Spotted Xantias! (and other French stuff)

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Re: Spotted Xantias! (and other French stuff)

Post by Hell Razor5543 »

Just as well it is front wheel drive!
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Re: Spotted Xantias! (and other French stuff)

Post by mickthemaverick »

A nice line of Renaults at Knebworth today and the two I liked best:
(Click on images to enlarge)

Image

Image

Image

Good show all round :) :) :)
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Re: Spotted Xantias! (and other French stuff)

Post by myglaren »

Caravelle is nice.
I learned to drive in an 8 and later my girlfriend had one - that I wrote off, not one of my finer moments :(
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Re: Spotted Xantias! (and other French stuff)

Post by NewcastleFalcon »

Agree with Steve the caravelle is lovely! There is plenty of interest in the older Renault stable for me. The 4CV is just gorgeous and the subsequent 4 was a lovable and practical odd bod and I would have one now. The 16 can be turned out very nicely and in such a state very desirable, and the "newer 25" had some fantastic upholstery in some of its variations, as well as being Joanne and Davids yuppie mobile!

Last row of Renaults I witnessed was on my scrapyard visit as told on the scrapyard tales thread.

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Re: Spotted Xantias! (and other French stuff)

Post by mickthemaverick »

Am I right in thinking that the German Amphicar company based their aquacar on the Caravelle or is my mind playing tricks with me? :)

I think DDG turned up the answer for me from the following extract:

Fw: Renault Caravelle Amphibious?

> > I don't know where he pulled that from, but he is mistaken.
>
> This is one of those urban legends that started from an inaccurate press
> article in the1960s, it said the Amphicar was French and because the
> Caravelle looks a little like the Amphicar and was from the same era the
> legend stuck. Absolutely no truth in it at all.
>
> David C
>

At least I know why I had that inkling now!! :-D
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Re: Spotted Xantias! (and other French stuff)

Post by NewcastleFalcon »

mickthemaverick wrote: 26 Aug 2019, 19:28 Am I right in thinking that the German Amphicar company based their aquacar on the Caravelle or is my mind playing tricks with me? :)
Don't know off the top of my head but I can see the resemblance. No mention in the wiki page of any link with the caravelle. They used a Triumph Herald Engine(1200) in it, strange choice for a german produced vehicle.

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Re: Spotted Xantias! (and other French stuff)

Post by Hell Razor5543 »

Coming back from the Portsmouth area I saw a VERY rare Citroen C6; a 3.0l HDi. K155 ALF, in white.
Last edited by Hell Razor5543 on 05 Sep 2019, 13:40, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Spotted Xantias! (and other French stuff)

Post by JohnD »

Zelandeth wrote: 27 Jun 2019, 22:31 spotted a Saxo yesterday in the Aldi car park. Rare spot in itself, but was even more surprised to spot that it's a diesel too.

Image

Can't be many of them left now.
I've owned one (identical to the one your picture) for twenty years. I've just given it to my grandson. Total mileage 45000!
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Re: Spotted Xantias! (and other French stuff)

Post by Zelandeth »

JohnD wrote: 04 Sep 2019, 20:39
Zelandeth wrote: 27 Jun 2019, 22:31 spotted a Saxo yesterday in the Aldi car park. Rare spot in itself, but was even more surprised to spot that it's a diesel too.

Image

Can't be many of them left now.
I've owned one (identical to the one your picture) for twenty years. I've just given it to my grandson. Total mileage 45000!
Really excellent little cars. Supremely capable, and surely one of the first generation really of the "small car that can do everything a big car can do" family. Definitely from the dawn of the era where you could take a tiny hatchback like that and blat off down the motorway at 80mph without spending the whole time feeling you were wringing its neck and watching the temperature gauge (if you're lucky enough to have one!) like a hawk the whole way...

The likes of my Metros and such could do trips like that...but you really *knew* that you were pushing their limits. The first car I remember where things like that were just brushed aside without a moment of thought was my Mk IV Fiesta. On an L plate - and while still powered by the ancient Valencia engine, it was the first small car I remember - I'm sure more down to aerodynamics and sound deadening than anything else - never feeling felt stressed on the motorway. Even a clapped out example like mine! I still took the thing all over the country...and despite it being a £250 throwaway car (bought unseen in the space of 30 minutes when my Skoda was written off - I needed to get to college!), not only did it never let me down, I never even *considered* that it could. I was always absolutely certain that no matter where I was, where I'd been or what the weather was, it would just start without drama the moment I turned the key. Well - after day 2 when I changed the HT leads anyway.

I really didn't appreciate what a decent little car that was until long after I sold it - and honestly would quite happily have another one.
fiestafront.jpg
fiestaint.jpg
Remember those seats and door cards having a really lovely soft velour finish to them as well which really helped the cabin feel to me, several market segments above where it actually sat.

Saxo to me always felt (I've never yet owned one, driven dozens though probably in pretty much every version from the base 1.1 through to the silly 1.6 VTR at the garage, we sold hundreds of them) like a slightly more up to date version of the same formula. Bit better ride, way better ergonomics and more modern engines.
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Re: Spotted Xantias! (and other French stuff)

Post by bobins »

Bit of an unusual place to spot an old Citroen.............
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Re: Spotted Xantias! (and other French stuff)

Post by Andy F »

I saw a biege BX 14TGE and and a Renault 21 on the outskirts of Gloucester. Tried to catch them up, but got out dragged by the BX... bit embarrassing for our camper!
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Re: Spotted Xantias! (and other French stuff)

Post by mickthemaverick »

A little gem from Knebworth which I forgot to post at the time: :roll:
DSC_0847.JPG
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Re: Spotted Xantias! (and other French stuff)

Post by Hell Razor5543 »

How about a Talbot Sunbeam in Guildford? DAC 10Y
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Re: Spotted Xantias! (and other French stuff)

Post by NewcastleFalcon »

Hell Razor5543 wrote: 15 Sep 2019, 17:34 How about a Talbot Sunbeam in Guildford? DAC 10Y
Well your reg has a 2172cc motor according to the DVLA which makes it a Talbot Sunbeam Lotus

Like this one?
or exactly this :-D
https://www.flickr.com/photos/77492252@ ... st-27wgaTL

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Re: Spotted Xantias! (and other French stuff)

Post by Hell Razor5543 »

That is her!
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