En regardant les voitures à Paris

"eNZo288" (eNZo288) 09/16/2013 at 17:48 • Filed to: Car spotting

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One of the advantages of having migrated from New Zealand (with it's Australian muscle and abundance of tasty JDM imports) to the grey isles if Britain (with its.... ummm.... diesels?) is their proximity to the continent. A week or so ago I took advantage of this handy quirk of geography and spent a weekend in Paris. I was expecting a few days of wine, cheese, architecture and as many rich, buttery pastries as I could cram into my face-holes. I wasn't expecting some of the most rewarding car-spotting a Jalop could ask for.

I had been letting the automotive landscape pass me by, until I took a stroll up the Champs-Élysées. This is basically Paris' high-street; a collection of high-end boutiques, international chains and touristy restaurants. However, hidden amongst the Louis-Vuittons and Pradas are stores/galleries, belonging to a number of European car makers, and a Japanese one that warrants a special mention.

Upstairs at Toyota's shiny, white store, flanked by an honour-guard of GT-86s, was this:

Yup, a 2000GT. I never thought I'd see one in the flesh, but there she sat. Even seeing Sean Connery sticking out the top of the one they decapitated for You Only Live Twice , I wasn't expecting it to be so small, but she makes a Fairlady look chubby. The lines are almost perfect. You can see influences of E-Type and 250, but it's synthesised into something uniquely Japanese. But the best thing about this one was its patina. It had been driven! My heart sang.

On the floor below was this little gem, which anyone my age will recognise as one of the hero cars from GT2: the Toyota GT-One.

There was also the FT-86 Open concept, something that resembled the love child of a segway and an office chair, and a hybrid I couldn't care less about, so onwards!

From there I wandered up the street, toward the Arc de Triomphe and had what could only be described as "a very French experience". First my ears pricked up. Then I noticed that the busy, late-afternoon traffic had been stationary for quite some time, and those at the back of the queue were engaged in some rather gallic honking. Looking up the street, I saw a number of immaculately turned out policemen stopping the traffic to allow what seemed to be an ad-hoc parade of veterens, including a full military marching-band, to make their way up the street towards the Arc. I kept pace with the band and watched as they crossed the most insane traffic I have ever seen, and set up shop under of the Arche, by the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. I was watching the band (who had now atrted playing the French national anthem), when I noticed that the traffic was far more interesting. Apparently the only real rule here is that you have to give-way to traffic entering the roundabout. I'm sure a Franco-phile Jalop can fill me in, but to my eyes, this looked like chaos.

After deciding that French drivers were either lucky, skilled or a mixture of both, I headed back down the other side of the street. I paused to watch the Peugeot men roll one of their Le Mans prototypes on to the pavement, then wandered into Mercedes gallery. Behind the sterile, teutonic sedans and Benz-branded perfume was a car of almost unparalelled loveliness; a 190SL.

The 300SL, with its trick doors and Silver-Arrow lines is the one that gets all the attention, but I honestly think the 190 is prettier. (Sorry for the lens-flare. I think JJ Abrams must have had a hand in the Lumia 920s camera design).

The Renault dealership across the street had a number of racers, including one of the Red-Bull F1 cars, but I figure you've all seen those, so I'll skip to the end of the street. I didn't literally skip. It was more of a saunter. Maybe the odd skip here and there, but I was in Paris, and full of butter and garlic, so the world was a wonderful place. Don't judge me!

Outside FIAT's base, I came across a flock of wild Autobianchi. There were Abarths and convertibles and panel-vans (for some reason, being chaperoned by a Barchetta). I imagine this is what !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! 's dreams look like.

Here are a couple of my favourites:

There were probably 60 or more, and thats 60 odd more Autobianchi than I'd seen in the wild up till that point. While Paris was full of Lamborghinis, Ferraris (including an F12berlinetta and a 512TR) and more Porsches than you could wave a baguette at, it was this odd little collection of obscure Italian iron that made me the happiest. The other tourists, who probably don't lust after rusted Alfas or 80s Toyotas, walked past unaware, and I felt that this was my Paris. This car-park full of tiny Italian economy cars was my happy place. I felt like a Jalop.

Aya, Almost Has A Cosmo With Toyota Engine Owned by a BMW. > eNZo288 09/16/2013 at 18:06

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Everytime i saw a 190SL, i really want to rebuilt my grandpa's 190SL.

But because part's for that thing is absurdly expensive in Indonesia, i think i'll never finish the car. Unless i won some kind of lottery..

eNZo288 > Aya, Almost Has A Cosmo With Toyota Engine Owned by a BMW. 09/16/2013 at 18:08

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Its a shame they don't get the same level of adoration as the 300. They get no expense spared restorations, as they will be worth so much more than the sum of the parts. These are a fraction of the cost, all because of conventional doors. I wish you well wth your lottery quest.

Aya, Almost Has A Cosmo With Toyota Engine Owned by a BMW. > eNZo288 09/16/2013 at 18:19

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Well, the problem is the car is in really bad shape after a crash, so it'll need a lot of money in bodywork. That's the biggest problem of my grandpa's car.

Klaus Schmoll > eNZo288 09/16/2013 at 18:22

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I went around the Arc de Triomphe roudabout, and I have to say that it was one of the pleasant events in my motoring history. (There have been...)

There are no lines, no light signals, no anything, and yet traffic moves smoothly! People just use common sense and watch each other. That's it!

eNZo288 > Klaus Schmoll 09/16/2013 at 18:25

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I heard (a possibly apocraphyl story) that insurance companies won't cover you while your driving around it. I understand their thinking, but you are right. Given how it looks from the outside, everything seemed to be moving remarkble smoothly.

BaconSandwich is tasty. > eNZo288 09/16/2013 at 19:54

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I'm headed to Bordeaux in a week or so, and am hoping to have some similarly awesome-French voitureness*. Seeing a 2CV (something I've never seen in person) would be pretty dang cool.

That reminds me, some day I need to post about all the cars of Tahiti. There's pretty much every make imaginable there.

*Pretty sure it isn't a word, but whatever.

SpeedSix > eNZo288 09/16/2013 at 22:14

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That is the prettiest color I've ever seen on a 190SL.

Jimmeney > eNZo288 09/17/2013 at 08:09

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The Jade Green Dyane in the video looks far too good condition to live in Paris, must be a tourist!

eNZo288 > Jimmeney 09/17/2013 at 08:25

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Dyane! Thank-you. I knew someone would know what it was called. Frenchest thing I've ever seen, barring possibly the delapadated R4 in the first pic. Note the boat-style bumper addition.

Jimmeney > eNZo288 09/17/2013 at 10:18

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Haha I didn't notice that! Brilliant - looking how high that Megane's bumper comes up on it - it needs it.

The Dyane was an attempt at a replacement for the 2cv, but it was initially developed by Panhard, then taken on by Citroen when they dissolved Panhard (hence 'Dyane' as it would have gone with the Panhard Dyna).

eNZo288 > Jimmeney 09/17/2013 at 11:33

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I also liked that shot because every car in the frame is French. That was on a random walk through Montmartre.

Jimmeney > eNZo288 09/18/2013 at 06:16

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Also didn't notice that! I've got a few days over there in February to meet a friend and see a concert, it's a good city to just get randomly lost up side streets, so I'm quite looking forwards to it.

fintail > Aya, Almost Has A Cosmo With Toyota Engine Owned by a BMW. 09/18/2013 at 14:03

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Really nice 190SLs have soared well into six figures lately - it still might be possible without too much financial suicide. Maybe make it a family project where several people contribute.

eNZo288 > Jimmeney 09/18/2013 at 19:49

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It sure is, but watch out for the "gypsy ring scam" (google it).