CarPort

Rétromobile, France’s premier old car event, opened for the 37th time on Wednesday. Occupying three pavilions at the Paris Expo center at the Porte de Versailles, the show continues through Sunday. It is a year of anniversaries: 50 years of the Ferrari GTO and MGB, 40 for the Honda Civic and Renault R5 (a/k/a Le….
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One of the good things about February is Rétromobile, France’s premier old car event. Held annually at Paris Expo at the Porte de Versailles, it’s been on the go for 37 years. Think Hershey or Beaulieu Autojumble with an accent, and all indoors. In addition to vendors of parts and cars, Rétromobile also draws manufacturers….
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Time was when any town worth its salt had a dirt track race course. Aspiring young drivers, especially those who would never become Ralph dePalma or Russ Snowberger, could buy a junkyard special, probably a Ford or Chevy coupe, weld in a roll cage and go Saturday night racing, with and against their friends. Jalopy….
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New York’s International Automobile Show is the last on the North American circuit and a moveable feast, in that it always opens on Easter weekend. The scribblers of the motoring press get in a couple of days early, so they can write and blog about it before the good citizens form their own opinions. There….
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A few weeks ago, I told you about our summer sojourn to Kenya. As you might suspect, we did not go solely to look at cars. About a week of our trip was spent on safari. We started with a top-down view, wild animals as seen from a hot air balloon. Rising before dawn, we….
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In the middle ages, the word “squire” denoted a knight in training. More latterly it has meant a village leader or the dominant landowner. In the case of this car, it was simply the surname of the maker. Adrian Squire (1910-1940) was just 21 when he decided to build his own motor car. He founded….
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Rétromobile, Europe’s largest indoor old car event, began its 36th year yesterday with a new format. Previously a ten-day show encompassing two weekends, this edition has been downsized to a five-day run, with just a single weekend. But as is often the case, less is more. More, this year, means more exhibitors. Over the past….
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I’ve heard it said that in the upper reaches of collector car circles it’s considered coarse and crass to refer to a Rolls-Royce as a “Roller,” although “Rolls” is generally acceptable. The same goes for Hispano-Suiza: “Hispano,” certainly, but never “Hisso.” Why, then, does everyone refer to a Duesenberg as a “Duesie”? In fact, the….
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