Monday 15 August 2011

Garagistes

As it's holiday time, I thought you might like a quick look at a little piece of Unmitigated France. Or La France Profonde? I've always been a bit of a fan of Vilac wooden toys, because Ashley Towers just isn't crowded-out enough with English juvenilia, and last Friday Youngest Boy and I found ourselves inexplicably in The Conran Shop. Of course we were only there to look at the racing car ceramic tiles surrounding the original Michelin building it's in, but half-an-hour later saw YB clutching a bright red Vilac racing car. Which he has subsequently not let out of his sight. All the way back home he kept suddenly bursting into song: "Vilac! Las Vegas!". I then remembered that I'd been given a Vilac garage for a birthday past, and we rummaged in the woodshed for it. It took us a while, but for what it's worth here it is. Ici. It really is La France Profonde, as the prices for fuel are in good old Gauloises stained francs. Still, perhaps it will come back to its own very soon. In the meantime, anyone for a quick depannage?

8 comments:

Jon Dudley said...

France and things French must be in the air...like the whiff of Gauloises 'Caporals'. Your garage is divine - what a lucky YB you have (I'm quite a fan of French Dinky toys and Meccano myself.) As luck would have it, yesterday saw us driving a 1950 Citroen Traction from Cirencester to Sussex...for a while everything seemed to turn to black and white as we wooshed through the countryside on sci-fi inspired 'floating power'. But as we crossed the M4 I woke up and bugger me, we were in North Hampshire...

Peter Ashley said...

You lucky boy Jon. A 1950 Citroen Traction would be the car of choice in La France Profonde. I also raise a glass of Ricard to Maigret, (with Lucas riding on the minimal running board shouting 'Oui Patron'), zinc bars, gable ends with 'Pernod' painted on them, gallettes on the beach at Deauville. langoustine in St.Malo, SNCF ceramic station signs....(that's enough French. Ed.)

Philip Wilkinson said...

Ah, the Traction. The car beloved both of policemen and gangsters, as the Richard Bohringer character says in the film Diva.

Maigret, incidentally, never drove. He feared that the brown studies brought about by mulling over evidence and suspects would distract him, so Lucas would be behind the wheel, no on the running board.

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rashbre said...

There used to be a garage by Waterloo (in the arches) that specialised in renovating those Citroens.

Peter Ashley said...

Welcome Rashbre. I remember that garage very well. I used to talk to the bloke as he worked on the Citroens. A single bulb at the back lit up boxes of original spares. He kept ones he had for sale on Gabriel's Wharf, as well as in the surrounding streets.

Matt said...

We're having a Citroen Traction as our Wedding car, it is beautiful. If I could buy an old Citroen though I would love a DS, still looks so good and so far ahead of it's time. My Brother has 2 Citroen Mehari's and an H Van (He's a bit of a fan).