With best wishes for the New Year!

Bruno von Rotz
12/31/2011

Mit den besten Wünschen zum neuen Jahr!

Another eventful and certainly memorable year will soon be behind us.

Who knows, in thirty or fifty years' time, some people will perhaps think back melancholically to the days when people still drove their own cars with combustion engines and primitive computer control technology. Perhaps a Toyota Prius will then be just as much a classic car as a super-rare Volkswagen Phaeton and attract admiring glances. Who knows ....

If the turn of the year is also the time for wishes, then we hope for accident-free and interesting rides in the new year, for the least possible legal, regulatory and other restrictions on our oily hobby!

Happy New Year to all Zwischengas readers!

P.S. The pictured New Year's motif can of course also be viewed in all resolutions in the Zwischengas archive .

Share this article with your friends!

Rare and exotic - G.S.M. Flamingo

Bruno von Rotz
12/30/2011

G.S.M. Flamingo von 1963

It was presented in 1962 and not quite 130 units were built by 1964. We are talking about the G.S.M. Flamingo, the first vehicle developed in-house by the G.S.M. brand. The design came from Verster de Witt and he had landed a good shot, as the 2+2-seater coupé had pleasing proportions - especially when viewed from the front.

G.S.M. Flamingo von 1963 - Werksabbildung

In technical terms, conventional paths were taken. A four-cylinder engine with a displacement of up to 1,780 cm3 was fitted at the front, resulting in a maximum output of 80 hp at 5,000 rpm. The fully synchronized four-speed gearbox transmitted the power to the rear axle. At the front, the wheels were individually sprung, while a rigid axle was installed at the rear. Discs at the front and drums at the rear decelerated the sports car, which according to the brochure was capable of 100 miles per hour (approx. 165 km/h). As with almost all G.S.M. models, the bodywork was made of polyester, as the name G.S.M. stood for "Glass Sport Motors". The company was based in South Africa.

The Flamingos even achieved racing success, for example in the 6-hour endurance race in Kyalami in 1964.

G.S.M. Flamingo beim Renneinsatz im Jahre 1964 - die beiden Fahrzeuge wurden 2. und 3. beim 6-Stunden-Ausdauerrennen von Kyalami

Share this article with your friends!

Woods Dual Power from 1917 - an early hybrid vehicle

Bruno von Rotz
12/29/2011

Woods Dual Power Hybridfahrzeug von 1917

When we talk about hybrid passenger cars, the name Toyota Prius immediately springs to mind. But many years earlier, in 1917, the Woods company was already building hybrid vehicles.

The Woods Dual Power was equipped with a 12 hp four-cylinder gasoline engine and an electric motor that received its energy from a battery. The speed was controlled by a lever on the steering wheel and when the battery was empty, control could be transferred to the gasoline engine by means of an electric clutch. The electric motor was then used as a dynamo and recharged the batteries. Brakes only had to be used for speeds below 10 km/h, otherwise the braking effect of the electric motor was sufficient.

Durchsichtszeichnung durch den Woods Dual Power von 1917

Even a synchronous mode was provided, which allowed the car to reach its top speed of 56 km/h, while the electric motor alone was only sufficient for 30 km/h.

As a special feature, the car could only be driven in reverse when the petrol engine was not in operation. A gearbox was not provided, nor was a conventional clutch. In principle, the car could only be started using electricity.

Woods had started to produce electric vehicles in 1899. Dual power was introduced in 1917, but unfortunately the factory had to close just one year later. It was not until 1997 that another manufacturer launched a series-produced hybrid vehicle on the market.

However, the Woods Dual Power was not the first hybrid vehicle, this honor probably goes to the Lohner-Porsche (picture below).

A Wood Dual Power can be viewed in the Louwman Museum in The Hague in the Netherlands . According to the museum, it is in a drivable condition.

Lohner-Porsche nach 1900

Share this article with your friends!

The steering wheel on the wrong side?

Bruno von Rotz
12/28/2011

Interieur eines Triumph Spitfire 1500

We Central Europeans prefer cars with the steering wheel on the left, i.e. facing the middle of the road. For exactly the same reason, vehicles that are primarily driven in England, Japan or Australia are right-hand drive, because left-hand traffic prevails there.

Some classic car buyers in Germany, Austria or Switzerland flinch when they are offered a right-hand drive vehicle. Why is that?

Right-hand drive vehicles are considered impractical in our part of the world because you sit on the wrong side , so to speak, at highway pay stations, parking garages or drive-ins and therefore need a passenger in some situations. Right-hand drive vehicles offer a poorer view of oncoming traffic before overtaking maneuvers.

In addition to these tangible disadvantages, many drivers also find it difficult to get used to shifting gears with their left hand and it is also harder to quickly glance in the rear-view mirror.

Interieur eines rechtsgelenkten Rover 3 Litre

In fact, driving with the steering wheel on the right does take some getting used to and from time to time there is a loss of comfort (see above). However, this alone should not be a reason to refrain from driving a "RHD" classic car (RHD = Right Hand Driven). Nevertheless, right-hand drive vehicles often change hands for lower prices on the mainland or are more difficult to sell, and the reverse is true in England, for example.

From my own experience, I can say that you quickly get used to driving with the steering wheel on the right-hand side and that the disadvantages are much less obvious, especially in the classic car environment. And an English car handles even more "English" when the steering wheel is mounted on the right.

On the racetrack, things are completely different anyway, because most circuits are on the right-hand side and vehicles with the driver (and steering wheel) on the right-hand side have an advantage, which is why the right-hand position was preferred for racing cars, especially in the past.

Maserati-Sportwagen 4,5-Liter mit Lenkrad rechts

Share this article with your friends!

How do classic car prices differ in Germany and Switzerland?

Bruno von Rotz
12/27/2011

Ein Deutscher BMW mit Schweizer Bemalung - wo wäre der BMW mehr wert, in Deutschland oder in der Schweiz

A few weeks ago, we integrated current market prices for classic cars on Zwischengas . You can research the market prices in euros (€) for various condition grades (1-5) for around30,000 vehicle/vintage combinations. The prices are determined by the German Classic Data, a company with a lot of experience in the field of classic car valuation.

Of course, the question quickly arises as to which markets the prices are valid for and to what extent the prices in other regions differ. Our Swiss readers in particular may wonder whether the prices can also be applied in Switzerland.

Vintage car prices in Switzerland do indeed sometimes differ slightly from prices in Germany, but large differences can rarely be enforced due to the permeability of borders. Reasons for differences can be trade barriers, taxes, customs duties and regulations. For example, importing a 1983 Lotus Esprit from Germany to Switzerland can result in costly conversion work, which is induced by the Swiss going it alone with regard to exhaust and noise regulations from 1982 (keyword AGV 82/86).

In any case, customs duties and taxes must be paid when a car is moved between the two countries mentioned, unless it is a repatriation. The relocation costs are quickly in the order of 12 to 15%, so a corresponding price difference could also be implemented in the local market, depending on supply and demand.

Price differences are also possible for objects whose availability differs greatly in the two markets mentioned. Typical examples are US vehicles from the fifties and sixties or cars from France or England, which were more popular in Switzerland than in Germany. But here, too, the price differences are usually not very large.

To cut a long story short, there are only minor differences between the prices of classic cars from different countries, especially if they have similar preferences and characteristics. The German quotations can also be used well in Switzerland in currency-converted form for the vintages before 1982 and after 1987. The prices for the individual Swiss vintage years 1982 to 1987 also differ only slightly. Exchange rate fluctuations may briefly upset this "equilibrium", but in the medium term prices will level out again as described above. In practice, this can mean that a Swiss person suffers a loss in value on his classic car, while his German colleague enjoys an increase in value, simply because the euro and franc have shifted against each other.

This is our view of things, we are happy to listen to other opinions.

Share this article with your friends!

Powerful advertising for the Plymouth Barracuda

Bruno von Rotz
12/26/2011

Plymouth Barracuda - beim Fahren Gitarre spielen ...

Yes, is that a possibility?
Someone playing the guitar at high speed? Exactly! When they wanted to illustrate the advantages of power steering in the Plymouth Baraccuda, they probably found the guitar-playing chauffeur particularly impressive. Nowadays, just pressing a button on a cell phone is enough to bring you into serious conflict with the law, so one wonders how the authorities would react to such a sales brochure.

The " Sales Brochure " also had a lot more to offer. It demonstrated the capacity of the trunk with pumpkins ...

Plymouth Barracuda - Kürbisse demonstrieren die Grösse des Kofferraumes

... showed the paradisiacal nature of the coupé with the help of an Adam and Eve scene ...

Paradieshafte Szene und ein Plymouth Barracuda im Verkaufsprospekt für den 67-er-Jahrgang

... and had a woman who looks like one of the many incarnations of Cher demonstrate the elegance of the sporty Plymouth. And those were just four excerpts. We show the rest in a detailed Barracuda article.

Plymouth Barracuda - eine Frau, die aussieht wie Cher, zeigt die Vorzüge

Share this article with your friends!

Hello Hurricane

Bruno von Rotz
12/25/2011

Hurrikan von 1971 - österreichischer Sportwagen auf VW-Basis mit GT40-Flair

190 km/h fast, weighing 700 kg and just 1.12 meters high was the Hurrikan, which Gerhard Höller produced in Austria at the beginning of the 1970s and offered as a kit or finished vehicle.

The kit cost from 5,000 Swiss francs or 19,500 schillings, but you still had to get hold of a VW chassis and a Porsche 95 hp engine if you really wanted to reach 190 km/h. Otherwise, a normal car would do. Otherwise, a normal Volkswagen 44 hp boxer would do, which was still good enough for 155 km/h. A finished vehicle could be ordered for 80,000 to 85,000 schillings (the equivalent of 13,000 to 14,000 francs).

Die Silhouette des Hurrikan von 1971 war vom GT 40 stark beeinflusst

The design came from the designer Höller himself, who had worked as a decorator before his car career. It was certainly inspired by the Ford GT 40, as the Automobil Revue 25/1971 correctly assumed. At the time, the enthusiastic car builder Höller in Leoben reported that 8 units had already been sold. Incidentally, he had made a name for himself with his first model, the Strato S4.

For fans, the pictures are stored in high resolution in the Zwischengas archive.

Share this article with your friends!

Merry Christmas!

Bruno von Rotz
12/24/2011

Fröhliche Weihnachten

The Zwischengas team would like to wish all our readers a Merry Christmas. Many a classic car enthusiast will perhaps receive books, photos or other paraphernalia as a gift today that will further cement their love of classic cars or youngtimers.

And for those in need of a last-minute gift for a friend, we recommend the Zwischengas gift subscriptions , which can be purchased here.

Instead of a Christmas story, today we have published a report on the Goggomobil . If it had just been invented, it would probably be celebrated today as the future of mobility, as it was already transporting four people over long distances and at speeds of over 80 km/h with a fuel consumption of 4 to 4.5 liters per 100 km more than 50 years ago.

Goggomobil unter dem Weihnachtsbaum

Instead of further words, we would like to show you a few Christmas-themed pictures. Have fun and a relaxing holiday season!

Fiat 850 im Schnee

Offene Fahrt in der Winterlandschaft

Bugatti im Winter

Share this article with your friends!

Gullwing sports car from Germany - long before the 300 SL

Bruno von Rotz
12/23/2011

Türen und das gesamte Heck lassen sich beim Sportwagen-Prototypen aus dem Jahre 1949 hochklappen

The sports car that a German inventor named Herberg Gomolzig from Wuppertal presented to the press in 1949 was intended to be streamlined and energy-efficient. A few years before the Mercedes Benz 300 SL, he had placed a body with gullwing doors on a VW Beetle platform. These doors were held open by coil springs and even included the two-part windshield. The rear could also be folded up and it was planned to replace it with a box or a bridge.

Bequemer Einstieg in den Sportwagen-Eigenbau auf VW-Käfer-Basis von 1949

Manufacturing costs were to be reduced by using parts that were as flat as possible or evenly curved. Thanks to a 25% reduction in air resistance, significantly improved driving performance was expected compared to the Beetle. However, the project probably remained stuck at the prototype stage. At least some of the ideas survived, and we can still find the gullwing doors on various sports cars today.

Der Sportwagen-Eigenbau eines deutschen Türftlers aus dem Jahre 1949 - VW-Technik als Basis und eine aerodynamisch geformte Karosserie mit Flügeltüren

High-resolution photos of the prototype can be found in the Zwischengas archive.

Share this article with your friends!

The right radiator mascot for every profession

Daniel Reinhard
12/22/2011

Kühlerfigur auf einem Steyr

For the priest or monk a praying maharajah (above), for the hunter a capital stag, at least a 13-pointer.....

Kühlerfigur auf einem Rolls-Royce 40/50HP von 1910

And for the hairdresser, the dancer, the figure skater or whatever, perhaps a figure as seen on the Lancia Lambda.

Kühlerfigur auf dem Lancia Lambda

In any case, as you can clearly see, the proud radiator beauty is particularly exposed to theft risks. If the person sitting on the radiator is completely unsecured, ...

Kühlerfigur auf dem Steyr - ungesichert

... the stag is at least protected from thieves by a thin metal cable, while the pretty dancer is protected by a thick chain.

Mit Kette gesicherte Kühlerfigur auf dem Lancia Lambda

Share this article with your friends!

Zwischengas has been publishing a daily blog post here since 2010

For more entries, please use the navigation by year and month.