2018 Tour Auto - Competition Cars 1972 to 1981 - Etape 1

This Ligier JS2 "conversion" was just outside the top thirty after day one, but a stunning car.

This section of the Tour Auto is a veritable feast of eighties competition Grand Touting and Touring cars.  Everthing from Ferraris, DeTomasos and Porsches to Fords and BMWs and on to French exotica like Alpine Renault, Ligiers and CGs.   I took all of the photos below at the first special stage near Auxerre and in the wine town of Nuits-Saint-Georges.   Nice to see the American pairing, that I last saw in an IMSA race last year at Laguna Seca, doing so well.   Here are the top dozen cars in the 1972 to 1981 competition category in the order of classification after the first day.

1st - 275 - Porsche 911 Carrera RSR 3.0L - Cooper MacNeil / Gunnar Jeanette

An American team was leading after the first day.

2nd - 273 - Porsche 911 Carrera RSR 3.0L - Christophe Van Riet / Caroline Grifnee

Beautiful Porsche in beautiful Nuits-Saint-Georges.

3rd - 252 - Porsche 911 Carrera RSR 2.8L - Michel Lecourt / Raymond Narac

The third Porsche.

4th - 256 - DeTomaso Pantera GrpIV - Didier Sirgue / Jean-Michel Carriere 

The fastest non-P:orsche was a Pantera.

5th - 268 - Porsche 911 Carrera RSR 3.0L - Dominique Guenat / Maxime Guenat

Porsche on ES1.

6th - 259 - Ferrari 308 GrpIV Michelotto - Francois-Xavier Entremont / Jacques Entremont

The fastest Ferrari on ES1.

7th - 270 - DeTomaso Pantera - Nicolas Maillet-Avenel / Romain Iannetta

The second of the Panteras.

8th - 254 - Ferrari 308 GTB GrpIV - Arnaud Gauduel / Nicolas Missillier

A red Ferrari on the special stage.

9th - 258 - BMW 3.0 CSL - Jean-Claude Basso / Robert Verber

Basso was back with his BMW on the Tour Auto.

10th - 287 - Alpine Renault A310 V6 GrpIV - Gérard Besson / Marie-Odile Besson

A fast A310.

11th - 277 - BMW 3,0 CSL - Alexandre Guesdon / Sébastien Seveau

BMW 3.0 CSL powers out of a tight turn.

12th - 276 - Alpine Renault A110 1800 GrpIV - Richard Doux / Jean-Francois Laveil

ES1 Sinotte near Auxerre.

The A110 being introduced to the crowds in Nuits-Saint-Georges

John Etherton asserts his copyright to all of the photos on this blogpost.  However, you may post the photos elsewhere on the web as long as you credit the photographer, John Etherton, and this blog post, Rouenlesafx@blogspot.com and provide a link to this page.

John Etherton affirme son droit d'auteur à l'ensemble des photos sur ce billet de blog. Cependant, vous pouvez poster des photos ailleurs sur le web aussi longtemps que vous créditez le photographe, John Etherton, et ce blog, Rouenlesafx@blogspot.com et fournissez un lien vers cette page.

Simca engined CG Proto 548 that led its group.

Famous French rally driver Bob Neyret drove this Citroen SM.

Lovely to see some Ford Capri 2600RS cars on the Tour.

2018 Tour Auto - Competition cars 1966 to 1971 - Etape 1

Fourth placed BMW 2800 CS driving through the wine towm of Nuits-Saint-Georges, with a vine helping frame the car.

The Tour Auto Optic 2000 cars of 1966 to 1971 are really from my era as this was the period when I first became interested in motor racing.  It was lovely to see a couple of Ford GT40 MkIIs lead this category, even if the disappointment was not to see the Matra MS650 turn up as it had blown its engine the week before.  The pictures below are of the top dozen cars in order of classification after the first day.  Pictures were taken on the ES1 Sinotte special stage near Auxerre and in Nuits-Saint-Georges the famous Burgundian wine town.

1st.  272 – Ford GT40 MkII – Patrick Hautot /Sylvian Cantrel

The leading Ford Gt40 MkII on the ES1 special stage.

The Ford Gt40 in Nuits-Saint-Georges.

2^nd.  263 – Ford GT40 MkII – Philippe Vandromme/Frédéric Vivier

Beautiful Ford GT40 negotiating a tight corner on the Special Stage.

Fprd GT40 MkII in Nuits-Saint-George.

3rd.  247 – BMW 2800 CS – Richard Depargneux/Eric Joyeux

BMW under the careful scrutiny of the spectators on ES1.

BMW 2800 CS in Nuits-Saint-Georges.

4th.  257 – BMW 2800 CS – Alexandre Delaye

5^th.  237 – Alfa Romeo 1750 GTAM – Jean-Baptiste Repellin

The Alfa passing a wine shop in Nuits-Saint-George.

Purposeful looking Alfa exits a slow corner on ES1.

6^th.  223 – Alfa Romeo Giulia Sprint GTA – Tim Meinrenken/Fynn Schroder

Another Alfa on the special stage.

7^th.  231 – Porsche 911 2.2L S – Ivan Vercoutere/Charles Rupp

The top Porsche in this age category.

A Porsche driving through the tight streets of Nuits-Saint-Georges.

8^th.  178 - Alfa Romeo Giulia Sprint GT – Olivier Pernaut/Margot Laffite

Jacques Laffite's daughter , Margot, was co-driver in this Alfa.

9^th.  168 – Austin Cooper S 1300 – Philippe Belin/Dominique Rosello

Mini-Cooper understeering through a fast corner.

A very fast Mini-Cooper on the special stage.

10^th.  198 – Renault 8 Gordini – Gérard Salat/Jean-Pierre Biggi

The Gordini exits a fast corner on ES1

Nice to see a French Renault Gordini in the top ten.

11^th.  187 – Porsche 911 S 2.2L – David Pastor/Jean-Philippe Braconnier

Porsche braking for a tight right hander.

12th.  227 – BMW 2002 – Jean-Francois Barre/Christophe de Bouet du Portal

The BMW negotiating the tight right hander.

John Etherton asserts his copyright to all of the photos on this blogpost.  However, you may post the photos elsewhere on the web as long as you credit the photographer, John Etherton, and this blog post, Rouenlesafx@blogspot.com and provide a link to this page.

John Etherton affirme son droit d'auteur à l'ensemble des photos sur ce billet de blog. Cependant, vous pouvez poster des photos ailleurs sur le web aussi longtemps que vous créditez le photographe, John Etherton, et ce blog, Rouenlesafx@blogspot.com et fournissez un lien vers cette page.

2018 Tour Auto - Régularité

1958 Osca Maserati 750 Sport

About 112 of the competitors in the Tour Auto Optic 2000 take part in the Regularity category.  This means that they compete in terms of keeping to a set average speed rather than competing on outright speed.  Thus a Citroen 2CV can compete with a Lancia Stratos.   For the spectators on the Tour Auto this category is rather nice as we get to see a much greater variety of cars.  As with all the cars competing in the Tour Auto the cars must be of a type that competed in the original Tour de France Automobile between 1951 and 1973.  Below are ten of my favourite regularity cars from this year’s event.  I took the pictures on the first day at either Dijon-Prenois or in Nuits-Saint-Georges.

An unlikely Tour Auto car - a 1951/2 Citroen 2CV Type  A of French team Allain/Puyal.

The Argentinian team of Hinrichsen/Mayo and their beautiful 1957 Maserati 200 SI

Not a car you see very often - a 1951 Nash Healey Roadster of the Grahams. 

1968 Alfa Romeo 1750 GTV

1973 Dino 246 GT

1974 Saab 96 Rallye 1700S

1957 Ferrari 250 GT Boano

1971 Lancia Fulvia 1600 HF

1956 Jaguar Xk140 Coupe

1976 Peugeot 504 Berline

1951 Peugeot 203

1974 Lancia Stratos

1958 Aston Martin DB2/4 MkIII

1963 Ferrari 250 GT Lusso

John Etherton asserts his copyright to all of the photos on this blogpost.  However, you may post the photos elsewhere on the web as long as you credit the photographer, John Etherton, and this blog post, Rouenlesafx@blogspot.com and provide a link to this page.

John Etherton affirme son droit d'auteur à l'ensemble des photos sur ce billet de blog. Cependant, vous pouvez poster des photos ailleurs sur le web aussi longtemps que vous créditez le photographe, John Etherton, et ce blog, Rouenlesafx@blogspot.com et fournissez un lien vers cette page.

The 1958 Osca Maserati being refuelled in Nuits-Saint-Georges.