A Concours à la française in the Countryside

Images: Ameya Vikram Mishra

Just a week after the Chantilly Arts & Elegance, I experienced a concours event equally unique but in a completely different way. The Concours d'Elegance à la française held in the pleasantly old-fashioned commune of Gambais, as the name suggests, follows the French style of concours. This entails that the car's presentation is as important as the car itself (if not more), making it hugely charming and entertaining.

Just as every year for the last 5-6 years, our editor, Gautam Sen, was one of the jury members for the concours, fresh off his jury duties from Chantilly the week before. Avid readers of our magazine will know that this event was also covered by yours truly last year (https://magazine.derivaz-ives.com/art-automobile-a-concours-with-a-difference/).

While Chantilly celebrated 50 years of the Lamborghini Countach, Gambais had a ‘Populaire’ class that featured three delightful Peugeot 203s, each in a different body style, elegant in its own way, along with a Citroën 2 CV and a Renault 4 CV. The sharp contrast between the two events makes it a particularly splendid experience.

Probably the most aptly named class was the ‘Charme discret de la bourgeoisie’ class ('the discreet charm of the bourgeoisie' in English) which included some fine motor cars such as a Bugatti Type 44 in French blue, a very stylish Lancia Aurelia B24 by Pininfarina and a majestic Jaguar MkIX Saloon.

Epitomising old-school Parisian elegance was a 1959 Facel-Vega HK500 Coach, the great Stirling Moss's choice of transport between races. Fun fact: Moss also served as the President of the Facel-Vega Car Club back in the day.

Look closely at the shape of the taillights of the HK500, and you will know why Facel-Vegas caught everyone's fancy, from Pablo Picasso to Christian Dior.

This class and the Best of Show were won by a sophistically presented 1924 Delaunay-Belleville P4B with owners dressed in perfect period-correct attire. With its distinctive round circular grille, it is a rare car even in France, making it an absolute privilege to see it in the metal for the first time in my life.

But the beauty of a 'concours à la française' lies in its style of presentation. Let me explain with an example – I have never been a fan of the looks of the frog-eyed Triumph TR3. However, the manner in which an example from 1959 was presented by its two women owners wearing outfits matching the car made it look adorable. I was equally impressed by how a young couple presented their ultra-rare 1928 G.A.R. Type B5 (8-cylinder) – one of just three surviving in the world, built by a niche French automaker from the Parisian suburb of Clichy.

The small 1.3-litre in-line eight-cylinder engine of the G.A.R. has a real racing pedigree, having participated in and successfully completed the Bol d'Or 24-hour race in 1926. Incidentally, a 1930 example from The Mullin Collection sold for close to 100,000 dollars at the Amelia Island Auctions earlier this year.

Deservingly, the G.A.R. won its class with some tough competition from a 1926 Bugatti Type 37, a 1953 Jaguar XK 120 FHC, and a 1965 Maserati Sebring II.

What also stands out about Gambais is that one can spot cars like the Renault Colorale. Before you think, "Wait, Renault what?" let me explain. The name 'Colorale' comes from a contraction of the two main markets Renault was targeting with this car: the French colonies (coloniale) and the French countryside (rurale). With a bulky design and a pre-war side-valve engine, it looks like Renault really called a spade a spade with this one. However, if you ask me, this station wagon was a utility vehicle in the truest sense, ahead of its time in the 1950s. A post-war ‘crossover’ if you like.

The example featured here is owned by Thierry Farges, who also owns many other unusual cars. Five years ago, the earlier owner completed a Paris-Beijing-Paris trip in this Renault; it is indeed a reliably special car.

The Gambais concours' biggest strength is its ability to bring the local car community together for an event that may not have the ‘glitz and glamour’ of Pebble Beach or Villa d'Este but has the warmth and comfort of a home-cooked meal. We need more of these in the vintage and classic car world!