Retail Therapy

February 18, 2014
Story By
John Brooks

The Avenue des Champs-Élysées in the heart of Paris is an impressive piece of real estate, from Place de la Concorde to Place Charles de Gaulle and the Arc de Triomphe it stretches for almost two kilometres.

It is home to many upmarket shops in the manner of other temples of retailing like Rodeo Drive and Regent Street but unlike those posh locations it has something to offer to the automotive enthusiast. Well to be fair there is a Concours on Father's day in Beverly Hills and recently Regent Street has put on a Motor Show, closing the road on a Saturday in November, but there is no permanent exhibition or outlet. Actually in Paris there is not one, but five showrooms acting as brand ambassadors to the well heeled in search of something special and perhaps with a uniquely Gallic flair.

Starting the journey at the Arc de Triomphe the first outlet that one comes to is surprisingly not French but Japanese, that of Toyota. The central theme of their display was that of hybrid technology and its application in our daily drives. With governments in both Europe and North America mandating massive reductions in new car fuel consumption by 2025 this technology will become increasingly familiar and commonplace.

The Toyota A-BAT truck has been around for a while now, combining a compact pick up truck with a family vehicle, so practical if not styled to everyone's taste. A-BAT stands for Advanced-Breakthrough Aerodynamic Truck with a unitary construction instead of the separate cab, cargo bed and steel ladder frame more usually seen in trucks of all sizes. Clever use of the space allows large items to be carried. Power is provided by Toyota’s Hybrid Synergy Drive and it is intended to operate in all environments. It was aimed at the American market but the financial crisis of 2008/2009 meant that the project was put on hold, but there are rumours that it might rise from the ashes.

A world away from the A-BAT but still a hybrid at the cutting edge of technology is the TS 030. This is the 2013-spec Le Mans racer that pushed Audi so hard in the past two seasons. New rules and another motorsport giant in the form of Porsche will be the story in 2014, how will Toyota fare against the Germans is a question yet to be answered.

Another concept on display was the i-unit personal transport device. First seen at the Frankfurt Auto Show in 2005 it shows the direction that Toyota's engineers are working towards when considering the transportation needs of 21st century mankind.

A few doors down L'Atelier Renault is to be found. Here, in a building purchased by Louis Renault back in 1910, is a combination of a restaurant/cafe with a boutique selling Renault merchandise. 'So French' is the current logo, that might not have the intended effect in certain places but let's move swiftly on.

Naturally there are a few cars on display, from the Renault powered Red Bull in which Sebastian Vettel dominated Grand Prix racing in 2013.

Much more to my taste is the Étoile Filante or Shooting Star. This car was Renault's only attempt on a Land Speed Record, when back in 1956 it was timed at 191 mph on Bonneville Salt Flats, taking the title for gas turbine engined vehicles.

For those who are not interested in cars or food there are other distractions such as these fashionable slippers known as CARentaise, a French pun on footwear known as charentaise. At €80 a pop they are not cheap but are hand made using old techniques dating back some 350 years.

Of course the shop also carries more conventional lines such as models, books and clothing, the coffee is pretty good too.

Crossing the boulevard the next brand encountered is Citroën in one of the more intriguing displays on the Champs-Élysées. Ten years ago the company took back its building from a restaurant chain and commissioned one of France's leading architects, Manuelle Gautrand, to create a bold statement reflecting Citroën's idiosyncratic brand.

She followed her brief and this location offers a dramatic portrait of the marque that has given us such icons as the Traction Avant, the Deux Chevaux (2CV), the DS 19 and the SM.

The climb up five flights of stairs was rewarded with a rare jewel, a prototype Citroën DS21 Coupé powered by a 6 cylinder light alloy unit from the recently acquired Maserati factory. The car finished second in the 1972 Chamonix 24 Hours ice race in the hands of rally champion Björn Waldegaard. The DS21 was being used as a test bed for seeing how the Maserati engine would work with a Citroën chassis, the fabulous Citroën SM was in its planning stage.

In the basement was another rally car, this time with the true pedigree of a champion's ride. It is the 2013 Citroën DS3 WRC that took Sébastien Loeb to two wins in his final season in the World Rally Championship. Loeb is the most successful rally driver of all time with nine World Championships and a record of 78 victories in 14 years at the top. He is one of the true superstars of motor sport.

Only in Paris could you find a couple of likely lads offering 20 minutes in a Lamborghini Gallardo or a Ferrari California for €89, seems almost too good to be true does this Dream on Board, but it does show that the spirit of private enterprise is not totally extinguished in France.

Leaving the Gallic flavour behind, the next port of call was another familiar name, that of Mercedes-Benz. Their theme for the month was 'Iconic Stars! and one would have to admit that a 300SL certainly fits that description.

The G Wagen, imposing as it is, probably does not meet that criteria.

The Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG, does fit and is a worthy descendant of the 300SL

The final stop on this journey tracing automobilia on the Avenue des Champs-Élysées was another traditional French brand, Peugeot. It would appear to be just the place to pick up a fire tender, should that float your boat.

There was the usual example of motoring history on display. This time it was the record breaking Peugeot 404 Diesel that racked up 40 records in 1965 on the Autodrome de Montlhéry. The usual merchandise was on display for sale, including pepper mills, something that Peugeot made back in the 1850's before the first automobile. If you get a spare hour or two in Paris and have run out of enthusiasm for the Louvre, then a trip along to the Avenue des Champs-Élysées to see the car guys is well worth the time. Best of all it is free, unless you really have to have those slippers...

Retail Therapy

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