The princess of the chansonnier
01/17/2019
Charles Aznavour was born in Paris in 1924 to Armenian parents. As a singer, he sold over 200 million records and appeared in dozens of films, including "Shoot the Pianist". His chansons became famous all over the world, including "Hier encore", "Que c'est triste Venise" and "Paris au mois d'août". He was perhaps the most famous singer in the world.
How did this certainly wealthy Frenchman with Armenian roots come up with the idea of buying a Vanden Plas Princess from 1966 with chassis number V16S 11260? And in brown paintwork to boot?
Certainly, the Vanden Plas version of the Austin 1100 (ADO16) was comparatively well equipped, but the 1.1-liter engine was nothing to write home about. We published a report on the model some time ago .
It is not known whether Aznavour actually drove the car himself. In any case, it was kept in one of his castles in Bourdonné until the new century (around 2004), when the current owner was able to buy it.
He never drove the car, nor did he register it for use on public roads, but simply kept it as a collector's item, still with the name Charles Aznavour in the "carte grise".
Aznavour died in October 2018, less than four months ago. Now the Vanden Plan should also find a new owner who is prepared to pay EUR 15,000 to 20,000 for the car, which is now described as a barn find (the engine can apparently be started and it runs). This could well be possible.
Interested parties should therefore refer to the Bonhams auction in Paris on February 7, 2019 .
