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The weekend of Chrysler Anciennes has come and gone, April 21 and
22, respectively. After months of preparatory letters, phone calls, faxes, e-mails and
other planning, 17 cars turned up for an exceptional gathering in the Bourges/Sancerre
region. Here’s how it went at this first, and surely not last, event.
Four MoPar "nuts" put the meeting together, with logistical help from J-P Armandet’s TTP Association. There had not been any such Chrysler reunion in France, focused on the classic years from the 1930s through the ’60s. Hubert André, Robert Louis Brézout, Raphael Brunet and I resolved to correct the omission.
Since I had many acquaintances from my activity in the American Car Club of France, we were able to contact about 40 owners of Chrysler-builts. Most of them didn’t enter, and I think they’ll wish they had, because people who were there will be glad they showed up.
Thanks to the Internet and mailing lists, two couples
from outside France took part: Tony and Jacky Vickers from the UK, and James and Yollande
Dellinger from the USA. Tony brought his ’61 Imperial. James had to rent a Peugeot -
but next time his ’59 Imperial convertible will be ready.
I left Friday morning with my wife, Sylvie, from our home in Pau. We joined M. and Mme. Mendez in their ’58 Dodge convertible, because my Imperial still has some restoration work ahead (click here to see the "missing car"..). We drove the entire 700 km (= 435 miles), some of it through snow (!!), to meet arriving participants that evening and be ready for the opening of the event Saturday morning.
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List of entrants |
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| Claudine et Roger PLANCHE | CHRYSLER VP 70 roadster 1926 |
| Sébastien GENEVIER et Sylvie GUILLARD | DESOTO S11 Deluxe Business coupé 1948 |
| Thierry et Odile MAQUIN | CHRYSLER C38 Windsor 1948 (in Opel cause transmission problem !!) |
| Bernard et Pacale ANDRE + their sons | DESOTO Diplomat 1954 |
| Jean et Danièle AUVRAY | CHRYSLER Imperial 1954 |
| Pierre HENRIET et M. Louise THOMAS | PLYMOUTH Belvedere 1954 |
| Hubert et Nathalie ANDRE (+ Juliette) | IMPERIAL Newport 1955 |
| Zara et Michèle RAISSE | DESOTO Fireflite 1955 |
| Jean Eric et Blandine RAOUL | DESOTO Fireflite Sportsman 1956 |
| Patrick MARTIN | DODGE Custom Royal 2-dr H/T 1957 |
| François et Reine MENDEZ (+ Ph et S. Courant ..) | DODGE Custom Royal conv. 1958 |
| Raphaël BRUNET, Michaëlla JOHNSON, Laurent SALLE. | CHRYSLER New Yorker 1958 |
| José DACOSTA et Thibault GONNET | CHRYSLER New Yorker 1959 |
| Marc et Michelle LEBOURG | IMPERIAL LeBaron Southampton 1960 |
| Robert Louis BREZOUT et Guy EQUILLE | IMPERIAL LeBaron Southampton 1961 |
| Jacky et Tony VICKERS from UK | IMPERIAL LeBaron Southampton 1961 |
| James et Yolande DELLINGER + Josette PASTI from USA | (in Peugeot 406 , rental car..) |
| Jean Pierre ARMANDET et Jack PEAUDECERF (TTP) | CHRYSLER PT Cruiser 2001 + Jeep Cherokee (from the Bourges Chrysler dealer) |
Photo gallery (click
to enlarge) |
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| Pics at the Bourges
cathedral (saturday morning) |
Leaving the
cathedral... |
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| Some of the cars | DESOTO 1954 Diplomat | CHRYSLER 1926 | 2 cars from 1954: CHRYSLER IMPERIAL et PLYMOUTH | The oldest leaves first | Start for the Plymouth |
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| DODGE CR 1957 | CHRYSLER 1959 | Tune up ! | IMPERIAL 1955 | Jean's Imperial | DeSoto Diplomat |
Actualised 04/30/01.
