Although La Loco en Fête is situated in France, it tends to be a showcase for the preservationists from all over Europe including Switzerland, Belgium, Holland, Germany and the United Kingdom too, all congregating near Etampes for this great weekend.
There was always an interesting mixed bag of fire engines on the field with fascinating French appliances mixed in with ex-American, lend-lease GMC deuce-and-a-half’s, having enjoyed a second life as water-pumpers fighting forest fires in the French brigades.
The Belgian and Dutch enthusiasts arrive with some stunning trucks. In 2012, a magnificent, 1967, DAF T2400DP, 6 x 2 tractor unit, with the unusual ‘grinning face’ frontal design, common to the DAF forward-control range of that period, appeared with a twin wheel, Coder box semi-trailer attached, which had gone through a 3,000-hour restoration by its owner Adrianus Verdels. The early co-operation between DAF and Leyland was highlighted by the ‘Powered by Leyland’ badge on the radiator; DAF had been licence-building Leyland engines since 1956. Eventually, Leyland was taken over by DAF and finally, became LDV.
The British have always, allegedly, had a love/hate relationship with the French. The
