The first major gathering of 2019 in Paris, the Traversée de Paris is, as usual, a happy mess consisting of all types of vehicles. Effervescence, purring engines, friendliness around a coffee and a croissant, the friends meet and go for this 19th edition of this event starting early from 7:30am. Even though the sky was cloudy, the temperatures were mild for the month of January. And unlike last year, rain did not appear. As a result 648 vehicles ensured their attendance on this good Parisian morning, 514 cars, 78 motorcycles, 22 tractors, 30 bicycles and 4 buses departed from Vincennes to cross in the cold winter morning, without counting the many collectors who would join the procession as it forwarded. There must be a total of more than 1000 rolling automotive art forms making the morning not just special for the participants, but also for the spectators sipping their morning brew.

The course remained the same as in other years with a passage through the Place de la Nation, Republique, Montmartre, Arc de Triomphe, Concorde and finally Invalides. These places welcome a lot of foreign tourists and Traversée de Paris was the perfect surprise attraction for these visitors. Regarding cars, we found the popular French, Italian and German cars of the last century and also some big American V8s. The truly exclusive models are always a bit rare because of the traffic that the “Traversée” generates. Indeed, it is not uncommon to remain stuck for minutes, which is great to warm up the engines and disperse the cold away. This “Traversée” is nevertheless a good time for all lovers of vintage cars and those who wish to relive a bit of history to start off their new year in the heart of France.