As I mentioned I've never actually tried the Rally proper, but I enjoyed following the route as a "gate crasher". Being in a classic car I received the same reception.
I actually picked up the tour simply because it passed right by my brothers front gate just as we were leaving to go to Angouleme. He usually only sees about three cars per day.
My experience was similar to yours with a lot of friendly cheering people almost everywhere.
I did talk to a couple of participants who enjoyed it but thought it was a bit too expensive. Hence my observation.
I think there were several classic car tours taking place on the same day as there seemed to be classic cars going in every direction.
