Holiday spots

[Asimo]

My wheels for the week. Perfect disguise for an English tourist.

 

 

Shite-highlight of the week. I had heard the crunch a minute or so before. Simca badge at the back.

 

 

Just as unlikely as a freshly crashed Alpine was this Starlet. No camera when I first saw it and when I went back to snap it I was expecting to see a black one.

 

 

There couldn't be two at the same address could there?

[Skizzer]

Words fail at the Alpine.  Bon chance finding a replacement white bumper.

 

Your Twingo is incredibly 1994 - very well found.

[Asimo]

Some Peugeots.

 

 

 

 

 

 

The 205 had the keys in it. Note the black mould or soot or something on the roof. 205s were everywhere. All of them were full of litter, feathers, stale bread, dogs, vegetables....

[Asimo]

Some Citroens.

 

This was my favourite. Definitely a two cylinder, sounded quite sharp too; sports exhaust?

 

 

Love the tow hitch on something with this much power, in a mountain district.

 

The Citrobishi (I didn't know these had happened). Citroen still at the badge engineering business!

 

 

Quite a few Amis, no Dyanes though.

 

 

 

These are just about the commonest vehicle of all in this area.

 

Another great tow car.

 

True Automerde

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Asimo]

Renaults, mostly lots of Twingos and Mk2 R5s.

 

 

Loads of these of course, here in car-derived-van heaven.

 

Not moved for a while.

 

This was definitely alive!

 

A few MOT faults here.

The bumpers looked like they were galvanised - ?

 

 

[Asimo]

Landrovers etc - working 4x4 are common here but almost none of the massive Chelsea tractors that clog up English market towns.

 

 

 

 

The 3 door variants look so much better to my eyes.

 

 

I dislike coach-built campers as a rule but this one was interesting; the body seemed to be a one-piece fiberglass moulding, much stronger looking than the usual formica and pop-rivets.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Asimo]

 

Bonneville on Dutch plates. Oil-tight too!

[DSdriver]

There is I believe a lot of chod still about in rural France because there is no house to house rubbish collection. Each village has a mini recycling centre called a poubelle. Now you wouldn't want to be taking all your bourguignon and foie gras leftovers along there with all your empty wine bottles and other trash in your nice new Mercedes would you? So you buy an old minger which because you are out in the middle of nowhere you don't bother to tax and insure. The local gendarme is probably your second cousin and the Mayor your uncle.

[Asimo]

That 304 estate I snapped in post 3 is for sale@€2000.

 

http://www.leboncoin.fr/voitures/722236042.htm?ca=13_s

[forddeliveryboy]

Great pics! My faith in the French understanding of true autoshite is restored. I'd been worrying they were all polishing and washing like so many others.

[Asimo]

Back here again. The Twingo now has a bent front wheel and about 45degrees of play in the steering wheel.

 

Seems to be even more automerde than last year; photos when I get back.

[Skizzer]

Bon vacances.  Look forward to some spottage de haut qualité.

[hairnet]

IMG_5720.JPG

 

IMG_5770.JPG

Bonneville on Dutch plates. Oil-tight too!

modern - he was not making that trip on an old one

[Bucketeer]

I too noticed the prevalence of little cars with towbars in France, including quadricycles.

 

Aixam City Sporty. With a tow bar. Optimistic.

 

 

Looking forwards to this year's spots.

BTW, which part of the Pyrenees are you visiting?

[Jerzy Woking]

I was over in France & Spain on the bike recently-stayed close to Potier, then on to Aurillac, then Perpignan before heading to Spain and Tossa del Mar for a few days, then onto Sos del Ray Catholico before getting the ferry back from Bilboa. The majority of the time we rode through rural areas, using B roads, and kept off of the main routes and motorways.

 

I was on the lookout for chod, and apart from a few Renner 4's and Belingo's, saw little in the way of shite cars. I must have ridden with my eyes closed.

 

The only thing I remember was an seemingly abandoned car showroom with a dust covered DS21, Renault Dauphine and a few other cars, plus an Ossa motorbike or two in a town near Sos Del Rey, quite possibly Sangeusa. Couldn't stop to take any photos, sadly, as the rest of the group we buggering off into the distance.

[Asimo]

Found a yard full of UMMs today, resting from the summer 4x4 safari trade. Run out of camera battery so have a google streetview view. (Almost the same as today's reality, but less rain)

 

 

I am staying in Prades, in the East of the French Pyrenees.

LeBoncoin tells me the 3000 euro Cadillac hearse for sale nearby is still available. http://www.leboncoin.fr/voitures/863507338.htm?ca=13_s

I am reliably informed that a Cadillac hearse does not fit in with (our) future.......

[chaseracer]

I have been granted a special dispensation on the NO MORE CARS rule...

 

 

[Asimo]

I exaggerated the steering play on the Twingo, it is less than 45degrees, perhaps 25. That apart, it is a happy little thing.

 

Here it is in good company. The gold Twingo has a thing on the door by the handle. Does that make it a "phase 2"?  

 

Orange 6. Saw this several times around town before cornering it.

 

Several of these around, this was the cleanest. Note the neat plywood load-liner.

 

 

 

[Asimo]

Every picture tells a story dept: Two broken Renaults and two Clios. Espace and Vel Satis both had DCi badges. Quelle surprise. Note chain hanging from Espace tow eye.

 

 

 

 

 

Not all Renault's are front engined; this Dauphine was being driven in "a sporty and aggressive manner" which may explain the need for the mirrors.

(But not excuse them)

[Alexg]

That Dauphine is hot

[dollywobbler]

This is remarkable. I found it very hard to uncover much in the way of quality chod in Normandy. I need a proper rural tour of France again. 

[purplebargeken]

On the recent jaunt to Italy I actually got bored with spotting square Pandas and real Fiat 500's. How can that be? Sheer bloody volume of the buggers. There was a proper breakers yard about 10 mins away from Naples airport, it was FULL of Pandas and early Uno's. Most looked really intact. 

[Asimo]

White cars.

Nivas are common here.

Fair number of 309s.

305, probably a Diesel.

Not seen a Croma for ages.

316; suddenly it is 1976.

Simca! Now it is 1962

[Asimo]

The only BX spotted, shiny!

Several XMs, none with trimz this bad though.

Ami 6 Break - is two tone original?

Diesel Niva

MB van, that isn't a Sprinter. (Cheers Lukas)

Never new about these, saw three this trip.

If it is a 4x4 here, it must be two doors only. (Apparently)

My favourite 205

[Lukas]

Thats not a Mk 1 Sprinter, thats an MB100D. FWD, 240D-engine with ~ 70 PS. Still in production in China. 

[Asimo]

Ok, but the word Sprinter was present on one of them, on the side or door I think.

 

It was a home-made camper, and the first one I saw. I guess the others had something else in MB font, and I just saw what I expected to see.

[Junkman]

Thats not a Mk 1 Sprinter, thats an MB100D. FWD, 240D-engine with ~ 70 PS. Still in production in China. 

 

In essence a reskinned Tempo Matador/Hanomag Harburger.

 

[Split_Pin]

Unbelievable, an orange 6 and an Ami still being used. So much chod ðŸ˜ÂðŸ˜ÂðŸ˜Â

[Asimo]

Back here again. Sadly the delightful courtesy Twingo has been replaced by a new Clio, so cramped that I struggled to get behind the wheel and my passengers complained of claustrophobia and cancelled planned driving days.

This airport transport kept having spasms of the autobox requiring power off / reboot at frequent intervals. It was having 'box glitches two years ago which Sister Asimo chooses to ignore with a shrug, because in France.

I wasn't killed, despite strike action, just had to go by bus.

 

I didn't go to the movies.

 

But I did spot some nice cars.

 

 

 This has aged a bit since I first saw it 7 years ago.

[Asimo]

Small vans are easily 25% of the vehicles here, with C15 and Express just about as common as Berlingo / Kangoo moderns. Still some older favourites in use too.

Some of the C15s are stretched - odd.

If it has to be a 205 van there is still plenty of choice.

Big Peugeots as well.

Import (residential)