In 1944, the composer Artur Beul wrote the hit song "Nach em Räge schint Sunne", which translates as "after the rain, the sun shines", and after some initial difficulties, the song became a huge success 70 years ago. Anyone who got out their classic car on the morning of Sunday, May 11, 2014 and drove onto the Dolder ice rink in Zurich was reminded of this.
While heavy rainfall in the morning had made us fear the worst and winds during the night had endangered the installations, the sky cleared from mid-morning and the color blue dominated the sky until the afternoon.
But just like Artur Beul's hit song, the organizers of the Dolder Classics were in the same situation. People didn't really want to believe in the beautiful weather and many therefore preferred to leave their classic cars in the dry garage. Those who did turn up at the Dolder were able to drive onto the ice rink without any traffic jams and found generous parking conditions.
There was also plenty to see for the numerous visitors and passers-by at the first meeting of 2014. For example, a La Salle from the 1930s, some beautiful American luxury limousines from the 1960s, classics such as Jaguar E Type or Mercedes Benz S-Class convertibles, the sporty pre-war Fiat 508S Ballilla Sport Spider and rarities such as the Vauxhall Victor assembled in Switzerland 50 years ago, the Austin Twelve or the Triumph Italia.
In any case, the weather held until later in the afternoon, even if the gusts kept the temperatures low.
And next time, those who didn't quite trust the weather on May 11, 2014 will surely come too.
As a foretaste and reminder, the picture gallery shows some impressions and a few of the vehicles. The next Dolder Classics event will take place on June 8, 2014, with the Oldtimer Galerie Toffen auction being held on the Dolder grounds the Saturday before.
