Paris, Grand Palais 22nd of April
This year's Tour Auto Optic 2000 is just around the corner, today
no less than 250 cars entered the Grand Palais in central Paris
for the scrutineering of the five days event. In its 22nd edition the
Tour Auto (based on the history of the Tour de France
Automobile) again attracted a good field both in the regularity
classes and the competition classes.
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As many entrants are regular to the TA many cars are known
from previous editions and very well prepared by the hoard of
accompanying mechanics. Typical cars in the regularity are
numerous Jaguar XK, several Porsche 356 and 911 but also some
rarer sports cars like the duo of Lancia Stratos. For those
preferring the sportier gait in three competition classes Alfa
Romeo GTAs are lined up, a lot of Porsche 911 in their 50th
anniversary year and a swarm of Renault Alpine A110.
The big bangers include a duo of De Tomaso Pantera in race trim,
several AC Cobra and Ford GT40 but also more sophisticated
racers from Zuffenhausen with the 906/910 prototypes being
featured car of the event. One of the top cars is without doubt the
very rare Cobra Daytona Coupé that was seen on the race track
in the past but rarely on public roads.
Another feature of this year is the Centenary of the British marque
Aston Martin and several DB2 variations are joined by a quartet of
DB4GT. Unfortunately their main opponent back in the early
sixties, the Ferrari 250 GT SWB became a rare sight at the Tour
Auto due to the ever increasing value of the cars, just years after
more than a dozen of cars running the jubilee Tour just 2 of them
found their way to Paris this weekend. For the first time in the last
years this event does not feature a single 250 GTO, not really a
surprise as last year's feature also just attracted one car running
the whole Tour.
So again it is up to several 275 GTB and a couple of Dino 246 GT
to represent the Cavallino Rampante. They were lined up around
the centre display from Maranello with their latest representative,
the LaFerrari unveiled later that afternoon in the Grand Palais.
Tomorrow will see the early start at 6:15 in Paris to lead the
convoy out of the city before the traffic gets the usual mess. The
official start will be at the Chateau de Dampierre west of Paris for
the first leg. The rally again leads through France in 5 legs on
about 2000 km with visits of no less than 4 race tracks and
numerous special stages, the first stop tomorrow will be at Le
Mans on the Circuit Bugatti for the first timed race events. The
journey will then lead south east for the first arrival in Orleans. In
the next days further stops will be at Vichy, Albi, Limoges and
finally on Saturday the arrival at the Atlantic coast at La Rochelle.
After Le Mans further races will be on the French Grand Prix
circuit in Magny Cours, in Albi and at Val de Vienne.
We will report on the whole Tour and try to keep you up to date
with daily reports from the road and small image galleries from the
interesting places in the French countryside.
Report & images ... Peter Singhof
www.ClassicCarPhotography.de
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