News from France

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Some of the interesting cars on display
To start with a small workshop called Atelier 540 specialized in 1950/1959 Porsches
In addition to the refabrication of many body or engines parts this company was displaying :

An all aluminium spyder 550 A refabrication

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The aluminium body work is done in Tchecoslovaquia and the assembly in the A

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Another curiosity : a light military tracked vehicle developped for the German army with a Porsche 356 engine

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Another exceptionnal car the Porsche 904 GTS chassis number 904-034 ex Roger Riviere, ex-Michelin test car

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Quite astonishing story behind this car


Indeed this car started with chassis number 904-008 and race number 30 at the 1964 Le Mans 24 hours pilots Colin Davis/Gerhardt Mitter seen on this pic with sister car race number 29 driven by Edgart Barth/Herbert Linge

Both cars were prototypes with 8 cylinders engine
None of them ended the race

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Roger Riviere was a professionnal bicyclist (very popular sport in France still to day)
He won several races and even beat the World one hour record on an oval
In 1960 he was the great favorite to win the

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to win the 1960 Tour de France
Unfortunately he lost control of his bike in a sharp descent and fall in a precipice several meters below

He was seriously wounded and never succeed to recover his level
But he had a good insurance company and became very rich with nothing to do
His team manager named Raphael Geminiani (who was also a famous Cycling Champion) before to become team Manager of his own cycling team, was fond of car racing hence the idea given to Roger Riviere : buy you a racing car and try to become a Champion in a new sport
Unfortunately Roger Riviere had no qualities to drive a sport car and very quickly realised he will never be a champion
904-034 was then sold to a Clermont Ferrand mechanic who also was very quickly afraid by the 904 performances
Michelin tyres bought 904-034 as test car for their Ladoux test laboratory

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Michelin Ladoux test tracks

After some months of hard work, the Fuhrmann engine broke and Michelind found easier to replace it by a 911 S 2.0 L 6 cylinders engine
At Citroen research department request (Citroen and Michelin have always had good relations to such an extend that still to day a Citroen car will always be delivered new with Michelin tyres) 904-034 was fitted with the hydraulic suspensions of the Citroen DS 19

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On the Mercedes Benz stand one of the 3 off 300 SL prototypes who won the 1952 Carrera Panamericana

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