Vintage Car Route Des Grands Crus Holiday Departure Nationale 6Vintage Car Route Des Grands Crus Depart Vacances Nationale6
©Vintage Car Route Des Grands Crus Depart Vacances Nationale6|Michel Joly
THE VINTAGE ROUTE NATIONALE 6
Roulez vintage Sur la Nationale 6

La Route Vintage Nationale 6

The legendary road of the 1950s.

In the 1950s, this legendary road was the destination for cars heading for the South, the Côte d’Azur and, above all, vacations. Abandoned after the opening of the freeway, it has now regained all its interest in the eyes of nostalgic brown visitors, seduced by the quality of Burgundy’s landscapes.

On the road to vacation!

This great French national road “from Paris to Milan via Turin”, linked Paris to Italy via Lyon and Savoy, and crossed Burgundy.

Now the D906, it invites you to take your time, stop in the Pays Beaunois halfway between Paris and Lyon, and schedule a “retro” break at the Bel-Air service station, located at the top of the commune of La Rochepot.

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To be experienced on the different sections

Bel-Air: the retro gas station!

This area was an essential stop-off point on the vacation route. In the 70s, the station, where the “Relairoute” restaurant was located, had its moment of glory with a mythical scene from Jean Pierre Melville’s film Le Cercle Rouge, starring Alain Delon and Bourvil.

Today, the Bel Air service station is undergoing a complete overhaul: retro signage, purchase of old garages with typical 50s architecture, advertising for the major brands of the era painted on the walls and creation of a club-house. Vintage car collectors and their associations take over the place once a month on weekends to exchange and share.

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Did you know?

Another pretty story about the “Bel-Air” site: in 1887, Louis Chevrolet, a young Swiss-born man from Beaune who worked as a mechanic in a bicycle store, helped out a wealthy American. After arriving in the United States with his luggage and a career as a racing driver, he created the Chevrolet car brand. The story goes that Louis Chevrolet was a frequent visitor to the Bel-Air site in his youth, and used the name for the famous Chevrolet “Bel Air”, produced by General Motors in the USA until 1975.

Take the detour

Poussez la porte de François Rocault, vigneron à Orches dans les Hautes Côtes de Beaune.
Poussez la porte de François Rocault, vigneron à Orches dans les Hautes Côtes de Beaune.
Poussez la porte de François Rocault, vigneron à Orches dans les Hautes Côtes de Beaune.

Not far away

Leave the Nationale 6 to reach the foot of the cliffs, in Orches.

There you’ll meet a pure Burgundian, Françoise Rocault. He welcomes you to his estate and bed & breakfast. This poetic winem-maker has a lot to share.

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