404C Owner Rendezvous in Oakland, CA

In mid-January 2018 my friend Christy Mereigh and I set off from Vancouver BC, Canada on a quest to meet the owner of a Renault Dauphine 1093 (rally version) buy it if possible. It was not for sale and we knew that the prospect was a long shot. The car is located in the Bay area of California.

Because of the number of Peugeot enthusiasts in the area, I decided we should get together with as many 404 owners as possible. This was a very good plan, because as expected, the 1093 quest was not completely successful!

The rendezvous happened on a Saturday evening, at Chevy’s Mexican Restaurant on the Oakland waterfront.

L to R: Jimmy Haynes, Christy Mereigh, Mike Tippett, Marc Maksimow, Craig Parada, Chris Hawkins,

Photo by Betsy Parada

Jimmy is a local car collector and has an eclectic mix of European cars from the fifties and sixties, including 5 404s, two of which are Cabriolets. The red one, a 1966 model, was having some floor repairs done and a new engine and clutch installed at Sam Sipkins’ shop in Emeryville. Sam is a Porsche repairman and must be in his mid eighties, and he has the most immaculate Speedster I have ever seen. Sam was a wonderful host for our brief visit and there were lots of goodies to look at in his shop, not just Jimmy’s 404C.

Jimmy’s 1966 404 Cabriolet, photo by Mike Tippett

Christy has never owned a Peugeot but had a Renault Dauphine Gordini from about 1981-1988 and is looking for a 1093 – the Holy Grail of Dauphines.

L: Bill Kane and his 1093 at Sebring in 1964, photo by Greg Rickes R: The 1093 that Christy wants to buy, photo by Clark W Rodgers

L: Mike’s 1966 404 Coupé Injection in February 2018; R: Marc’s 1965 404 Cabriolet in May 2016, both photos by M. Tippett

Mike is reassembling his Coupé following a rotisserie restoration at Coachwerks in Victoria BC. Aside from reassembly, work remaining to be done includes the engine rebuild, upholstery and bearing replacement in the gearbox. Marc is planning to rebuild his 404 Cabriolet in the coming years, and since he is a bodywork expert, it should be stunning when he’s finished. Marc has a Peugeot collection of more than 20 cars, and a few of them are 404s.

Craig used to own a 505 that was sold not too long ago to Marc, and Craig also helped Christy get in touch with the Renault 1093 owner. Craig and his wife Betsy were excellent hosts to Christy and I all day on February 13. He owns an Amphicar!

Chris Hawkins is originally from the Bay area of California but a few years ago he moved to Eugene Oregon, only this winter moving back to California, in the Napa Valley. He bought his 404 Cabriolet in 2009 from a military man who had owned it for a long time. It is a 1966 carbureted model, and is immaculate. The car should be back in California later this year. It was a fun, hastily organized event and we should do more in the future! (This time with our 404s).

Mike tries out Chris’ lovely 404 Cabriolet in 2016, photo by Chris Hawkins