How much bad luck can an organizer have? The previous Sunday was perfect spring weather with temperatures of around 20 degrees Celsius and sunshine. And the forecast for next Sunday is similar. Only on this April 21, 2024, the temperatures hovered in the lower single-digit range, so that the raindrops that fell continuously occasionally changed their aggregate state and later even trickled down from the sky as crystalline flakes.
Nonetheless, a few intrepid souls did not miss the opportunity to come to the shopping rest stop on the A1 in the west of Zurich in their classic cars - and not just those who had no choice because they were an integral part of the program. Like the three English limousines that offered cab rides around the service area for visitors who were interested in old cars but not in classic cars. Those who wanted to could seek shelter from the rain in the back of a Rover 3.5 liter, a Jaguar Mark II or an Austin A40 Devon.
Alternatively, to escape the damp, you could simply inspect in detail the only car on display under a roof: the original Mercury Cougar Convertible driven by Diana Rigg aka Teresa di Vincenzo in the James Bond film "On Her Majesty's Secret Service". The tent was certainly a concession to its celebrity, as the red convertible would certainly have withstood the rain. It had once had to endure much worse weather during filming.
Americans were relatively well represented. A 1970 Cutlass Supreme Holiday Coupe and a 1990 Cutlass Supreme Convertible represented the glorious and not-so-glorious days of Oldsmobile; a 1958 Cadillac Coupe de Ville and a 1969 Cadillac Calais Hardtop Sedan competed for the pointiest tail fins.
There were also two nice young-and-old pairs of German cars: A Porsche 911 Carrera 3.2 from 1984 complemented a 1600 Super (356 B) from 1963; a four-door Opel Rekord P2 formed the antithesis to a two-door C-Rekord, making them a nice stylistic bracket around the sixties. A Volvo 740 estate and a Honda Prelude, on the other hand, represented the angular design language of the eighties.
However, by far the most exhibits were from a rather exotic manufacturer: five different products from the French Chrysler Group (and its predecessor) were on display in Würenlos: A Simca Aronde P60 was the oldest of the small gathering, Simca 1000 Coupé and Rallye 2 in red and "Grülb" (green-yellow) the most colorful. However, the presence of the two hatchbacks from Talbot Horizon and Talbot 1510 was particularly pleasing in view of their high sensitivity to damp weather.
Even though the classic car get-together at the Würdenlos service area was caught between two sunny weekends in the most April-like weather, it was nevertheless pleasing that the event at least took place and was not canceled at short notice. In doing so, the organizer showed more backbone than the current Formula 1, where races are often abandoned after just three drops of rain.
