He was a poet, an entertainer. Fritz B. Busch did not simply write test reports or event reviews, he conveyed experiences, impressions and insights in an inimitable style. His articles appeared in "auto motor und sport" from the 1950s onwards, as well as in "Stern" and other magazines. For over 50 years, Busch published his opinions and insights and readers couldn't get enough of them.
His articles were so different from the dry test reports that were usually published, but they still gave an impression of whether the car was good or bad. Busch did not hold back with his opinions, whether he was writing about a 2 CV or a Jaguar E-Type, whether he was presenting the IAA or reporting from his memories.
Legendary automobile stories ...
Christian Steiger has now compiled a first collection of Busch's articles for Motorbuch Verlag, which he wrote about the NSU Prinz, the Citroën 2CV, the Austin-Healey Sprite, the Chevrolet Corvette Sting Ray, the Ford Taunus, the Hillman Minx, the Mercedes-Benz 600 (long), the Citroën Sahara, the Jaguar E-Type, the MGB, the Chevrolet Blazer, the UAZ 469 Tundra, the Alfa Romeo Giulietta Spider, the Victoria Spatz and the Peugeot 203 Cabriolet many years ago.
These car stories are supplemented by four further articles, each around 10 pages long, on the topics of vacation trips with old cars, yesterday's accessories, yesterday's IAA innovations and driving a convertible.
Exciting life story
However, the book is introduced by a short foreword by Busch's daughter Anke and a 16-page biography written by Steiger, which unfortunately ends far too soon, but which can be found in volume 2 ("Motorlegenden - Fritz B. Busch Lieben Sie Vollgas? - Unforgotten automobile stories"). Yes, Busch, who was born in 1922, has experienced a lot, so it's no wonder that he was able to draw on an almost immeasurable wealth of experience in his stories.
His own groove
You have to get involved with his stories and try to understand his comparisons. For today's younger readers, the references to the golden twenties or the often quoted hits of the post-war period may be difficult to categorize, but the humorous tone always comes through and it is simply fun to read on and on.
Let Busch himself speak for a moment, quoting from his story about the Hillman Minx Cabriolet: "Minx is open in the truest sense of the word, because there is nothing left above the waistline when you have the Minx top up and down. It is lowered, buried, hidden - so that the good old open bathtub is created, which, with four wheels and waving fenders, was once the standard shape of our automobiles. And even with the top up, the Minx is still open enough to let in a bit of wind, a bit of water and just as much dust - isn't that wonderful? No? Then please don't read any further - I write stories for men who smoke a pipe! I know that some of them smoke a filter cigarette on the outside, but mentally they smoke a pipe, and I write for them too! ..."
If someone else had described this Hillman Minx, the leaking roof would probably have been a capital loss, but for Busch it made the car really attractive.
Sensitively illustrated
Thank goodness Steiger and the publisher refrained from adding modern and very colorful pictures to the articles. Nevertheless, the book could not do without photos - after all, hardly anyone still knows the cars that Busch describes. And the reports at the time were only very sparsely illustrated.
So historical pictures were collected and supplemented with brochure clippings and photos from the Busch family archive. The mixture is pleasing, even if the print quality takes away some of the brilliance.
For fans of fables
Anyone looking for facts and figures about historic cars will certainly not be well served by the two volumes of stories from the Fritz Busch oeuvre that have been published so far. You have to immerse yourself in these stories and ideally read the book from cover to cover, only then will you get the full enjoyment. And of course, you also have to be able to enjoy the times that Busch describes in his articles. But that is not difficult, after all, the fifties to seventies are among the most exciting automotive years of the last century.
Just under 30 euros is not too much to ask for many hours of good entertainment.
Bibliographic information
- Title: Motor legends - Fritz B. Busch - Legendary automobile stories - Of ducks and scrubbed flounders
- Authors/Publisher: Fritz B. Busch / Christian Steiger
- Language: German
- Publisher: Motorbuch Verlag
- Edition: 1st edition September 2022
- Format: Hardcover, 170 x 225 mm
- Scope: 240 pages, approx. 150 pictures
- ISBN number: 978-3-613-04401-2
- Price: EUR 29.90
- Buy/order: Online at Motorbuch-Verlag, online at amazon.de or in relevant bookstores
- Title: Motor legends - Fritz B. Busch Do you love full throttle? - Unforgotten automobile stories
Rest as above, except - Edition: 1st edition November 2022
- ISBN: 978-3-613-04485-2
- Buy/order: Online at Motorbuch-Verlag, online at amazon.de or in relevant bookstores
