“Les Ricains du 65 by Crazy Cars: Revving Up American Car Enthusiasm in Aureilhan”

On the last Sunday of each month, it’s a bit of the American dream that hovers over the monthly gathering organized by the Passion Auto Moto 65 association, at the Arsenal. Loïc Larroudé proudly displays on his T-shirt the logo of the group “Les Ricains du 65 by Crazy Cars” which he founded with his father-in-law David Lafertin, owner of the now famous garage of American cars on the road to Auch, in Aureilhan. Until now passionate about sports cars, Loïc Larroudé fell in love with American cars, almost at the same time as his companion, thanks to his stepfather who transmitted the virus to him. “I love the sound of the V6 and V8 engines, the sleeker and more advanced lines of the cars,” he explains to the layman that we are, in front of the 1967 V8 Mustang convertible of his “friend” Jean-Louis Joachim. Within the group “Les Ricains du 65 by Crazy Cars”, American car enthusiasts meet frequently to organize gatherings or rides, or simply to help each other when one of them is missing a nut. . “We are about fifty to belong to the group, around my father-in-law who repairs, sells and imports many American cars” enthuses Loïc Larroudé. These enthusiasts of old or more recent cars live the American dream, awake, through these cars which have many advantages. “Not only are they very robust and puncture-proof, but they are also cars with simple mechanics, which can be repaired quite easily,” says Jean-Louis Joachim, who lifts the hood of his 1967 Mustang convertible, not without a certain pride. “There is no distribution, only chains” adds Loïc Larroudé, as if to further underline the quiet strength of these jewels on four wheels. And as the country of “Back to the future” always had several steps ahead in terms of technological innovation, the two enthusiasts have good luck to emphasize the avant-garde side of these cars, “like the 1953 Cadillac which was already equipped with air conditioning, power steering, windows and electric seats”, several decades before the sophisticated models in Europe. At a time when the price of fuel is soaring, many American car enthusiasts are choosing to switch to ethanol to save money, like Loïc. “Anyway, I don’t take my Mustang convertible out every day, only two to four times a month, mainly on weekends. It’s only to have fun,” says Jean-Louis Joachim.