Spotted Xantias! (and other French stuff)

[white exec]

All made ready for the road around it to be resurfaced?

So that's what meant by wooden suspension...

[boxerbean]

Some pics from France, the Renault 5 was on 249k.

No idea what this van is but it caught my eye

[NewcastleFalcon]

No idea what this van is but it caught my eye

The Van is a Renault Estafette

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Renault_Estafette

Just noticed you are from Carlisle...this Renault I posted on the previous page was at Walton not far away.



Regards Neil

PS When the google streetview camera passed by in July 2010 the Renault 5 was still there but not on its wooden blocks

[boxerbean]

Ha, I hadn't noticed it was on wooden blocks! Yeah, I know Walton.

[boxerbean]

Spotted this passing the Porte Dauphine metro station, a mid-seventies Renault 4?

Très cool.

[NewcastleFalcon]

Spotted this passing the Porte Dauphine metro station, a mid-seventies Renault 4?

Très cool.

20180601_190404.jpg

That renault 4 could well have been an entry in this annual Rally, its certainly logoed and numbered up to fit in.

From Wiki https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/4L_Trophy
Established in 1997 upon the initiative of Jean Jacques Rey - founder of the event.[1][2] Ecole Supérieure de Commerce de Rennes, 4L Trophy is a humanitarian rally that only student can join with Renault 4 cars. Its objective is to drive across the Moroccan desert to provide children with school supplies.[3]

REgards Neil

[boxerbean]

Nice one Neil, imagine driving across a dessert in a forty year old motor!

[NewcastleFalcon]

No shortage of participants, looks a great event for those young people.



Regards Neil

[van ordinaire]

Nice to know not all loonies drive 2CV's!

[van ordinaire]

In my meanderings across Europe & 2 days wondering round Berlin – too many to mention! Usual sightings around Dunkerque & the road out towards the Belgian border of 205's, 106's, 309's 405/6's, Xantias, AX's, Saxos, the occasional 2CV, a lone Xsara & after a coffee in a small café on the outskirts I came out to find a C5 parked in front of me. A few R5's but the (original) Twingos seem to be slowly giving way to modern Fiat 500's: there must've been more Renaults but nothing really registered – so they must've been too modern.

Passing through Holland, I spotted a 104 in a factory car park so, presumably, still in regular use.

At my overnight stop in Essen, there was a rather nice dk green Saxo parked opposite & when I crossed the road having parked up, there was a R19 cabrio – something of a rarity anywhere I would've thought.

Surprised at the number of 2CV's in Berlin, all but one were parked; I do remember a Berliner telling be some years ago that converting his to make it LEZ compliant was so expensive that he'd bought a Visa as a city car, because it was exempt.

Sunday afternoon, spotted 2 H-van food trucks (both with Berlin “historiche” plates) & that evening picking my back way from where I'd ended up, down some back street I saw a DS parked in arse-dragging mode, a quick closer look revealed French plates & shiny paint – so not the poor long neglected specimen it first appeared. Saw 2 more on Monday, both with that stance – but not in that condition. Can't say I've noticed a tendency for them to sag at the back like that, but rather to settle level.

The Xantia parked behind a 2CV was a bit of surprise, as not something you'd be likely to see at home.

In the car-park of the Garage du Pont (just as you come off the bridge as you enter Potsdam) – now, it seems, a bar was a beautifully sign-written Estafette, which I took to the original service van, in strong contrast to the Big 6 Traction on the verge outside with “Garage du Pont” painted along the side with a 4” brush.

Negotiating a roundabout, I think, in Belgium (although I might still have been in Holland) I spotted a very bright blue R4 in somebody's back yard.

I do recall seeing an XM estate, (though where, now I've no idea) at one point I passed a dk green Xantia estate, on another came up behind a dark coppery gold Xsara & when I stopped for fuel on the Franco/Belgian border I saw an AX, that looked like it'd been repainted “aluminium”

Not a single, solitary C15 on the whole trip though – have they all migrated South?

[NewcastleFalcon]

In the car-park of the Garage du Pont (just as you come off the bridge as you enter Potsdam) – now, it seems, a bar was a beautifully sign-written Estafette, which I took to the original service van, in strong contrast to the Big 6 Traction on the verge outside with “Garage du Pont” painted along the side with a 4” brush.

Had a little search Van...came up with this, story and image from Berliner Morgenpost has the Garage, the Traction Avant and the van (Peugeot D4A I think) in all their glory!

https://www.morgenpost.de/brandenburg/a ... Strom.html

Regards Neil

[Stickyfinger]

Silver s1 Xantia Estate in Salisbury this afternoon

[van ordinaire]

verr, verr interestig! (if only i could work out to translate it).

Yes now I see the front of the van, it's obviously a Pug* (but which of their J-types I really wouldn't know) but I'd only seen it from a sort of 3/4 r. view - AND made an assumption. I've only seen it parked almost off that picture, to the left.

That's a different traction (think there used to be at least 2) - the one out front now, is some old hedge find.

Never noticed those table & chairs before - but this year was the first time I've approached Berlin from Potsdam, so the perspective is slightly different.

* many years ago I toyed with buying an ex-French army 4WD ambulance version when I found it parked, somewhat improbably, round the side of Versailles, with an "AV" sign in the window. It was language & logistics, not common sense, that mitigated against it.

[MikeT]

I see this van occasionally and when I do, it always puts a grin on my face because he doesn't hang about!

Came out of Dr's Surgery and noticed it parked up so took this photo. Everything looks original including the sparsely covered tube-framed seats and window curtains etc. It was filled with handtools and even had a "Citroen" engraved filler cap.

Apparently, it belongs to an engineer who works at https://sammymiller.co.uk/ and I was told he owns a few steam-powered vehicles including a motorcycle.

[Mandrake]

Curtains! Did not know that any cars were ever supplied with curtains from the factory.