatrelle scene customised” like a lot of them seem to be now. The other spots are great too, I think that Talbot fourgonnette is my favourite. 

I think I got my best find of 2025 the other day, but I still have just over a week to go so who knows what else there'll be?

Also we hopefully have another monthly car meet to attend tomorrow, but that's cheating.....

[Sigmund Fraud]

On 01/08/2025 at 08:26, Spottedlaurel said:

F

Autobianchi? Also possibly a Visa rather than C15 alongside it.

It's a Trabant 500 (or 600), the predecessor of the boxier 601 that we all know about.

[Spottedlaurel]

8 hours ago, Sigmund Fraud said:

It's a Trabant 500 (or 600), the predecessor of the boxier 601 that we all know about.

Aha, thank you.