Today is "Bastille Day"

[McAnnik]

       To those with a Francophile bent!     Happy Bastille Day.    O.K. you say! this site is all about Italian cars, agreed, I see your point But,Ettore Bugatti was an Italian who built his famous racing cars in Mulsanne, France..........and ALFA ROMEO  asembled a few 6c 1750's in Paris in the early 1930's....just in case you didn't know!!!!.......................cheers.

[Evan Bottcher]

Wikipedia:

The company that became Alfa Romeo was founded as Società Anonima Italiana Darracq (SAID) in 1906 by the French automobile firm of Alexandre Darracq, with some Italian investors. In late 1909, the Italian Darracq cars were selling slowly and a new company was founded named A.L.F.A. (Anonima Lombarda Fabbrica Automobili, English: Lombard Automobile Factory, Public Company), initially still in partnership with Darracq. The first non-Darracq car produced by the company was the 1910 24 HP, designed by Giuseppe Merosi.

More than a little French origin there.

[colcol]

I know its Bastille day, as i am reminded of how much i hate Jaegar French made Speedometers as seen in Alfa 33's, accurate at 50 klms per hour, 7% out at 100klms per hour, [fast],  swapped it to another, and it was accurate at 50klms per hour, 7% out at 100 klms per hour except slow.
They have a different speedo in the series 2 Alfa 33, 87 - 90, but it takes a bit of cutting, but it can be made to fit and its a bit more reliable, but on the 83 - 87 series 1, 33 the speedo goes to 200 kays, the series 2 winds out to 240 kays, [as if], and the important 40 - 60 klms per hour gets obscured by the steering wheel, but despite this rant, i still love French cars for their quirkyness, except Simca's they were more for Cortina drivers, anybody remember the Centura and the Tagora?, Colin.

[McAnnik]

Evan,  I didn't want to delve back in history  as far as your essay to prove a  point,but this morning i polished up my Bugatti badge,(all that remains of my type 38 Bug,) and shouted "Viva Le Marque" which was drowned out by the popping of corks of some cheap French plonk to wash down the croissants! ..................................................  Colin! yes French Jaeger speedos are mostly fast, like the (quirky) ladies I've been told! but the Simca Aronde and like ilk were Fiat 1100 derivitives built under licence and very effective rally cars in their day until the advent of R8 Gordinis...............And so on.......................................Ian                                                                                                                  PS.    And Alfa Romeo also assembled Renault Dauphines in Naples  (well before they built the Sud.)                     

[Evan Bottcher]

Evviva per il francese!