Fantastic Plastic 2017- the colorful world of buggies and other plastic cars

Name: Rochdale Olympic 1961
Brand: Rochdale

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Created on June 5, 2017

Text:

Bruno von Rotz

Photos:

Bruno von Rotz

226

Bruno von Rotz

226

Buggies and other plastic cars - Fantastic Plastic 2017

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Installation of the plastic cars at Bleienbach airfield - Fantastic Plastic 2017

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Around 100 vehicles with plastic bodies came together at the Swiss Museum of Transport - Fantastic Plastic 2017

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Gladly sporty - most of the cars represented were clearly sporty in character - Fantastic Plastic 2017

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Around 100 plastic cars came together at the Swiss Museum of Transport - Fantastic Plastic 2017

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The range of brands and vintages was impressive - Fantastic Plastic 2017

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The most diverse vehicle concepts, but the body is always made of plastic - Fantastic Plastic 2017

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Plastic sports cars from three countries (UK, D, USA) and four decades - Fantastic Plastic 2017

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Buggies and other plastic sports cars in front of the renovated road traffic hall of the Lucerne Museum of Transport - Fantastic Plastic 2017

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Plastic cars from a wide range of brands at the Lucerne Museum of Transport - Fantastic Plastic 2017

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The buggies were particularly colorful - Fantastic Plastic 2017

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Plastic sports cars from three decades - Chevrolet Corvette C2, Lotus Elan SE and BMW M1 - Fantastic Plastic 2017

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Albar and Gutrag VW Buggy - Fantastic Plastic 2017

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The buggies always stand out - Fantastic Plastic 2017

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Albar and Swiss Buggy side by side - Fantastic Plastic 2017

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They have plastic in common, but there are hardly any similarities in the rest - Lotus on the left, two buggies from Albar and Swiss Buggy on the right - Fantastic Plastic 2017

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Albar and Swiss Buggy in comparison - Fantastic Plastic 2017

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Sporzi and Swiss Buggy side by side - Fantastic Plastic 2017

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Once round, once wedge-shaped - Renault Sport Spider and TVR 350i - Fantastic Plastic 2017

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Contrasts in visual design - Renault Sport Spider, Buggy, TVR 350i - Fantastic Plastic 2017

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Two Renault-Alpine A310s - Fantastic Plastic 2017

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Different rear variants for the Marcos - Fantastic Plastic 2017

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Action on the airfield - Grass landing of a single-engine biplane - Fantastic Plastic 2017

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Arrival of the plastic cars at Bleienbach Airport - Fantastic Plastic 2017

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The buggies were the guests of honor at the fifth meeting - Fantastic Plastic 2017

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Plastic car exotics Alfa Romeo SZ and BMW M1 - Fantastic Plastic 2017

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Buggies always stand out from the crowd - Fantastic Plastic 2017

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Buggies from different manufacturers, all built in Switzerland - Fantastic Plastic 2017

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The BMW Z1 as a modern representative of plastic vehicles - Fantastic Plastic 2017

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Buggy mania at Bleienbach airfield - Fantastic Plastic 2017

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Gathered plastic cars at Bleienbach airfield - Fantastic Plastic 2017

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The lamps on display as a distinguishing feature of the buggies - Fantastic Plastic 2017

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Two of the most popular plastic cars ever - Alpine-Renault A110 and Lotus Elan - Fantastic Plastic 2017

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Plastic car variety at the Bleienbach airfield - Fantastic Plastic 2017

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Sports cars and leisure vehicles made of plastic - Fantastic Plastic 2017

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Plastic cars can be so different - BMW M1 versus Buggy - Fantastic Plastic 2017

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The plastic cars at the Rain outdoor storage facility - Fantastic Plastic 2017

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Parking so that the whole thing looks neat and tidy - Fantastic Plastic 2017

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The buggies arrive at the Rain outdoor storage facility - Fantastic Plastic 2017

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Contrasts in color and shape -Swiss Buggy and Albar Buggy - Fantastic Plastic 2017

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Installation of the plastic vehicles at the Swiss Museum of Transport outdoor storage facility in Rain - Fantastic Plastic 2017

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Marcos from three decades, only the connoisseur can tell them apart - Fantastic Plastic 2017

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The rain sets in, putting on the buggy hood - Fantastic Plastic 2017

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With hood ready for the wet ride home - Gutrag Buggy - Fantastic Plastic 2017

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Pretty colorful, pretty individual - Fantastic Plastic 2017

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More air for the Beetle engine - Fantastic Plastic 2017

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Air scoops for the buggies - Fantastic Plastic 2017

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Typical for the buggy - bright metallic paintwork, upright headlights - Fantastic Plastic 2017

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Colorful and eye-catching - Buggy - Fantastic Plastic 2017

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Typical characteristic of most buggies - offset headlights like on pre-war classic cars - Fantastic Plastic 2017

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Colors and shapes - Fantastic Plastic 2017

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To be found in almost all buggies - VW Beetle main instrument - Fantastic Plastic 2017

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Poppy lettering on the Albar Buggy - Fantastic Plastic 2017

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The Albar lettering - Fantastic Plastic 2017

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Colorful and imaginative - Painting the front hood of a buggy - Fantastic Plastic 2017

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Creative painting of a buggy - Fantastic Plastic 2017

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Fan wheel like in the Porsche in this Albar Buggy - Fantastic Plastic 2017

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Gummy bears as bumpers for the buggy - Fantastic Plastic 2017

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Characteristic rear lights of the Renault Sport Spider - Fantastic Plastic 2017

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Clearly labeled - Chevrolet Corvette C5 - Fantastic Plastic 2017

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The lettering says it all - Alpine-Renault - Fantastic Plastic 2017

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Albar S VW/Porsche Buggy - at the plastic car meeting Fantastic Plastic 2017

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Albar VW Buggy - at the plastic car meeting Fantastic Plastic 2017

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Alfa Romeo SZ ES30 - at the plastic car meeting Fantastic Plastic 2017

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Alpine-Renault A110 1600 SI - at the plastic car meeting Fantastic Plastic 2017

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Apal VW Buggy Jet - at the plastic car meeting Fantastic Plastic 2017

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Avanti Ford-Door Touring Sedan 5.0 - at the plastic car meeting Fantastic Plastic 2017

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BMW M1 - at the plastic car meeting Fantastic Plastic 2017

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BMW Z1 - at the plastic car meeting Fantastic Plastic 2017

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Bond Equipe GT Mk II - at the plastic car meeting Fantastic Plastic 2017

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Bond Equipe GT Series II - at the plastic car meeting Fantastic Plastic 2017

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Chevrolet Corvette C2 - at the plastic car meeting Fantastic Plastic 2017

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Chevrolet Corvette C5 - at the plastic car meeting Fantastic Plastic 2017

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Citroën Gjorgia - at the plastic car meeting Fantastic Plastic 2017

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Citroën Méhari - at the plastic car meeting Fantastic Plastic 2017

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Dellsperger Porsche - at the plastic car meeting Fantastic Plastic 2017

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Ginetta G33 - at the plastic car meeting Fantastic Plastic 2017

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Gutrag VW Buggy - at the plastic car meeting Fantastic Plastic 2017

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Keinath GT/R 3.0 - at the plastic car meeting Fantastic Plastic 2017

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Lotus Elan 2+2 BRM - at the plastic car meeting Fantastic Plastic 2017

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Lotus Elan 2+2 - at the plastic car meeting Fantastic Plastic 2017

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Lotus Elan S2 - at the plastic car meeting Fantastic Plastic 2017

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Lotus Elan S3 DHC - at the plastic car meeting Fantastic Plastic 2017

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Lotus Elan S4 DHC - at the plastic car meeting Fantastic Plastic 2017

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Lotus Elan SE - at the plastic car meeting Fantastic Plastic 2017

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Lotus Esprit 350 Sport - at the plastic car meeting Fantastic Plastic 2017

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Lotus Esprit S2.2 - at the plastic car meeting Fantastic Plastic 2017

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Lotus Europe Special - at the plastic car meeting Fantastic Plastic 2017

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Lotus Europa Type 65 Wankel prototype - at the plastic car meeting Fantastic Plastic 2017

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Lotus Exige LF1 - at the plastic car meeting Fantastic Plastic 2017

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Lotus Exige Sport 350 - at the plastic car meeting Fantastic Plastic 2017

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Marcos 1600 GT - at the plastic car meeting Fantastic Plastic 2017

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Marcos GT 3 Litre - at the plastic car meeting Fantastic Plastic 2017

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Marcos Mantara - at the plastic car meeting Fantastic Plastic 2017

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Marcos Mantula - at the plastic car meeting Fantastic Plastic 2017

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Microplas Toledo Ford - at the plastic car meeting Fantastic Plastic 2017

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Mini Marcos Mk III - at the plastic car meeting Fantastic Plastic 2017

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Opel Speedster 2.2 - at the plastic car meeting Fantastic Plastic 2017

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Porsche 356 Speedster Replica - at the plastic car meeting Fantastic Plastic 2017

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Porsche 935 one-off - at the Fantastic Plastic 2017 plastic car meeting

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Reliant Scimitar 1800 TI - at the plastic car meeting Fantastic Plastic 2017

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Renault-Alpine A310 Molinari - at the plastic car meeting Fantastic Plastic 2017

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Renault-Alpine A310 - at the plastic car meeting Fantastic Plastic 2017

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Renault Sport Spider - at the plastic car meeting Fantastic Plastic 2017

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Rochdale Olympic Phase 2 - at the plastic car meeting Fantastic Plastic 2017

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Sammio Spyder Sports Triumph - at the plastic car meeting Fantastic Plastic 2017

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Smart Roadster Coupé - at the plastic car meeting Fantastic Plastic 2017

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Sporzi VW Buggy - at the plastic car meeting Fantastic Plastic 2017

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VW sign on a Sporzi buggy - Fantastic Plastic 2017

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Sumo AC Cobra Replica - at the plastic car meeting Fantastic Plastic 2017

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Swiss Buggy VW - at the plastic car meeting Fantastic Plastic 2017

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Tornado Talisman V8 (Daimler) - at the plastic car meeting Fantastic Plastic 2017

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Trabant - at the plastic car meeting Fantastic Plastic 2017

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TVR 350i - at the plastic car meeting Fantastic Plastic 2017

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TVR Chimaera - at the plastic car meeting Fantastic Plastic 2017

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TVR Griffith 4.3 - at the plastic car meeting Fantastic Plastic 2017

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TVR Taimar - at the plastic car meeting Fantastic Plastic 2017

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VW Beetle "Highway Patrol" - at the plastic car meeting Fantastic Plastic 2017

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Wiesmann GT MF4 - at the plastic car meeting Fantastic Plastic 2017

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Wiesmann Roadster - at the plastic car meeting Fantastic Plastic 2017

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The "Fantastic Plastic" meeting of plastic cars took place for the fifth time and, as usual, the cars met at the Swiss Museum of Transport in Lucerne on June 3, 2017, where not only the renovated road traffic hall with the Monteverdi exhibition, but also the beautiful weather could be enjoyed.

The range of brands and vintages was impressive - Fantastic Plastic 2017

The journey then continued in perfect weather conditions to Bleienbach Airport and towards evening the caravan set off for Rain, where the day ended with lasagne and a convivial get-together after a total of around 150 km of driving.

Almost 100 vehicles

Despite the unsettled weather, a total of almost 100 vehicles came together, representing the spectrum of the plastic era from the 1950s to modern times.

Around 100 vehicles with plastic bodies came together at the Swiss Museum of Transport - Fantastic Plastic 2017

A Microplas Toledo was the earliest car with over 60 years of age, two Lotus Exige marked the modern era, with British, German, French and American plastic sports cars and of course the buggies in between.

Microplas Toledo Ford - at the plastic car meeting Fantastic Plastic 2017

Colorful individuality in the buggies

The fifth Fantastic Plastic focused on the colorful leisure cars based on the VW Beetle. Although a Meyers Manx was missing, of which there are hardly any examples in this country, the typical Swiss buggy manufacturers Sporzi, Swiss Buggy and Albar were impressively represented in terms of numbers, supplemented by Apal (Belgium) and a Gutrag Buggy.

Buggies from different manufacturers, all built in Switzerland - Fantastic Plastic 2017

A total of over 20 buggies found their way to Lucerne and showed just how individually this type of vehicle has been designed. No two buggies are the same, not only the color was often chosen very uniquely, but also the shape was optimized and the interior in any case. On the drive side, too, you will find everything from a well-behaved Beetle engine to a Porsche drive set.

Fan wheel like in the Porsche in this Albar Buggy - Fantastic Plastic 2017

Round or wedge-shaped

Plastic is known to be an easy-to-process material with which even the smallest vehicle series can be built cost-effectively. In fact, less than 100 examples of some of the cars taking part in the meeting were produced. Of course, this also allowed a great deal of freedom in terms of design, as the aim was not necessarily to appeal to the masses.

TVR 350i - at the plastic car meeting Fantastic Plastic 2017

The wedge-shaped TVR 350i convertible, for example, speaks a completely different design language than the Renault Sport Spider or a Lotus Elan. The very rare Avanti with four doors appeals to completely different tastes.

Lotus Elan S3 DHC - at the plastic car meeting Fantastic Plastic 2017

And the yellow Rochdale Olympic was probably the most extreme series-produced plastic car of the sixties, as this design completely dispensed with a metal chassis.

Dellsperger Porsche - at the plastic car meeting Fantastic Plastic 2017

Finally, the Dellsberger Porsche was the first genuine Swiss car on display, a one-off with a tubular frame, Enzmann body (with doors!) and Porsche engine. However, the once installed RSK-Königswellen engine no longer sits in the rear of the interesting design.

BMW also built plastic cars, and not just once!

Two classic plastic sports cars were created by the German manufacturer BMW. There was the BMW M1, which was once developed with Italian business partners and then produced in-house to provide the basis for a Group 4 racing car.

BMW M1 - at the plastic car meeting Fantastic Plastic 2017

And then, around ten years later, there was the BMW Z1, which was developed by Motorsport GmbH and, with its retractable doors, still holds a special place in automotive history today. Both the M1 and the Z1 were on site at the Fantastic Plastic meeting!

Lotus, Marcos and where is TVR?

When you think of plastic cars, the brands Lotus, Alpine and TVR usually come to mind first. In Lucerne/Rain, however, there were at least as many Marcos sports cars as Lotus, while fewer TVR and Alpine drivers made it to Lucerne in 2017 than in other years.

Lotus Esprit S2.2 - at the plastic car meeting Fantastic Plastic 2017

TVR is on the verge of a hotly anticipated comeback and you can also buy a sports car from Alpine again.

Entertaining day

In addition to the visit to the Museum of Transport, guided tours were also on the agenda in Bleienbach, where visitors learned that the Hogwarts Express from the Harry Potter school of wizardry was built near Dättwiler - in plastic, but not for the film but for an amusement park.

Action on the airfield - Grass landing of a single-engine biplane - Fantastic Plastic 2017

The oldest still operational airplane in Switzerland, known as the "Motte", was also on display and while the Fantastic participants feasted on grilled sausages, older and newer monoplanes and biplanes were constantly landing and taking off on the runway next door.

Marcos from three decades, only the connoisseur can tell them apart - Fantastic Plastic 2017

The current status of the non-public Swiss Museum of Transport collection could then be inspected in the outdoor storage facility in Rain and Swiss Museum of Transport Director Martin Bütikofer explained that the exhibits, e.g. a Tesla, had to be stored now so that they could be exhibited in 20 or 30 years' time as trendsetters or development flops of the past.

Crowned prize winners

In the small and largely participant-driven "Concours", René Abt's Marcos was voted the most exciting sports car, followed by a Swiss Buggy, a Citroën Méhari, a Sporzi, the Gutrag Buggy and another Swiss Buggy. The buggies also left their mark on the event in terms of participant selection.

Almost stayed dry

As always, the organization around Daniel Geissmann from the Swiss Museum of Transport and his team was excellent and no one went hungry or thirsty. The focus of the day was on good discussions and the opportunity to learn all kinds of new things about plastic cars.

The rain sets in, putting on the buggy hood - Fantastic Plastic 2017

While many participants managed to return home reasonably dry, others were caught out by torrential downpours that turned the roads into puddles. Even the inside of closed cars got wet, such was the weather.