All this talk about France. Well, since someone was brave enough to introduce a non Model T into the discussion, I'll use this opportunity to showcase the French car that's on my wish list. It's the iconic Citroën 2 CV. Not exactly the Model T of France, but pretty close. I had the chance to drive one when a friend in France lent me his very well-used 2CV to make the drive from his little village to the bigger town of Avignon, about 150 KM. With liberal application of the gas pedal, and maybe a downhill run behind you, it was possibly to coax the car up to 60 mph, or 100 KM/hr which sounds faster. If everything was screwed together right, it was actually pretty stable at that speed. Maybe a little noisy, but stable. With an opposed 2 cylinder air-cooled engine displacing about 650 cc depending on the model, these cars won't win any races. They've gotten a following among collectors of the esoteric and strange, and the price of this normally unprepossessing car has jumped considerably. A good example with a proper restoration will cost more than a Model T in similar shape. And it makes sense to spend that money on one that's been redone, since the unibody construction means the whole car will need to come apart with new floor pan welded in and the various mechanical components addressed if you come across one rusting away in someone's backyard. Yes, I've looked at the situation from all angles. In any case, I'm glad I had the chance to take one on a road trip in France, and will keep an eye on the market. I doubt any bargains will come along, however. I'll go even farther on a tangent and say the ultra-collectible version is the little camionette or truck version built on the same chassis. It was the vehicle of many tradesmen for many years in France. I'll stop there. You really don't want to hear about the Renault 4L or "Quatrelle," do you?
Luke, thanks for starting the discussion about French bakeries and Model Tees. Oddly enough, there is a nice bakery in Iceland that I go to and they have a vintage car from the Model T era out front in nice weather. I don't think it's an actual Model T, however. Will have to check next time. Might actually be a Chevrolet.
Gerrit
