‘La Vie en Bleu’ is a celebration of French voiture design from veteran to the Veyron, and this year our eyes fell upon a very stylish lady and her equally stylish car- a 1930 Voisin C14 ‘Chartre’ Demi-Berline with 2667cc six cylinder sleeve valve engine. We spoke to Julia about her exquisite car and being a recent addition to her stable she said “it was like getting to know a new lover.” Only when settling into the comfortable rear seat did she realise the tortoise-shell flower holder by the rear window matched the ash tray on the dashboard.
The flower vase is easy to miss against the distinctive deco upholstery so typical of Voisin’s unorthodox approach to every aspect of his car design. Sometimes utilitarian sometimes luxurious, and don’t be misled by Julia’s elegant dress style worn to match her car – she is just as often to be seen in overalls attending to the mechanical needs of her machines. Here we see her deep in conversation with Reg Winstone – translator of Voisin’s book 'My 1001 Cars’ and owner of two cars of that name.
(Text & pictures by Robin Batchelor)