Welcome to the first ever electronic only version of the magazine – at least at this stage – the committee looks eagerly for your feedback and we will consider whether we should retrospectively publish this when we can get out!
We are all in unchartered ground and it is difficult to know what to write. As I write this on the 30th of March it seems to be in the distant past that a number of us attended the Brit and Euro show. It was a wonderful day with many many vehicles on display. Our club, thanks to the organisation of Don Howarth, managed to display a 404, a 306, a 405 & 406, 2 505s, 3 205s, a 308 and a 504, you can see them on our Facebook page. Club member Donald Webster was displaying his Renault Alpine next to us with a few other delectable Renaults. Citroen were on the other side of them again. How many weeks if not months will it be before we can meet and greet like that again.
On the subject of the Brit Euro, I caused a bit of a stir amongst those that know me. I washed, polished and vacuum cleaned my car, as well as a few other cleaning activities. Many of you who have known me for the approximate 20+ years I have been in the club have never seen evidence of this before. I ran Don Howarth’s hand across the paint and he almost fainted, such was the shock to feel polish. It was so convincing that when one of Mandy’s closest friends happened upon my in-laws John and Wendy at the show, she took a photo of them. They were coincidentally standing in front of my car and sent it to us with a “look who I saw” email to us. None of them recognised my car and when I pointed it out that it was nice they had posed in front of it, they confessed that all three of them had no idea. They too had never seen a car of mine that clean, and all of them have known me longer than I have been in the club!
Donald and his 1971 Renault Alpine has also starred in the March issue of New Zealand Classic Car. Another Peugeot personality known to a few of you, Tony Haycock, was interviewed for a piece on “how are French classic cars faring in New Zealand?” An interesting read with Tony giving his opinion on Peugeots amongst others. He reckons you can’t go past a 404 or 504. Dave (I know him as David) Jones of Auto France is interviewed and throws his comments in too declaring that “French cars appeal to a very select group of car enthusiasts. People that love Citroens, Peugeots and Renaults appreciate those brands’ unique take on car manufacturing and they want something different to the next guy.” My experience that also applies to a few guyess’s as well – does that description apply to any of you or maybe all of you? My only complaint about the article is that it shows three beautiful photos of Citroens, it would have been good to have one of the other brands mentioned in the photos too! Elsewhere in the magazine the editorial staff double dipped with
Donald Webster again featuring with his 106 Rallye in the Daily Driver section. This is a good read; if you haven’t got it already you might like to get a copy from the supermarket, as it is all that is still open that you could visit. I got mine from Countdown as part of my Lockdown preparations.
We haven’t bothered putting anything out, the government has done a good job of broadcasting it for us, but tomorrow (March 31) we will not be attending the trivia night at the Horse and Trap. I personally, and I suspect many of you too, do not believe it will only be a four week lockdown.
Therefore I think you can also consider that the drive we mentioned in previous issues of Peugeotex will also not happen. I have even heard some people thinking we will be in Lockdown till November, so it maybe that we can’t have an AGM this year – at least in the normal timeframe and the Pride of Ownership may also be deferred or cancelled. I guess it is a ‘Watch this space.”
I sincerely hope I haven’t depressed anyone with the talk of a long lockdown, it wasn’t my intent. What I would like to hear is that we all survive it and get to see each other on the other side. See you again in more sociable times. In the meantime hunt down that copy of the March NZ Classic Car; it is a good read.
Brent