entrance | Sahara | my AZU | show | meeting | trophee | more 2CV's | going home
click on the photo's for a bigger version
all photos © 1976-2006 | CitCity | hans tacq | boskoop | NL
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| The first International "Waggel" meeting was in 1976, in the weekend of 14, 15 and 16 may. The meetingplace the parking of the camping near Beusichem, close to the riverside. About 75 cars showed up. Organising club was the "2CV Club Waggel", which became in 1979 "Citroën Club Waggel Holland" and in 1985 the Citroën Club Nederland, who still organises a "Waggel" meeting every year! I participated in all "Waggel"meetings. | |
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This should be the last 2CV Sahara 4x4, produced by its owner from original parts specially ordered in France. The owner then was Ron Nidschelm who was one of the first 2CV specialists in NL. Unfortunately he is no longer among us. His formerly car must have a new owner somewhere, if you know let me know please. I used this picture to make a wall-painting when Ron opened a new garage a year later in Rotterdam. One time Ron offered me this car for the price of a new 2CV, but I did not have the money or a place to keep it at that time, pity.... |
| Even then the Sahara was something special and attracted people who wanted to have a closer look. At the right you'll see my AZU, but I'm not sitting there in the white shirts, I think it was one of the 2 Yugoslaves from Sarajewo who showed up in their 2CV for the meeting! |  |
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You could have seen it before, my AZU, because it was parked right behind the entrance and next to Ron's Sahara. This AZU250 was built 1969 and I bought it summer 1975 and drove it up to Finland (flag-sticker), the year of the 1st Inetrnational Meeting of 2CV Friends, but I was one month later and did not know anything yet then about 2CV meetings! This AZU was painted armygreen and the spare wheel was situated on the roof when I bought it. The only thing I did was put in a matrass to sleep on. |
| The "Waggel" meeting was held in Beusichem because on saturday there was another event planned in the village. The 2CV Club Nederland, which existed already since the 50's and had sometime 10.000 members, organised every year a show of special 2CV's modified by their owners. These 20 cars were places under the trees of the old market place of Beusichem and hundred or maybe thousands of people came looking on such a saturday. |  |
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Because the 'big club" only
wanted to stay big, edite a small paper 4 times a year and organise only
one one-day show, the 2CV Club "Waggel" was founded in 1975 by Fred Langhorst
and Rinus Bakker (the last now famous as keyboard player in the Botulisme
Cover Band).
So when the group from the camping place showed up with about 50 cars which attracted more attention than the official exhibited cars, the "big club" committee was "not very pleased" and one year later teher was no show, tha last one was in 1978; after that the club ended, also because the president was ill and didn't want to hand the club over to anyone else. You see Ron's Sahara again in the middle. |
| On the other
hand this was also the start for something new, a new tradition that goes
on since then: the "Waggel" meeting, that took place in Beuseichem for
another 4 years, and that went on and on, in place like Heerjansdam, Vierhouten,
Zoetermeer, Beekse Bergen, and which will be held in 2003 for the 28th
time.
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In that time this combination
was a sensation. Nowadays you'll see more than one on a meeting and they
have also extra paintings and so on. |
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above left:
a 2CV from Denmark, nicely painted in 2 colors with a lot of extra lights. above:
left:
down under:
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above: a very rough AZU from Germany right:
extended AK400 camper, mark the rear door! |
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| In that days a meeting could not end before the participants had a full belly from the free pancakes that were made on sunday-morning! At the right side of the table you see a strange thing.... | Here Fred Langhorst - in that days president of the club and organiser of the meeting - presents the "Waggel Trophee", made from 2CV parts by an artist, in my memory his name was Dumont, but I might be mistaken. The participants who travelled the longest distance got a smaller replica of this, so that went to Sarajevo. On the left Ron Nidschelm. |
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| above:
in those days you had no mobile phone, no need for them, if I'm not with
my car, take a crayon and leave a message..!
right above and right:
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 After
the meeting you have to clean up, take a drink, pack and go home. With
some people we went into the same direction: Rotterdam, and I took this
picture left in the (non-original) mirror of my AZU. The car is the AK400
of Fred and Olga Langhorst, which was named "Plompie". I cut the image
right from the photo left, enlarged it as far as possible and mirrored
it. |
