Florida Coalcracker Chronicles: Day 6

Sunday, March 20, 2022

Day 6 - Paris Retro Car Show

The car show at the exposition center

For 25,000 Euros I can bring this
Citroen Mehari 2CV home with me

This competed with the 1955 Corvette.
Mercedes 6 cylinder Gull Wing

This was Day 6 of our 9 Days in Paris.

In 1966 - a guy named Ralph Nader wrote a book about US cars - called "Unsafe At Any Speed." This caused Congress to pass sweeping legislation to try to make cars safer. The laws included safety belts and exhaust emission filters - among many other things. Up until this time - it was easy to buy a car in Europe - drive it around a little - then import is as used - avoiding many taxes. It was much cheaper to get a car in Europe - plus the selection of small cars was bigger in Europe because of the high gasoline tax. Example - as I write this story in Paris - the price of gasoline is $8.65!

To get around the new import laws - cars from before 1968 could be brought to America - without the new safety standards and exhaust standard. A large industry in Europe was developed called Retro Cars. Companies would take cars built before 1968 - strip them down to the frame - keeping the old serial number. They would then do a ground up restoration - making the cars "better than new."

We were coming home from Versailles and Keith told me about a Retro Car Show at the Exposition Center. We would be going right by it on the train. The boys decided we would go to see the cars. It was 24 euros for adults - kids free. It is a giant show - going on all day Saturday and Sunday. Hundreds of cars - all for sale.

It was 4 PM - my legs were already sore and tired from walking all day in the Palace of Versailles. But I was so happy I went to this show. It was without a doubt - the best car show for me ever. I was a kid growing up in the 1950s and 1960s. I coveted these cars but could not afford to have them then. Now I am satisfied to just be taking pictures of them. I am also happy to know there is this niche of cars still out there.

Some of the cars were restored to stock - others were souped up - but the ones I loved most were converted to ELECTRIC. Right now - I particularly love the Citroen 2CV - the Citroen Mehari - the old Fiat 500 - and the old British Mini. they are tiny cars and adapt well to electric power.