A cute and practical French car is the Kangoo!

The theme of the event “GFGS CARLIFE IN YAHIKO Vol.1” held on June 9, 2024, in Yahiko-mura, Niigata Prefecture, was “cute cars made in the 1980s to 2010s that are used for everyday practical purposes”. This time, we would like to introduce Masataka Ohno’s car, a first-generation Renault “Kangoo,” a car that fits the event’s concept perfectly. The moped he brought with him was a Bridgestone, which is extremely rare.

A Cattle rider, he participated in the event with his wife’s Kangoo

Masataka Ohno, who was participating in the “GFGS CARLIFE IN YAHIKO Vol. 1” event, drives a first-generation Renault Kangoo, which exploded as a French utility vehicle in Japan. If you look, you can see a vintage motorcycle on the back of the car.

“I usually drive a 1985 Renault Cattle, but I participated in another event with it the other day, so I took my wife’s Kangoo to this event,”

he said.

As far as I can tell, Mr. Ohno, are you a genuine French car enthusiast?

“No, not at all. I got a British ADO16 when I was 20 years old, and from there I fell in love with the historic car hobby. After that, I drove Triumph GT6s and MG Metros, but there was a time when I drove Buick Park Avenue, Mazda FC3S RX-7s, and Nissan B310 Sunnys in addition to British cars.

So Mr. Ohno has been enjoying a wide range of historic cars for 30 years.

Bridgestone’s moped, Champion Deluxe

“By the way, this Kangoo is a 2006 model, the last model produced at the Paris factory. It has been a one-owner car since I got it new for my wife’s leg. It’s attractive for its unshakable running stability no matter how many people are in the car or what it is loaded with. The paint is a little weak, though.

We decided to ask Mr. Ohno about the bike in the cargo area, which had been on our minds earlier.

“Oh, this bike is a Bridgestone Champion Deluxe. It is a moped with 52cc displacement. I enjoy both motorcycles and four-wheeled vehicles, and I often tinker with them myself.

Although Bridgestone is known as one of the world’s leading manufacturers of tires and bicycles, the company also entered the motorcycle market in the 1950s, soon after World War II, with auxiliary engines for bicycles. In the 1960s, however, the domestic motorcycle market was gradually becoming an oligopoly among Honda, Yamaha, and Suzuki. In the end, Bridgestone was unable to break the stronghold of the leading giants and decided to withdraw from the domestic motorcycle business in 1966.

translated by DeepL