Just got back from Paris and Retro Mobile. This was the 2nd year I have been and it will probably be the last. It was a little too "Haute Gamme" as they say in French. The cars were too high a level for any normal enthusiast. A few people said the same thing to me while we were there. There were 16 of a certain model of Mercedes there with a price tag of a minimum €800K each. There was not one Renault 4L and only around 3 2CVs. There was one Traction on the Traction Universelle club stand and a couple of DS which was lucky as this is the 60th year of the DS.

I did get some parts for the Traction but other than that it was a long two days of walking around and bumping into people, specially the pretentious 50 to 60 somethings dragging along their 20 year old girlfriends and their auction paddle.

I like shows where you can touch and feel cars that you could actually own one day and not view shiny polished sports cars of some millionaires dreams.

It was good to see the Collection Baillon which was the barn find of 60 cars early last year. Interesting but these cars will probably never see the light of day again now they have been cautioned off. We were talking to a a group of yanks in the bar of the hotel and they were chatting about the collection. I said we were searching for parts for our Traction and 2CV van. The next day we saw them at breakfast and they asked if we found what we were looking for, laughing we said yes, good value too. I asked him if he had fun at the auction and he said they got the car they wanted but at €1.45 million it was a little more expensive than they would have hoped. €1.45 million for a pile of rust...... I think I prefer driving my little 2CV than looking at a pile of rust, then again it is the same thing with a 2CV



One of about 3 2CVs at the show...... in pieces



A nice looking 4 wheel drive, in plastic



Another plastic car



Then it was a trip into Paris



And some 2CV spotting (although we saw more Austin Minis than we did 2CVs)



And finally freezing our nuts off after a shopping trip to M&S we found ourselves on this famous street.

So what make of rust do you get for €1.45 million Ian?

It was a Talbot Lago or something.

There was also a Ferrari there that was only 1 of 8 in the world and went for 4.5 million and that actually looked like a car, with a lot of rust.

Interesting but not really my thing, I would rather see little Simca 5 s or 2CVs or panhards all sub 5 grand...... at least you can inspire to those

It was a Talbot Lago or something.

There was also a Ferrari there that was only 1 of 8 in the world and went for 4.5 million and that actually looked like a car, with a lot of rust.

Interesting but not really my thing, I would rather see little Simca 5 s or 2CVs or panhards all sub 5 grand...... at least you can inspire to those

Oh I'm with you there! The stuff that made the world go is far more interesting than the 'Owwmuch ' stuff. It's a much more interesting design problem in the first place, not only must it meet a broader criteria but it must meet it @ an affordable price. No skill involved when the brief is 'fast, flashy & it must cost more than X'

This was the result of the auction last weekend

http://lautomobileancienne.com/resultat ... r-baillon/

In total agreement there. I'm not at all interested in fast, expensive cars. I love proper cars, the bread and butter classics such as Austin, Morris, Renault, Peugeot and of course, Citroën.

They want to get a new estimator; I could have got closer to the realised prices by sticking a pin in a set of log tables!?

Even the little 2CVs are going for silly prices at Retro Mobile

http://www.rmauctions.com/lots/lot.cfm?lot_id=1072244

Mmm.... not even a real one, all funny paint job and much too fast with that unreasonably big engine & seat belts & stuff... I mean, it's not even grey!? I blame the rost biefs!