Robin Hood and his companions were hard to find in Sherwood Forrest, and the same could happen if you wanted to photograph Messerschmitt, Isetta and Co. in the wild in the area around Walenstadt on the occasion of the International Cabin Scooter Meeting.
For the third time after 2001 and 2007
Cabin scooters had already met at international level in 2001 and 2007, and on June 13 and 14, 2015 it was time again. A rally was organized on Saturday and a round trip on Sunday. The meeting was accompanied by seaplanes and, of course, there was also something to eat. Above all, however, the meeting was about the camaraderie between the micro-vehicle pilots.
Around 50 vehicles from Germany and Switzerland
The meeting showed the spectrum of cabin scooters. There was the BMW Isetta, the Messerschmitt, the Heinkel/Trojan, the Goggomobil, but also a Velorex from 1948. Even one of the fast Messerschmitt Tigers with four wheels was there. And their charm is unbroken.
The economics of the fifties
In the fifties, cabin scooters were a financially viable step up from motorcycles to four-wheelers and a roof over your head. In 1957, the BMW Isetta 300 offered a top speed of 85 km/h with a fuel consumption of 3.7 liters per 100 km. And at 2900 francs, it cost considerably less than a VW Beetle. Resourceful inventors went even further, fitting the Isetta with a specially developed rear axle that limited the cabin mobile to three wheels, allowing it to be driven with a sidecar license.
On the prowl
It's not easy to track down the small cabin scooters in the forest. The Sheriff of Nottingham must have felt very similar a few centuries ago when he wanted to track down Robin Hood and his companions in the forest. After all, after a few hours in the forest, a few nice pictures were taken.
Not on the meadow!
The seaplanes naturally added a special touch to the meeting. For once, they were allowed to use Lake Walen as a landing and take-off runway. And of course they would have been an ideal background for beautiful photos with the cabin scooters. Unfortunately, however, it was not permitted to drive one of the cabin scooters onto the meadow to take a picture with the aircraft. Too bad, the owner would certainly have been happy about this photo. But who knows, maybe the super picture will be taken at the next international meeting in six or eight years' time ...
