22nd Reims Salon (more pics)

[Ratdat]

Over the weekend Mrs Ratdat and myself trundled on over to the continent in the Renault 16 to attend the 22nd Salon Champenois du Vehicule du collection in Reims. This is an indoor show and an autojumble but the real action was in the car park. Old tat gets it's own parking area and the numbers of cars that turned up was just staggering. We probably spent more time in there than in the show and in fact we actually never got to even see half of the indoor exhibits as by Sunday lunch time we'd run out of time and had to head off for the ferry home.

 

 

 

The auto jumble turned out to be very expensive but did yield some parts I would otherwise have never found, in particular, a brand new back bumper for my R30 as well as a complete new self levelling headlight system for it, which no longer works on mine. Some of the prices were just ludicrous but I found if I hunted about and indulged in haggling assisted by my very limited French and much gesticulation you could get a bargain.

 

 

 

 

 

I took about 500 pics in the car park which maybe accounted for a fifth of the cars there as well as a few hundred indoors, at the Museum and in the Auto Jumble, all of which will be posted on my website soon but for now here's a small taster. I'm going again next year for sure!

 

 

 

OMG! OMG! OMG! OMG! was literally my reaction when I clocked this...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

TWO Birotors!

 

 

 

 

 

http://i464.photobucket.com/albums/rr4/Ratdat/Events/Reims09/SDC12807.jpg

 

This was in utterly stunning condition...

http://i464.photobucket.com/albums/rr4/Ratdat/Events/Reims09/SDC12746.jpg

 

http://i464.photobucket.com/albums/rr4/Ratdat/Events/Reims09/SDC12716.jpg

 

http://i464.photobucket.com/albums/rr4/Ratdat/Events/Reims09/SDC12724.jpg

 

http://i464.photobucket.com/albums/rr4/Ratdat/Events/Reims09/SDC12701.jpg

 

http://i464.photobucket.com/albums/rr4/Ratdat/Events/Reims09/SDC13090.jpg

 

Mon Dieu! Siete!!

http://i464.photobucket.com/albums/rr4/Ratdat/Events/Reims09/SDC13087.jpg

 

1965 R16..

http://i464.photobucket.com/albums/rr4/Ratdat/Events/Reims09/SDC13086.jpg

 

http://i464.photobucket.com/albums/rr4/Ratdat/Events/Reims09/SDC13080.jpg

 

http://i464.photobucket.com/albums/rr4/Ratdat/Events/Reims09/SDC12945.jpg

 

This Lincoln was eyewateringly spectacular...

http://i464.photobucket.com/albums/rr4/Ratdat/Events/Reims09/SDC12892.jpg

 

None of your fake rat nonsense look here..

http://i464.photobucket.com/albums/rr4/Ratdat/Events/Reims09/SDC12867.jpg

 

Beautiful BMW...

http://i464.photobucket.com/albums/rr4/Ratdat/Events/Reims09/SDC12855.jpg

 

http://i464.photobucket.com/albums/rr4/Ratdat/Events/Reims09/SDC12853.jpg

 

http://i464.photobucket.com/albums/rr4/Ratdat/Events/Reims09/SDC12849.jpg

 

http://i464.photobucket.com/albums/rr4/Ratdat/Events/Reims09/SDC12840.jpg

 

http://i464.photobucket.com/albums/rr4/Ratdat/Events/Reims09/SDC12810.jpg

 

http://i464.photobucket.com/albums/rr4/Ratdat/Events/Reims09/SDC12785.jpg

[Mr Lobster]

WOW! Awesome. Want them all. I had looked into going to this myself but was working at Ultimate Dubs show as we had a stand there this weekend so couldn't manage to do it. Bugger.

[mouseflakes]

HEAVEN!

[AXrescuer]

 

Cor, that's lovely!

[dollywobbler]

ZOMGICANNAEBELIEVEIT!!! Wowzers.Please to give me some warning next year!

[pogweasel]

INCREDIBLE!

[reallyloud]

jesus tapdancing christ. Glad to hear you took the 16 and not the Vel Satis. I think I would quite literally explode at such an event. I think I am going to have to really seriously consider this next year, if I'm still working.

[Volksy]

Looks a fantastic day, and not that far into the depths of France. Will defo put it on the calender for next year!

[Ratdat]

jesus tapdancing christ. Glad to hear you took the 16 and not the Vel Satis. I think I would quite literally explode at such an event. I think I am going to have to really seriously consider this next year, if I'm still working.

Do it. Seriously, it's the best event I have been to for sheer variety and outright quantity of interesting cars. So many old cars turned up they were parking all along the verges out in the road and over the adjacent waste ground. It was just staggering.I had to go in the 16. It was ultra comfy on the auto route and was quite happy up at the speed limit in our rush back to the ferry Lots of people there took an interest in it too. Next year I might go in the 710 SSS and see what they make of that.

[Ratdat]

Some more...

 

Here's our voiture amongst the locals...

 

We weren't the only Brits there although I never bumped into the owner of this gem...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Anglevan]

Fantastic pics - i'd have been walking round with saliva dripping from my mush Love the 1300 Capri with the flat bonnet -- very rare car these days and the beige renault 14 -- these used to be all over the place in the eighties. Havn't seen one in the flesh in years. In fact the last time I recall one was a lad at college had one 20 years ago !!!!!!!!

[seth]

Incredible!Looks like a much more shitey sort of place than Retormobile was. How far is it into France? Would also be seriously tempted.

[Ratdat]

Incredible!Looks like a much more shitey sort of place than Retormobile was. How far is it into France? Would also be seriously tempted.

You get off the boat at Calais onto the E17 and just zoom down it 170 miles straight to Reims. It's a really easy route. We stayed at a Campanile hotel at Tinqueux which did a special off of three nights for the price of two. We had breakfast there easch day and the bill came to 118 euros. The show/auto jumble is 10 euros per person per day, although if you only want to check out the collosal carpark tat collection you can do that for free.

[55bloke]

Hell's bloody teeth, that's fantastic!! I didn't think the French did old cars!! How wrong can you be! On our trip to France a few years ago, we didn't see any "shite," where did all this lot come from?

[andrew e]

Was it near/at the auto museum? If so that would make 3 Birotors!

[Guest]

The show/auto jumble is 10 euros per person per day, although if you only want to check out the collosal carpark tat collection you can do that for free.

Theres a fine line between tat and classic, I think pretty much all of your spots above probably are on the classic side of that line, except possibly for the late model beige R14 which incidentally I think is absolutely awesome and definitely the one I'd pick out of the lot, failing that the UK Horizon on Sercks or the Visa GTi

[Ratdat]

Was it near/at the auto museum? If so that would make 3 Birotors!

No, it wasn't near the museum, it was at Reims Parc des Expos. There was no Birotor in the museum when we were there.

Theres a fine line between tat and classic, I think pretty much all of your spots above probably are on the classic side of that line, except possibly for the late model beige R14 which incidentally I think is absolutely awesome and definitely the one I'd pick out of the lot, failing that the UK Horizon on Sercks or the Visa GTi

WTF? Who gives a shit? I don't hold any kind of inverted snobbery towards tidy old cars in favour of crappy ones. They're all just old cars to me whether mint and well cared for or neglected, no matter how popular or unpopular they are. BTW, the 'Visa GTI' is actually a Visa Chrono which almost certainly makes it a bona-fide rare classic so maybe you won't like it any more?

[Guest]

Dont get me wrong - its nothing short of fantastic that you made the trip, took the time and effort to photograph the cars and then went to the trouble of posting them here for our enjoyment. I think what I was trying to get across is that as time goes on, one's definition of a classic changes - without me realising it, cars like the Citroen GS have become just that. :)I had no idea what the Visa was btw - I just saw the quad lamps and thought GTi. Thanks for enlightening me though!

[michiel]

Speechless - just too much. Thanks for the pics & story!

[Spottedlaurel]

Extraordinary! What variety, not just the expected French stuff but Alfas, Fiats, Opels etc.

[pogweasel]

OK, everyone lob in a tenner each so we can buy an old Leyland Leopard and arrive en-masse next year.

[dollywobbler]

My boss owns a Leopard. Wonder if he'll lend it to us...Or there's a Leopard coach in CCW for a mere £900. I'm not sure how I haven't bought it yet!Oh yeah, the lack of £900...Anyone want to buy a Subaru?!

[Mash]

Words fail me.So many cars in beautiful condition that are nigh on extinct here. Hard to pick a favourite.Autoshite jolly boys outing next year? Beats my shitty day at Newark hands down!

[pogweasel]

It would be awesome to do something like that. Imagine us all rolling off the bus excitedly clutching our cameras & high on a giddy cocktail of excitement, scotch eggs & Old Speckled Hen. LIVIN'.

[Mash]

It's basically my model collection but in real life!I think a lot of the appeal is that when you walk around car shows here the majority of the cars are British and after a few years it becomes "been there, done that". Seeing exotic stuff like Renault 6s and such in multiples is so unusual for us here.

[wuvvum]

Let me add my name to the list of people who wants to go next year. I might even have the Renner Six on the road by then - I could relive childhood memories of driving down through France in my dad's old 6. I would offer to take passengers but, if the car park next year contains even a fraction of the gold that you've photographed this year, I'll have to pack the car to the roof with changes of trousers.Oh, have I mentioned that I'm extremely jealous of your 16?

[andrew e]

+1!I'm sure there was Birotor in there Ratdat, next to a birotor block as well... might be losing it though!As an aside I visted a (different) french show and I think the excitement is because its cars you rarely saw when current on show, I'm sure a French BL or Rootes fan would drop to there knees at Newark.

[pogweasel]

AHA! Maybe some kind of Rubbish Old Car "french exchange" programme could be set up, wherein a surly frenchman comes and drives your Austin Allegro for a week, then you get to visit his place and mince about in a Renault 6 for a few days (as long as you do not misinterpret some french custom and end up locked in a stoney basement for a week fed only on pins). Is there a 'VoitureMerde' forum?

[Anglevan]

It's basically my model collection but in real life!

Love this comment I can 100% relate to this Although I still have most of my models from a kid they are all well battered unlike some of the spots.

[reallyloud]

Its generally true in other countries that they'll find the Zodiacs, BMC 1100 and Hunters more worthy of their own domestic cars. An American friend of mine went loopy when they saw a Morris Minor.

 

The closest I've come across une 'forum merde' is this:

 

http://www.forum-auto.com/automobiles-mythiques-exception/section5/sujet152251.htm

 

Beware, there are 4000 pages of rusting shite.