This is how people parked in the sixties

Bruno von Rotz
05/31/2012

Parkhaus in Mailand im Jahr 1962

Different times, different demands. With the rapid increase in the number of vehicles, the requirements for parking space capacity also increased.

In Milan, the multi-storey parking lot pictured here was built, which pragmatically provided a considerable number of parking spaces in a small area. However, the parking garage, which operated according to the Pater Noster principle, must have caused a lot of noise, especially when things were not so well oiled.

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Probably the biggest Lotus fan is actually tiny

Daniel Reinhard
05/30/2012

Clive Chapman zeigt die Schublade, in der die Maus die Pläne frass

There is nothing that does not exist. Clive Chapman (50), son of the legendary Colin Chapman, looks after the Classic Team Lotus in Hethel (Norfolk), as well as his father's entire estate. This is impressive, as almost all of the drawings and plans for all Lotus cars are still available. Except for the ones that were devoured. Yes, you read that right. One fine day, when the drawer containing the plans for the 1962 Lotus 25 was opened, strange crumbs of paper appeared. It was discovered with horror that entire plans were missing.

What had happened? A small mouse had eaten the Lotus papers. It had "taken up residence" in the box without the owner's permission and was feasting on the valuable drawings. Fortunately, all the documents are still available on microfilm and have now been digitized. So the loss is only half as bad! Nevertheless, the mouse was immediately dismissed without notice ...

Die neu gedruckten Lotus-Pläne - Ersatz für die von der Maus gefressenen Originale

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Brazilian affair - Volkswagen SP 2 from 1972

Bruno von Rotz
05/29/2012

Volkswagen VW SP 2 von 1972

Press photos sometimes write their own story, like this picture of the Volkswagen SP 2, which was sent to editors in 1972. Due to delivery problems, the wheels of the SP 1 were mounted on the SP 2 for the photo shoot. The two models differed in engine size: while the SP 2 had 1.7 liters and 65 hp, the SP 1 with 1.6 liters only had 54 hp.

The VW SP 2 (and SP 1) was a beautiful sports car developed by the Brazilian branch of VW and produced between 1972 and 1976. In view of their weight (around 890 kg), both models were said to be somewhat underpowered.

Only very few vehicles made it to Europe, which is why they are rarely seen in our latitudes. And this despite the fact that Automobil Revue wrote in December 1972 on the occasion of the Sao Paolo Motor Show: "The VW sports car, which has been on sale since June and for which export plans exist - it will probably also be produced in Wolfsburg sooner or later - was the highlight of the largest stand at this year's exhibition."

A detailed report on the 1972 Sao Paolo Motor Show, mentioning all the special features of the Brazilian car market at the time, can be found in Automobil Revue 53/1972 in the Zwischengas magazine archive.

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"Car Culture" Linz - when cars sometimes look weird

Daniel Reinhard
05/28/2012

VW Käfer als Kunstobjekt in Linz

The car as sculpture is the subject of a special exhibition at the Lentos Art Museum in Linz until July 4.

Verbogener Renault als Kunstobjekt in einer Ausstellung in Linz

It is considered to be man's favorite toy - the car. The museum's large exhibition hall is transformed into a parking lot where artistic vehicles come together. Luxury objects from Porsche and Ferrari are ruthlessly reworked and stripped of their qualities in order to be resurrected as dysfunctional doppelgangers. Socio-historically relevant roles of car icons such as the "Trabbi", VW Beetle or Mercedes Benz are made clear, while playful modifications to commercial vehicles reveal hidden connotations. The exhibition shows the social, artistic and economic relevance of the car cult from an artistic perspective - critical, astonishing and entertaining.

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Le Mans and Concours d'Elegance - do they go together?

Bruno von Rotz
05/27/2012

Ferrari 250 LM und 250 GTO am Concorso d'Eleganza Villa d'Este 2012

At this year's Concorso d'Eleganza Villa d'Este, the organizers also set up a "Heroes of Le Mans" vehicle category. In other words, racing cars were judged on their beauty. Of course, you might ask yourself whether this makes sense. After all, racing cars are not designed for aesthetics, but for efficiency and speed.

However, design elements were invented time and again in racing car construction, often out of necessity (e.g. aerodynamics), which later found their way into special bodies and production vehicles. Examples of this include shuttered headlights, gullwing doors and designs such as the Barchetta.

Jaguar D-Type, Aston Martin DBR1 und Ferrari 250 GTO dicht umlagert von Zuschauern am Concorso d'Eleganza Villa d'Este

Well, six vehicles representing 13 years of racing history were on display in Cernobbio: Jaguar D-Type (1956), Aston Martin DBR1 (1959), Ferrari 250 GTO (1962), Ferrari 250 LM (1964), Ford GT 40 Mk 3 (1968) and Porsche 917K (1969). Each of these cars also impresses the aesthete, even if the Porsche in particular can of course never compete with the almost supernatural beauty of the Ferrari 250 GTO and LM models, it is too much designed for top speed and racing efficiency. In any case, people were not at all bothered by the loud and aggressive racing companions. And the Porsche 917 also won a prize for being kept so close to its original condition.

Porsche 917 am Concorso d'Eleganza Villa d'Este im Jahr 2012

Of course, we are on site and will soon be writing a comprehensive report with lots of pictures (of all 50 or so participating vehicles) on the Concorso d'Eleganza Villa d'Este 2012.

Ein Aston Martin DBR1 steht neben einem Ferrari 2012 am Concorso d'Eleganza Villa d'Este 2012

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Short report from Spa Classics 2012

Balz Schreier
05/26/2012

The interesting and promising Spa Classic event is taking place for the second time this weekend.

After the success of the first event in 2011, even more vehicles will be at the start this year: around 500 starters will tackle the hunt for a podium place in seven fields. The individual fields for this year's event are

FIA Historic Formula One - F1 (1966-1985)
Historic Formula 2 - F2 (1967-1978)
Proto 1 (1966-1971) & GT 1 (1966-1974):
In this field, prototypes such as McLaren M1B and Porsche 908/2 race simultaneously against Ferrari Daytona, Ford GT40 etc.
Proto 2 (1972-1979) & GT 2 (1975-1979)
60s Endurance (by Peter Auto) - GT (until 1966) & Sports (until 1963)
Group C - sports cars & prototypes (1982-1993):
The era of Group C cars began exactly 30 years ago, so this year's Group C field is all the larger with Porsche 956 and 962, Silk Cut Jaguar and many others

The typical Ardennes weather did not materialize for the time being, and practice and qualifying were held in summer temperatures:

Our photographer Julien Mahiels has been on site since yesterday and will be capturing a wide variety of impressions, which we will show in the main article to be published soon.
Of course, many cars are still being tuned to the characteristics of Spa...

... and tested at race speeds:

So we can look forward to an extensive report on Spa Classic 2012!

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A successor to the Alpine A110 after 50 years?

Daniel Reinhard
05/26/2012

Alpine A 110 von 1962

The first Alpine A110 was produced in the fall of 1961. The French car manufacturer Renault took the 50th anniversary - Renault itself named 1962 as the year of birth at the Rétromobile - as an opportunity to revivethe Alpine brandand presented a concept car called the Alpine A110-50 in Monte Carlo.

Alpine A 110-50 zusammen mit dem Vorgänger aus der Vergangenheit

The technology underneath should make the mouths of many a sports car fan water: Lattice tube frame, mid-engine 3.5-liter V6 with 400 hp, sequential six-speed gearbox. And all this with a total weight of 880 kg thanks to the use of carbon and other lightweight materials. Coupled with good aerodynamics, this ensures good driving performance.

Could this lure old A110 fans out from behind the stove? Perhaps yes, depending on the price and what would remain of the performance data and concepts mentioned in series production. In any case, it is nice that the Alpine name is at least being used again. And that the computer-generated press photos also show the old A110 ...

Alpine A110-50 mit der Alpine A110 von damals

Of course, we've already written a lot about the original Alpine A 110, so it's worth taking a look at the Zwischengas archive!

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Intermediate throttle (almost) multilingual (English, French, Italian)

Bruno von Rotz
05/25/2012

Citroën GS mit Flaggen - gezeigt am Genfer Automobilsalon 1972, um die Internationalität der Verflechtungen in der Autoindustrie zu zeigen

Since we launched Zwischengas, interest in our reports, images and archive content has extended far beyond the German language barrier. In order to give users without in-depth knowledge of the German language the opportunity to use Zwischengas, we have now introduced a first minimal internationalization.

From now on you can register in different languages, currently English, French and Italian. The registration form as well as error messages and system-generated emails will be issued in these languages. The language (DE / EN / FR / IT) can be selected at the top right.

Mehrsprachige Registrierung

If you register in English/French/Italian, a corresponding language setting is saved in the user profile. However, this can also be changed manually. Simply change it in the user profile from e.g. "German" to "French".

Sprachvorwahl im Benutzerprofil

All registered users who have not set "German" as their primary language will now see a "flag symbol" at the top of the articles. Clicking on this symbol automatically opens a new page with the corresponding translation.

Übersetzung wählen beim Artikel

The translation is provided by "Google Translate". The translations are not perfect, but a good first approximation. You can also set other languages on the translated page, e.g. Japanese.

Zwischengas in Japanisch

At the moment only the editorial articles are translated. The picture gallery and the corresponding captions are not translated, nor are the extensive contents of the newspaper archive. Just give it a try, it doesn't have to be Esperanto ....

Zwischengas in Esperanto

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The elegant sales documents for the 1939 Lincoln K Series

Bruno von Rotz
05/24/2012

Lincoln K Series Limousine von 1939

By 1939, the Lincoln K-serieshad already reached the end of its production period. The more modern and, above all, more affordable Lincoln Zephyr outstripped Lincoln's top model. Nevertheless, Lincoln once again published an elaborate sales brochure, around 50 pages thick and elegantly presented.

As many as 19 body variants (some of which were produced in less than a dozen examples) are shown in it, including the designs by Brunn, LeBaron, Judkins and Willonghby. Each variant is illustrated with a full view (like this LeBaron Convertible) ....

Lincoln K Series V12 LeBaron Convertible von 1939

.... and illustrated with a sketch of the interior design (on two pages each).

Interieur der Lincoln K Series V12 Limousine von 1939

The Panel Brougham by Willonghby was particularly exotic and special, with a wonderful description: "On the famous avenues of the world no vehicle could appear with more poise, more aristocratic assurance than has this panel brougham. In it is the highest tradition of the custom builders art. It is formal, strict. The solid rear quarter means privacy for passengers. When needed, two opera seats slide out of the forward wall to accommodate extra persons. Appointments are in harmony with the dignity of this most dignified car. They include smoking and vanity sets and telephone. When the weather is bad. a lop may be put over the drivers compartment."

Lincoln K Series V12 Willonghby von 1939

And of course the technology is also explained (again). A whole page is devoted to the V12 engine. And here, too, the advertising copywriters are very generous: "The heart ol the Lincoln is the V-12 cylinder power plant. This engine develops 150 horsepower. It is famous for its design, the excellence of its engineering, and its efficiency on all roads and under all circumstances of travel."
It is even mentioned that the car does not need to be run in, thanks to the precision that prevails in engine construction.

Lincoln V-12-Motor von 1939

Why has the car industry stopped designing such stylish vehicle brochures?

The entire sales brochure can be found in the Zwischengas archive .

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The autobank - forgotten progress of the sixties

Bruno von Rotz
05/23/2012

Autobank in Zürich, an der St. Peterstrasse, im Jahr 1962

Those were the days when you could obviously get to your destination faster by car than by other means of transportation in big cities. The "Drive-in Bank" also dates back to this time. In 1962, a large-scale drive-in bank was opened on St. Peterstrasse.

Acht Schalter hatte die Autobank in Zürich im Jahr 1962

Bank customers in a hurry could drive up and in by car and carry out their banking transactions at one of the eight counters from their cars. Thanks to "state-of-the-art facilities", a quick service was possible.

Well, the concept didn't catch on and the drive-in bank in the center of Zurich has disappeared again. What remains are memories and the pictures shown here, which, in addition to the bank, also give us a glimpse of the cars of yesteryear, from the BMW 503 to the Simca 1000 and the Volkswagen Beetle.

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