Many of us have driven extraordinary cars in our lives, vehicles outside the norm and perhaps even common sense. For Jürgen Vos, this was almost a virtue. The well-known journalist and PR professional did not like to settle for Golfs and Audi 80s. And he loved the quick change of vehicles. What counted for him was cheap purchasing, reliability and "quirkiness", as we would say today.
A book with over two dozen stories
Vos did not leave it at his "hobby", he has now published a book with his memories of more interesting examples of his car career. From the Citroën 2CV to the Citroën ID/DS, the Peugeot 404 Cabriolet, the Mercedes-Benz 250 S, the Ford Taunus Deutsch Cabriolet, the Triumph Stag, the Matra-Simca Bagheera, the Fiat 124 Spider, the Renault 17 TS, the Alfa Romeo 200 Berlina, the Datsun 280 ZX, the Fiat Panda, up to Baby-Benz he describes a variety of cars that played a role in his life.
He had a particularly close relationship with the Renault 17 TS, as this car offered a welcome compromise between a convertible (at least almost) and a versatile everyday vehicle. Vos loves open-top driving, and you can sense that immediately in his stories.
Bedside reading
This book is not a reference work. If you want to research the history of the Matra-Simca Bagheera or the technical specifications of the Peugeot 404 Cabriolet, you've come to the wrong place. Although there are some interesting facts in the stories and the inserts, the book is better suited as a bedtime read for car enthusiasts with a wide range of interests. It's not just about the cars, but also about the circumstances in which they were used.
We'll let him get away with the fact that Vos now drives a Peugeot 308 CC with neck heating. Instead, we were pleased to read stories about the Oettinger car tuner and other side notes.
Weak point: illustrations
The individual stories are illustrated with many photos, most of which unfortunately do not come from the author's collection, nor from the factory archives, which would certainly have liked to have contributed something. Many of the photos are from dealers who probably had one or two suitable cars in their stock.
That's not a bad thing, because the photos are not essential for understanding the entertaining stories.
If you don't yet have a book to take with you to the beach or other vacations, the 144-page journey through time into the world of the sixties to eighties is highly recommended.
Bibliographical information
- Title: When cars still had character
- Author: Jörg Vos
- Language: German
- Publisher: Germanond Media GmbH
- Edition: 1st edition, June 6, 2025
- Format: Hardcover, 19.4 x 1.6 x 26 cm
- Size: 144 pages, over 100 illustrations
- ISBN: 978-3-98702-160-2
- Price: EUR 24.90 / CHF 32.90
- Buy/order: Online at Amazon or directly from the publisher , as well as from specialized bookstores
