Modern’ Garage Chalus

September 2009. Late afternoon, somewhere in rural France. Running low on fuel, we were looking for a service station to fill up the trusty Mercedes. Eventually we found a station just before sunset – and right next to it one of those places that are well and truly lost in time. The overall impression didn’t really match the name of the place – Modern’ Garage. It might have been modern when the sign-writer painted the letters on the front wall decades ago. Peeking inside, we spotted a seemingly brand new Ford Escort Mk3 and many parts boxes of the same period. Around the back I found a Renault 5 Mk2, a pre-facelift Renault 21 and a Peugeot 403. I intended to take a few pictures, but a rather unfriendly dog reminded convinced me that I really wanted to cover many more kilometers before nightfall…

Renault 11 Turbo | Drive-by Snapshots by Sebastian Motsch (2009)

Sep

18

Renault 11 Turbo | Replica of a rallye legend

Drive-by Snapshots / France / Renault Posted by Sebastian / 0 comments

Renault 11 Turbo | Replica of a rallye legend

Driving through central France. Cloudy skies with the odd rain shower now and then. An uninspiring town along the road. A boring Renault dealership. Wait! Boring? No way! Around the back, they had something interesting: A Renault 11 Turbo Rallye replica. I always like to see the simple, yet striking, designs of an era long past. Make sure to check out the video further down in this post, as it features a couple of these legendary machines.

Volkswagen T2b Biarritz | Drive-by Snapshots by Sebastian Motsch (2009)

Sep

16

Volkswagen T2b | This is not an abandoned vehicle

Drive-by Snapshots / France / Volkswagen Posted by Sebastian / 0 comments

This was one of those ‘by chance’ finds. While trying to find a good vantage point to take a few pictures of Biarritz, I turned into one of those dead-end alleys you often find near the beach. Out of curiosity I followed the tiny road around a bend – and found this Fuchs equipped Volkswagen T2 hiding there. Quite clever actually: park where it’s free of charge, grab your surfboard and head for one of the famous surfing spots. I really like the sticker on the windscreen, because it somehow fits the overall theme of the van.

Biarritz Chateau d'Ilbarritz | Drive-by Snapshots by Sebastian Motsch (2009)

Sep

16

Lost places | Biarritz, Château d’Ilbarritz

BMW / Drive-by Snapshots / France / Lost Places / Renault Posted by Sebastian / 0 comments

Biarritz, France. A beautiful sunny and warm day in spring. I was driving around randomly, looking for interesting things to take pictures of. Finding the old Château d’Ilbarritz by chance, I hiked up the hill to have a closer look. Quite an impressive building, overlooking the Atlantic Ocean and the Biarritz Golf Course. Peeking over the fence was rewarded by a nice surprise: two classic cars enjoying the early summer sunshine, completely undisturbed. An 02-Series BMW and a Renault R4, both early models with more chrome trim than the later models.

Mercedes-Benz W123 Coupe with Constructam Caravan | Drive-by Snapshots by Sebastian Motsch (2009)

Sep

15

Mercedes-Benz C123 | A Comet coupled to a Coupé

Drive-by Snapshots / France / Mercedes-Benz Posted by Sebastian / 2 comments

Mercedes-Benz C123 | A Comet coupled to a Coupé

Surfing makes hungry and supplies don’t last forever. Coming back from shopping groceries at the local supermarket in Lit-et-Mixe, we found this period-perfect car and trailer combination: A shiny blue Mercedes-Benz W123 Coupé with a Constructam Comet 6T caravan in tow. Unfortunately the owner wasn’t around at the time, so I couldn’t ask him, if this particular combination had in fact been together for almost three decades. And when I woke up the next day… he had already left the campground and moved on.