The Village of Rimont formalized an agreement with the French Federation of Vintage Vehicles this Sunday, May 26. From now on, the town is the first in Ariège to be the “Welcome Village for Vintage Vehicles”. Enough to strengthen your economy and business.
Beautiful cars shone for this big day. This Sunday, May 26, Rimont, a town of 530 inhabitants, located between Foix and Saint-Girons, can boast of being the first town in Ariège to call itself the “Welcome Village for vintage vehicles”. And there were many collector cars that honored this title with their presence at the inauguration.
We owe this idea to Olivier Rouch, the municipal councilor in charge of the project and a collector of Ford Mustang cars. “There are many vintage vehicle clubs that do tours, taking into account the information centralized by the French Federation of Vintage Vehicles (FFVE). The concept was to link an agreement with it so that the tours stop in our village. People could take advantage of our restaurant, our shop, our village hall”, explains the elected official.
Three paths to admire the heritage
A kind of roadside village dedicated to lovers of vintage cars. “We don’t want to compete with this name. In any case, drivers and clubs affiliated with FFVE first turn to its data and then look to other sites to supply their track. These are FFVE members,” he explains.
This name brings great clarity to Rimont, especially since the village is currently the only one in Ariège. In order for collectors to want to stop by, three car circuits have been put together. The first starts from Rimont, goes through the unmissable calvary before Mas-d’Azil, then continues to Carla-Bayla. The second allows you to discover Lake Mondély, La Bastide-de-Sérou and eco-golf. The third walks to Col de Rille, Rivèrenert, then Saint-Girons and Saint-Lizier. These are not loops because “motorists go elsewhere, Toulouse for example”.
Boost the city’s economy
In order to better host these other types of tourists, the municipality will cooperate with companies and accommodation providers, especially since in Rimont “we have the best worker in France in body sheet metal”, reminds the municipal councilor. “We could imagine offering them wine and coffee in the restaurant. We will talk, we will gradually put things in place, everything is new.”
However, the issue of accommodation has already been resolved. “We no longer have a hotel, but we have a list of accommodation that we have sent to FFVE,” says Olivier Rouch. The town relies heavily on this name to strengthen the village’s economy and “maintain a school, a bakery, a pepper shop…”
Evelyne, manager of the restaurant Le Relais du grenier à jambon, which uses products from her farm, is delighted. “They will bring us more people because we already often have groups of old cars. There they will know that they have a base in Rimont. And then it’s nice to see that the village is coming to life. Our Christmas market is starting to have a good reputation, that’s really nice,” she insists.
The frenzy that Christian, a collector from Ariège, feels less: “The idea is pleasant, beautiful, but I don’t know if it will be useful. It is the clubs that create their courses, I am not sure that more people will want to come to Rimont”.
Either way, the structures will now be aware that they are welcome in the city. At the two entrances to the city, on RD117, two signs will soon be placed, just so people know.