Military exposition 2023

 

simple man simple dream

 

75th anniversary of VE day

Seventy-five years ago today, Victory in Europe was declared by the Allies. In France, it is known as Fête de la Victoire. Recently, I spied this jeep parked on a street here in Amboise and saved it for this occasion.

Goldfinger's Vespa

If the famous James Bond villain ever had a Vespa, this would be it.  With a side-car no less for one of the golden girls.

not your typical food truck

No, here is a wine truck, a vintage (shall we say) Citroën.  This one specializes in wines of the region around the city of Tours known as Touraine (which includes Amboise).  On this day it was cleverly parked at the main entrance to the huge Sunday market in Amboise.

50th anniversary of the Méhari

This past long weekend, Amboise hosted the Méhari car clubs of France to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the introduction of this "unusual" vehicle.  They were manufactured by Citröen in the same genre as the Mini-Moke (BMC) and "The Thing" (VW).  The Méhari chassis is based on the classic 2CV but with a plastic, open-sided body.  It weighs around 1200 pounds (540 KG).  Between 1968 and 1988, fewer than 150,000 units were produced.  It was a major precursor to the world-wide off-road SUV phenomenon.

At least 300 of these impeccably maintained machines descended from all over France.  The owner's had a wonderful time showing them off and taking driving tours around the area.

three wheelin'

I discovered this vehicle parked near Place Debré.  It caught a lot of attention as you can imagine.  I have not seen anything like it so with a little help from Google, it looks to be based on an Italian motorcycle engine, manufactured by Moto Guzzi.  I don't know who made the chassis and body although the red oval insignia on the side also says Moto Guzzi.  But what a contrast to the 15th century church behind.

les Revues Historiques part 3 - don't stop the press

The World War II military vehicles looked like new.  For all of them, their attention to detail is amazing.

it's August, let's go camping

I stumbled over this camper parked not far from our house, the likes of which I have never seen before.  There was no model identification other than the Mercedes Benz logos.  But with a little help from my son-in-law and Google, I was able to find online what I believe is this very same vehicle and it was identified as a "Mercedes Benz 319 Unimog Gelandewagon".  With more help from Google translate and Wikipedia, I find that Unimog is a brand of four wheel drive trucks sold by M-B and Gelandewagon is German for flat bed truck.  More than you ever needed to know to appreciate this immaculately maintained camper that was converted from a truck (but who knows when).

retrospection on the Loire

This 1955 Chrysler looks right at home in the shade of la place du marché (open air marketplace) on the banks of the Loire.  Happy Independence Day to all Americans wherever you are.

September invasion

My wife and I were driving down the road near Amboise recently when we were stopped in our tracks.  There on the side of the road were two authentic WWII US Army trucks and a jeep.  In addition, there were four "American" soldiers in full uniform (including one that clearly must have lied about his age in order to enlist).  We were sure we made a wrong turn and ended up in the 1940s.

American Days 2015

I'm not around to capture the American Days celebration for 2015 this weekend, so I'm showing you a vintage shot from last year's.  This '58 Chevy brings back a lot of fond memories of my youth.  The cars of this era had bench seats.  I'm guessing not everyone knows what those are.

By the way, the festival consists mainly of showing off restored American cars and motorcycles.  But there's also authentic country line dancing (with lessons).

le moto

The owner of the cycle parked it right over a "street light" and I thought it made for an unusual look.  Too bad I didn't have my tripod with me.

La Fête de la Victoire

Today, France remembers the end of World War II in Europe. It was 70 years ago today that Nazi Germany signed the unconditional surrender to the Allies.  La Fête de la Victoire is a National Holiday.

I happened upon this perfectly restored jeep right around the corner from our home.

la 2CV

The Citroën 2CV is a classic in France.  Although they haven't been manufactured for 25 years, you will still find examples like this one that looks like it just rolled off the production line.  Just look at this lineup and further explanation from an earlier post.

Alas, the 2CVs as well as all the other cars on the road are now a little less safe... that's because I just learned I passed my driving exam and I can now drive with a French license!  Hmmm. Now what car to get?

the Indian

Here's another shot from the recent America Days event in Amboise.  While there were lots of Harleys to choose from, I decided to go with the other American classic motorcycle, the Indian, for today's post.

If you want to see a wonderful film featuring one of these machines as well as Anthony Hopkins, I recommend you watch the film The World's Fastest Indian (2005).

Matford V8

Recently there was an event in Amboise called American Days.  It turns out it was mainly a show of American cars and motorcycles.  Most of the cars were from the 50s and 60s but this one from the 30s was the oldest and I think the most interesting.  It was assembled in France (in Alsace) by a German owned company Mathis and the Ford Motor Company.  Thus the name Matford.  The combined company went out of business during World War II.

le Citroën DSuper

While taking a little stroll through Place Debré with visiting friends, we came upon this perfectly restored Citroën DSuper, much to our great delight.  If I were the owner, I'm not sure I could leave this blue jewel unattended.  You can read about this classic French car here.

antique cars

I discovered a fantastic display of antique cars in front of church St Florentin this morning.  The cars were produced in the 1930s and included both French and American manufacturers. Each one had been restored as if new.  And as you can see in the polished reflection, it was a glorious summer day with lots of blue sky and white clouds...and most importantly, not as hot as it has been recently.  Here's a wider view:

And if you want to see more, take a look at this slide show.

les deux chevaux

Similar to the popularity of the original VW "bug" in the US, the Citroën 2CV is a funky-looking, simply constructed, "people's car".  The model name 2CV evolved into the common name "deux chevaux" which literally means "two horses", but jokingly implies the horsepower of these little machines.  The last 2CV was manufactured in 1990, but there remain many clubs and individual owners who still love and collect them.  Here is photo from a local festival where there were dozens of them proudly lined up for display.

In the BBC series "A Year in Provence" (based on a wonderful book by Peter Mayle), there is a great sight gag where the main character's deux chevaux is passed on a hill by a bicyclist.  That says it all, yet if you want to know more (and you should!), Wikipedia will tell you more than you ever wanted to know about these classic vehicles.