family and friendly

The Estafette, an icon of 1960s–1980s France.

The Alouette was introduced in 1961, a fully glazed Estafette that could serve as a utility vehicle during the week and a family car at the weekend. When needed, it was enough to install lightweight bench seats made of tubes and canvas to transform the van into a baby-boom era people carrier.

The Estafette became one of the defining symbols of the Trente Glorieuses, the post-war period of economic growth in France. It embodied the rise in economic activity and its transport needs, as well as the emergence of new local services that went beyond simple delivery. It alone symbolized all those new businesses that were flourishing, their names boldly painted across its sides—always bright and gleaming. And when it wore its dark uniform, it became the Gendarmerie Estafette, present at many crossroads to help ensure the smooth running of a society increasingly shaped by the automobile.