French motoring

Being land locked in the mountains on holiday there wasn't much opportunity for looking at boats but as consolation there were a few interesting cars

Above a hot rod Renault Dauphine, no idea what engine or modifications were made, but the matching green wheel centers are a nice touch. 

Actually not a Topolino, above these were also built by Simca in France from 1936 to 48 and while production slowed during the war it continued, apparently many being commandeered by the Germans as staff cars
 

A regional rally which seems to be an annual event gathered in the nearby town with stages in the surrounding mountains. A lot of the entries were souped up hatch backs ranging from older 1980's Peugeot 205 to more current examples, and a few modern sports cars like this lovely Renault Alpine below, we spent a pleasant couple of hours in a bar, watching them return to the town square at the end of a day's racing.

When four wheels are too many and two wheels are too few, lovely example of a BMW with sidecar, guessing from the 1960's was in immaculate condition. 

With the temperature up around 38 degrees C it would have been a shame if we hadn't seen a Citroen Mehari, for anyone not familiar it's a lightweight recreational, beach vehicle with a fiberglass body fitted onto a Citroen 2CV chassis and running gear that only the French could do, fantastic colour too. Mrs BB would love one if we lived somewhere warm and sunny, but I got quite a shock when I checked prices.