Une Pagoda à Paris

[Flyair]

my two oldest daughters spent some time in Paris in August. Knowing that their dad is Pagoda-addict, their eyes were alert enough to spot one on the boulevard Saint Michel in the heart of the city on 17th August.
As they were in a bus, the photo's quality taken with a smartphone is not very sharp.

[Paul & Dolly]

It must be a brave or rich owner to park a Pagoda on a Paris street - they really do park by contact there !

Paul

[Flyair]

LOL.  You are absolutely right . The one behind seems close enough, so the rear bumper may have paid some toll on that adventurous visit to Paris. Hope we won't see the owner listing the car in our "Wanted to Sell" chapter under the "parting a Pagoda" title

I lived 7 years in Paris and the first year was shocked by the treatment the drivers reserved for their cars and to those that happen to be there while getting into a parking spot. The year after I got... used to it and did as everybody else  

[JamesL]

Tom Sargent drove his into Paris after the Euro event.

Hopefully to a hotel with an underground car park but...

[kampala]

I park my daily driver (an Opel) in Paris almost everyday ... I would not park a Pagoda on Paris streets as the grill would take a hit very quickly.  You often see very pricey cars parked on the streets but they are usually very new Ferraris, Aston Martins, or Bentleys.   It's pretty rare to find a classic car like a Pagoda parked on the street ... when you do see such a car, the driver is usually within a few meters.  

I have seen several classic cars with chrome bumpers hang a boat buoy over the bumpers ...  

Like this one I pulled from the web ...

[Flyair]

James,
Innovation goes often through simplicity as your picture proves For our Pagodas we would need to hang around cars about a dozen of those pillows. In paris, even in undeground parkings cars are nots safe. I usually end up with doors scratches or other marks of all those close encounters with the handsome Parisians...

[Tomnistuff]

People like me cause those kind of problems in Paris.  My first driving visit to Paris was in 1978.  I must have been in Paris at least 45 minutes before I rear-ended another car about 5 seconds after entering a traffic circle.  Fortunately, the Parisian that I hit was friendly and had an insurance form that we could fill out on the trunk of his car.  I would never drive a Pagoda in Paris..., or Rome, or London, or Mexico City, etc.  I have driven in most of the major cities in the Western Hemisphere, but I'm older and wiser now.
Tom Kizer

[KevinC]

Not just Paris...

You see these a lot in NYC...

https://www.bumperblocker.com/

[Flyair]

KevinC

… but thanks to first bumper guards added to the European version of Pagodas and -later on- more substantial massive bumpers (like in W107 for ex.) in all US version cars, they  were more resistant to rough parking maneuvers.

Obviously today any scratch noticed on our cars causes frustration and stress, not only because we want to keep it as original as possible, but also because of the price of spare parts.

 

[GGR]

I lived 7 years in Paris and the first year was shocked by the treatment the drivers reserved for their cars and to those that happen to be there while getting into a parking spot. The year after I got... used to it and did as everybody else  

The most scary is Place de l'Etoile, on top of the Champs Elysees. Traffic going in has priority. So basically the best way to get in is to floor it and close your eyes. Then you'de better open them quickly to deal with the guys doing the same thing at next entry.

[Flyair]

GGR,

I completely agree with you. I felt comfortable while passing by the Place de l'Etoile only after 2 or 3 years, especially if I was driving a rent-a-car .

But seriously, this place is a perfect example of the fact that RHD rules are safer and more logical than LHD, I must confess.

As the priority from the right is the rule for both LHD and RHD, I find it much more sensible to be seated on the side where you are supposed to look for the car coming from the right, without having to look over the shoulder of La Belle… (or let's be more poetic: ...over the jungle of her hair spread by the wind while driving a topless Pagoda…) 

[66andBlue]

... without having to look over the shoulder of La Belle…

Stan,
you are supposed to look out for La Bête coming from the right! 
When I was a student driving my car from Germany to France I was always amused and puzzled why the French rules were reversed because it led mostly to massive blockages in roundabouts, you could get into one but never out, especially on Place de l'Etoile.   I must say though,  I enjoyed it watching all these frenetic drivers - my car had differently colored doors and hood anyway in those days, so I did not care much.
How is it in Poland now, traffic in the roundabout has right-of-way like Germany?

[Flyair]

Alfred,

Fortunately we are not as innovative as the French, so the rules are similar to those in Germany . However Polish drivers continue to drive in a quite adventurous way. So - despite the prevailing rules - you can encounter several Places de l'Etoile here, created spontaneously by Polish drivers