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Apr
02
Renault 4 | Nancy, France
Automotive Photography / Blog / DBS France / Drive-by Snapshots / France / Renault Posted by Sebastian Motsch
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Renault 4 in Nancy, France
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Jun
26
A Chance Encounter in Rural France
Alpine / Automotive Photography / Blog / Car Features / DBS France / Drive-by Snapshots / France / Publications / Renault / Speedhunters Posted by Sebastian Motsch
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Jun
15
Lost Places | Station Service Fermée
Automotive Photography / Blog / DBS France / Drive-by Snapshots / Lost Places Posted by Sebastian Motsch
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Station Service Fermée
Lost Places | Rust in Peace
There are many reasons why I love France. One of them is the fact, that the French do not immediately dismount the pumps after a petrol station goes out of business. Instead they just display the lowest possible price on the signpost, call it a day and wander off to play a game of Pétanque with their friends, enjoying a glass of red wine.
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Jun
15
Citroën HY S.E.V. Marchal | Carrosserie Le Bastard 1964
Automotive Photography / Blog / Citroen / DBS France / Drive-by Snapshots / Museums Posted by Sebastian Motsch
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Citroën HY S.E.V. Marchal | Carrosserie Le Bastard 1964
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Jun
14
24 Heures du Mans 2014 | Starting grid and first lap
Automotive Photography / Blog / DBS France / Drive-by Snapshots Posted by Sebastian Motsch
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24 Heures du Mans 2014 | Starting grid and first lap
Everybody know about the starting procedure of the 24 Heures du Mans race. The cars are lined up in an angle in front of the pit lane wall. But… theoretically knowing about it and seeing it live are two different things entirely. All the buzz on the starting grid is quite interesting…
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Jun
12
Porsche 919 Hybrid LMP1 @ Le Mans 2014
Automotive Photography / Blog / DBS France / Drive-by Snapshots / Porsche Posted by Sebastian Motsch
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Porsche 919 Hybrid LMP1 @ Le Mans 2014
One of quite a few Porsche 919 Hybrid LMP1 models in 1:1 scale that graced the Michelin booth at the 24 Heures du Mans 2014. A stunning car and engineering masterpiece… but not particularly pretty. It might have looked a lot better had it sported a Martini or Gulf livery. Maybe next year?
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May
02
BMW E30 | An important birthday to be celebrated soon
Automotive Photography / Blog / BMW / DBS France / Drive-by Snapshots Posted by Sebastian Motsch
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BMW E30
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Sep
21
Peugeot 504 Break USDM-spec | Early morning surprise
Automotive Photography / Blog / DBS France / Drive-by Snapshots / Peugeot Posted by Sebastian Motsch
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Peugeot 504 Break USDM-spec | Early morning surprise
If you are a frequent reader of this blog, you might remember seeing a glimpse or two of this Peugeot 504 Break in the post about the Winnebago LeSharo. Even the EU-spec vehicles are kind of hard to find in good condition these days, because many of them have been exported to northern African countries years ago, to be used (and abused) as taxi cabs. Finding this US-spec model on an early morning was a nice and unexpected surprise. No visible rust on this extremely rare car, but very lovely patina. If cars could talk, this one would definitely be able to tell some interesting stories about the adventures of a long life on at least two different continents…
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Sep
21
Winnebago LeSharo | A grey morning in September
Automotive Photography / Blog / DBS France / Drive-by Snapshots / Itasca / Renault / Winnebago Posted by Sebastian Motsch
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Winnebago LeSharo | A grey morning in September
RD 6089 near Terrasson-Lavilledieu, on a grey morning. Cruising along with the local traffic… I spotted something based on the Renault Trafic on the side of the road: the Winnebago LeSharo. I have always liked how the French design of the base vehicle integrates well with the American style camper body. If you look at other Winnebago motorhomes of the same period, you can even see a familiar resemblance. Being flanked by a US-spec Peugeot 504 Break was a nice coincidence. The dealer had many other interesting vehicles for sale, some of which you will sooner or later find here at Drive-by Snapshots.
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Sep
07
Lost Places | Beheaded bodies, robbed carcasses and zombies
Automotive Photography / Blog / Citroen / DBS France / Drive-by Snapshots / JCB / Lost Places / Peugeot Posted by Sebastian Motsch
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Beheaded bodies, robbed carcasses and zombies
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Sep
07
Lost Places | Station Service Ouverte
Automotive Photography / Blog / DBS France / Drive-by Snapshots / Lost Places / Peugeot / Renault Posted by Sebastian Motsch
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Station Service Ouverte
Lost Places | Rust in Peace
Yesterdays’ post featured a small service station that went out of business, but isn’t fenced off or has a sign saying so. The story today is different. You are looking at pictures of a substantially bigger service station that, for lack of a better word, is closed. Nonetheless, it does sport a sign saying: Station Ouverte.
To tell you the honest truth – this place looked like a film set straight out of a zombie movie! The lack of traffic, heavy clouds and a slight drizzle didn’t make it any more friendly or welcoming!
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Aug
22
Renault Alpine A610 V6 Turbo | Saverne
Alpine / Blog / DBS France / DBS of the Day / Drive-by Snapshots / Renault Posted by Sebastian Motsch
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Renault Alpine A610 V6 Turbo
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Jun
06
Willys MB Jeep with Renault R4 body
Automotive Photography / Blog / DBS France / Drive-by Snapshots / Jeep / Renault Posted by Sebastian Motsch
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Willys MB Jeep with Renault R4 body
In June 2010 we took the scenic route through the Gorges du Tarn. Climbing out of the canyon and heading towards Le Puy, we drove past a service station somewhere in the rural Département Lozère.
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Jun
03
Lost Places | Station Service Le Rousset
Automotive Photography / Blog / DBS France / Drive-by Snapshots / Lost Places / Renault Posted by Sebastian Motsch
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Station Service Le Rousset
Lost Places | Rust in Peace
When was the last time you found something not only totally unexpected, but also thought to be extinct by now? Trundling along the Route Départementale D27 at a leisurely pace on a hot day with no cloud in sight, we had a moment just like that, when we found the cutest rural petrol station and workshop. The icing on the cake most definitely was the color-matched Renault R5, which made the scene even more unreal.
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Jun
01
Rust in Peace | British Heritage in France
Automotive Photography / Blog / DBS France / Drive-by Snapshots / Lost Places Posted by Sebastian Motsch
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British Heritage in France
Lost Places | Rust in Peace
Well, you have probably read the posts about the German and Italian vehicles found in a field in southern France. OK then, this post is about the British heritage fading away in the very same location. The Mini Mk1 and the Land Rover Series II look as if you could save them, albeit probably with a little more work than it looks at first sight.
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Jun
01
Rust in Peace | German Cars in France
Automotive Photography / Blog / DBS France / Drive-by Snapshots / Lost Places Posted by Sebastian Motsch
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German Cars in France
Lost Places | Rust in Peace
If you have read the story about the star on a reasonably priced car, you already know how I found a field full of faded treasures in rural southern France. You might also have spotted a blue BMW E28 5-Series in the background. This one seemed to be in good shape. Gotta love those yellow fog lights ?
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Jun
01
Rust in Peace | Les Françaises
Automotive Photography / Blog / Citroen / DBS France / Drive-by Snapshots / Lost Places / Peugeot / Renault / Saviem Posted by Sebastian Motsch
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Rust in Peace
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Jun
01
Rust in Peace | Italian Cars in France
Automotive Photography / Blog / DBS France / Drive-by Snapshots / Lost Places Posted by Sebastian Motsch
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Italians in France
Lost Places | Rust in Peace
After posting the German cars resting rusting in a field in southern France, Drive-by Snapshots brings you the Italian counterparts found at the same location: the proverbial sleeping beauties. In the first picture, a Lancia Beta Coupé and a Lancia Beta HPE are guarded by an angry looking Simca Aronde.
Jun
01
Rust in Peace | Mercedes-Benz W108
Automotive Photography / Blog / DBS France / Drive-by Snapshots / Lost Places / Mercedes-Benz Posted by Sebastian Motsch
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Mercedes-Benz W108
Lost Places | Rust in Peace
Once upon a time…
This is how most fairy tales begin. This is no fairy tale, though.
Once upon a time we traveled through France and my friend asked me whether or not I had seen the classic car behind a bush we just passed. I thought she wanted to fool me and kept driving all the way to… the next roundabout. This is what they have been invented for anyways. Turning around and driving back, all the way thinking about this (possibly nice) opportunity for a Drive-by Snapshot. Finding the bespoke classic car behind the bush was great – but discovering a whole field with literally dozens of classics, left me speechless.
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May
18
La Bretagne est magnifique
Alpine / Automotive Photography / Blog / DBS France / Drive-by Snapshots / Ferrari / FIAT / Lotus / Peugeot / Renault Posted by Sebastian Motsch
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La Bretagne est magnifique
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May
13
Renault Alpine A110 à Andelot-Blancheville
Alpine / Automotive Photography / Blog / DBS France / Drive-by Snapshots / Renault Posted by Sebastian Motsch
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Renault Alpine A110 à Andelot-Blancheville
On our way to a wedding in France we opted to take the more scenic Routes Nationales. Driving two days instead of one and taking pictures of interesting things on the way is just so much better than trundling along on the boring Autoroute at 130 km/h.
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Mar
27
Mini Mk1 with mini-me trailer
Automotive Photography / Blog / DBS France / Drive-by Snapshots / Mini Posted by Sebastian Motsch
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Mini Mk1 with mini-me trailer
When you least think of it, something out of the ordinary happens. One day in March 2010 we went across the Rhine River to do some shopping in France. As we step out of the Super U we find this lovely little Mini Mk1, complete with a matching trailer. Cute, isn’t it?
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Sep
18
Classic Mack Truck and a fleet of Volvos
Automotive Photography / Blog / DBS France / Drive-by Snapshots / Mack / Volvo Posted by Sebastian Motsch
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Classic Mack Truck and a fleet of Volvos
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Sep
18
Lost Places | Modern’ Garage Chalus
Automotive Photography / Blog / DBS France / Drive-by Snapshots / Lost Places Posted by Sebastian Motsch
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Modern’ Garage Chalus
Lost Places | Rust in Peace
September 2009. Late afternoon, somewhere in rural France. Running low on fuel, we were looking for a service station to fill up the trusty Mercedes. Eventually we found a station just before sunset – and right next to it one of those places that are well and truly lost in time. The overall impression didn’t really match the name of the place – Modern’ Garage. It might have been modern when the sign-writer painted the letters on the front wall decades ago. Peeking inside, we spotted a seemingly brand new Ford Escort Mk3 and many parts boxes of the same period. Around the back I found a Renault 5 Mk2, a pre-facelift Renault 21 and a Peugeot 403. I intended to take a few pictures, but a rather unfriendly dog reminded convinced me that I really wanted to cover many more kilometers before nightfall…
Sep
18
Renault 11 Turbo | Replica of a rallye legend
Automotive Photography / Blog / DBS France / Drive-by Snapshots / Renault Posted by Sebastian Motsch
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Renault 11 Turbo | Replica of a rallye legend
Driving through central France. Cloudy skies with the odd rain shower now and then. An uninspiring town along the road. A boring Renault dealership. Wait! Boring? No way! Around the back, they had something interesting: A Renault 11 Turbo Rallye replica. I always like to see the simple, yet striking, designs of an era long past. Make sure to check out the video further down in this post, as it features a couple of these legendary machines.
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