French rarities and exotics
11/26/2025
Next Sunday, November 30, 2025, the French auction house Aguttes will be auctioning 144 vehicles, many of which are rarely seen. However, the cars seem so interesting to us that we would like to take a moment to mention them.
In fact, leafing through the catalog (online) is really entertaining. The cars start on page 32 and there is no shortage of exciting vehicles on the very first pages. One example is the Alpina B7 Turbo from 1984, one of 236 examples sold, which is expected to cost EUR 85,000 to 100,000 as lot 32.
Of course, French brands are particularly present in the catalog. But it really takes your breath away on page 98 at the latest when it comes to the vehicles from the collection of a Monsieur F.. From the 1960s onwards, he had apparently put together an entire factory hall full of rarities. Now that he has died at the age of 99, the cars, most of which are of French provenance, are going under the hammer.
There is, for example, a Darmont Spécial from 1933 (circa), which is being offered as lot 66 for EUR 25,000 to 35,000. The tricycle, which can best be compared to the Morgan Threewheeler, has been in the collection since 1962. It even comes with a few spare parts.
One page further on is an Amilcar CGSs from 1927. Monsieur F. bought it in 1965 and it appears to be in reasonably original condition. However, EUR 40,000 to 60,000 shows that the auction house is still expecting restoration work.
The Hotchkiss Grégoire remained a rarity throughout its life, but Chapron's convertible version was even rarer. Only seven of these open-top versions of the Hotchkiss Grégoire, of which 247 were built, were made, and EUR 30,000 to 50,000 is now expected to be paid for them.
One of the few non-French cars in Mr. F.'s collection was a Cisitalia 202 SC Berlinetta Pinin Farina from 1948. Once considered the most beautiful car in the Museum of Modern Art, this coupé still does not impress with its elegant shape. EUR 160,000 to 240,000 is the estimate here, and some work will probably still be needed.
It makes no sense to describe the entire catalog now, so we will concentrate on two very special individual pieces at the end. These are two converted Peugeots that were used for the 2013 film "L'écume des jours", based on a novel by Boris Vian from 1946.
For the film, a Peugeot 104 and a Peugeot 404 Familiale were modified by welding the rear section of another historic Peugeot to the front. In the case of the Peugeot 104 (picture at the top), it was the rear of a 404 saloon; in the case of the other vehicle, it was the rear section of another 404 Familiale. The results, designed by the Peugeot styling department, are impressive and certainly made an impact in the film, but they are not allowed to drive on the road. They are pure collector's trouvailles and are now expected to change hands for EUR 2000 to 4000, or EUR 8000 to 14,000 respectively. Until now, they have been stored in the Peugeot Citroën DS Adventure Museum.
Of course, the individual lots can also be viewed online on the Aguttes website .
