We attended the fourth annual Ventabren Retro Passion show that took place a few weeks ago in the south of France.
It remains a small, regional event but it’s growing in size every year and drawing cars from further and further away. What we like about the show is that it takes place in a wooded area, not on a mundane grocery store parking lot. And, it tends to offer an eclectic selection of cars.
This year, some of the highlights included a Neckar Jagst 2 (essentially a Fiat 600 built under license in Germany), a small herd of NSUs, a rarely-seen Toyota Celica, and a super-clean Volvo 740; if memory serves we’ve never seen one at a car show here before. It’s another sign that cars from the 1980s are quickly making the transition from cheap beaters to collector’s items.
We also liked the white Renault 5 Turbo 2 with patina and a handful of battle scars. Renault 5 Turbo 2s are a dime a dozen at shows like this, believe it or not, but most are fully restored and/or customized in one way or another. This one has been driven hard since new and it shows. The Renault 15/17 club was out in full force, and you’ve already seen the Peugeot 304 Coupe hot rod.
We’ve compiled a gallery of the more interesting cars displayed during the show. Enjoy, and let us know if you want more photos of a specific car.