Normandy Beach Race: classic cars, sun, sea, sand and speed

The French gathering, held at the resort of Riva-Bella, on the Ouistreham seafront, is actually four shows in one.

There are the keynote sand races, devoted to hot rods and a sprinkling of pre-war machinery.

In the town, every car park is given over to car displays, predominantly but not exclusively American – so among the hot rods and customs is a variety of standard-specification classics.

The lowered Massey-Harris Pony tractor uses a Peugeot 203 engine

Specials join the hot rods on the beach, whether competing or not, along with associated groups such as the Ford Model T crowd.

Finally, there is the motorcycle contingent, with plenty of enthusiasts drawn to the ancient Harleys and quirky French marques sharing the paddock space, and racing alongside the cars.

The 2023 event, held on 23-24 September, broke all records, with 120,000 visitors, of which 30,000 paid €5-7 to have access to the beach itself – it has previously been completely free to enter.

Singer and Ford Model A Specials prepare for the flag to drop (left); Ouistreham’s soft sand proved too much for some

Those numbers made some of the town-side car displays something of a crush, but that was also a reflection of the sheer quantity of vehicles on show: in all, there were around 250 of them, with the European vehicles including everything from a Frogeye Sprite to a Renault Frégate estate and a brace of rare Rosengart Supertractions.

Steel or glassfibre? Genuine or new-build? With the rods it was no easier to tell than at any gathering of such cars.

The lines are blurred after three-quarters of a century of street-rodding and a Stateside industry that allows you to construct a new ’32 Ford roadster or a ‘Little Deuce Coupe’ from scratch.

Clockwise from top: the car park was awash with classic cars, including these rare Rosengart Supertractions; 1955 Packard Executive hardtop; low-rider Citroën 2CV with a BMW flat-twin motorbike engine

You can also build your own belly-tank racer using a glassfibre shell, and among those present on the sands, at least one was a recent plastic-bodied creation; another used a drop-tank from a MiG fighter, and there was even a propeller-driven competitor.

“I’m Ouistreham’s Marcel Leyat,” said owner Richard Rodier, claiming his 250cc-powered Thunderbolt drop-tank could hit 40mph – maybe even 60mph.

Although cars of the Blue Oval certainly predominated, among the hot rods there were some standouts.

The Renault-based Normandy Special has elements of a 1920s NN body atop a 1938 Primaquatre chassis

These included Charles Elie’s chopped and channelled 1931 five-window Plymouth, still with its four-cylinder sidevalve and built, said Charles, as a riposte to all those Fords.

Then there was the perfectly Gallic ‘Normandy Special’ of Julien Legard and Hugo Frebault, based on 1938 Renault Primaquatre running gear, 2.4-litre ‘big four’ included, and with a body using elements of an older ‘coal-scuttle’-bonnet Renault NN.

“Getting off the line has been a bit of a challenge,” admitted Hugo. “But once we’re rolling we can give the V8s a run for their money.”

A Dodge roadster fronts a gaggle of Fords on the sand (left); the Ford Model A-based, twin-engined Ballard Special displaces 7.2 litres

The eighth-mile strip was no Daytona Beach, and the soft sands made departure something of a churn, with the rapidly rutted surface then slowing progress to the finish line.

For riders of motorcycles, gymnastics and poise were necessary just to keep their machines upright.

Looking beyond the inevitable recently confected ‘speedsters’, there were some superb one-offs to be seen, not least the Ballard Special built by Tobias Ballard of The Model A Revival Company in Bexley, London.

Clockwise from top: this chain-driven 1907 Dexter has a 6.4-litre four-pot engine; supercharged straight-eight 1931 Studebaker Special; resting beach face of a 1932 Ford roadster

Powered by two Model A engines for a total 7.2-litre capacity, this wild folly attracted much attention.

“It only develops 65 to 70bhp,” explained Tobias. “But horsepower doesn’t come into it – it’s all about the torque.

“It handles fantastically, but it does tend to run out of fuel fairly quickly.”

In total contrast was the small number of more standard pre-war vehicles among the 80 cars selected for the two-vehicle jousts on the sands.

A 1935 Ford coupe and a Model A roadster race down the eighth-mile drag strip

These included an ultra-rare 1907 6.4-litre chain-drive Dexter, an Amilcar brought over from Switzerland, plus Riley, Singer and Lanchester Specials, and even a UK-registered Bugatti Type 35.

With aerobatic displays by WW2 American T6 Texan trainers from Aéropassion Blois Vendôme, a recovery team of wartime military vehicles and sand-dressing by historic tractors, the period feel was well-judged.

Light-touch organisation, a cheerful, not-too-serious atmosphere, practical demonstrations, talks on the Saturday and a wide selection of eateries all made the long queues to gain entry worth the wait.

With talk of it becoming an event held every other year, the next Normandy Beach Race might not be until 2025.

Given that tickets sold out well in advance of 2023’s bash, the best advice is to book early – few late-season gatherings can be as much fun.

Images: Jon Pressnell

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