by "Clemsie McKenzie" (thestirringcolumn)
Published 04/25/2017 at 12:00
by "Clemsie McKenzie" (thestirringcolumn)
Published 04/25/2017 at 12:00
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STARS: 26
The Tour Auto is basically the French Mille Miglia: about 250 amazing classic cars meet every year and race across France. And as is now tradition, they meet in Paris’ Grand Palais the day before the start so that mere mortals like me can admire their magnificent metal in the flesh. And come back with a photodump!
Like the Mille Miglia, the Tour Auto (or Tour de France Automobile, as it was known then), was a cross-country rally that ran from 1899 to 1986 across France in the most competitive machines from their era. In the 60s and 70s you could even find cars coming straight from Le Mans like GT40s and Matra prototypes, barely modified for hundreds and hundreds of kilometers of racing on open roads. Madness.
Nowadays, it’s an historic rally, just like the Mille Miglia. It still goes across France (and a few tracks including Le Mans), offering timed and regularity stages for a variety of classes, and a wide range of cars going from Minis to GT40s, from hardcore Porsches to a Saab and a couple of Volvos.
The 250 enlisted cars have to have been built between 1951 to 1973 (with a few exceptions), and of course be of a similar model that once ran the original race.
As I said, they all meet for inspection under the glass roof of the Art Deco monument that is the Grand Palais, in the historic heart of Paris. And for a glorious day, anyone can come up close and spend some time with some of the best road and rally cars ever produced. A few hours well spent, if you ask me!
As is with every historic events nowadays, you’ll of course find dozen of classic Porsches. Not that I’m complaining!
Just next to them are all the Alfa, including a personal favorite of mine, the Giulia TZ:
Then came what I thought was one of the coolest thing of the whole show: a Mercedes 350 SLC beast parked right next to its grand daddy, the 300SL. Funny to see how much Mercedes design evolved in 20 years:
A few Panteras for good measure:
And cute lil’ Opels:
Ferrari, like BMW, was a major partner of the event, and brought together a huge fleet of GTs, from too many 275 GTBs to count (which is when you know you’re in a cool place), to later Group IV cars and a couple of 250GT SWB, which I personally prefer to the 275. Not like I get to choose anyway!
Next to the Ferrari booth you’ll also find this cute Fiat 600, stuck next between a Maserati and more Ferraris. Not a bad place to park!
If you need a break from all these massive mainstream manufacturers (if you can call Ferrari and Porsche mainstream, it’s at this place), there was a corner reserved to small and extinct French manufacturers, ranging from the famous DB Panhards to the more obscure Jidés, and even a Ligier prototype. How knackered will its occupants be after driving this beast across France?
But I hear you from here: “where are the ‘muricans? We can’t possible have gone there empty handed!” Well, fear not. Freedom was very well represented here, going from Cobras to GT40s, from Mustangs to a massive Studebaker:
The UK was not gonna be left behind either. There was a litteral sea of E-Types, because I can imagine it must be nice to race across France in one of the best GT cars ever. You could also find beautiful classic Astons,
Of course, as you probably noticed in the header pic for this post, there were a few Alpines. I wish I could bathe in them. But that probably doesn’t make any kind of sense out of my head, so never mind.
The official Peugeot historic department also brought a few gems:
To top it all off, Lancia came and filled a complete alley with Fulvias, Stratos and other magnificent rust survivors.
Well, there you go guys, hopefully the photodump didn’t crash Kinja/your phone, and you made it all the way there.
I just want to add that this is one of the best thing to happen in France every year. The cars are fantastic, and the place is probably my favorite bit of historic Paris.
Also, getting 250 classic race cars in the middle of Paris is the best way to ignore the city’s autophobic policies, and that can’t hurt.
Because I’m already testing your patience and Kinja’s resilience, I didn’t post nearly enough pics here. So you can find many more and in max resolution over on my Flickr album:
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"$kaycog" (skaycog)
04/25/2017 at 12:05, STARS: 2
The awesomeness is unbelievable!!
"Clemsie McKenzie" (thestirringcolumn)
04/25/2017 at 12:09, STARS: 1
Yeah! Even just parked there, these are incredible cars. I can only imagine seeing them all drive through the countryside!
"Jobjoris" (Jobjoris)
04/25/2017 at 12:23, STARS: 1
JIDÉ!!!!!! That one really is my favorite French car!!!! AND THEN THERE’S THREE OVER THERE!!!!
Mindblowing photodump!
"arl" (arl1968)
04/25/2017 at 12:24, STARS: 1
Great pics and report - thank you!
"Out, but with a W - has found the answer" (belg)
04/25/2017 at 12:26, STARS: 1
Looks amazing, I’ll need to align my yearly Paris trip with this next year! Not enough bacon though.
"Clemsie McKenzie" (thestirringcolumn)
04/25/2017 at 12:26, STARS: 0
Always a pleasure! Enjoying stuff like this all alone without sharing it takes most of the fun out of it.
"Clemsie McKenzie" (thestirringcolumn)
04/25/2017 at 12:27, STARS: 1
Only on Oppo you’ll find a Jidé superfan haha!
"Clemsie McKenzie" (thestirringcolumn)
04/25/2017 at 12:27, STARS: 0
Yeah bacon is always the issue isn’t it. I guess you’ll have to stock up before you leave!
"Cé hé sin" (michael-m-mouse)
04/25/2017 at 12:29, STARS: 1
Not often you get to see the interior of the Grand Palais! Usually it’s covered up when they have exhibitions.
"Cé hé sin" (michael-m-mouse)
04/25/2017 at 12:31, STARS: 1
Magnifique!
"Clemsie McKenzie" (thestirringcolumn)
04/25/2017 at 12:32, STARS: 1
Found one more pic, of the third one!
"Urambo Tauro" (urambotauro)
04/25/2017 at 12:33, STARS: 1
That looks like a fantastic place to hold a car show! Lots of natural light, yet (mostly) indoors and out of the weather.
"Clemsie McKenzie" (thestirringcolumn)
04/25/2017 at 12:33, STARS: 0
I really love this place. There’s no better way to display these cars either!
"Jobjoris" (Jobjoris)
04/25/2017 at 12:34, STARS: 1
Are you kidding? I did an LaLD post on it a very, very long time ago! Thanks for that picture on the third one!
"Clemsie McKenzie" (thestirringcolumn)
04/25/2017 at 12:38, STARS: 1
That’s an awesome post! And that diecast can’t have been much smaller than the real thing! On a side note, next to the Jidés in the small French manufacturers corner, were a couple of CGs as well. You would have loved it here!
"Klaus Schmoll" (klausschmoll)
04/25/2017 at 12:42, STARS: 1
Awesome pics Clems.
"Clemsie McKenzie" (thestirringcolumn)
04/25/2017 at 12:44, STARS: 0
Thanks!
"Jobjoris" (Jobjoris)
04/25/2017 at 12:47, STARS: 1
Merci, every Friday is French Friday on LaLD . Enough obscurity there ;-)
I think where/when next year’s Europpomeet is if you ask me!
"RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars" (rallydarkstrike)
04/25/2017 at 12:49, STARS: 1
Awesome work sir! That little 600 may be lonely and out of place, but for as slow as it is, I bet it’s just as much of a blast to be flinging along the back roads of France amidst all the Automotive royalty!
Love those 504 rally cars, and I am drooling over those 60's Alpines...
That littleblue Matra Djet is a sweet little ride as well!
"Clemsie McKenzie" (thestirringcolumn)
04/25/2017 at 12:52, STARS: 1
Thank you! And yeah, I’d love to be in that 600 right now.
"DutchieDC2R" (dutchiedc2r)
04/25/2017 at 13:00, STARS: 0
Fantastic write-up Clems! Beautiful pictures as well. Looks like a very cool place to meet up with a classic....
"Clemsie McKenzie" (thestirringcolumn)
04/25/2017 at 13:03, STARS: 1
Thanks! Honestly it’s a perfect event. Only wish I could have gone to watch them as they started the race.
"BvdV - The Dutch Engineer" (dutchengineer)
04/25/2017 at 14:21, STARS: 1
Awesome!! Great write up, and great shots!
All those CSLs and Alpines brightened my day, thank you for that.
"Clemsie McKenzie" (thestirringcolumn)
04/25/2017 at 14:25, STARS: 1
Thanks! Soooo many CSLs and Alpine, I thought I was going crazy.
"Jonee" (Jonee)
04/25/2017 at 15:34, STARS: 1
This is everything I love.
"Clemsie McKenzie" (thestirringcolumn)
04/25/2017 at 16:16, STARS: 1
Same for me!
"Clemsie McKenzie" (thestirringcolumn)
04/25/2017 at 16:18, STARS: 0
It’s absolutely perfect. But because it’s a very visited touristic place, it’s already pretty exceptional to see anything else than modern art in there. But once a year is good enough for me, there’s enough magnificent cars in here to fill a lifetime!
"Clemsie McKenzie" (thestirringcolumn)
04/25/2017 at 16:18, STARS: 0
Merci !
"kanadanmajava1" (kanadanmajava1)
04/25/2017 at 19:17, STARS: 0
So how does this meet work with the “old car ban” in Paris? I think the ones exempted that have the French “historic vehicle” status, but I was pretty sure that it wouldn’t apply to cars registered outside France.
Some special permission for the event?
"BiTurbo228 - Dr Frankenstein of Spitfires" (biturbo228)
04/26/2017 at 07:34, STARS: 0
Is that a Matra Djet? Absolutely love those cars :)
That sea of Alpines, Alfas and Fulvias is glorious to behold too :)
Fairly certain the Flaminia Zagato is the best looking car ever produced...
"pip bip - choose Corrour" (hhgttg69)
04/26/2017 at 08:28, STARS: 1
awesome!
"Clemsie McKenzie" (thestirringcolumn)
04/26/2017 at 09:21, STARS: 1
I don’t have that many car I’d say are prettier than the Zagato, that’s for sure.
And I’m pretty sure that technically that car was a René-Bonnet Djet, although I don’t really know how we’re supposed to distinguish them from the later Matras by eye.
"BiTurbo228 - Dr Frankenstein of Spitfires" (biturbo228)
04/26/2017 at 11:27, STARS: 1
Oh yeah, I forgot that Matra took over the production form another chap. I’d love one either way. Teeny-tiny sports cars like this with relatively advanced design but small engines seem to me like European Kei Cars, but where they went extinct here they survived in Japan.
Things like the Djet, the OG Mini, the Lotus Europa and other neat little cars :)
"CaptDale - is secretly British" (captdale)
04/26/2017 at 12:02, STARS: 1
Wow, that looks absolutely amazing!
I would literally kill to see one of these in person let alone drive one!
It is now on my bucket list to race this race.
"Clemsie McKenzie" (thestirringcolumn)
04/27/2017 at 10:14, STARS: 1
I love that someone was mad enough to drive this across France. That can’t possibly be a comfortable place to be for so many hours.
"CaptDale - is secretly British" (captdale)
04/27/2017 at 13:51, STARS: 1
I think at that point you just don’t care. The glory of it all