Forgotten car magazines - Automobil Illustrierte
01/15/2014
It delighted its readers for just under four years (1963-1967), the bi-weekly German magazine "Automobil Illustrierte", not to be confused with the monthly magazine "Auto Illustrierte" from Switzerland. It then merged with the magazine Rallye Racing, which survived into the new millennium.
The publisher at that time was Mr. H.G. Dobler, the publishing house was called Gildeverlag. Gerhardt Koop, Wolfgang Rausch, Jürgen Stockmar, Günter Wiechmann, Clauspeter Becker, Werner Bernet, Rainer Braun, Fred car, Hans D. Dutzi, Manfred Panneck, David Phipps and Hans-Peter Seufert were among the contributors.
In 1967, the last year of publication, the largely black and white magazine cost DM 1.50 or CHF 1.70 per issue.
The "AI" had evolved from its predecessor magazine "Automobil Technik und Sport", which itself appeared from 1958 to 1963, initially 12 and later 24 times a year. And the "small car" was also integrated.
The mix of topics included test and driving reports, in which sporty vehicles were often driven, reports, extensive motorsport coverage, tips and advice, fuel discussions and legal topics. In 1967, a magazine was around 28 to 32 pages long - no comparison with the car magazine heavyweights of the 1980s.
Would you like a little sample? We quote from Günter Wiechmann's driving report on the Honda S800 in issue 1/67:
"We were able to drive it and be convinced that everything underneath the 3.34 m long, 1.22 m high and 1.40 m wide car has little to do with classic cars. This is demonstrated as soon as you get into the car (or rather, 'scoot in') by looking through the three-spoke wooden steering wheel at the rev counter, whose last figure is 11 (-thousand!), while the red zone only starts at 8500 rpm. No longer quite as astronomically rev-happy as the "S 600", which did not go on sale here, the speedometer next to it shows approx. 165 km h at this speed, which mathematically and effectively means approx. 160 km h and thus top speed. The precise Honda people state an output of 67.2 hp at 7570 rpm for the 710 kg car, which corresponds to a critical liter output of 85 hp, while the maximum torque is only stated very high up at 7 mkp at 5800 rpm. To make proper use of this narrow range, the S 800 would need at least five gears. However, it is amazing how quickly and without any hint of carburetor asthma the revs rise from the cellar. The four Keihin vacuum carburetors are not entirely innocent of this. The other features of the engine are also a treat: the valves above the four cylinders are controlled by two overhead camshafts, everything that was previously reminiscent of a motorcycle is gone. The chain drive of the old, weaker models has been replaced by a cardan shaft. The crankshaft is mounted on needle bearings. Independent suspension on the front wheels, coil-sprung rigid rear axle, disc brakes at the front and drums at the rear. The price of the Honda is also interesting: DM 7750 (from Hamburg) for coupé and convertible. DM 595 extra for a hardtop. The success of the car will depend on the expansion of the customer service network."
So the reports were brief, but it would not have been possible to fit much more in the limited space ...
Automobile magazines in the Zwischengas media library
A constantly updated media library with the issues of Automobil Illustrierte can be found here . We are also happy if you help us to add missing magazines or improve existing entries.
