Greetings from convertible to convertible

Bruno von Rotz
05/31/2011

Fiat 850 Spider von 1966

When I bought my first convertible in the early 1980s, I was part of a clear minority (or even a fringe group) on the road. The Americans had banned the majority of convertibles from production with their safety mania and, with the exception of Mercedes-Benz and a few stalwart Brits and Italians, the car manufacturers weren't really interested in satisfying a need that obviously barely existed.

So when I drove around in my second-hand Fiat 850 Spider - it wasn't yet a classic car at the time and, with prices between CHF 1,000 and 4,000, not really a sought-after rarity either - people would greet each other from convertible to convertible, similar to the way motorcyclists (sometimes) still do today. This created a sense of community and also a motivation to remove the folding top even in the most inhospitable weather conditions.

A lot has changed since then and with the 3-series BMW convertible towards the end of the 1980s, the Mazda MX-5 around 1990 and its many successors, the convertible became really popular again in the 1990s and the new millennium, so that today a respectable proportion of registered vehicles have a folding roof and no one thinks about greeting an oncoming convertible, especially if it is from a different brand/origin than their own.

P.S. The picture shows a Fiat 850 Spider from 1966, but in this article we are of course talking about greeting from the convertible while driving, not about waving while standing next to the car ...

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Cars without wheels, but over 500 km/h fast

Bruno von Rotz
05/30/2011

Levacar von Ford aus dem Jahre 1959

Dr. Andrew Kucher had big things in mind when he presented the Levacar Mach 1 to the public at the Ford Rutunda, the exhibition hall in Dearborn, in 1959.

Instead of wheels, the Levacar was to glide on a cushion of compressed air and reach top speeds with compressed air propulsion. Kucher had already been working on this principle for over thirty years. Although the model on display only managed 25 km/h, he was already working on a six- to eight-seater hovercraft that would reach 300 km/h , and his vision already included interurban connecting vehicles that could travel at speeds of up to 800 km/h. The experimental vehicle on display required 15 hp to take off and a further 1.5 hp to travel at 25 km/h.

Levacar oder auch Leva Car von Ford 1959 in der Ausstellungshallte Rotunda in Dearborn Detroit

Obviously, the later attempts were less successful and the conditions outside the Ford premises were less influenceable, because we are still waiting for these neat little post-transport vehicles today.

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Le Mans - Reunion with the movie by Steve McQueen

Bruno von Rotz
05/29/2011

Film "Le Mans" - Titelsequenz

"Le Mans" is one of the more controversial films ever made. While people who have little interest in fast cars, racing and men's worlds barely survive the first few minutes, the 109-minute racing movie has become a true cult film among fans of prototype racing.

Film "Le Mans" - nach dem Start

It's understandable, as this movie requires a special kind of nerve. Hardly a word is spoken in the first 38 minutes and racing, driving and pit scenes make up the main part of the movie. But these are really something!

Film "Le Mans" - atemberaubende Fahrsequenzen

To capture the realistic footage, a Porsche 908/02 was used as a "camera car" (piloted by Linge, Slotemaker and Williams) in the real 24-hour race in 1970. And many scenes were re-enacted at real speed. Jo Siffert played a not insignificant role, as he provided some of the vehicles used in the film. Instead of the expensive original vehicles, some cheaply purchased Lola T70 chassis (!) with appropriately adapted bodies were used for accident scenes. David Piper lost a lower leg in one of these staged collisions.

Film "Le Mans" - Steve McQueen im Cockpit des Porsche 917

Dialogue remains sparse throughout the film, but some sentences are said that have been widely quoted ever since, such as: "Racing is life, anything that happens before of after is just waiting". So it is the thrilling racing scenes and gladiator fights that make this film so appealing. However, the film is also particularly recommended to fans of the Porsche 917, as never before or since has the car been presented in such a dynamic and powerful way.

Film "Le Mans" - Porsche 917

June 9, 2011 is almost Christmas for Le Mans fans. That's when the Blu-ray version of the film will be released, adding a new dimension to the enjoyment of this movie.

For those who are undecided, here is the trailer for the movie:

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Cars like the VW Karmann-Ghia in fashion photography

Bruno von Rotz
05/28/2011

Mode von Geny Spielmann präsentiert vor einem VW Karmann-Ghia Typ 14 im Jahre 1961

Vacation fashion from the early sixties was immortalized in this picture. And, as is often the case in fashion photography, the young lady gazing blissfully into the distance, clad in a Geny Spielmann jersey and jacket, is leaning against a car that is only just recognizable, but whose curves and shiny surfaces add a lot of atmosphere.

What is fine for those interested in fashion may disturb some car enthusiasts, which is why the vehicle is shown here in full size.

Volkswagen VW Karmann-Ghia Typ 14 von 1974

This is a Volkswagen VW Karmann-Ghia Type 14, over 440,000 of which were produced between 1955 and 1974. The "housewife's Porsche", as the Type 14 was also somewhat disrespectfully called, was therefore a successful model and changed surprisingly little over the entire construction period. However, it became more powerful and therefore a little faster, and light units, indicators, bumpers and other "add-on parts" adapted to the changing tastes of the time or the VW Group's range of spare parts, but on the whole the 1974 Karmann-Ghia (see picture) still looked pretty much the same as the first one that came onto the market.

The elegant shapes are almost timeless and it is only when you put the VW Scirocco next to it, which replaced the Volkscoupé/cabriolet, that you really notice the nostalgic features.

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Memories of the La Salle of 1957

Bruno von Rotz
05/27/2011

La Salle Sports Coupé von 1957 - Prototoyp von General Motors

We like to associate Americans with conservative cars and a lack of innovation. However, the La Salle Sports Coupé from 1957 impressed with a number of pioneering concepts: V6 engine, rear independent suspension and a design that, while reminiscent of the early Corvette, also bore its own traits. However, it remained a show car and production was never planned.

La Salle already had a long history at this point. From the 1950s onwards, the brand was (unfortunately) only used for prototypes and concept cars.

The brand had started successfully in 1927 and was regarded as a trendsetter. According to General Motors, La Salle's task was to cover a customer segment in the large GM range that had not previously been covered by the existing brands. The cars were built by Cadillac, but were intended to be more agile and modern, which was achieved. Despite some success, particularly in racing and high-speed driving, the brand was discontinued in 1941 and the niche was filled by other GM products.

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Sun, bratwurst and exquisite classic cars - pit stop @ Meylenstein

Bruno von Rotz
05/26/2011

Impressionen vom ersten Boxenstopp @ Meylenstein Treffen

Yesterday evening, in perfect weather conditions, a group of classic car drivers and friends gathered at Meylenstein near Zurich for the "Pit Stop @ Meylenstein".

The parking lot quickly filled up with exquisite vehicles such as Facel-Vega, Bentley, Rolls Royce, Chevrolet Corvette, Intermechanica Indra, Porsche 911, AMX, Trident, Jaguar, Cadillac, JWF, Morgan, Alfa Romeo, Ford and Mercedes-Benz, to name but a few.

Impressionen vom ersten Boxenstopp @ Meylenstein Treffen - ungewzungenes Treffen von Oldtimer- und Youngtimer-Fahrern und -Freunden

Over bratwurst, beer or other refreshments, classic car experiences were exchanged, topics of the day discussed or simply new acquaintances made.

And that's exactly how it was meant to be - people could come and go as they pleased without any pressure to act.

The next pit stop @ Meylenstein will take place on June 29, 2011 . We are already looking forward to it!

We have immortalized the best impressions in a gallery.

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Concours d'Elégance then and now

Bruno von Rotz
05/25/2011

Back in the days of one-off and special bodywork, beauty contests for automobiles were a popular event for wealthy car owners. These events often killed two birds with one stone. Elegant automobiles and new fashion creations were shown at the same event. The men could then choose their next vehicle together with their wives and while the men dealt with details such as motorization and equipment, the women could enjoy fashion, dresses and styling accessories at their leisure.

Talbot-Lago T23 Coupé Royal Figoni & Falaschi von 1938

Some scenes from this year's Concorso d'Eleganza Villa d'Esteremind ed us of this synergy and we found a picture from Brussels from 1946 showing a Talbot-Lago with a lady at a "Car and Fashion Display", which fits so wonderfully with this year's picture of a Talbot-Lago T23 Coupé Royal Figoni & Falaschi, next to which an already mature lady draped herself for hours. Wonderful!

Talbot Lago 1946 an einem Concours d'Elégance in Brüssel

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Transporting trees in a passenger car made easy

Bruno von Rotz
05/24/2011

An everyday problem! How do we transport a tree in a normal passenger car, be it a sedan or a station wagon?

Studebaker Wagonaire von 1963

Well, Studebaker solved the problem back in 1963 with the Wagonaire. The rear part of the roof could be pushed forward and then you still had "air" at the top and the tree could be transported upright. Practical, isn't it?

However, the vehicle concept does not seem to have caught on, either because very few people transported trees or because the disadvantages of the design possibly outweighed the advantages?

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New functions on Intermediate Throttle: Autologin, search extensions and 'New on Intermediate Throttle'

Balz Schreier
05/23/2011

We recently went live with what we consider to be three practical functionalities:

Automatic login (1), a real-time updated overview of recently published articles (2), and a sorting option and time restriction in the search (3):

Neue Funktionen auf Zwischengas: Autologin, Sucherweiterungen und 'Neu auf Zwischengas'

Automatic login (1)

From now on, when entering your user name and password, you can also specify whether you want to be logged in automatically the next time you visit www.zwischengas.com (auto-login).

However, you can still log out at any time and deactivate this function the next time you log in if you prefer to enter your user data each time.

New articles on Zwischengas (2)

You can see which articles have recently been published on the homepage at any time. As new articles appear on Zwischengas almost every day, it is worth checking daily to see whether the new articles are of interest to you.

At the end of the list you will find a "More" button to browse through all Zwischengas articles sorted by publication date.

Such an overview is currently available on two pages:

- Homepage

- Vehicle reports

Sorting option in the search (3)

Previously, a "Date" column was displayed in the search results. This date refers exclusively to the content (e.g. Porsche 911 from 1965).

However, you can now sort the search results according to the publication date, i.e. you can then see at a glance which content we last published relating to your search criterion.

Example: What are the latest Porsche pictures?

Time restriction in the search (3)

Finally, you can search content in a specific time period by filling in the 'From' and 'To' fields.

You can also fill in just one of the two fields to search from or up to a specific year. It is important that the data entered refers to the content, not the publication date.

Examples:

- All Lamborghini articles from 1965 to 1970

- All Porsche technical data from 1969 to 1971

- All pre-war pictures (up to 1939) of Talbot Lago

We hope that you will now find your information on Zwischengas even faster and more efficiently!

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Studebaker's sins

Bruno von Rotz
05/22/2011

In our research in the archive, we always find amusing aesthetic slips.

Studebaker's illustrators/sales promoters created a whole series of advertising materials with common elements: The car is perfectly in the light, even the interior is not dark, as one would expect with exterior shots and a nearly vertical sun. In addition, contours were retouched and redrawn and the people and backgrounds appear to be glued together.

Studebakers Sünden

Be that as it may, these are also contemporary witnesses and quite amusing to watch.

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