"La Vie en Bleu 2012" - the most amazing weekend

[Colin]

Just published my reports from this event, which is the largest Forum gathering of the year for TheMotor.

Blessed with perfect sunshine, an amazing of cars from our own number ranging from a TVR Chimaera, 2x 911, an M3, a Golf R32, a Cayman, a 1932 Standard Big Nine and plenty of others, the sight of a Bugatti Veyron and a whole array of Car Club Displays, this weekend had the lot. With the pleasure of over a dozen forummers on each day, it was probably the "best" weekend I've had for a long time.

My report is in three parts (it was too big to publish as a single entity).

You can find the first part here .

To get to parts 2 and 3, click on the Events tab on the main menu and select "Shows".   

[cawimmer430]

The Citroen DS3 is so hot right now. I want one so badly. Make mine yellow with black rims and a black roof.





This is the DS3 I want. 





DS5 and HY-Van! 





Citroen Ami 8 and Citroen 2CV. Legends! Two cars I want to professionally photograph! I love the 2CVs with the round headlights, they're more purer than the later ones with rectangular headlights.




I also love the Citroen GSs. Hard to imagine that despite the "big engine compartment" they only had small flat-air-cooled-engines in there!!!





SM! 





The most pure Traction Avants are only black! God I love Citroen. So much History and Heritage! 





Nice! Renault 5 Turbo!







Awesome part one, Colin! Checking out the other parts right now!



Who are those losers who say French cars suck? 

[cawimmer430]

Wow, rare indeed! I've not seen one of these in...like forever! 





Best Mercedes. Ever. Love the W123! 




Once again, great report and pictures! Now those are cars! That stuff gets my heart pumping! 

[Morris Minor]

2CVs flirted with square headlights for only a few years (late 70s?) before reverting.

[MexicoCityM3]

Fantastic Colin, I like the French "theme".

My family has a tradition of francophilia of sorts in cars.

My dad was a big Renault fan. We owned an R-8, R-10, and an R-18 (a couple) in the 70's - early 80's. More recently my dad had a Cliosport for a few years. I think that today nobody does hot hatches better than the french ( I am looking at you, GTI ).

The early Renaults had a reputation for undisputed comfort and refinement. I think it is interesting that the french "do their own thing" instead of just aping the germans.

It is unfortunate however for us in Mexico that in the past 5 years Renault has shifted to mostly offering rebadged Nissan econocars "specially" engineered for third world markets. So no more Clio, Megane, etc for us. A real shame. We still get a few real Peugeots though.

[Colin]

Quite right, Morris M.

When the 2CV was (re) launched in 1974 for the UK market it had the rectangular lights, but by the early 1980s, they had reverted to round ones. The car depicted with an "A" prefix on the licence plate would have been registered between August 1983 and July 1984.