The leap from 1936 to 2014

Daniel Reinhard
05/31/2014

Auto Union Typ C von 1936 am GP Historique de Monaco 2014 (© Daniel Reinhard)

Completely wrong thinking, because there are not 78 years between the two pictures, but exactly two weeks! Silver Arrows (in the first picture the Auto-Union Type C from 1936) were the measure of all things back then and are still the measure of all things today. In the thirties, everyone was totally enthusiastic about these great cars and followed them from victory to victory.

Aktueller Mercedes Benz Silberpfeil der Forme 1 am GP Monaco 2014 (© Daniel Reinhard)

Today, the series victories of Hamilton and Rosberg with the Mercedes F1 W05 HYBRID are considered rather boring. The gigantic demonstration of power from Stuttgart could reach a new peak this year. They have it in their hands to achieve what no other team has ever managed, namely to win all the races in a season.

McLaren almost did it in 1988 with Steve Nichols' MP 4/4. Senna and Prost won a total of 15 of the 16 races and also took the same number of pole positions. Only the Italian Grand Prix was not won by Senna, who was in the lead, as he was "shot down" by the one-time Williams driver Jean-Louis Schlesser while lapping in the first chicane.

The former "Bahnhof-Kurve" and today's "Grand Hotel Hairpin" has hardly changed in almost eighty years, so it's understandable if you can't immediately tell that the two pictures were taken in just two weeks. Incidentally, the Auto Union with Jacky Ickx at the wheel drove a few demonstration laps at the Monaco Historique Grand Prix.

We reported extensively on the historic Monaco Grand Prix .

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Pre-war drivers are the tougher guys

Bruno von Rotz
05/30/2014

Invicta am Stadt-Grand-Prix zum Gaisbergrennen 2014 (© Bruno von Rotz)

Salzburg lived up to its reputation. It is said that in Salzburg you can choose the weather: "warm rain" or "cold rain". In any case, it was really wet.

Buick Vorkriegsrenner am Stadt-Grand-Prix zum Gaisbergrennen 2014 (© Bruno von Rotz)

But with a few exceptions, this did not stop the pre-war faction at the Gaisberg Race from driving open-top at the City Grand Prix. Hoods were not even fitted and the weather was braved with the right clothing and goggles/caps. Really tough guys!

Dieter Quester auf dem BMW 328 bei der Anfahrt zum Stadt-Grand-Prix zum Gaisbergrennen 2014 (© Bruno von Rotz)

In the interests of balanced reporting, it should be mentioned that some of the post-war vehicles were also open-top, the "Barchette" from Maserati, Ferrari and Alfa Romeo anyway, but also English roadsters and other convertibles.

Mercedes Benz 300 SLS und Porsche 550 Spyder in Salzburg anlässlich des Gaisbergrennens 2014 (© Bruno von Rotz)

The entire City Grand Prix went off without incident and there was nothing to complain about in terms of the discipline of the participants, as the three organizers of the Gaisberg race, Gert Pierer, Hermann Schwarz and Thomas Matzelberger, reported with satisfaction.

Jaguar C-Type am Stadt-Grand-Prix zum Gaisbergrennen 2014 (© Bruno von Rotz)

A comprehensive and, as always, widely illustrated report will follow soon.

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When Berger wanted to offer Alesi his Ferrari cockpit

Daniel Reinhard
05/29/2014

Sebastian Vettel im Ferrari 88C von 1988 auf dem Red-Bull-Ring (© Red Bull)

As Gerhard Berger was not sure whether he would really be able to drive his old Ferrari 88C at the Austrian GP in Spielberg after breaking his upper arm (sustained while skiing in winter) at the Monaco GP that year, he grabbed his friend Jean Alesi and offered him his cockpit.

Alesi was not really enthusiastic about the trip to Austria, to which Gerhard replied: "Jean, now you finally have a huge opportunity to drive my car and now of all times you want to chicken out?"

They had already practiced in Spielberg for advertising purposes. Gerhard Berger and Sebastian Vettel swapped cars.

Gerhard Berger im modernen Red Bull Formel 1 im Jahr 2014 (© Daniel Reinhard)

Initially, both drivers were in their familiar cars - Vettel in a Red Bull, Berger in a Ferrari. Later, the cockpits were swapped. Despite the somewhat cramped conditions and his arm injury, which has not yet healed, Berger squeezed into the modern F1 cockpit for a photo. Sebastian Vettel was thrilled to be driving the 1988 Ferrari 88C.

At the Austrian GP in Spielberg (Zeltweg), all living ex-Austrian F1 drivers will take their cars for a few demo laps.

A total of 9 drivers are expected at the Parade of Legends:
Helmut Marko, 1972 BRM P160B
Dieter Quester, 1974 Surtees TS16
Hans Binder, 1976 Williams FW05
Niki Lauda, 1976 Ferrari 312T2
Gerhard Berger, 1988 Ferrari 88C
Karl Wendlinger, 1995 Sauber C14
Alexander Wurz, 1998 Benetton B198
Patrick Friesacher, 2005 Minardi PS04
Christian Klien, 2005 Red Bull Racing RB1

You can look forward to a feast for the senses, because the old Formula 1 cars also have an impressive soundscape to offer. We would like to thank Red Bull for the picture of the Ferrari 88C.

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Times are changing!

Daniel Reinhard
05/28/2014

Fürst Rainier lll. mit seiner Gattin Fürstin Gracia Patricia im Mercedes-Benz 280 SE Cabrio (© Daniel Reinhard)

It is a tradition at the Monaco Grand Prix for the Prince to open the race track with the Monegasque flag around 45 minutes before the start of the race.
In 1968, this was Prince Rainier lll. with his wife Princess Gracia Patricia in a Mercedes-Benz 280 SE convertible.

Fürst Albert II von Monaco mit Gattin Charlene Wittstock bei der Streckenfreigabe in Monaco 2014 (© Daniel Reinhard)

Last Sunday, this ceremony took place electrically for the first time. The current Prince and Princess Albert ll and his wife, South African ex-swimmer Charlene Wittstock, were chauffeured around the Grand Prix circuit in a Tesla Model S with an electric motor rather than a petrol engine.

The only thing that remained unchanged, apart from the race track, was that neither Prince Rainier nor Albert were chauffeured, as they both preferred to drive themselves. And, of course, both gallantly opened the car door for their wives.

Fürst Albert II von Monaco öffnet seiner Gatting den Wagenschlag nach der Streckenfreigabe 2014 (© Daniel Reinhard)

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World champion honor for the late Jack Brabham

Daniel Reinhard
05/27/2014

Weltmeisterehren für Jack Brabham in Monaco 2014 (© Daniel Reinhard)

Shortly before the start of the 72nd Monaco GP, a short silent tribute was paid to Jack Brabham, who passed away on May 19, 2014 .

The five still active F1 world champions (Vettel, Button, Hamilton, Alonso and Raikkonen) grouped together shortly before the start for a minute's silence in memory of the late Australian racing driver.

Jack Brabham has certainly taken a statistic point with him to his grave forever: No current, or future, driver is likely to ever again win the world championship title in motorsport's premier class with an in-house design, as Jack Brabham did in 1966.

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Classic pearls of the future - Honda S2000

Bruno von Rotz
05/26/2014

Honda S 2000 von 2000 (© Honda)

Just a few years ago you could buy it new from the dealer, and soon it will be appearing at classic car meetings: the Honda S2000, built from 1999 to 2009.

Honda S 2000 von 2000 (© Honda)

The Japanese convertible with a fabric top presented to the world in Detroit was particularly unusual because of its engine. Honda produced 241 hp from a displacement of just two liters without a turbocharger. This was only possible at high engine speeds, making the S2000 a real rev-worm. Maximum power was delivered at 8300 rpm and the maximum torque of 208 Nm was only available at 7500 rpm. If you wanted to make fast progress, you couldn't shy away from high revs.

Honda S 2000 von 2000 (© Honda)

The rest of the car was conventionally designed, with the driven wheels at the rear, of course. The not overly expensive and not sensationally light (approx. 1300 kg) sports car was designed to offer space for two and no more.

Honda S 2000 von 2000 (© Honda)

There was to be no shortage in the short term, as well over 100,000 S2000s were built, which also enjoyed many fans in this country. And this should ensure the likeable sports car's entry into classic car heaven.

More pictures can be found in our photo archive.

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Vintage cars welcome in everyday traffic!

Bruno von Rotz
05/26/2014

Frage der Woche - Oldtimer im Alltag

While traffic is becoming ever more hectic and traffic jams ever longer, classic cars are becoming more and more different from everyday cars and have to do without assistance and safety features. Legislation links privileges to appropriate use and low mileage per year. So should classic cars no longer be exposed to everyday traffic? We wanted to find out from our readers.

Frage der Woche - Oldtimer im Alltag?

28% see no reason not to use the classic car regularly in everyday life, while 61% tend to decide on a case-by-case basis whether it makes sense to use it.

However, only 10% see the classic car as a vehicle for special occasions, which should not be subjected to traffic jams and stress.

A clear vote in favor of not restricting classic cars to closed-off routes, museums and purely for show.

Our next questionis already underway! This time we want to know what should actually be judged most highly in beauty contests for historic cars.

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Sympathy before beauty at the Villa d'Este

Bruno von Rotz
05/25/2014

Alfa Romeo Super Sport Aprile 1971

The "Coppa d'Oro", the Concorso d'Eleganza's audience award, was presented yesterday in Cernobbio in the Villa d'Este park to the Alfa Romeo Super Sport with Aprile bodywork. Like many others, it had left the factory in 1931 as the Zagato Gran Sport Spider Corsa, with a 1750 cm3 six-cylinder engine and supercharger. The first owner was a Barabino G. B. Aldo. The car was also used in races. A few years later, however, the chassis was given a new body by Carrozzeria Aprile in Savona. This new, certainly visually unusual bodywork was retained on the car and was completely restored a few years ago. A truly beautiful story!

Since then, the car has been shown in many places and has also won an impressive collection of trophies, including second place at Pebble Beach in 2012 and second place in the "Best of Show" category in 2013.

The car obviously also appealed to the public in the Villa d'Este park, leaving the truly exorbitant Alfa Romeo 6C 3000 Superflow in its wake and now receiving another prize in the form of the Coppa d'Oro.

During the second drive-through at the awards ceremony, the car could hardly be seen for all the enthusiastic people.

Alfa Romeo 6C 1750 Aprile bei der Übergabe der Coppa d'Oro

Our detailed report on the Concorso d'Eleganza Villa d'Este will follow shortly.

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No electric driver can reach the steering wheel of my classic car

Bruno von Rotz
05/24/2014

Ford Mustang für den Highway der Zukunft - autonomes Fahren vor über 45 Jahren

I recently read an article in a daily newspaper about the legal problems that future cars will produce. Autonomous or assistance system-controlled driving is already within reach and apparently there is now a clear classification of these solutions:

Level 0: Manual driving
Level 1: Assisted driving with distance meters, parking aids, lane keeping systems (all of this is already available to buy in the mid-range and even below)
Stage 2: Partially automated driving, in which the driver no longer has to steer and accelerate/brake themselves in certain situations (such as traffic jams)
Level 3: Highly automated driving. The vehicle finds its own way, but the driver is still behind the wheel with a duty of control
Level 4: Fully automated driving, where a driver is no longer required for certain applications, e.g. parking
Level 5: Driverless driving, e.g. in the form of a robot cab (we know this from science fiction films such as "Minority Report")

But who is to blame if an accident happens and no human was driving? Of course, the manufacturers don't want to take on all the responsibility and so the idea of an "e-driver" was born. In addition to the human driver, an electronic driver could then also be insured as the driver of the vehicle and in the event of an accident, this part of the insurance cover would probably come into play. It is even conceivable that e-driving could become cheaper in terms of insurance if significantly fewer accidents happen this way, while human drivers would pay increasingly higher insurance premiums.

For our classic and vintage cars, of course, only level 0 is an option and an electric driver has no business at all behind the wheel of our beloved classics.

That's a good thing. Even though driverless cars seemed feasible many decades ago and these ideas have already become classic cars themselves, as the picture of the electric Ford Mustang above shows. In general, futurologists were already further ahead in their ideas 50 years ago than we have managed to achieve today ....

Ford-Vision einer Tankstelle der Zukunft - ausgedacht vor rund 50 Jahren

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From the historic to the current F1 GP in Monaco

Daniel Reinhard
05/23/2014

Two weeks ago, the Principality of Monaco hosted the GP Historique de Monaco and this weekend will see a showdown between the current F1 cars.

Who is likely to come out on top again? Mercedes certainly has the best cards, but who knows, because in Monaco you also need the right amount of luck.

As with all major events on the European continent, a number of Brits visited the historic Grand Prix with their Bentleys " on the road". The cars were lined up in front of the Fairmont Hotel. Not exactly the cheapest place to stay, as a glass of still water and a latte macchiato costs an immodest €16.00 (at €10, the glass of water alone is around €4 more expensive than the coffee), but then you also get a view of the sea.

The most prominent Bentley driver is probably the Spaniard Fernando Alonso, albeit only seen through the lens. His current Ferrari racer, with the weight of a Bentley, will probably also have its problems with the competition from Mercedes and Red Bull on the narrow Monegasque circuit.

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