Au Volant d'hier

Three small classics from Pully

Au Volant d'hier rents out vintage cars from Pully, on the Lake Geneva shore next to Lausanne, and one of its offers is aimed squarely at weddings. The fleet is small and specific: an MG Midget, a Fiat 500 and a Triumph Spitfire MK III, and the rental page describes them as genuine icons of the sixties and seventies ("années 60-70"), "soigneusement restaurée" (carefully restored), compact, elegant and full of charm. The wedding offer comes in four packs with prices on the page, which is rarer than it should be among Swiss wedding suppliers and makes this one easy to budget from abroad.

The site introduces the wedding car with a line of its own: "Témoin du bonheur, elle accompagne les jeunes époux dans leur première virée à deux !" (a witness to happiness, she accompanies the newlyweds on their first drive together). The wedding page promises more than a journey, "une expérience pleine d'élégance, de sourires et de belles photos" (an experience full of elegance, smiles and good photos).

The cars

The homepage gives each car a short data card, which is useful because these are small cars and a couple will want to know what they are getting into.

• MG Midget: dated 21 October 1970, 18 horsepower, 590 kg unladen, 25'000 km on the clock.
• Fiat 500: dated 1 May 1962, 35 horsepower, 710 kg unladen, 3'000 km on the clock.
• Triumph Spitfire MK III: dated 1 June 1970, 76 horsepower, 745 kg unladen, 75'000 km on the clock.

These are small, light cars, not limousines. The appeal is the look in photographs and the open-air drive; the trade-off is space. A voluminous dress, a bouquet and two people will fill any of them. The site does not state seat counts or luggage space, and it does not say whether the soft tops can be closed for rain, so both are worth asking about before booking an outdoor-season date.

The wedding packs

The wedding page lists four packs, each including decorations for the car:

• Pack essentiel, 320 CHF: 4 hours of rental and 100 km included.
• Pack confort, 380 CHF: 4 hours, 100 km, and delivery included up to 30 km.
• Pack premium, 600 CHF: 10 hours, 150 km, and delivery included up to 30 km.
• Pack chauffeur, 650 CHF: 6 hours with a "chauffeur en costume" (chauffeur in a suit), 200 km, and fuel included.

The first three are self-drive: one of the couple or a friend drives the car. Only the chauffeur pack puts someone from the business at the wheel. For a couple flying in, that distinction matters, because it decides whether anyone in the wedding party needs to handle a half-century-old car on the day. The page adds that "Tous nos packs sont adaptables selon vos envie" (all our packs can be adapted to your wishes) and invites couples to ask for a personalized offer, so the listed packs are a starting point rather than a fixed menu.

Booking, payment and cancellation

The terms on the wedding page are short and clear. Payment is in cash or by TWINT, the Swiss mobile payment app. A deposit of 50% is paid on the site when booking. If the couple cancel less than a month before the wedding, the deposit is kept; less than two weeks before, the full amount is due. The page adds "Nous ferons preuve de souplesse en cas de force majeure !" (we will be flexible in cases of force majeure). Further terms (insurance, delays, cancellation) sit in the general rental conditions linked from the page.

The site does not mention card payment, so a couple without TWINT should plan to pay in cash or ask about alternatives.

Self-drive rules worth knowing

The general rental page sets out the rules that apply to self-drive hire, and the site does not say whether the wedding packs follow the same terms, so it is worth confirming. Before each rental the team presents the car in detail and gives a short training session, notably on its "mécanisme de démarrage particulier" (particular starting mechanism). The homepage jokes about it: "Elle met du temps à démarrer, les sourires, eux, arriveront tout de suite !" (she takes time to start, but the smiles arrive straight away). The team and renter walk round the car together to note any visible defects.

A security deposit is paid on collection: 1000 CHF for Swiss residents and 2000 CHF for foreign residents, covering a possible insurance excess and returned if all goes well. The car leaves with a full tank and must come back full, and the business reserves the right to charge 200 CHF for deep cleaning if the car returns covered in dust or crumbs. For a wedding, where confetti and rice are part of the day, the cleaning clause is one to raise in advance.

The general rental formulas, for anyone thinking of a drive the day after, are Évasion Express (2 hours, 160 CHF), Tour d'Horizon (4 hours, 280 CHF), Journée Rétro (10 hours, 500 CHF) and Escapade Deluxe (24 hours, 790 CHF). The rental price includes insurance, the mini-training and an agreed mileage.

Reviews, fairs and contact

Two short reviews appear on the homepage. Teo and Esther write "L'expérience était exceptionnelle du début à la fin !" (the experience was exceptional from start to finish), and Osmon, who rented for a birthday, writes "C'était un plaisir de conduire votre Fiat 500 dans le Lavaux !" (it was a pleasure to drive your Fiat 500 through Lavaux). The site also has a video of the Fiat 500 in Lavaux.

The events section lists wedding fairs where the cars are shown in 2026: the Salon du Mariage de Neuchâtel at Hôtel DuPeyrou (7 to 8 March), the Festival du Mariage Valaisan at the Pavillon des Mangettes in Monthey (10 to 12 April), the In-Alp Workshop in Arolla (23 July) and the Salon du Mariage de Fribourg at the Auberge aux 4 Vents in Granges-Paccot (7 to 8 November). For a couple living in Switzerland, a fair is a simple way to see the cars before choosing.

Contact is by phone on +41 79 779 55 38, by email to contact@auvolantdhier.com, or through the form on each page, which asks for the planned rental date. The business is on Instagram as @auvolantdhier_.

What the site leaves open, and who it suits

The site is published in French only, and it does not say whether the team works in English. It gives Pully as its base but no street address or pickup point, and it does not say how the delivery radius is measured or what delivery beyond 30 km costs. The chauffeur pack does not mention delivery, so where the chauffeur starts from is a question to put directly.

Au Volant d'hier suits a couple marrying around Lausanne, Lavaux or the Riviera who want a small, photogenic classic, a clear price and simple terms, and who are happy for one of them or a friend to drive, or who book the chauffeur pack. It suits less well a couple who need room for a large dress plus a witness, a wedding far from the Lake Geneva area, or a couple who cannot correspond in French.