In times when cars are getting heavier and bulkier, a little counter-pressure makes perfect sense. Daniel Koch obviously thought so and organized a car meeting for vehicles weighing up to 1000 kg. The rules were simple: up to 1000 kg you paid five francs entry, above that (and up to 1050 kg) a further five francs per additional ten kilograms.
Above 1050 kg you had to use the visitor parking lot. The meeting took place at Motorworld Kemptthal, at the same time as the motorcycle show.
Olympic spirit on the scales
Now, of course, the one arrivals from 09:00 on August 27, 2023 had it easy, after all, an Abarth 1000 GT Bialbero does not weigh 700 kg and even a Daihatsu Charade does not exceed 730 kg.
The Velorex tricycle from the 1950s passed the procedure on the scales at the entrance without any problems, 300 kg was a minus record. The tricycle rider has to pay for it with the missing reverse gear, which probably fell victim to the weight. Parking requires muscle work.
To be weighed, the lightweight driver had to carefully position his two axles on the four scales and get out of the car, then Boch's equipment calculated the total wheel load. In the case of the Lotus Elan Sprint DHC from 1972, the result was 730 kg and the tank was still three-quarters full with all sorts of bits and bobs in the trunk. Just a real lightweight.
Others went to a little more trouble. The owner of a red Toyota Corolla removed the rear seat and spare wheel, pumped the tank empty and removed unnecessary covers and music cassettes from the interior, resulting in 1050 kg, just under the limit.
The lightest four-wheeler, a Super Seven without a roof and comfort extras, weighed in at just 490 kg. The Japanese share was relatively high, one would have expected a British overhang.
Almost stayed dry
Koch and his team were very lucky with the weather, which was not quite so predictable. Precipitation had been expected, but Kemptthal was spared rain almost until the end of the event.
A total of almost 100 participants came to the first lightweight meeting. Three quarters managed the 1000 kg limit, others were slightly over. Many former bread-and-butter cars took to the scales, including a Peugeot 104 ZS and a DKW F12. But exotic cars from brands such as Berkeley and Matra also found their way into Motorworld Kemptthal.
As well as talking petrol, visitors were able to enjoy refreshments at the food stands and talk to specialists such as MadMotors, Dönni Classic Car, Penrite, Alpine Winterthur, Belmot and Schwungrad. In addition, the many light cars naturally stimulated discussions among the visitors.
Repetition announced
At the end, Daniel Koch drew a positive conclusion from his new event. He wants to repeat the meeting in a year's time, as there are still many cars that have not yet made it to the event in 2023.
The lightweight sports cars from Ginetta, Marcos and TVR, as well as examples of the first VW Golf or Scirocco, were somewhat lacking. The range of cars weighing less than 1000 kg in the fifties to eighties was quite extensive, so 300 or 500 vehicles could quickly come together if Renault 4 CVs or Simca 1000s also found their way to Kemptthal ...
