#Renault 30

[carsthatnevermadeitetc]

Renault 30 TX, 1978. The V6-engineed R30 was the company's first executive class car since 1960 and first car with more than 4 cylinders since before WW2. First introduced in 1975, it shared the new jointed developed PRV-Douvrin 90º V6 with Peugeot and Volvo. The fuel-injected 30 TX arrived in 1978. It remained in production until 1983 by which time 40,401 30 TX models had left Renault's Sandouville factory.

[vintagevoiture]

Renault 30 TS; 1975. Wikipédia

[scrollonso]

First Kiss (Race 11)

A strollonso AU where 18 year old rookie Lance Stroll falls helplessly in love with the notoriously mean world champion. (2k words, kinda nsfw) [@v3lnys @biancathecool] {I like this one and IM SO EXCITED FOR THE NEXT ONE}

last part - masterlist - next part

Fernando entered the paddock with Giancarlo, a comfortable silence between the two before they began signing whatever fans pushed their way, asking how the two felt about today, asking if they felt they were going to perform better this week.

Lance was in the middle of an interview, his eyes wandering to Fernando as he answered the questions, the man behind the camera was quick to notice how distracted the driver was, following his eyes to the world champion

"Well, that's enough. Thank you, Lance"

Lance looked back at the interviewer, nodding as he thanked him before beginning to walk towards the Spaniard

"Your boy is coming over" Giancarlo spoke, nodding over to Lance's direction

"My boy?" Fernando questioned, looking at Lance and smiling before turning back to his teammate

"Are you two not..?" He sounded surprised "I figured you two were together."

"We- huh?" Fernando laughed nervously, shaking his head at the assumption "No, we- we are friends"

"Sure" The man said sarcastically, patting the Spaniards back before leaving his side to go to the garage, Lance finally reaching him

Fernando watched him leave, a strange feeling in his throat as he thought about what he said, his boy?

"Nando, hola" Lance said cheerfully, a bright smile on his face as his arm fell over the mans shoulders

"Hola, Lancito, how are you?" He asked as if they weren't texting that morning, Fernando too busy in his phone to realize Giancarlo had been speaking to him.

"I'm good" Lance nodded, looking at Fernando as he spoke, the Spaniards hair already beginning to grow back out "Gonna get on the podium this time?"

Fernando smiled, eyes slipping down Lance's face to his lips as his teammates words ran through the back of his head "Only if you are on it with me, mi sol" He said as he elbowed the boy, too absorbed in their conversation to think about how they were standing in the middle of a walkway, blocking peoples path.

"I'll be on that top step, get ready to look up to me, Nando"

"Am always ready to look up at you, Lancito" The world champion shook his head, attention leaving Lance as he heard the boys engineer calling for him, watching as he quickly excused himself and disappeared into the white and pink garage.

Quali was stressful, Nico and Lance qualified 9th and 11th respectfully, both fairly close to the points. Once they made their way back to the garage the team began discussing strategies for tomorrows race, everyone desperate for points, even if one of them just barely brought 1 the team would be overjoyed, it had been so long since the team scored anything that the thought of double points seemed like a fantasy.

Lance wanted to get points for his team, wanted to do well, wanted to make them proud but as the season progressed and he began doing worse and worse he realized he was slowly losing faith.

Despite the realization the rookies both promised to try their hardest, wanting nothing more than to both bring home points for another race.

Lance hadn't seen Fernando since before quali, he had embarrassingly enough stayed back later to see if maybe he'd come to look for him but he hadn't.

He gathered his things, most of the team having already left for the night, then he left the garage.

"Lancito" He heard a voice from the Renault garage, eyebrows raising at the name, having not expected to hear it again that night

Lance was quick to turn back to the yellow and blue garage, shocked look quickly turning to adoration as he saw the man sitting by his car, quickly motioning for the Canadian to come over

"Am I even allowed in here?" Lance laughed as he headed towards the Spaniard, not caring if he was or not

"Is just us, no?" Fernando smiled, looking around as if he wasn't already aware everyone had left "Am sorry I didn't see you sooner, was so busy after today"

"It's okay, Nando" The rookie smiled, taking a seat on the floor next to Fernando "So this is your championship winning car?" Lance turned his head, looking at Fernando before reaching out and tapping the car

"Have not won the championship with this car, mi sol"

"You will, Nando" Lance said plainly, leaning forward to lay his head on the livery

Fernando smiled slightly, thinking about how pretty Lance looked next to blue and yellow, his eyes slightly lidded as he smiled against the carbon fiber. He looked good leaned up against it, hair messily laying on the yellow as his fingers trailed along the blue.

As his eyes wandered so did his mind, the image of Lance bent over progressing into Fernando holding him down as he fucked him on top of the car, the rookie whining sweetly at the new feeling and gripping tightly onto the edge of the livery. He could picture the boys moans, how he breathes out his name and begs for more. He felt dirty for the thought, dirty for thinking of Lance that way because he was so young but he couldn't help it, he craved him.

"Nando?" He spoke up, turning to face Fernando, now sitting up straight

"Hm? Sorry, mi sol, I got distracted" Fernando hummed, biting his lip slightly as he was snapped back to reality, trying his best to imagine Lance doing anything else.

"What hotel do they have you staying at?"

"Le paddock" He answered, glad Lance started a conversation, he desperately needed to get his mind off of the fantasy.

Lance groaned, eyes rolling at the realization that Fernando had a hotel so close to the circuit "Lucky ass"

"Is yours far? You know you are always welcome in my room, Lancito." He offered, well aware at Lance's lack of a car (and license) at this point

"Could I? I sorta missed my ride hoping you'd come talk to me"

"Ay, Lancito, why would you do that?" Fernando laughed, pushing himself up and holding a hand out to the boy, not able to stop himself from licking his lips at the sight of the Canadian sitting below him "C'mon, am tired"

Lance nidded, grabbing onto Fernando for support as he stood up, a bright smile on his face as they left the paddock together, the dim light of the moon on their skin being practically the only light as they found the Spaniards car.

"Ladies first" Fernando teased, opening the door for the Racing Point deiver

"Thank you, el viejo" Lance smiled as he got into the car, giggling at the sight of Fernandos face after being called an old man

"Maybe I should force you to walk back, eh?" He said as he got into the drivers side, starting the car as he looked at Lance, pretending to consider the idea

"Yeah, yeah, let's just go to our room" Lance waved his hand, leaning back into the seat

"Buckle up and we will"

"Come on, it's not far, I'll be fine" The Spaniard rolled his eyes, leaning over to buckle up the boy, looking down as it clicked before making eye contact with Lance, faces centimeters apart "Safety first, mi sol"

Lance swallowed dryly, nodding as the man went back into his seat, buckling up and leaving the parking lot. He could feel his heart beating in his chest, unsure why his body was reacting this way, all Fernando did was buckle is seatbelt for gods sake.

The two got to the paddock together the next morning, Lance having woken up just minutes before they had to leave. The Spaniard thought he looked so peaceful asleep in his white sheets it would be cruel to wake him up as early as he was going to.

Lance yawned, stumbling slightly as he closed his eyes, wearing a pair of Fernandos sweatpants and a team t-shirt

"Sleepy?" Fernando spoke, moving an arm to Lance's side as they walked, worried the boy would fall

"Nuh uh" He mumbled "Wide awake"

The man smiled, shaking his head at the obvious lie. He made sure to walk Lance to the Racing Point garage before turning back to go to his, Lance still on his mind after he'd long left his sight.

They lined up on the grid, Lance finally awake as he thought over the strategy again, knowing Nico was on a similar one, the teams main goal was to get the two into the points.

He raised his eyes to the lights ahead as they turned on one by one, foot hovering over the throttle, not blinking as they went off, pressing hard as he made it his goal to overtake Coulthard straight away, which he did.

Ten laps passed with no progress from Lance although Nico had passed De La Rosa with ease and was now in 8th.

Lance was now coming closer to De La Rosa, determined to overtake him like his teammate did. He was stuck behind for two more miserable laps before being able to push past, Nico overtaking Fisichella soon after.

"How's my pace, Brad?" Lance asked, the two good overtakes fueling his ego, he was confident, really confident in the strategy.

"You're doing spectacular Lance, you're faster than Fisichella, you'll be able to pass within 5 laps."

Lance hummed a response, waiting impatiently for an opprotunity to come to him.

He got a chance three laps later, hungrily taking it as well as 8th place, he could see Nico ahead of him, the pink livery hard to miss.

"What place is Giancarlo in?" Fernando asked, still maintaining second

"He was just passed by both Racing Points, now in 9th."

"Both?" Fernando echoed, knowing that meant Lance had fought his way into the points (so had Nico but Fernando didn't care about his result nearly as much)

"Yes. Now focus, Fernando."

Lance could hear his heart in his ears as he zoomed by the chequered flag, hearing an excuted voice on the other side of his radio

"THAT'S 8TH LANCE. 8TH. P8."

He'd almost forgot that he wasn't in 11th anymore, now processing that him and Nico managed to do it, managed to get points for the team for the first time since the European Grand Prix

"FUCK, BRAD. THANK YOU, SO MUCH, GOD I LOVE YOU" He laughed, hands hitting his steering wheel as he entered back into the pit lane, Nico close ahead

"BUBU" Nico called as he stepped from the car, Lance wasn't sure where the name came from but Nico had promised it didn't mean anything bad, Lance just "looked like a bubu"

"NICO, WE DID IT, MATE" The two were shouting, harshly pulling eachother into a hug as they started jumping, their team quick to join in on the clebration

By the time everyone calmed down Lance was practically panting, so out of breath from the screaming that he hadn't noticed the podium celebrations had ended.

Fernando went to Lance first, speeding past his own garage to pull Lance into his arms in Racing Points

"DE PUTA MADRE!" He exclaimed, Lance laughing at the Spaniards enthusiasm "Ay, Lancito, you are brilliant, brilliant, so amazing, mi sol"

Lance beamed, eyes twinkling as he hugged Fernando tightly "You did good, Nando, I wish I could've seen you on the podium again"

"You always have next week" He hummed, lips close to the boys ears as he spoke

Lance pulled back, hands on Fernandos shoulders as he shook him, obviously excited about the point he scored, Fernandos cheeks hurt with how big he was smiling, insanely happy for the boy, more happy for him than he was for himself. "Next, let's get you on those steps with me, eh?"

Lance smiled, nodding before pulling Fernando into another hug, a perfect way to end the week.

[coolvintagecars]

Renault (1936)

[gr8ntaire]

who else up having their heart broken by the Prost documentary, btw,

[frenchcarssince1946]

1976 Renault 30

My tumblr-blogs:

www.tumblr.com/germancarssince1946 & www.tumblr.com/frenchcarssince1946 & www.tumblr.com/englishcarssince1946 & www.tumblr.com/italiancarssince1946 & www.tumblr.com/japanesecarssince1947 & www.tumblr.com/uscarssince1935

[visionade]

[wilfriede]

[Podfic of] the word is on the street

Another podfic for Femslash February Podfic Edition! The fandom of this one is a car commercial, that in 2 minutes tells a wonderful queer story line. frausorge's wonderful fic fleshes out the story some more. It's been a lot of fun to return to it now, recording the podfic and the music.

Fandom: Renault CLIO Ad: 30 Years in the Making Summary:

It was the hardest letter Gemma had ever had to write.

Rating: General Audiences Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Length: 16:02 (with music), 13:38 (no music)

Listen to it on AO3!

[golden-cherry]

deal - cl16 (30/?)

Pairing: Charles Leclerc x Reader

Series Summary: Your whole life has gone to shit. Your boyfriend broke up with you, you just lost your job and the Monegasque, who suddenly stands in your doorway, claims that it’s his apartment.

Chapter Summary: The Leclerc family dinner is something else.

Warnings: this is just cute, mentions of injuries (due to Monopoly), alcohol consumption, Arthur Leclerc

Word Count: 3.8k

series masterlist

previous part

A/N: happy birthday to the lovely anon from yesterday! this is not smutty, but I hope you'll still like it! feedback is appreciated!

When Charles brings the rickety Renault to a halt and pulls the handbrake, you can hardly believe your eyes.

The car is parked in front of a large, white house that is surrounded by green ivy on one corner. The black roof perfectly matches the black shutters leaning against the wall of the house, giving you a glimpse of the interior. Above the double doors of the entrance is a small balcony with a black metal fence and small flower boxes in which beautiful, colorful flowers are sure to bloom in summer.

It looks like a painting.

You stare open-mouthed through the windshield. "It's gorgeous."

Your friend smiles. "My mother had it renovated last year. The façade was crumbling a bit and the windows were no longer in good shape." He shrugs his shoulders. "But otherwise it's stayed the same. I grew up here."

You can hardly take your eyes off it as you get out of the car. "It's beautiful. It must have been great growing up here."

"It was." He rounds the hood and stands next to you. "Unfortunately, I was always on the road because of karting and the older I got, the less time I spent here. But this house holds so many memories." He exhales deeply. "This is my home."

You turn your head in his direction before reaching for his hand and squeezing it. "Thank you for taking me with you."

Charles smiles gently at you and pulls you a little closer so that you can feel his warm breath on your face. "Don't get too excited. You haven't met my brothers yet."

You tilt your head a little. "Are they that bad?"

"The worst," he whispers and leans forward a little. His gaze flickers briefly from your eyes to your lips. Your heart leaps a little. "But I'm the worst."

"Shouldn't I stay away from you then?" you ask him. He's so close to you that you have to tilt your head back to look at him. "Good girls should keep their distance from bad boys, shouldn't they?"

Charles releases his hand from yours and gently places it on your neck, leaving you no choice but to look at him. His other arm wraps around your waist and he pulls you all the way against him. Chest to chest, he looks down at you before licking his lips. You can feel the arousal pooling in your panties. "Are you a good girl, mon amour?"

As one of the front doors opens, he disengages from you with a smooth movement, as if nothing had ever happened and as if it wasn't running through your mind how you would have loved to get down on your knees for him right there. As he walks towards the house, you can see his back muscles dancing under his shirt. How you wish you could scratch him with your fingernails and -

"Maman. It's so good to see you," he greets his mother, who kisses him left and right on the cheek, snapping you out of your super non-platonic daydream. Which maybe isn't the worst thing, Charles is your friend after all.

"Yes yes, it's nice to see you too," she replies, before pushing past him and coming towards you. "Chérie, I'm so glad you're here!" The woman hugs you tightly before also kissing you left and right.

"It's nice to see you again too, Pascale," you smile. "Thank you so much for inviting me. The house is gorgeous."

"Thank you, chérie," she replies and reaches for your hands. "Come on, come on. Let me show you the house." Before you can say anything back, she pulls you towards the house, past Charles and through the door. "Charles! Your brothers will be here soon. You can set the table," she calls to him over her shoulder.

"Of course, Maman," he replies and when you look back at him, he rolls his eyes in mock annoyance.

"And please take the good china! We want to make a good impression."

"Of course, Maman." Charles, who has followed you into the house, closes the front door behind him.

The inside of the house looks like it's from another world. Large, white tiles adorn the floor, the furniture is kept simple, but still looks luxurious and so expensive that you'd be worried about scratching the surfaces with your car keys if you put them down. The lower floor is open plan, with a large kitchen with a kitchen island, a glass dining table and the living room. There's a soft-looking sofa in front of the fireplace, where you can definitely warm up on cold days. There are countless pictures on the walls - a mixture of art and personal photos.

"Would you like something to drink, chérie?" asks Pascale as you stop in the kitchen and she lets go of your hand. She opens the fridge and starts rummaging around in it. "We have water, orange juice, spritz, wine and cola."

"I don't need anything, thank you," you reply with a smile. You're a little overwhelmed that she's being so nice to you. You're not used to parents being so sweet and kind. Yours certainly weren't when you lived with them.

"All right, then. If you need anything, just take it. Make yourself at home." She squeezes your shoulder briefly before scurrying past you. "Charles! The table!"

"I'm on it," his voice comes from another corner of the room before he steps back into your field of vision. He is holding expensive-looking tableware in his hands, which he carefully spreads out on various coasters on the glass table. "Could you please take the cutlery from the top drawer there? There must be six of us. Enzo wanted to bring his wife Charlotte."

You take the cutlery from the drawer and count it off before joining him at the table and distributing the items. "I'm a bit nervous," you confess quietly. As you place a fork next to one of the plates, Charles grabs your hand.

"We can leave if that's too much for you," he suggests. " I'm sorry. My brothers aren't that bad. They're nice and funny and I think you'll get along fine." He strokes the inside of his wrist lovingly with his thumb. "You really don't need to worry. But if you want to leave, I can understand that."

You shake your head slightly. "It's all good. Your mother cooked dinner especially for me and it would be rude to leave now." You chew the inside of your cheek. "I just want to make a good impression."

Charles takes the rest of the cutlery from your hand before interlacing his fingers with yours. "You really don't have to worry about that, mon amour. She already loves you."

You raise an eyebrow in confusion. "And how do you know that? Did she tell you that?"

"She didn't need to," he replies with a smile. "When I introduced her to Annika back then, she reacted differently. No kisses, no dinner to get to know each other better. And she definitely didn't ask her to feel at home here," he explains, placing his free hand on your cheek. "She has good intuition and the fact that she took you to her heart within minutes just shows me that I made a good catch with you."

"Excuse me! There are children here!" a male voice shouts across the room. You would have liked to take three steps back to put some distance between you and Charles, but he keeps you in place.

"I don't see any children," replies the man in front of you, glancing over your head towards the kitchen. When you turn around, a young man is standing there, grinning and leaning against the kitchen island. "All I see is an annoying little brother who doesn't know when to hold back."

Playfully hurt, the stranger puts his hand on his chest. "Ouch. I'm not the one who can't seem to just pull through ." Before you can say anything back, he takes the few steps towards you and stops in front of Charles. The two stare at each other for a moment before a wide smile spreads across the shorter man's face. "Good to see you, big brother."

Charles releases his hand from yours so that he can embrace his baby brother. "You too." With a smile, he hugs him before gently pushing him away. He turns to you. "This is my little brother Arthur."

"It's nice to meet you," he replies and - in true Pascale style - gives you a little kiss on each cheek before winking at you. "Maman has already told me about you, but she didn't tell me how beautiful you are."

"'Keep your hands off, Arthur,' your roommate warns his brother, but he just waves it off.

"Don't worry, Charles. I'm not here to take your girlfriend away." You raise your hand and open your mouth to correct him, but he turns on his heel and walks back towards the fridge. "I'm here because I was promised good food. And maybe a game of Monopoly?" He waggles his eyebrows in anticipation.

Charles shakes his head vigorously. "Absolutely not. Last time Enzo nearly lost a finger because you thought he was cheating the bank."

Arthur rolls his eyes. "The whole thing would be unfunny without a bit of violence." His gaze shifts from his big brother to you. "What about you? Do you like Monopoly?"

"Monopoly? Maybe we should look for the first aid kit first," laughs the young woman who has just joined you. With her long blonde hair and wide, pearly-white smile, she looks so beautiful that it almost takes your breath away. Without giving the guys in the room a glance, she walks straight up to you and hugs you tightly. "Hi, I'm Charlotte. Enzo's wife." She gives you a quick hug before pulling away from you. "I like your top."

You introduce yourself to her as well before thanking her for the compliment. "Is Monopoly really that crazy in this family?" you ask quietly, watching Charles and Arthur tease each other in the kitchen.

"When it comes to winning, the men behave like animals," she explains, putting her slender arm around your shoulder. "That's why it's all the better that you're here now. Maybe they're acting a bit more grown-up this time then."

"Everyone here is an adult," another person defends themselves. The black-haired man tries to get Arthur out of Charles' headlock. "My little brothers might be a bit wild, but we're all old enough to behave reasonably." As he separates the two bickering men, he stands between them with his arms outstretched.

Arthur points his finger at the eldest of the three brothers. "You once knocked over the whole board because you had no more money to pay Charles."

Charles briefly runs his fingers through his tousled hair to get it into style. "And you once kicked us out of your apartment because you didn't have a hotel to take out a mortgage."

Before you know it, Enzo grabs his little brothers and tucks them under his arms, but Charles is quicker. With an elegant twist, he wriggles out of his brother's tight grip and twists his arm a little so that he can't get hold of him again, while Arthur tries with all his might to free himself.

"I told you," Charlotte whispers to you. "Like animals."

"Are you out of your minds?" Pascale's voice drowns out the boys, who abruptly move away from each other and blink at their mother. Arthur's face is red, while Enzo tugs his shirt right. Charles throws you a grin and a wink. "I'm cooking for everyone here and you're acting like children! Come on now! You know what you have to do!" she nags her sons, who quietly apologize to her and then scurry back and forth to put the rest of the things on the table.

"Is there anything I can do to help?" you ask the young woman next to you, but before she can answer you, Pascale is standing in front of you.

"Please take a seat. You're our special guest today and if I even see you lift a finger…" She gives you a stern, loving look before pulling one of the chairs from the table. With a nod, she tells you to sit down. Her look leaves no room for discussion.

"Would you like a glass of wine? I've brought a lovely sweet Riesling," Charlotte asks as she takes two wine glasses from one of the cupboards in the kitchen.

"Yes, please."

As she sets your glass down in front of you, the men also sit down at the table while Pascale places various bowls in front of you. When Charles tries to sit on the chair opposite you, his mother promptly stops him.

"The chair is broken, chéri. I'm afraid you'll have to use that stool there," she says, pointing to the small stool in the corner of the room.

Without hesitation, Charles swaps the pieces of furniture, but when he sits down, he grimaces. "My goodness, that's uncomfortable. It's sure to give me a backache."

"Maybe your lovely girlfriend can give you a back massage later," Arthur suggests, wiggling his eyebrows. Before he can react, your friend has reached into one of the bowls in front of you and thrown a piece of bread at his little brother. "Ouch, what the hell? I didn't say anything! It only becomes ambiguous when you make it ambiguous."

"Boys, pull yourselves together, otherwise it'll be the last time I invite you all here for dinner," Pascale scolds her sons, but you can tell she's not serious. She sits down at the table in front of them. "Now eat before the food gets cold."

-

"How did you two meet?" asks Enzo, popping a spoonful of vanilla ice cream into his mouth.

The pasta that Pascale cooked especially for you tasted absolutely fantastic. While you ate together, you talked about all sorts of things. About Enzo's work, Charlotte's recent seminar, new recipes that Pascale really wants to try out and your photography. At the beginning you were worried that you wouldn't be able to join in as you didn't know anyone from this family, but there was never a moment when you felt left out. It feels nice to be part of a family again - even if it's not your own.

Charles, who stretches his back briefly, looks at you across the table. "That's a funny story. Would you like to tell it?"

As all eyes turn to you, you have to swallow. You weren't expecting the attention. But Charles looks at you so gently and his smile is so warm. He makes you feel like you're not in the wrong place.

"He surprised me when I came out of the shower half-naked," you grin back. All you hear from the corner where Arthur is sitting is a whistle.

"Hey, that's not quite true," your roommate defends himself. "You were living in my second apartment without me knowing! Joris rented you the apartment and didn't tell me. And when I turned up there, you came out of the shower. It's not my fault." He raises his hands. "And you wanted to beat me up with a magazine!"

You reach for your wine glass and take a sip. "You were a stranger who suddenly appeared in my apartment. How else could I have reacted? You were so close to calling the police."

"You were standing half-naked in my apartment. It could have been that you were a crazy fan and somehow found out the address."

Charlotte looks up from her bowl of ice cream at you. "Didn't you know who he was?" As you shake your head, she claps her hands several times in delight. "Oh how cute! Just like in the fanfictions you can read on the internet! That's awesome!"

Her husband gives her a puzzled look. "You read fanfictions about my brother?"

Charlotte rolls her eyes. "Are you crazy? Of course not! But every now and then I just hear about it."

"And you've just decided to share the apartment," says Arthur as he scrapes two more scoops of ice cream out of the ice cream container.

"Yep. Just like that," Charles explains, and you smile gratefully at him. You're glad you don't have to explain that you're unemployed. Especially since everyone at this table is pursuing promising careers. Your friend smiles back affectionately before arching his back. "And it would also be the best decision I've ever made if I didn't have to sit on this stupid stool all evening. My spine feels like pebbles."

"Don't be like that," his mother grumbles at him. "You're still young. Your back pain can't be that bad."

"Arthur is younger than me. Shouldn't he be sitting in this chair then?" Charles tries to get out of it, but he falls silent when Pascale gives him a dirty look.

"But I don't have a girlfriend who can rub my back later," grins the youngest Leclerc. "I'm sure she won't mind."

"Arthur!" Pascale reprimands him. Her gaze shifts to you. "I'm so sorry. I thought I'd brought her up better." She puts her head in her hands.

"Oh, Maman." Charles gets up from his uncomfortable stool and you can tell by the way he looks that his back is actually hurting. He stands behind his mother and puts his hands on her shoulders. "We know you did your best. And we actually turned out well." He can barely suppress his grin. "Except for Arthur."

"Hey!" Arthur jumps up from his chair so quickly that you fear he's going to fall over backwards, but Charlotte just manages to catch it. Arthur chases his big brother around the room while Enzo stacks up the ice cream bowls to take them to the kitchen.

"Wait, I'll help you," you offer, reaching for the cutlery that has been left behind, but Pascale's hand on yours stops you in your tracks.

"If you lift a finger, the same thing will happen to it as with Enzo's fingers at Monopoly," she threatens lovingly and gets up to clear away the rest of the things herself.

You look at Charlotte uncertainly and she waves you off. "Don't worry about it. She doesn't mean any harm. She just wants you to feel comfortable here and make sure you have everything you need. You'll get used to it over time."

"Thank you," you reply with a smile. "I think if you weren't so nice to me, I'd be really scared of you."

The blonde has to laugh. "Unfortunately, I hear that a lot. But I know what it's like to be new to this family. It can be quite nerve-wracking and overwhelming. But they're all lovely people. You don't need to worry about that." She puts her hand on yours briefly before rising and joining her husband in the kitchen.

A short time later, you feel two large hands on your shoulders. "Are you all right?" Charles asks as you lean your head back to look at him. "My family didn't scare you off, did they? Or are you sick of it and don't want anything to do with me anymore?"

"A terrible family," you reply and feel his thumbs rubbing gentle circles into your skin. You feel warm.

"I can understand," he nods and leans down towards you so that the tips of your noses touch. "So that's the last time we'll see everyone. I definitely prefer your company to that of the others."

You have to stifle a giggle. "You're only saying that because you're hoping to get a back massage from me as soon as we get home." Your mouth goes dry at the thought of running your hands over his muscular back and feeling the soft skin under your fingertips.

"You're right about that," he admits. "Shall we go? I've had to share you with my family long enough."

"You want to leave already?" asks Pascale, who has rejoined you at the table. You didn't even realize she was back until she started talking.

"Yes, maman. My back really hurts and we have a lot to do tomorrow," he apologizes. It's news to you that you have plans. But maybe it's just an excuse so that you can be alone again more quickly. And you definitely have no objections to that.

Friends, sure.

"All right." She puts her hands on her hips. "But I'll expect you both back here at Christmas. I'll prepare your old room so you can spend the night here." Her smile is warm and heartfelt. As you get up from your chair to say goodbye to her, she wraps you tightly in her arms. "It's so nice that you're part of our family now. I'm already looking forward to having you back here at Christmas. It's only a few more days until then."

"Thank you for your invitation." You return her hug. "I haven't felt like part of a family for a long time."

Apparently she sees something in your gaze, something sad, because she has to swallow before she starts speaking again. "We've been through a lot as a family - and I think you have too. You're always welcome here. No matter what happens. Even if you need someone to be there for you in the middle of the night. The doors of this house are always open to you." She blinks away a few tears and you briefly consider hugging her again.

Which you finally do. "Your family is wonderful. You've raised three great sons. If your husband was anywhere near as kind-hearted as they turned out to be, then he must have been the most lovable person in the world," you whisper to her.

"He would have loved you. I'm sure of it." As she breaks away from you, she wipes her eyes once. "Thank you for looking after my son. There's no denying how good you are for him."

As if on cue, Charles stands next to you and puts his arm around your waist to pull you close. You feel his body heat, the pressure of his fingers on your skin.

After this morning, you had been unsure whether you would ever be so close again despite the misstep, or whether you would keep your distance because the situation would be awkward for people who are actually just friends. But Charles' smile is genuine, his gaze gentle and his lips soft as he presses them lovingly to your forehead.

"She's the absolute best thing that could have happened to me."

[verstappen100]

An ongoing Daniel Ricciardo video collection ❤️🍯🦡☀️

adding links to vimeo and youtube finds (under the cut, so it'll update reblogs as I add more links over time!)

hello!! This is definitely not a comprehensive list, mostly filing under things that are just new to me as a more recent fan! it's cool when I stumble upon a vid I haven't seen or one I recognize from a gif set! so I'm adding them in a list of links here in case anyone else is curious ❤️ some are like 30 second commercial spots & others are longer interviews, most so far from 2014-2020 🎥🎤✨

okay allons-y!!

Sourced from Vimeo

not chronologically organized (yet!) so I've just added the upload date atm for a date approximation; have yet to look into all the uploading accounts, too, so there is definitely way more out there to see!

📍Update 01-01-2025:

Btw if you click a link in the tumblr app and it shows a tumblr page saying "There's nothing here" sadly many of the vimeo links are not redirecting correctly atm 😭

the videos are still up and available (thankfully!! and they can be found by searching the titles on vimeo [which are listed for each vid before the upload date part below]) but!! I will be making like a Google doc with all the links, since tumblr insists on adding this redirect bologna and I'm not tech savvy enough to know why its not working hehe 🙃 I'll be back this weekend with a fix and the new link list!

lastly here's the link for DR's brand vimeo which also has the overall site search option at the top for easy access 🔍 not linked but copy-and-pastable into Google or Safari etc: https://vimeo.com/user50821531

thanks y'all!! ❤️

update 01-05-2025 I'm sorry y'all!! I have been fighting a fever all weekend 😭 so I have yet to compile everything, but the Google doc with all the working links will be here asap!! ❤️

definitely starting with the dozens of videos on DR's official brand Vimeo (which has the delightful Sunday Night Flights series of casual post-race recaps) link

Daniel Ricciardo and Max Verstappen paint Aston Martins in Hosier Lane - Uploaded on Mar 21, 2018 - link

Daniel Ricciardo - T Magazine Aus BTS spot - Uploaded on Jan 14, 2023 - link

Ricciardo, favorito para el GP de Singapur - Uploaded on Oct 25, 2016 - link

Red Bull - Camper Race BEHIND THE SCENES | Max Verstappen und Daniel Ricciardo - Uploaded on May 29, 2017 - link

Red Bull InFrames - Singapore GP with Daniel Ricciardo - Uploaded on Oct 25, 2017 - link

Daniel Ricciardo drives Renault Clio - Uploaded on Jul 24, 2014 - link (ah the image in the collage above is for the other Clio commercial linked below and vice versa!! I got them mixed up when adding screenshots hehe. Pobody's nerfect)

Daniel Ricciardo | Race Service (parallel parking with some slightly haunting editing) - Uploaded on May 22, 2022 - link

Season Break - Daniel Ricciardo - Uploaded on Jan 30, 2020 - link

Daniel Ricciardo x Hilton - Uploaded on Feb 7, 2023 - link

Optus TVC Daniel Ricciardo - Uploaded on Dec 17, 2024 - link

Fox Sports - I Am Daniel Ricciardo (bananas editing /positive) - Uploaded on Apr 9, 2017 - link

ESPN AUSSIES ABROAD: DANIEL RICCIARDO - LIFE IN THE FAST LANE Opener - Uploaded on Apr 21, 2016 (I have yet to watch the full documentary!) - link

ESPN AUSSIES ABROAD- DANIEL RICCIARDO - LIFE IN THE FAST LANE Preview 2 - Uploaded on Apr 21, 2016 - link

Daniel Ricciardo: Uncut (😳🥴 sorry mind in the gutter, this is a longer interview tho!) - Uploaded on Sep 17, 2017 - link

Daniel Ricciardo Feature - Uploaded on Mar 28, 2018 - link

Renault Clio I Ricciardo I Augusto Gimenez Zapiola - Uploaded on Sep 3, 2020 - link

Sky Sports Ident - F1 - Ricciardo - Uploaded on Jan 5, 2018 - link

PIRELLI: DANIEL RICCIARDO P ZERO WORLD - Uploaded on Aug 12, 2016 - link

C4F1 Daniel Ricciardo Interview Australia 2019 - Uploaded on Mar 20, 2019 - link

Daniel Ricciardo_comp_1005 - Uploaded on Dec 11, 2017 - link

Daniel Ricciardo x Artura - Uploaded on Feb 10, 2021 - link

Daniel Ricciardo drives the Triple Eight Project Sandman V8 Supercar - Uploaded on Mar 16, 2016 - link

Red Bull Racing x PUMA USGP Launch at Austin Speed Shop - Uploaded on Mar 7, 2017 - link

TAG Heuer Aston Martin Red Bull Racing 2018 Global Commercial - Uploaded on Jul 12, 2019 - link

Red Bull : One day in the life of Daniel Ricciardo - Uploaded on Apr 15, 2016 - link

Carsales // Celebrity Drive with Daniel Ricciardo - Uploaded on Aug 1, 2023 - link

On_set_with_Daniel_Ricciardo.mov - Uploaded on Nov 22, 2021 - link

Castrol EDGE Daniel Ricciardo Live on The Edge - Uploaded on Jun 4, 2020 - link

Aston Martin Racing - Daniel Ricciardo vs Darren Turner - Uploaded on Dec 17, 2021 - link

Red Bull Racing Daniel Ricciardo Photoshoot - Behind the scenes - Uploaded on Sep 16, 2020 - link

Dan Ricciardo and Alissa Smith - Silverstone 2018 Interview - Uploaded on Apr 14, 2019 - link

YouTube

omg I have yet to properly dive into YouTube! probs this section will just be as I come across things (Vimeo is much more manageable for perusing)

[2017 F1]日本GP ダニエル・リカルド&マックス・フェルスタッペン トークショー Daniel Ricciardo & Max Verstappen's talk show - 10-08-2017 - link

Added 01-01-2025 - Daniel Ricciardo on Malaysian GP - 09-27-2017 - link

Added 01-02-2025 - Q & A with Tonio Liuzzi and Daniel Ricciardo - 08-31-2011 - link

Added 01-05-2025 - Trackwalk with Daniel Ricciardo, Korea - 10-17-2011 - link

more to come soon!! ❤️ thank you for stopping by!

[notyourmusebby]

Baby Sauber Charles and baby Renault Carlos 🤍💛

1. 🇩🇪 Emirates Grosser Preis Von Deutschland 2018 (20-22 Jul)

2. 🇷🇺 Russian 2018 Grand Prix (20-30 Sep)

3. 🇺🇸 United States 2018 Grand Prix (19-21 Oct)

4. 🇦🇪 Abu Dhabi 2018 Grand Prix (23-25 Nov)

I had to write down the dates, because hear me out, the first picture at Germany proves they were talking way before the Singapore GP held on 14-16 sep that year. WE ARE MISSING CHARLOS LORE.

source: (x)

[carsthatnevermadeitetc]

Renault Project 129, 1981, by Mario Bellini. Italian architect and industrial designer Mario Bellini was engaged by Renault between 1979 and 1982 as a consultant on the 129 project. This was their flagship saloon program, a replacement for the 20/30, the car that would become the Renault 25.

[vintagevoiture]

Renault Monasix (1927-1931). Wikipédia

[trainsinanime]

Trains in Miraculous Ladybug - The Season 6 Tram

Part 1: The Metro Train

Part 2: The Metro Station

Part 3: Startrain

Part 4: The Gare du Nord

Part 5: The Bus

It's a new season, and we got a new art style, new trains, buses, cars, villains and anxieties in the world of Miraculous Ladybug! Mostly trains, of course!

At the end of season 6, the right person got elected mayor, which immediately transformed Paris into a wonderland of walkable urbanity and plentiful urban transit, even more so than before. That's literally canon. As part of that, the city has gotten trams. A lot of them. And they're weird. Time to restart this series of posts that I thought I'd finished long ago!

This will only focus on the trams we see, because there's just one episode out yet, "The Illustrhator". This will contain spoilers for what happens to the trams there. There is also a new bus that we see very briefly, but I'm hoping other episodes will tell us more about that.

The Vehicle

The trams we see are single four-axle vehicles. Yes, four axles, we do get to count them.

The design looks like they're individual small wheels rather than connected axles, which is a common design that has its advantages and its drawbacks. The floor tram is entirely at one level, seemingly about 30-40 cm above rail height.

We do get to see its interior as well. Nice big windows, different seating layouts, a big wheelchair area, and readers for Navigo RFID tickets at all doors. And, interestingly, fold-down seats, which are a feature on older Paris metro rolling stock.

We get a tiny hint of the inside of the cab as well. According to the display, we're going forward, and we're on line T3A towards Porte De Vincennes. And we're going 70 km/h.

There is actually a real-life Paris line T3A that does terminate at Porte De Vincennes (where you can change for the T3B), and I want to talk more about that, but before we can go there I need to talk about the rear of the train first. It has an open platform!

The rear platform

Don't worry about it being raised in the air here, that's just because the tram is currently falling down because the bridge is collapsing.

But don't worry, that is not a supervillain thing, the bridge just did that on its own, that's perfectly fine…

…right? The characters treat it like it's perfectly fine that this bridge just partially collapses without any supernatural interference, but, uhm, I have concerns. Questions even. Frankly I'm far more worried about that than about any supervillains. Alya and Nino later interview the mayor, and they completely ignore that a city bridge collapsed while a tram was going over it.

Sorry, I keep getting distracted. The rear of the tram has an open platform, which looks silly, is silly, is completely unrealistic, and I love it! See, while I am not aware of any trams like that, unless you count partially open ones like the San Francisco Cable Cars, but those are not quite the same.

However, there is a precedent for this platform, because Paris has a long history of city buses with such platforms. A good example is the Renault TN series

Picture from Wikimedia Commons, taken in 1950 by Sven Goliath, published by the Stockholm Transport Museum Commons

These were mostly a thing in the 1930s, but then got brought back in limited numbers in the 1960s after a Saviem SC10 had an accident that destroyed most of its rear, and RATP decided to be funny while rebuilding it. Later Saviem built these busses in series.

Picture from Wikimedia Commons, Tumblr won't let me link to the actual page there but it's on the Wikipedia article, taken by Sauvabus (bus historical association), published under CC-BY 4.0 international

All buses since then have put their engine at the rear, which has a lot of benefits, but also means it's right where this platform would go, so this has fallen out of fashion. Today you can only experience it when the one private transport museum near Paris has its monthly opening day, which is something I really need to visit one of these days. Here's a video showing the experience:

So there is precedent for this rear platform. Does it serve any purpose? Not really. Is it fun? Absolutely! And that's all it was on the Saviem SC10 as well, really. I love this platform. It's historic, it's quirky, it's fun, it's great.

The show definitely aims for a retro-futurist vibe now, seen e.g. in cars, like this modern take on the Citroën DS:

This modern take on this 60s and 70s legendary classic is what the modern DS brand should do, instead of their array of generic boring SUVs. Anyway, I'm not going to go too far into that, if I start talking about the cars in Miraculous Ladybug I'll never stop (yo is that a modern Peugeot 504? They literally modernised Aphrodite from Only Murders in the Building!). But I will say that this detail matches nicely.

The Infrastructure

Look at that station! Gorgeous! The designers of this show have created a tram stop in the style of the famous Guimard metro entrances, with their beautiful Art Nouveau design. That's amazing. I wish real tram stops in Paris look like that.

As for the tram stop itself, it's a low floor island platform with walkways to the sides, which matches modern standards for new tram stops worldwide. The track has gras planted on it, which is also common and popular, as it helps absorb noise, water, heat and pollution and it just looks nice. Yes, side platforms are more common, but this is still what a modern urban light rail network can and should look like. The only thing unrealistic about it is how pretty it is.

It should be noted that there's no overhead lines here, so the trains are powered by batteries, probably. That, or hydrogen, but a hydrogen tram would be a supremely bad idea, nobody would ever build something like that…

…except for Hyundai for some reason.

God that thing annoys me by its very existence. Hydrogen is expensive and will remain expensive for the next few decades, and this is what you're spending it on? A tram!? Trams should run with overhead wires. That's the good thing about a tram, you know where it's going to be, so you can put a wire there to give it power, and then you don't have to worry about batteries or hydrogen storage or whatever…

Sorry, I got distracted. Anyway, no overhead lines is realistic, and if they ever say, "it's a hydrogen tram" in future episodes, that'll be realistic too, even if it shouldn't be.

Instead let's look at this!

Closer…

Yeah! They finally fixed the metro map! The old one was an unholy mess of lines that didn't match anything (which I complained about before), but this one clearly has the Seine flowing through Paris as it should, with the island in the middle. The transport lines on it don't seem to match anything I can recognise, neither Metro nor RER, but let's just assume they are the new tram lines that happen to go this way.

Compared to the real thing

Real-life Paris abandoned trams in the 1930s already, being a negative trend-setter there. It didn't help that trams were limited to lower top speeds than buses were at the time. However, since the 1990s, trams have made a huge comeback in the Paris region.

(Aside: Note that I say the Paris region. There's only really one tram line in Paris itself (plus a few stops from the other ones). Where Berlin or London absorbed most of their suburbs at some point in the 20th century, Paris didn't, so the actual Paris part of the Paris region is surprisingly small. That's why Paris has both far fewer and way more inhabitants than e.g. Berlin, depending on what you count.)

Anyway, the tram lines in Paris mostly serve the suburbs, providing tangential connections from one suburb to the next so you don't have to take the metro or RER into the city centre, change at fucking Châtelet-Les Halles, and ride back out again. A unique feature of the the tram network is that each line is separate, with its own tracks and maintenance facilities, and at times very different technologies used. Most of the tram lines don't connect to other tram lines at all, each line is just out there doing its own thing. And since they're out in the suburbs, as a tourist you're unlikely to ever see one if you don't go looking for it.

The exception to that is the T3, divided into T3A and T3B, which runs in a 3/4 circle around Paris along the outer boulevards. The final quarter is where rich NIMBYs live, so it'll be a while until the circle gets closed, I fear.

This actual T3 is run with long bi-directional vehicles with no open platform anywhere in sight, and pleasant but considerably more boring stations. It does have green track (meaning with grass) in many places, though, and it has overhead wires.

In Paris, the trams are used as very long buses (with some overlap with really tiny metros) in underserved areas. Serving areas outside the city core is really the main thrust of Paris transit development at the moment, with a 200 km metro extension, the Grand Paris Express, being built exclusively to better connect the suburbs. This mega project is one of the coolest things happening in public transport anywhere in the world at the moment. The trams augment this.

I do actually think that some trams in Paris's city centre could make sense, to replace the busier bus routes. And there are definitely thoughts about that, but with all the money going towards doubling the size of the Metro, I don't think we'll see that very soon.

The verdict

I like that tram. I don't think it's what Paris would actually have, a longer articulated bidirectional model without a rear platform would make more sense, but I love the quirkiness of it. This season is off to a good start.

[walkingthroughthisworld]

105 years ago today [30AUG23], the first American tank unit to be formed received its tanks in France during World War I. Unlike other American Expeditionary Force Tank Corps units that used French Renault FT light tanks the 301st Tank Battalion was trained by the British Army at Bovington, England and utilized British heavy tanks. On 30 Aug 1918, the 301st drew a combination of new and used Mark V and Mark V* tanks from stocks in Erin, France and began to get familiar with their new mounts.

For Tankers, care of one's "iron-horse" can be a matter of life and death, and this was already known to these first American Tankers. The official history of the 301st’s A Company captured these thoughts: "It was quite a different matter to take care of a tank that would be yours to take into action from taking care of the old worn Mark IV's we used at Bovington and Wareham. This was a time of long, happy, busy, dirty days. Tanks of our own at last!" "We worked willingly, for it was impressed upon us that our future safety depended in no small degree upon the degree of care which we took with our tanks, and we resolved to have our tank mechanically perfect from the tip of its nose to the end of its tail.”

One of the new Mark V* tanks issued to the A Company of the 301st Tank Battalion was Number 9591 (seen here in our old restoration shop before our move), which would see its only action a month later 29 September 1918 at the Battle of Saint Quentin Canal. Knocked out by small caliber anti-tank gun fire, 9591 came back to the United States with the 301st and now resides in the Collection as our oldest American combat-used tank.

[brawngp2009]

also this whole thang with Logan and Franco and Kimi got me thinking about MY GOAT Oscar and how he had like 30 years of experience at 21 years of age, p2 in british f4, p1 in formula renault eurocup, p1 in f3, p1 in f2, a year as a reserve/test driver to get a hang of an f1 car like... THE MATH IS MATHING IF YOU ASK ME!!

i don't deny insane natural talent OBVIOUSLY but come on you cannot expect every talented kid to be a new Senna, Schumi, Lewis or Max... some kids need TIME and then they will show RESULTS