In the Land of the Four "A"s
I'm sure it doesn't exist medically speaking, but it's a real diagnosis: “hopeless car nut.” Well, I certainly don't need to explain it here. It manifests itself, for example, in the irrepressible urge to tinker with cars in the most remote places and at the most inopportune times—during vacations and while traveling with the family.
You've probably never heard of a club with the four A's, just like me. Its official name is “Association Antillaise de l'Automobile Ancienne”—the Antilles Classic Car Club, known as“Les 4A” or“4A Guadeloupe” for short. It was founded in November 1993 by a group of classic car enthusiasts on the island of Guadeloupe and officially registered on February 4, 1994—almost 33 years ago. This French overseas department is heavily influenced by the mother country, and so the vehicle fleet reflects that French influence, as the selection of rental cars has already shown: Citroën, Peugeot, or Renault were the options. At 4A Guadeloupe, things look a bit different—a colorful mix spanning the entire automotive world.
However, there aren't really many classic cars to be seen on the roads; the average age of the vehicles is very young. But that's where the 4A comes in. The club organizes monthly drives as well as its flagship event, the “Tour Auto Rétro” rally, which took place for the first time in 1994 and, since its revival in 1998, has brought together about five clubs from Guadeloupe and Martinique roughly every two years. In addition, there are trips beyond the departmental borders, for example to Martinique or Dominica. There's also a private museum that serves as a meeting place for members: the Bar-Musée Auto Moto de Saint-Claude. That means I'll need a bit of skill and some good arguments to get us there. Unfortunately, I haven't found a date yet that falls during my vacation time, but who knows—maybe they'll have more specific information at the museum in question. Yes, the island vibe is nice, but without any classic cars—something's missing for me!
