2011 Avignon Motor Festival part one: not just the usual suspects.

The 9th annual Avignon Motor Festival closed its doors on Sunday night after a rainy last day. As with every year the event is divided up into three parts. The first is the parts and model car swap meet, the second is the auction and the third is the collection parking lot, where participants who show up in a classic car can display it and get half off the entry price.

The most impressive part of this year's show was the growing number of late-1970s, 1980s and even early-1990s cars on display. Until recently these so-called "youngtimers" were shunned from events like this in favor of more traditional classics but times change: Citroen Tractions are interesting but they're ancient history. 2CVs and air-cooled Volkswagens are hideously expensive and Dauphines, 403s and the like are almost 60 years old. There are less and less of them to go around, parts are harder to find and as the overall interest in them wanes a little, younger collectors move on to different cars, cars that they remember from their childhood and that are still relatively affordable.

This is the beginning of a new wave of classic cars and some of the first ones to surf it are the cars featured below. Enjoy the photos and get your hands on these while you still can.

Mercedes-Benz 240D (w123):

Mercedes-Benz 230CE (w123):

Mercedes-Benz 560SEL (w126):

Fiat Abarth Ritmo 130TC:

Alfa Romeo Spider (916 series):

Volkswagen Golf & Golf GTI (mk1):

Volkswagen Golf GTI G60 (mk2):

Peugeot 205 CTi:

Citroen AX GT:

Citroen XM:

Citroen CX (mk2):

Saab 900:

Ran When Parked's used car lot.

Welcome to Ran When Parked’s used car lot. Please, have a Seat:

We have some great deals on the finest selection of certified pre-owned vehicles anywhere. Take this w202 C180 station wagon, the perfect blend of luxury and cargo space. It comes with complete service records like any used Benz should. This car has been pampered all its life!

So you’re thinking, “Ran When Parked, I like the C180, I like it a lot, but I want something more luxurious”? Well, step up to a BMW X6. A car that stands out from the crowd and has an interior upholstered with the skin from an entire herd of cattle. Still under factory warranty but it has been slightly (and tastefully) modified by its last owner, including a custom paint job and a slightly lowered suspension:

The Peugeot 104 is perfect for crowded cities. It gets phenomenal gas mileage and can easily park anywhere. But it has two vocations: it can easily be transformed into a small rocket that’s perfect for auto crossing and hill climbs. That’s what we’re offering you today, a ZS 2 replica with period-correct accessories such as bucket seats and specific 13” rims. This car is ready to bring home the trophy.

If you follow the collector car market, you’ve noticed a growing segment called “youngtimers” or “young classic cars”. One of the cars leading this movement is the Volkswagen Golf I GTI and we have a stellar example for sale today. This car is 100% original, it’s never been restored and is a real eye catcher in red.

What’s there not to like about a 2001 Renault Twingo? Your heart will tell you to buy it for its huggable yet frog-like looks. Your brain will tell you to buy it because it’s the most stolen car in France so you benefit from great rebates on used parts. It’s a win-win situation!

This Simca 1100 VF2 is a new arrival on our lot. It’s the automotive equivalent of the mullet: business in the front, party in the back. Allow us elaborate. This car is powered by an austere 1118 cc four-cylinder borrowed from the Simca 1100. But, the back is cavernous and can carry just about anything you can throw at it; whether you’re going surfing or helping your brother in law renovate his house, this VF2 will take you there and back with all of your stuff. As a bonus, this car’s last owner used it to deliver bread in a village so it has very low miles, it’s absolutely like-new.

Finally, for those with a small budget we have two cars at very special prices, prices so low we can’t even print them. Choose a Citroen GS with its hydropneumatique suspension for its comfort or a Renault 12 station wagon for its practicality:

Come in today, we finance anyone! No credit, bad credit, credit card not in your name, these are all problems we can work around.

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Please note these cars are not ours or actually for sale.

Readers' emails: 1948 Peugeot 202 UH.

About a year and a half ago we featured a photograph of this 1948 Peugeot 202 UH at a car show:


The car and its owner were both well-known in the local car scene. The 202 was for sale in 2009 and that's about the last we heard of it until yesterday when we got an email from the car's new owner, Manfred Luft. He bought it in Marseille in July 2009 and kindly sent us some pictures of it in its new home in Germany:

The car is in good hands, Manfred has driven it about 4,000 kms since buying it and enjoys every minute of it.

What Lies Beneath: The controversial PRV engine (Part 3)

The PRV engine is indeed controversial. Many Volvo enthusiasts will insist it was terrible and reference the bullet-proof "red-block" four-cylinders, while many French car fans will claim it wasn't so bad, and after all, a PRV powered Peugeot reached 253 mph at LeMans. DeLorean owners have often lamented that the engine claimed the life of their DMC-12 in a devastating self-destructive blaze, while those who owned PRV powered Dodge Monacos or Eagle Premiers probably didn't care enough about their cars one way or another.

In spite of its many applications and long production run, the PRV engine was in many ways, a compromise. Originally, the Peugeot-Renault-Volvo alliance was to design a V8 for their more high-end cars. However, the great "Gas Wars" of the 1970s led to the first compromise - adoption of a V6 design instead. As a result of already having started work on a V8 design by that time, the 90º architecture of carried over to the V6 - a second compromise. Furthermore, another compromise was chosen to solve the uneven timing generated by arranging the 6 cylinders at 90º as opposed to the more logical 60º format of most V6s. This was the initial choice to use uneven ignition timing, or, "odd firing" rather than more complex split crankshaft journals.

Technologically these "compromises" led to a rather interestingly designed engine. Though the execution of the Franco-Swedish engineering that went into the lump wasn't always of the highest standards, we can only assume that they meant well. So, let us examine what lies beneath the hoods of so many European (and some American) vehicles produced between 1974 and 1998.

To start off, the somewhat confusing geometric issues surrounding the PRV's design should be explained. With any engine having an odd number of cylinders across a geometric plane, an inherent balance problem arises. (For the sake of discussion, let us assume that we're only talking about 4-cycle engines here.) For a single piston to complete one full cycle (intake, compression, power, and exhaust) the crankshaft which it connects to must rotate two full times making a total of 720º. Since the power stroke obviously puts the most torque or "power" on the crank and the other strokes actually use power, there is a significant imbalance generated in the rotation. With the addition of a second cylinder to the process, the imbalance is counteracted by another cycle during which the power strokes are opposite of each other.
For example, a two cylinder, such as say a horizontally-opposed BMW motorcycle engine has one power stroke for every rotation of the crankshaft and the cylinders are arranged across a single (horizontal) plane and therefore one cylinder helps balance the other, though there is still a "dead" spot where neither cylinder is under a power stroke. A horizontally-opposed four cylinder such as a VW Type 1, could be argued as the ideal format for a 4-cylinder since every cylinder is on the same plane as well as balanced with one at an opposite point in the cycle. So, for two cylinders, and subsequently, groups of 4, the geometry is based quite nicely on 90º  angles:

720º / 2 = 360º  (BMW engine)
720º / 4 = 180º  (VW engine)
720º / 8 =  90º   (most V8 engines)

The 90º V8, is therefore inherently smooth because every time a cylinder fires, the "pulsing" tendencies of a reciprocating engine are reduced. Not only is there a balance from side-to-side between the cylinder banks, but also from front-to-back due to a grouping of four cylinders along each geometric plane. (there are cross-plane crank and flat-plane crank V8 engines, but that, of course, is another story)  In the case of our PRV engine, we can see why the 90º angle was chosen when it was originally planned as a V8.
With any V6, the aforementioned balance issue arises due to there being three cylinders across each plane, but in the case of a 90º V6, a problem with timing arises as well. There are groupings of two cylinders separated by 90° of rotation, and groups separated by 150° of rotation, thus causing a firing imbalance. In a V6 engine, the ideal angle is 120º since the rotation of the crankshaft must be divided into thirds in order for two cylinders to share a crank journal. At this angle, the ignition timing is "symetrical" and the cylinders fire at 120º increments of crank rotation. Since such a wide angle is generally not practical for many applications, it's most common to find 60º V6s which, for the same reasons of timing and balance, is nearly as preferable.

Comparison of 60º vs. 90º V6 block and split-journal crank geometry

 

To adopt the six cylinder format to an existing 90º block design, the journals of the crank could be splayed or split by 30º, which can be difficult to engineer since it can weaken the crank and also requires rather complex and more expensive machining. Alternatively to split journals, an "odd" firing order can be adopted to ensure each cylinder fires at its optimal point, regardless of the position of its 'mate' cylinder. This is not necessarily the optimal solution in terms of smoothness, however it is cheaper. It would not be until a full decade after PRV production started that the second generation of the design appeared with split journals in 1984.

 Illustration showing splayed crank journals

At the time of its introduction, the PRV could be built with three different ignition systems. The most basic of which was a breaker-type ignition using a single distributor with two rotors and two coils for each cylinder bank due to the odd-firing pattern. Timing of the two cylinder banks had to be performed separately. Alternatively, a breakerless distributor system was developed, and finally a fully electronic system did away with the distributor completely.

Distributor showing position of plug wire attachment at cap which mimics crank splay

Fuel delivery wasn't any more simple on the PRV. Engines, such as those used on some Peugeots, used two different Solex carburetors attached to a single manifold. One carb was a single-barrel which supplied fuel under light loads and idle. A second dual-barrel then supplied the bulk of the mixture, having each barrel serve mostly one bank with a cross-flow channel between them. The single barrel acted as sort-of the "control" carb, and the double barrel was actuated via diaphragm. Many owners have opted to convert to Webers, or other less troublesome carbs.
Alternatively, and arguably better, Bosch K-Jetronic fuel injection was more common, though some applications were equipped with Renix (Renault-Bendix) fuel injection. In any configuration, the PRV could never really be considered a model of fuel efficiency, and was often noted for its lust for fuel.

The PRV came in a variety of displacements ranging from 2.4 to 3.0 litres. Peugeot and Renault in particular were the most active parties in the partnership in terms of modifying the design over the years. Renault turbocharged it, and Peugeot developed 24-valve variants. The 24-valve versions in particular were known for cam and tappet wear unfortunately. A bit of success came in the form of the WM Peugeot P88 sports racer. It developed over 900hp (up to 950 hp) with dual overhead cams and turbocharging - taking the car to the 253 mph course speed record at LeMans that year.

As one can see, the French were much more interested in the PRV. Volvo, despite of their investment in the project, pulled out of the partnership all together by 1990. The last PRV engine was built in 1998 after more than 970,000 were produced in the 24 year run. With ever increasing restrictions on economy and emissions, as well as the fast-paced development currently going on in the automotive industry, it is unlikely that such powerplant will ever be made again

Specifications of the early PRV from a period technical paper written by the PRV engineers:

Cylinders	90° V6
Bore and Stroke	88 x 73 mm.
Displacement	2664 cm3
Cylinder Bore Spacing	108 mm.
Compression Ratio	8.65/l - Europe 8.2/1 - USA
Camshaft	One overhead camshaft per bank (One separate chain drives each of the camshafts)
Crankcase	Die-cast aluminum
Crankshaft	Graphite spheroidal cast-iron
Main Bearing Diameter	70 mm.
Crankpin Bearing Diameter	52.3 mm.
Connecting Rods	Forged
Lubrication	Geared pump
Capacity	6 dm3
Oil pump output @ RPM	14 dm3 @ 1000 RPM
Filter	Full flow
Cooling System	Liquid
Valve Timing	Left Bank / Right Bank
Intake opens BTDC	9° / 7°
Intake closes ABDC	45° / 43°
Exhaust opens  BRDC	45° / 43°
Exbaust closes ATDC	9° / 7°
Ignition
Firing order	1-6-3-5-2-4 1 2 3 4 5 6
Length (L)	466,5 mm. (Distance between first belt working plane and clutch disc friction areas - See Figure 18)
Height (H)	623 mm. (Distance between oil pan and upper air intake areas of carburetors - see Figure 19)
Width (W)	632 mm. (Total width measured at level of the exhaust manifolds - See Figure 19)
Weight	156 kg. (Total weight of carburetor European version - with air filter, flywheel, water pump, alternator, fluid drive type cooling fan, starter motor and oil, but without engine mounts and brackets)
Performance Data of Existing Versions:
Gross horsepower (DIN)	125-140 HP
Gross torque (DIN)	20-21.5 daN.

V6 block comparison illustration I.R. Rothwell 2010 - other illustrations and photos are modified from period technical illustrations.

Peugeot 504 Coupe.

Several readers correctly identified the mystery car: it's a Peugeot 504 coupe.

The Peugeot 504 sedan was introduced in 1968 to replace the aging 404 sedan, though the 404 had such a loyal following that production carried on until 1975. The 504 was all-new but not shocking; it was the logical evolution of the 404. It had a modern, austere body and kept the same rear-wheel drive layout as the 404 but a four-wheel independent suspension system improved its handling.

The next year Peugeot introduced a coupe and a convertible version of the 504, both equipped with a 1796cc four-cylinder. The designed was penned by Pininfarina and differed from the stark 504 sedan. The Pininfarina dress gave the coupe and convertible an elegant, sporty look that was an instant hit in the European automobile press. With the notable exception of rust-proofing the built quality was above par; the 504 continued the 404's tradition of reliability and the entire line stood in a different league than other more haphazardly built cars of the era. All of this came at a price: in 1976 a 504 V6 coupe cost 55,900 francs. To put it in perspective, that same year a base-model 504 sedan cost 28,350 francs and the flagship 604 sedan 47,500 francs, making the 504 coupe the most expensive Peugeot of the 1970s.

The 504 coupe's biggest drawback was its lack of performance: initially only the 1795cc straight-four was available, mated to either a four-speed manual or a three-speed automatic. The advantage of this engine was its impressive fuel economy but it made the 504 more of a touring car to drive at a leisurely pace than sports car like an Alfa Romeo 2000 GTV (which, for the record, cost a little less than a Peugeot 504 coupe.) In 1971 the 1796cc grew to 1971cc (104hp) and like the 1796cc could be ordered with fuel injection. The bigger engine paired with a mechanical Kugelfischer fuel injection helped remedy the performance issue a little but not enough to cater to customer demands.

Tired of losing sales to German and Italian competition Peugeot fought back in 1974. They stuffed their 2664cc PRV (Peugeot Renault Volvo) V6 engine in the 504 coupe and created the antithesis to the four-banger: with 136 hp under the hood the 504 V6 coupe was fairly quick but because of its prodigious fuel consumption the economy aspect was lost. In conjuction with the availability of the PRV engine Peugeot slightly redesigned the coupe's headlights, grille and taillights.

Throughout the 1970s Peugeot successfully fielded both four and six-cylinder 504 coupes (and sedans, for that matter) in rallyes across Africa, including the Sahara Rally which the car won in 1978. This solidified the car's reliability reputation.

In 1979 the 504 coupe got its third facelift and saw its metal bumpers replaced with plastic body-colored units. That same year a five-speed manual gearbox was finally available on the four-cylinder engines.

The quiet but comfortable production run of the coupe ended in 1983 after 22,975 of them left Peugeot's assembly lines. The 505 sedan carried on the 504 sedan's torch but the 504 coupe saw its light burn out when Peugeot opted to not produce a 505 coupe.


A first series 504 coupe:


A second series 504 coupe, notice the tail lights are different than the first series above:

A third series 504 coupe with body-colored plastic bumpers:

In rally action:

Avignon Motor Festival 2010.

In no particuliar order here are some shots from the Motor Festival that took place last week in Avignon:

Trio of Fiat 500s:

CG 1200S:
Matra 530:

Fiat 128:

Citroen DS and Volkswagen Type 2:

Alfa Romeo Alfetta Sports Sedan:

Mercedes-Benz 280CE:

Alfa Romeo 8C Spider:

Panhard Dyna Z:

Marcos GT3:

Fiat Dino:

Early Citroen 2CV:

Renault 5 Turbo:

Simca 1200S:

What in my opinion was the most interesting car of the show, an Autobianchi Primula Coupe S:

Morgan Aero 8:

Fiat 850:

Citroen GS and Citroen GSA:

Citroen SM:

Renault-Alpine A310:

Peugeot Dangel 504 4x4:

BMW 700:

Air-cooled Citroens from left to right: Ami 6, GS, Ami Super. The Ami Super was an interesting car: the body of an Ami 8 with a 1015cc flat-four borrowed from the GS's parts bin instead of the standard 602cc flat-two.

Renault 17 Gordini:

Citroen GS break in the foreground and GS Birotor (with a Wankel engine) in the background:

Specially-bodied Peugeot 404 with a 1948cc four cylinder diesel that drove for 72 straight hours on the Montlhery Autodrome at an average speed of 161km/h (100mph), covering a grand total of 11,627 kilometers (7,224 miles). It broke 19 world records and set 3 new records:

Lancia Delta Integrale:

If you want the high resolution version of a photo above or more photos from the show please email us at ranwhenparked -at- hotmail -dot- com.