This would be the first classic car event of the new decade for us. Since my 1968 Porsche 912 was not available (workshop), we drove with my brother’s 1984 BMW 520 (E28). The lovely cruiser took us along the scenic route to Paris.
Sunday, January 12th we had to be at the ‘Chateau de Vincennes’ so early, it was still pitch dark. What a crowd, and probably a lot of beautiful classic cars but it was too dark to be sure.
This Fiat 126 Abarth got back on the road, nothing a good mechanic with a flashlight can’t fix let’s say.
Once on the road we were surrounded by all kinds off classic cars, motorcycles and even cyclists. First major get together was at the Panthéon which we toured several times and got out to get some pictures. Jaguar, Mercedes, Citroën, BMW, DeLorean, Facel, Chevy’s… you name it. By then it was no longer dark.
The second stop in front of the ‘Hotel des Invalides’ was even more thrilling. Cars coming and going at the roundabout and ‘back from the future’ two DeLorean’s parked before the gate.
We could hang around much longer, but by now we started to understand why the event starts so early. Traffic was getting busy and if we wanted to pass Monmartre we had to move on. Coffee and croissants held us for some time at Trocadero. A new gathering there and I was lucky to see this stunning Jensen Intersceptor. This car is made for the majestic boulevards of Paris, isn’t it ?
No luck at Monmartre, too late due to dense traffic. But hey, happy anyway to have participated in this wonderful event. A good atmosphere, the mix with motorcycles and cyclists works well and there is a wide variety of classic cars participating. Pré-war, very exclusive classics and less exclusive but sympathetic classic cars like Renault’s R4, Simca 1000, and Deux-Chevaux.
Once at the end of the tour at the ‘Hippodrome de Vincennes’ we even placed a little bet. Not a daring one, but I think we will be back for one of the next editions.