Cars
Pieds dans l'eau
This article discusses the historical differences between the Italian and French attitudes towards cars and how this influenced the development of the "beach car" niche market.
If there is one thing that has always clearly distinguished the Italians from the French, it is their totally different conception of the phenomenon of the motor car.
In Italy, the car is the ultimate symbol of style, fashion and good living, very much part of the whole “Dolce Vita” outlook, whereas the French see cars in a more practical and rational light; for them, it is the function that determines the shape of a car. A Cartesian conception that is clearly identifiable even on a trip to the sea!
Whereas Italy had Capri and Portofino, France, at the time “beach cars" first appeared, had the Côte d'Azur and Biarritz. In contrast to the Italian “Dolce Vita”, the French had their passion for boardsports: water skiing, surfing and so on. And the difference shows.
