Of course searching on the Internet is that easy. Much more fun, and with a much greater chance of unexpected finds, it is regularly to visit classic car fairs. Such a visit is also what they now call a 'social experience'. Cool!
But the real adventurers make time to do something weird
A golden tip to do justice to both your hobby and your relationship: Take your partner to such a Walloon or Northern French flea market. Go crazy: Just make it a weekend. That is an absolute win-win situation for everyone, including the local catering industry. In that region they usually offer antiques, flea markets and junk. And that in large quantities.
Partners usually like that
Liège and Brussels are good examples of this. The markets literally wind their way for miles along the streets. They are visited early in the morning by often poorly French-speaking Dutch antique dealers. But there is always enough stuff that conquers the hearts of partners (and at the most surprises us).
But among all things there are surprisingly often old car (and motorcycle) parts. So we also look carefully for possible finds. And after seeing, negotiating and buying such a day, it is nice to end the day in a festive way. Only romantic when walking to the hotel in the evenings in cities such as Liège and Charleroi. They are not as dangerous as Chicago in the days of Al Capone. But with what happens there every day after the setting of the sun, you can make an episode of 'Investigation wanted' here.
Because there too, there are assertive light-skinned fellow planet dwellers who, for the sake of convenience, assume that they are entitled to what you have worked for. We recently had a unique experience with it. We shared that experience with a friendly Belgian who let go of his dog when the thief tried to flee. The dog did not think politically correct about halal, or not halal, but took it. The Belgian looked satisfied. “Look! Why should we discriminate? When we bleed, we all bleed the same color ”. The young entrepreneur, who had just been brought to a halt, groaned to confirm this wisdom.
The things are there. Not the money
Because in the Walloon region and in Northern France, due to the sufficient presence of space and the messy nature of the local population, it was common practice to save things. But there is still quite a lot of poverty in the Walloons and in Northern France. And so people tend to load the old stuff into an old van and offer the stuff for sale. The cylinder head on one of the photos turned out to be one of a Monica. The current owner now has two (out of the possibly four made) Monica heads. And will offer one block for sale. He has attached a price tag of at least € 15.000 to it. We have his address. But no 15000 euros.
Motor and flea markets are also possible locations for car items
Why do the providers take that stuff and store it? No idea. Maybe every excuse for a day away from home is good. But it has been proven that the almost minimal interest in stuff for classic cars at pure classic motorcycle fairs is even about zero. And from the afternoon onwards, that is often reflected in the prices.
And if you find nothing? Then apparently you also do not participate in the state lottery and you have the chance to study enthusiasts of classic motorcycles in the wild. The motor fairs in the former Eastern Block are far away. We know a few through our network. You will find classic stuff that has been stolen here. And in one way or another, the arms trade and Nazi souvenirs are also booming. There is also often a selection of feminine beauty that is far from classic.
Just a selection of the files
The photos of this reflection show a random selection of classic car gear that we came across during a range of visits to motorcycle fairs, flea markets and markets.
We may have given you an idea with this story. And are you, possibly with your partner, looking forward to a very nice autumn weekend. Or just let it be a day out with a like-minded comrade.
