Many iconic and timeless Italian cars, like the Alfa Giulietta Sprint Veloce, inspire the hearts and imaginations of strip readers of every age...

The MotorVillage is, as all our readers now, a very original and unique concept, where the Fiat Group allows visitors to live the “New Italian Experience,” amidst actual and historic cars of the Fiat Group. The glass tower at the heart of the beautiful period building at the n° 2 Rond-Point des Champs-Elysees lets you meet cars, design, fashion and, last but not least Italian gastronomy of sublime quality in the MotorVillage restaurant.

We drove to the Paris exhibition in luxury, behind the wheel of the smooth and roomy Fiat Freemont... of course we found a parking space right in front of MotorVillage at the Rond Point des Champs Elysées!  

This time, strips are taking central stage until May 20, together with the cars of Fiat, Alfa Romeo, Lancia and Jeep which have put their mark on the innumerable adventures of strip story heroes, just think of classics like Gil Jourdan, Lefranc, Sisco, Diabolik,  XIII and last but not least the Comics-universe.

Rugged cartoon heroes drive the Jeep Wrangler in their adventures...  

The various cars are much more than a simple prop: they embody the character of the protagonist or the spirit of the story. Of course, the car invariably suits the driver often like a glove. In XIII, the rugged, courageous and mysterious hero drives a Jeep Wrangler.

The thoroughbred Alfa Romeo Mito is ideal for the street chases of Cisco, the hire murderer on a secret mission.

The cars shown in the strip stories are also historic icons. We just mention the red Aurelia B20 featuring in “the adventures of Hergé” in the ‘50s. See the photo below...

The “VRAAOMM” exhibition at MotorVillage...

This exhibition brings together nine cars which have become a hallmark and icon in the cartoon strip world.

One of them - see photo below - is the Fiat 500 “Diabolica”, a limited series of 50 cars which were only sold in Italy, and which is inspired on the series DIABOLIK of the sisters Angela and Luciana Giussiani, published by Clair de Lune.  

We already mentioned the Jeep Wrangler, in a limited series XIII, consisting of exactly…13 cars, offered in only three colours. The cars is omnipresent in the album “XIII: Mayflower Day” by Yves Sente and Youri Jigounov, and published by Dargaud.

The Alfa Romeo Giulietta Sprint Veloce has been immortalised in the LEFRANC strips “ The sea of Flames" or “the Poisonous Snow” by Jacques Martin or the “Master of the Atom” by Taymans, Dreze and Jacquemart.

Of course (see photo below) there was the Lancia Aurelia Coupé B20 GT 1954, which was spotted in the "Adventures of Hergé” by Stanislas, José-Louis Bocquet and Jean-Luc Fromental, ^published by Dargaud and also to be seen in numerous books of “TINTIN”.

MotorVillage also shows the Fiat 500 of MARGOT,

which will be unveiled in the next album of the series “The car reportages of Margot”, to be published next July by Paquet. 

The Fiat 500 of Margot, but this time shown "in the flesh"...  

Last but not least we had a very interesting conversation with MotorVillage assistant Alicia, who pointed out that the theme of the exhibition, the cars and the decoration is changed regularly after some months.

Alicia explained us the exhibition concept(s) and the site of MotorVillage Paris...

Also the themes range from fashion to cinema and design. The exhibition can focus only on one brand, or include all the cars of the Fiat Group, as is the case here. Last but not least she showed us the website, www.motorvillage.fr, where you can also have a look at the restaurant menu and subscribe to the newsletter…

Hans Knol ten Bensel