Balkan Bucket Bonanza

[Bucketeer]

The Volvo/ambulance theory makes perfect sense.

 

I wish I knew more about the big yellow beast, but I don't. It was definitely one of the highlights, perfect for the school run.

It was all a bit overwhelming to be honest, so much stuff to see and so many people, so I didn't get chance to find out enough information and talk to enough of the participants.

 

It must have been really hard work piloting the little bike thing down the rutted French roads of the forties, what with the lack of suspension and the tiny wheels. At first sight I thought 'that looks like it'd be great fun', then I thought about it a bit and it all depends on the context. I can't imagine the troops were bombing through the countryside with a big grin, shouting 'weeeeee'.

 

I'm going to take a stroll to Pointe du Hoc and Omaha beach tomorrow, so there may be more militaria to come.

[Squire_Dawson]

I'd hazard a guess that the yellow car is Ford, it would have been fitted with their famous V-8. Also nice to see the French Resistance with one of the 'Traction gangs'.

[TimothyClaypole]

[Skizzer]

Excellent.  Autoshite now has its own war correspondent!

 

 

my brief stay in Paris was spent with a very agreeable English lady who I met on the coach

 

How very James Hunt of you. Good work fella. 

[Vin]

According to a book in my collection called 'Allied Liberation Vehicles' the scooter looks very much like a Cushman 53 Autoglide...

 

The mean yellow thing is a Dodge WC53 Carryall...the book says "it was more or less the closed version of the WC56/57 command car with its special 'two door, hard top estate' body"...No V8 though, it's a T214 six-cylinder under the bonnet...

 

Also, that 'prison type truck' is a GMC CCKW 353 Workshop Vehicle...

[Squire_Dawson]

I stand corrected. It must have been a right sluggard with a six. I may be under an illusion, but I have it in my mind that Chrysler and GM did not receive as many contracts as Ford, Kaiser-Willys, Packard and Studebaker during the war.

[Bucketeer]

Top work Vin.

That sounds like a GR11 book.

 

 

How very James Hunt of you.

I wish. I'm definitely more Bargain Hunt than James Hunt though.

 

 

I took a stroll to Pointe du Hoc today. No chod there, military or otherwise, but there was more planey fly past-iness.

 

 

A view of Pointe du Hoc, showing the memorial statue and many American tourists.

 

 

After visiting this, I went into town for a relaxing drink by the sea. It seems that most of the old military vehicles have been replaced by old Citroens, which isn't a bad thing.

 

 

 

 

 

 

I took this just because Dacia.

 

 

Some tractor and boat shite.

 

 

Not all of the militaria had disappeared however.

 

 

 

I was just putting my camera away after taking the last picture when a fabulous French fancy appeared and I nearly fell off the wall I was sitting on in my rush to capture it (shit blurry photo excuse no.238).

 

 

Finally time for a nice sit down.

 

 

Emboldened after several surprisingly strong French beers, I approached the guy who had just parked this up to tell him that the Volvo with Sweden flag 'thing' had already been done by Mr Fowler2000.

He stared blankly then walked off.

 

 

I eventually arrived back at the chateau a short while ago to face Belise The Dog giving me her best 'what time do you call this' look.

 

I shall retire to bed, suitably chastised.

[Bucketeer]

Today, the spotting gods decreed that I shall mainly see late '80s/early '90s hatchbacks.

 

 

This is the first Micra I've seen in France. Original trims (I fink) and dealer stickers too.

 

 

I know that all the small French hatches below are as common as brass here in France, but if I just pap one good (ie: shit) one of each then I can concentrate on other, interestinger spots.

 

 

 

R21 hatchback turdobiesel Symphonie special edition.

 

 

 

This lovely lady had it all going on.

Beige, rusty, odd coloured door, automatic and quality original trims.

 

 

Probably the only time I'd pap a Golf is when it's as fantastically miserable as this one.

 

 

Enough of the hatchbacks.

If Brookjm was ever looking for a van to complete his Fleet of French Win, this C15 would be hard to beat.

 

 

 

Gilera Shiteped.

 

 

Apologies Joe for plagiarising your words but open seeing this my only thoughts were WHAT THE . . . . . I DON'T EVEN . . . . .

 

 

I have now done my homework and found out that it is an Aixam Crossline.

I've been reading their website, which is very amusing.

Here's their description of the Crossline.

The Crossline, an offspring of our times, makes room for decidedly contemporary aesthetics.

The Crossline redefines the concept of a vehicle not requiring a driving licence . Its impressive length and  interior space make it suitable for limitless uses, especially with its boot capacity.

Crossline offers you elegant styling with a touch of true imagination. Its copious, sculptured shapes are both heart-warming and an assurance of robustness and security.

 

This led me to another of their new models, the GTO.

Have a description from the Aixam website and a picture from the internet.

The new jewel in the AIXAM range utilises a cutting edge design combined with high specification equipment to create a vehicle with a strong presence. AIXAM has developed a vehicle of such superior quality that even the most sceptical customer would feel impressed.

Be tempted!

 

Just imagine the rorty exhaust note you get through the twin tailpipes from it's 2 cylinder Kubota diesel engine. MEGA.

 

Aixam also provide a PDF about the GTO. Well worth a read for a good laugh (link below). Here's a couple of snippets.

Sporty rear with carbon look spoiler and bumper.

A chromeplated double exhaust is built into the centre of a carbon look air extractor.
Tame this beast!

 

The GTO will add glamour to your lifestyle.
Combine car racing passion with the enjoyment of day-to-day driving.

 

http://www.google.fr/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=3&ved=0CCwQFjAC&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.aixam.com%2Fforce_dl.php%3Ffichier%3Dressources%2Fvehicules%2F3%2F20pgto_abs_cs4-en-bd.pdf&ei=k4yYU_6MMciX0AWH5oHoDA&usg=AFQjCNHir4mLLWf9D8U5tKR_tIcNOav9DA&bvm=bv.68693194,d.d2k

[Bucketeer]

The Aixam I spotted in the previous post and the subsequent research into the various quadricycle manufacturers has left me intrigued/appalled by them, and eager to spot more.

Near the top of the wishlist is the Aixam MegaTipper, blessed with either the 600cc Kubota diesel POWAHOUSE or a 48V AC motor.

 

Have an internet sourced picture until I find one in the wild.

 

 

I did however come across a Microcar MC1 (smaller wheelbase than the MC2 limo), another of the quadricycles people are permitted to drive without a car license.

 

There are literally QUITE A FEW of these around Normandy, and they are not difficult to hear approaching due to the horrific noise, so I will endeavour to pap as many of the varieties as possible. I IZ SMITTEN.

 

 

Meanwhile my latest stroll around the area produced some surprising finds. The military vehicles have all but gone, as have all the Tractions, to be replaced by these.

 

 

 

 

 

 

It turns out that there is a Monster Truck event taking place here this weekend. In a relatively small village almost entirely populated by petanque playing pensioners. KNOW YOUR MARKET.

 

 

This transporter was parked alongside the trucks, mostly shit to be crushed under the big wheels I imagine.

 

 

But wait, what's this? Not one but two examples of lovely but unloved OpelShite.

 

Judging by the advertising poster, the yellow one is for two-wheeled exhibition driving. I hope the blue one isn't going to be Monster Truck food.

 

 

Anyway, I continued strolling and spotted some more tat.

 

 

I love an old Master.

 

I've seen more Probes in this part of France than I had in all my time in Britain.

 

Check this out y'all. You can keep your C15's, Expresses et al.

205 High top FTW.

[Bucketeer]

So, my weird quadricycle fetish continues unabated.

 

First up, an Aixam 400.

 

 

Followed by an Aixam 500.

This one is often pottering around locally and sounds even worse than you would expect a two cylinder, 500cc Kubota diesel engined POWAHOUSE to sound. Horrific/10.

 

 

Microcar M.Go.

This actually looks almost like a real car.

 

Once again the fantastic Microcar website provides an understated* and honest* description of the vehicle.

With bold styling, smooth lines, caressing curves M.GO immediately puts you at ease, completely in keeping with today’s thinking - contemporary, with just the right blend of restraint, M.GO perfectly masters the art of seduction.

 

Microcar MC2.

 

 

JDM Abaca (part 1).

 

 

JDM Abaca (part 2).

 

 

Quadricyle obsession sated for the day, I found some other crap.

 

Renault 5 GTL 5 door.

My first car of eva was a red 3 door GTL. I wasn't even aware they did these early-ish ones with an extra couple of portes.

 

 

LOGAN PICKUP !1!!1!

 

 

'Worn looking XM spotted in France' not shocker.

 

 

740 Turbo Estate. Member No.1 of the FVM?

 

 

Hideous 19 and trailer with bonus windowless Ibiza.

 

 

As far as I can recall, we Brits got a Rover 218SD but not a 218SDe. Foreign market special or stuck-on letter?

 

 

This weekend I am hopefully travelling 300km in an Opel Admiral!

More info to follow (for anyone still reading this shit).

[Skizzer]

The quadricycles are GR12.

 

I love how you can tell what pulled up next to the bus the stylist went to work on. M.GO? An Avantime and a Nissan Note. MC2? Lancia Ypsilon.

 

The JDM Abaca ALLROAD is my favourite though.

[Junkman]

 

15/6 H, me thinks. If yes, it's very, very rare indeed.

[Bucketeer]

^^^^   I'll definitely take your word for it as usual JM. Other than it being bloody lovely, I know sack all.

 

 

The JDM Abaca ALLROAD is my favourite though.

What, even over an Aixam Mega chassis cab?

KNEES 4 CRUMPLEZONE.

 

 

There is also a hilarious tuning scene for all these little pixies.

This Aixam 500 went for £510 on EbayUK in Aug 2011.

GR9 4 SPEEDBUMPS.

[Bucketeer]

I just got back last night from a long weekend in Nantes, visiting friends. Unfortunately I'm beginning to discover that most of the chod still remaining in France is to be found in a rural habitat, and the cities are largely free of any interesting shite. I soldiered on though and papped what I could.

 

To celebrate the one year and five day anniversary of the start of this thread, I'm going to return to what I do best least worst, ie: QUANTITY OVER QUALITY.

More rubbish pics, (a bit) less boring waffle.

 

I set off walking the 30 or so Kilometres to Bayeux on Friday morning and spotted nothing in the countryside, not a thing. It was only when I hit the Bayeux 'burbs that anything appeared.

 

 

 

 

 

Subtle tailgate badges.

 

 

 

 

Heavily wobbed-up Citroen camper. Nice net curtains though.

And bonus R25 in the background.

 

 

This was not just any old Panda.

 

 

 

 

Bayeux is a fairly small place with lots of tourist visitors therefore people park very tightly. Especially when they have towbars.

 

 

I promise this will be the last time I shove one of my stupid fat fingers into shot. A Lancia Kappa makes up for a multitude of sins though.

 

 

I was principally in Bayeux to meet my covoiturage (car sharing) lift to Nantes. I thought a coffee and a little sit down were in order whilst I awaited my ride.

Coffee, Bayeux Cathedral and gold Mk.3 Astra.

 

 

The only thing of any note I saw on the journey to Nantes was a fat-ass Renault Pingu like Mat-le-Chat spotted recently, also in France.

 

 

The majority of the rest of the 4 hour journey to Brittany was spent asleep on the back seat of an old French lady's Mercedes A Klasse.

We did have a nice chat too, and I now have the opportunity to stay at her farm on the west coast whenever I want. Merci M'lle deLamotte.

 

If anyone is still masochistically trudging through this tripe, I can assure you that Nantes had more of interest to report.

 

I had to switch to the camera phone for the first few Nantes spottages, before recharging the camera camera.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Not just any old Polo.

 

 

 

 

My second hand laptop is becoming more and more recalcitrant, so I shall give it a stern talking to and return shortly with Nantes Part 2 (including a giant Jules Verne inspired mechanical elephant, some incontinence and an old Honda).

[Bucketeer]

Nantes part two.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Nantes is an amazing city. Whilst there are historic cathedrals, a castle and the like, it is more than just a pretty place to visit. The city is experimental, progressive, open and has so much going on for everyone to appreciate, enjoy and participate in.

My friends are studying at the architecture college on the big island in the South of the city. I spent a lot of time on the island and it is an inspiring place. Many of the old abandonded industrial buildings have been converted to covered gardens and spaces for the public, and a lot of new building projects are underway or have been completed and have been designed by tutors at the achitecture school with input from the students. I'm not normally a fan of modern buildings but there is such diversity and good thought gone into these projects.

One of the most famous 'attractions' is Les Machines de L'ile. Most days the giant mechanical elephant can be seen walking around a part of the island, it is hugely impressive with moving legs, ears, head etc and a moving trunk that fires out water at the very excited children.

I took some photos (and grinned like a child) obviously.

 

 

The elephant and the merry-go-round pictured behind it are inspired, design-wise, by Jules Verne. There is also a giraffe but that didn't come out to play whilst I was there.

 

 

 

 

 

There is also a giant mechanical family that tours the world, originating from Nantes but created by a splinter group. They return once every few years to debut their latest creation before taking it and it's siblings on tour. Last year a 15-20ft high grandmother was debuted in Nantes. She read fables to the townsfolk and also even had the ability to spit and fart!

 

Anyway, some more voitures.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

There is also plenty of housing-shite in Nantes. Many of the structures were built on sand and not supported properly and are now leaning in various angles in a pleasantly idiosyncratic way.

 

 

 

 

There is a party in a park on the island every Sunday. BPM in this instance stands for Barbecue Park Music.

 

 

With the wine being so cheap and plentiful here, the chemists have to provide for certain leaky ailments.

 

 

 

After much hitch-hiking and walking, I got back to the Normandy coast. Walking along deserted roads like this as the sun is going down makes me really want some old French phloppytop chod to cruise around this beautiful area in.

You don't get blisters in a car.

[chaseracer]

Can we have a game of "Microshite Spot-the-Donor"?  Can we?  PLEEZ?

 

I'll start with an easy one: rear lights from an early 205...

 

 

 

LUUUURRRRVE the 404 cabrio above... 

[Bucketeer]

^^^^^  I would be rubbish at the 'spot the donor' game. I have no clue until someone points it out to me, then it's as clear as day.

 

But in that spirit, the doorhandles of the JDM Abaca Mountain look very familiar to me. Anyone recognise them?

_{And no, they're not from a Marina.}

 

 

Also, have a few more chod shots from Nantes that I found cowering in the corner of my memory card.

 

 

 

 

[Mr_Bo11ox]

Love it!!!! I bought an old GS in Nantes a few years back and drove right across france from left to right in it.

[Herts van Rental]

I would like to join in Spot the Bits.

 

[Jon]

Hey, this looks like an ex-Parcelforce TurboDaily:

 

 

Certainly has the flimsy 'leccy door on the wrong side for France, so what the hell's it doing over there? Great updates, especially Nantes, an area I'd previously known nothing about, other than its name. 

[Junkman]

^^^^   I'll definitely take your word for it as usual JM. Other than it being bloody lovely, I know sack all.

 

I strongly advise you to not take my word for anything.

 

However, in full anorak mode:

 

- The car is definitely a 15/6.

- The colour leads me to believe, that it is built after 1951, when they became available in non-black. The colour is 'marron'.

- That it sits so low in the rear, leads me to believe, that it is a 1954-1957 15/6 H.

 

The 'H' stands for Hydropneumatic. Those had a hydropneumatically suspended rear axle, pre-dating the DS. While the front suspension was still gleefully torsion bar, the back axle was fully hydropneumatic, with all the pumps, piping, spheres, leaking LHM, and what have you.

These cars, being essentially a 1934 design, were built alongside the DS for three years!

However, the hydropneumatically suspended rear axle was an expensive option, hence only very few 15/6es were so equipped.

[Bucketeer]

Love it!!!! I bought an old GS in Nantes a few years back and drove right across france from left to right in it.

I have recently been scouring Leboncoin for a suitably dirt cheap steed to explore the rest of France in and then sell on for purchase price. Nothing grim enough has surfaced yet.

 

 

Hey, this looks like an ex-Parcelforce TurboDaily:

Certainly has the flimsy 'leccy door on the wrong side for France, so what the hell's it doing over there? Great updates, especially Nantes, an area I'd previously known nothing about, other than its name. 

Those camper-shite photos were taken at a 'traveler' site, so it could've been British owned. Their angry dogs, loud generators and early morning drunkenness put me off (probably wrongly) engaging in conversation with them.

And Nantes was a real surprise to me, definitely a 'more than skin deep' kind of place. I am trying not to turn this thread into a crappy travel blog but still attempt to give a little bit of the flavour of wherever I end up.

 

 

I strongly advise you to not take my word for anything.

Your encyclopedicalistic knowledge is good enough for me.

Even if it is all completely made up, you say it convincingly enough that it becomes phakt..

 

 

Oh and if you think this thread couldn't become less about photographing crap cars, have a picture of a concrete telegraph pole I spotted whilst out walking yesterday. Simple, elegant and yet still shitely. I liked it a lot.

 

 

And this might be the reason I liked it so much.

[KruJoe]

YES to the Honda Quintet!

 

Some of those microcar things have Nova back lights nailed on.

[mat_the_cat]

I've also admired French telegraph poles too. Sometimes I can even blame the wine as well.

[Bucketeer]

A British couple arrived this afternoon to stay in one of the B+B rooms in the chateau. 'Uncomfortable drive from the ferry port at Cherbourg' they said, 'we're going for a walk' they said. Okay I thought, nothing remarkable about that. Half a bottle of wine later and on my way to visit the big boy's room, I glanced out of the window and spotted what they had driven over from the UK in. And I nearly wet myself right there on the kitchen floor.

 

There's an attractive American lady working here for a couple of weeks but she has been well and truly kicked off the top of my lust list by this Bristol engined AC Aceca. I'm sure* she's very disappointed.

CHECK IT OUT.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[scruff]

Gorgeous

[Mr Livered]

^That's my lottery win motor, right there.

[Mr_Bo11ox]

Wow, that looks super cool parked there, 11/10

[Mr Livered]

Looks like a great chateau too, Mr Bucketeer. Just the sort of place that comes to mind if you try to picture a French country house. It needs a table on the lawn, with tablecloth, carrying lots of cheese, a baguette or two and a bottle of wine. Then I could sit there all day staring at the Bristol and arguing about politics with French people.

[dollywobbler]

Fantabulous. Though this forum clearly isn't what it used to be. I'm amazed no-one has asked for pics of the American yet. (I'm not by the way because I'm not a dirty old man. Honest)