– by George Dyke
Rendezvous never fails to be a memorable adventure for me, and I suspect all Citroën aficionados that attend each year: sometimes caused by rain, sometimes by unexpected mechanical failure. We took measures to ensure that the 34th Rendezvous would be unforgettable on a number of fronts. It started early for the me this year, as I ventured out in my SM and met up with 10 other SM owners for the 40th Anniversary photo shoot in Buffalo, NY, and then a group convoy of SMs to Saratoga Springs.
View the 2011 Rendezvous photo gallery here.
View the SM owners 40th Anniversary photo gallery here.
One of the highlights for me at Rendezvous was the screening of a film on Friday night that fully documented Citroën’s construction of the GS. And equally fascinating were the workers on the assembly line. I’m pretty sure that the labor force was a trifle more immigrant laden than the predominantly white french work force depicted in the film. Nonetheless, the routines they performed, leading in the rear quarter panels, making the suspension and brake lines, walking along with moving seats to insert bungee rubber doughnuts, each task was really interesting to see from that era. And we all gasped when the workers in the paint shop, hardly protected while they worked, simply wiped down their hands, faces and hair directly with paint remover. Doing this five days a week must have been a health hazard.
Saturday it was the usual show field; – a very hot and sunny one this year. Packed with Citroëns and, not surprisingly, a healthy turnout of SM’s and a few GS’s, two of which were owned by Manny Motashaw and made their North American debut. A Peugeot or two were welcome additions to the event as was a Maserati Khamsin. Best of show awards were bestowed on the winners at the main banquet dinner on Saturday night. (They are listed below).
On Sunday morning we assembled one more time in front of the Saratoga Auto Museum and from there took a final group drive to Saratoga Lake. Thanks to Robert Monteleone, Kim Walter and the DriveShe-Said group who once again did a phenomenal job in organizing this annual event.
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Peoples Choice Winners – Rendezvous 2010:
- T/A: 1938 Cabriolet – Daniel Noiseux – QC
- 2CV: 1958 2CV – Doug Davis – NY
- A-Series Deriivative: 1969 Fourgonette – Neil & Ruth Bryson – ON
- Early ID/DS: 1967 DS Cabriolet – Adam & Greg Long – VA
- Late ID/DS: 1973 DS23 – Claude Guillot – PQ
- GS: 1973 GS 1220 – Nebo Djurdjevic – ON
- SM: 1974 SM EFI – Dave Hume – VA
- CX: 1977 CX 2400 – Alain Camus – QC
- XM: 1998 XM – Dorothy Shelc – VT
- European Auto: 1955 Peugeot 203 pick up – Michel Aube – ON
- Favorite of Show: 1974 SM EFI – Dave Hume – KY
Return to the Past Events page