The doors of the three-day "Epoqu'Auto" trade fair in Lyon opened for the 35th time on November 8. After the Rétromobile Paris, it is the most important classic car exhibition in France and over 50,000 visitors from all over France but also from Spain, Italy, southern Germany, Holland (many Citroën enthusiasts and Citroën buyers) and of course from Germany and Switzerland make the pilgrimage to Lyon every year.
The Swiss border is only 90 minutes away from the Eurexpo-Lyon exhibition grounds, so it is not surprising that several Swiss exhibitors were present in Lyon, including Christoph Grohe, the Vétéran Car Club Suisse Romande and the organizers of the 2014 Grand-Prix Rétro in Cossonay, Vaud.
50 years of the Porsche 911
Of course, the big sports car anniversary could not be missed in Lyon either. The special exhibition was so impressive that it left a lasting impression on France's second-largest classic car trade fair. The Porsche Museum presented several 911s, including Jacky Ickx-Claude Brasseur's Paris-Dakar 911, one of the only 356 Porsche 997 Speedsters ever built and Louise Piëch's 911 Turbo.
The 50th anniversary edition of the Porsche 911, which is limited to exactly 1,963 units, was just as much a part of the event as the over-911 Carrera 2.7 RS.
"50 ans de Carrosserie française"
As expected, many of the more than 1000 vehicles on display were of local manufacture.
The exhibition "50 ans de Carrosserie française 1920-1970" was unique. 28 exceptional cars were presented, including the famous Avion Voisin C25 Berline Aérodyne from 1935 from the Vaud Museum Fondation Hervé in Aigle and the no less famous Citroën DS Présidentielle of Général Charles De Gaulle.
This presidential limousine, a DS 21 inspired by the "DS Majesty", was coachbuilt by Henri Chapron.
Citroën historians want to know the following: Madame Yvonne De Gaulle was entitled to choose the colors: the body was painted in "gris alizé", the roof in "gris argenté", while the leather interior was finished in "cuir fauve". At 6.53 m, the seemingly endless length of the body exceeded that of the American presidential car by 13 cm!
The car was equipped with every conceivable comfort. For example, there was direct and indirect lighting, a fold-out office suite, electric windows, a folding seat for the interpreter, an intercom system, a small bar with refrigerator, illuminated cigarette lighters and air conditioning.
The DS21 Présidentielle with the registration number "1 PR 75" was equipped with a reinforced cooling system to prevent the 2660 kg special limousine from overheating both inside and out, even at walking pace. Completed in November 1968, the "state goddess" was then used for the first time in February 1969.
The passionate driver Georges Pompidou
Georges Pompidou, De Gaulle's successor, kept this DS Présidentielle for another two years until 1971. As a passionate motorist - he drove a Porsche 356 SC in his private life - he wanted a "sportier" presidential limousine. The DS Présidentielle was thus replaced by the SM Présidentielle.
This SM Présidentielle (here of course for ... Sa Majesté Présidentielle), an extended conversion of the Citroën SM Opéra carried out by Henri Chapron, was built in 1971 in two examples and registered as "2 PR 75" and "3 PR 75".
The convertible, which weighed around 1780 kg, reached a maximum speed of 170 km/h thanks to the standard and unchanged 2.7-liter Maserati engine. A special gearbox and cooling devices for parades at walking speed were also used here. The costs were immense, the equivalent of around 700,000 euros had to be paid per vehicle.
Another remarkable feature was the unique convertible roof design, which not only had to cover a large roof area and not dominate the vehicle's silhouette when open, but also had to give the car a prestigious appearance when closed. Unfortunately, none of the SM Présidentielle was on display in Lyon, but there was an SM Mylord on show.
SM Mylord - Sa Majesté Cabriolet
The Citroën SM Mylord was a two-door full convertible - i.e. without a roll bar - and Henri Chapron also acted as coachbuilder here. The hatchback coupé was given a notchback body with a small trunk lid, which authentically echoed the design of the original vehicle at the rear end. The prototype of the Mylord was presented at the Paris Motor Show in 1971, and sales began a year later.
Production was complex. Chapron received series-produced bodyshells from Chausson. The technology and the floor assembly of the SM coupé remained essentially unchanged; the wheelbase was also retained. The B and C pillars were removed, after which Chapron installed extensive reinforcements in the body area. A total of seven Mylord convertibles were produced.
The Facel Vega by Tony Curtis
Not very far from this Citroën SM Mylord was a Facel-Vega Facel II from 1964. Launched in December 1961, the Facel II (also known internally as the HK2) was the V8 successor to the HK 500.
Facel (Forges et Ateliers de Construction d'Eure et Loir - pronounced: Fassäl) was a French manufacturer of small series automobiles. The British automotive press described the Facel as "the second best car in the world" - after Rolls-Royce, of course. The Facel Type HK2 was presented at the Salon de l'automobile de Paris in October 1961 and was greeted with great enthusiasm. Visitors compared it with the creations of the best Italian designers and its Chrysler V8 engine with a displacement of 6286 cm² developed no less than 390 hp.
The HK2 was built in 184 units until production was discontinued in 1964. Well-known owners of a Facel II included Ringo Starr, Mohammad Reza Pahlavi and Tony Curtis.
"The Two" (original title: The Persuaders!) with Tony Curtis and Roger Moore was voted the most popular TV series of the century by the French in 1999 and there was even a Turkish poster of the series for sale at the Epoqu'Auto exhibition. Tony Curtis can therefore count on a large fan base in France, but even more popular in Lyon was the former rally driver and stuntman Jean Ragnotti.
Jean Ragnotti and his enthusiasm for the Susten Pass
As a Renault ambassador, Jean Ragnotti signed thousands of autographs at the fair. The name Jean "Jeannot" Ragnotti may not mean much to younger Zwischengas readers, as the 68-year-old Frenchman's triumphs go back a little further: the nine-time French rally champion celebrated his greatest successes in the World Rally Championship in the 1980s. The Renault works driver achieved fame above all through his historic victory in the prestigious Monte Carlo Rally in 1981: Ragnotti was the first turbo winner in the Principauté Monégasque.
Jeannot Ragnotti, who is one of the most popular racing drivers in France, was also able to celebrate successes on the race track: even before his rally career, he had attracted attention at the 24-hour classic of Le Mans: he finished fourth twice in a row, and the first time, in 1977, he also won the class.
Today, Ragnotti lives in Malaysia and spends a lot of time at the golf club. He has also played golf several times in Switzerland, including at the Interlaken Golf Club. Not very far from Interlaken, Jean Ragnotti shot the famous advertising film for the Renault Alpine A110-50 on the Susten Pass last year (it really is worth watching this wonderful film, not least because the classic A110 also makes an appearance).
"I love the Susten Pass and Switzerland. I never miss an edition of the Geneva Motor Show and have been to the Geneva Classic several times. In 1981, when a Renault 5 Turbo made its racing debut in Switzerland, I even came third in the Rallye du Valais," said the likeable old star.
"Speaking of which, who won this year in Valais?", Jean Ragnotti asked us on Sunday, the day after the Rallye du Valais ended. Before we could answer him, Jeannot had to draw an autograph on the chest of a pretty French woman. He really is a very popular star, this Ragnotti, as the countless and popular videos on YouTube show ...
