The oldest car in Luxembourg's fleet

“It’s not the oldest car in the country,” says Alain Friser, a modest member of the Veteran & Vintage Car Club Luxembourg (VVCCL), as he shows us his 1904 Peugeot Type 69. But according to SNCA figures, this 5bhp, 1-cylinder Peugeot is indeed the oldest car in circulation in the Luxembourg car fleet, which on 31 August numbered 452,977 cars, including 12,170 with official ‘oldtimer’ status, i.e. aged over 30 years. To these can be added 15,686 cars classified as “young-timer”, aged between 20 and 30 years.

Designed in 1904, this Peugeot became a Luxembourg car in 1997. That year, Alain Friser went to London to buy it. “After some serious research, I met a British man who was selling this car, which he had inherited, among others, and which in the UK is heavily taxed”, he explains, before adding: “My motivation was to be able to take part in the London-to-Brighton”.

The legendary London-to-Brighton classic car race is held every first weekend in November over an 87km route to celebrate the Locomotive Act of 1896. A British law authorising vehicles to travel freely at more than 22 km/h on public roads. Prior to this, the driving of a self-propelled vehicle had to be accompanied by a man on foot holding a red flag to warn horsemen and horse-drawn vehicles of the approach of a self-propelled vehicle.

“If I do 200 km a year with her, that’s already a lot”.
“I wanted to take part in this event, which brings together around 400 pre-war classic cars. Thanks to this Peugeot, I’ve been able to enjoy it several times over, and now I try to do it again every five years with my ‘co-driver’, a term I prefer to co-pilot”, stresses Alain Friser, who still makes a few short outings near Redange. “If I do 200 km a year with her, that’s already a lot,” he says.

A retired bus driver, this classic car enthusiast is insatiable on the subject. “I bought it as is. I didn’t have to restore it. It runs very well, although you have to be careful about oil consumption. I remember going to the MOT at Sandweiller to register it. They asked me if I could turn on the headlights. I said yes, as long as I could find a lighter,” smiles Alain Friser.

Cette Peugeot d’avant-guerre n’est pas la première oldtimer d’Alain Friser. « C’est une Triumph Spitfire. À 25 ans, j’ai pu me l’offrir, mais depuis tout petit, je suis fasciné par les voitures anciennes, avec un attrait certain pour celles des années 60 », précise-t-il. Une passion qui l’amène à voyager et à participer à plusieurs rassemblements d’oldtimers par an, un peu partout en Europe.

This pre-war Peugeot is not Alain Friser’s first oldtimer. “It’s a Triumph Spitfire. At the age of 25, I was able to buy it for myself, but ever since I was a child, I’ve been fascinated by classic cars, with a particular fondness for those from the 1960s,” he explains. It’s a passion that drives him to travel and take part in several oldtimer gatherings a year, all over Europe.

Volkswagen reigns over oldtimers
According to SNCA figures, in 2023 Volkswagen will have the largest number of oldtimers in Luxembourg, with 1,376 vehicles currently on the road. Mercedes-Benz has the next highest number of oldtimers, with 990 vehicles. The top 5 is completed by Porsche (876 vehicles), BMW (771 vehicles) and Citroën with 759 vehicles.

By Jeremy Zabatta

This article was written for Autotouring magazine, published on 22 January 2024. The content of the magazine is produced exclusively for Autotouring.