A rich vintage car year lies behind us (a look back at 2017)

Bruno von Rotz
12/31/2017

Rückspiegel des REO Flying Cloud von 1929 ( Bruno von Rotz)

The year 2017 will certainly go down in the annals of classic car history as one of the better ones. Looking back, we can think of a few things that made the year special for us.

Delage 1500 an der Rétromobile 2017 (© Daniel Reinhard)

There was the Rétromobile in Paris, for example, which suffered from classic car density stress almost more than in previous years, albeit largely in a positive sense. You rarely see as many special cars as the Delage eight-cylinder racing cars in just a few square meters.

AvD Classic Gala Schwetzingen 2017 (© Bruno von Rotz)

The Classic Gala in Schwetzingen was a completely different story (on Saturday) with a very special atmosphere, as sunshine and rain alternated several times. Combined with beautiful cars, which can be generously displayed on a large area, the event certainly offered a lot.

Porsche 917 von 1970 (© Gooding & Co)

In terms of auctions, 2017 also offered a few surprises, such as when the ex-Siffert Porsche 917 was sold by Gooding & Co in Pebble Beach for a record price, when RM/Sotheby's auctioned the most expensive Aston Martin of all time in Monterey or when Bonhams in Quail Lodge sold a McLaren F1 to a new owner for over USD 15 million.

McLaren F1 von 1995 (© Bonhams)

And at the end of the year, the black Volvo 262 C from 1981, once driven by David Bowie, surprised us with a valuation almost ten times higher than a "normal" example at the auction of the Oldtimer Gallery in Gstaad. We were particularly pleased because the Zwischengas pictures went around the world.

Volvo 262 C von 1981 - ex David Bowie (© Bruno von Rotz)

Throughout the year, we portrayed around 120 reports on vehicles, covering a huge range of eras and designs.

Lamborghini Jarama S von 1976 (© Daniel Reinhard)

Some cars were particularly memorable, such as the Lamborghini Jarama S, the AC Cobra 289 ( Recreation), ...

Apal C Buggy von 1975 (© Bruno von Rotz)

... the Apal Buggy, the Formcar Formula V and the four BMW/Alpina sports sedans/coupés that we were able to compare in a single day.

BMW-M- und Alpina-Modelle von 1984 bis 1985 im Vergleich (© Daniel Reinhard)

Overall good classic car weather allowed us to portray more cars than ever before, but also to get behind the wheel of our own vehicles from time to time. It was drier and less hot than in other years, it should be said.

And at Zwischengas itself? The annual magazine was more elaborate than the previous two, with even more exclusive and special stories. At the end of the year, we were able to integrate the first volumes of "Auto Motor und Sport" into the Zwischengas magazine archive , following on from "Powerslide" and "auto exklusiv".

However, what we ourselves think is less exciting than what you, dear Zwischengas readers, think of the classic car year. Simply comment on this blog and tell us about your classic car highlights of 2017. We would be delighted and it could certainly lead to a lively discussion.

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It's all been there - advertising on the front page

Bruno von Rotz
12/30/2017

Titelseite von zwei Ausgaben der Motor Revue des Jahres 1957

Have you recently opened a magazine with a large advertisement for a watch or a perfume on the front page? And thought, does it have to be that magazines are even selling their covers to advertisers?

Well, this is not a new trend; German car magazines were already using the front page in the 1950s to draw attention to products and probably earn good money in the process.

For a magazine with a large audience, this could quickly amount to thousands of DM, and in the seventies and eighties even more.

Werbung auf den Titelseiten von Auto Motor und Sport in den Fünfzigerjahren

To be fair, however, you have to admit that the advertisers showed a lot of taste, at least with the covers of Auto Motor und Sport and Motor Revue, and the subjects are still attractive to look at today.

Werbung auf den Titelseiten von Auto Motor und Sport sowie Motor Revue in den Fünfzigerjahren

If you would like to take a pinch of it, please refer to our magazine archive, which has recently been supplemented with the issues of Auto Motor und Sport , and to our media library, in which Motor Revue , for example, is almost completely recorded. Have fun!

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Claude Haldi, the Pirmin Zurbriggen of motorsport (obituary)

Daniel Reinhard
12/29/2017

Claude Haldi im Porsche 908 (© J. Froidevaux / Archiv Daniel Reinhard)

"Driving has a lot in common with skiing, especially on snow and ice," Claudi Haldi once explained to a listener. He competed in the "Rallye des Neiges" with a Simca 1000 and immediately came seventh out of 50 participants. This rally awakened his passion for motorsport. His path led via an Abarth Simca, Ford Cortina Lotus to the Porsche Super 90.

Thanks to his friendship with Porsche engine tuner Guido Haberthür, he remained loyal to the Stuttgart-based company, with a few exceptions.

Claude Haldi's career lasted more than two decades. Haldi, who competed exclusively in touring and sports car races - he had no interest in formula cars - was the Swiss driver with the most participations in the endurance classic at the Sartre with 22 Le Mans starts.

Claude Haldi (© J. Froidevaux / Archiv Daniel Reinhard)

In the seventies, he was one of the best drivers in the GT class. In 1970, he won the overall European Hillclimb Championship in the GT class in a Porsche 911S with class victories in Barcelona, Cesena, Trento and Schauinsland. In the same year, Haldi also finished second overall in the Stuttgart-Lyon-Charbonnières Rally. In 1977, he achieved his only victory in the Sports Car World Championship with Bob Wollek and John Fitzpatrick in the 6-hour race at Hockenheim.

Claude Haldi in Le Mans 1983 (© Dan Morgan)

In 1975, he won the Porsche Cup title with prize money of 50,000 marks against teams such as Kremer and Loos, who had much higher budgets at their disposal, and prevailed against a total of 122 drivers from 16 nations. In the same year, Claude Haldi won the GTX class at the 24 Hours of Le Mans in a Haberthür-prepared 930 Porsche Turbo together with Peter Zbinden and the French driver Beguin (starting number 20). They finished 15th overall with this "road Porsche Turbo". Incidentally, this Porsche was the 13th 930 Turbo Porsche ever built and at the same time the official exhibition car at the 1975 Geneva Motor Show, where a Porsche Turbo Type 930 was presented in Switzerland for the first time. The victory at Le Mans in the GTX class was also the very first class victory for Porsche with a turbo engine.

The Lausanne native was also successful in rallies at home and abroad. In 1979, he won the Swiss Rally Championship in a Porsche 930 Turbo. His second place overall with Bernard Chenevière in a Porsche 911S at the 24 Hours of Spa in 1969 and third place at the legendary Targa Florio in 1973 in a works Carrera RSR were outstanding.

In 1979, he was presented with Switzerland's highest award, the "BP Racing Trophy".

As he won everywhere, whether in hill climbs, circuits or rallies, he was certainly the best all-rounder in Switzerland, if not the whole of Europe, and is therefore regarded as the Pirmin Zurbriggen of motorsport. "In the rallies, I was always fascinated by the improvisation and the ever-changing road, on the circuit it was the necessary precision and the high speed and in the hill climbs the extremely high concentration on a short drive after a start with cold tires and brakes."

Claude Haldi in Le Mans, u.a. mit Peter Sauber (© J. Froidevaux / Archiv Daniel Reinhard)

Despite repeatedly achieving very good results in the World Endurance Championship, he was denied top ten results in Le Mans in 22 participations from 1968-1993. He only saw the chequered flag a total of five times and his best result came in 1979 with 11th place in the overall standings in a Porsche 935 with team-mates H. Loewe and Rodrigo Teran. In 1981, he was very lucky to survive a serious crash when the rear wing of his Porsche 935 broke at 320 km/h on the Hunaudières straight. "At first it was just black in front of my eyes, then I skidded along the crash barriers for a long time and finally it spun the rest of the car a few times. When I finally came to a halt after half an eternity, the car was facing in the opposite direction, in the middle of the track. All that was left of the car was the chassis, the body and engine were in a thousand pieces."

Claude Haldi mit Alain Delon (© Courtesy Artcurial)

Just a few weeks later, he was hospitalized for three months with open fractures in both legs after a karting accident at a club event in Lyss (CH).

As an amateur racing driver who financed most of his outings himself, he was also able to compete in a few works events for Porsche. He quickly realized: "It's unbelievable what a difference there is between the works cars and the private cars. It's only when you've driven both that you realize that you never have the slightest chance as a private driver."

Since the end of his racing career in 1993, he has managed the family business (apparatus engineering) in Lausanne, which was founded in 1919 and which he never abandoned, even during his racing career. The trained coppersmith owned several industrial companies and remained closely involved in motorsport for many years as Vice President of the Swiss Automobile Club. He also fought for the realization of a Swiss race track in the Moudon area for as long as his health allowed.

Born in Vaud on November 28, 1942, Claude Haldi would certainly have enjoyed the Formula E race in Zurich, but unfortunately he suffered from Alzheimer's in recent months and passed away on December 25, 2017 at the age of 75.

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Forgotten a Christmas present? In Gstaad there are supplies ...

Daniel Reinhard
12/28/2017

Klassiker an der Gstaader Versteigerung (© Daniel Reinhard)

For all those who have not yet found a suitable Christmas present or have forgotten one, there is still a great opportunity to buy something suitable at auction tomorrow.

Lancia Aurelia B24S in Gstaad 2017 (© Daniel Reinhard)

The Oldtimer Galerie Toffen invites you to Gstaad , where 44 rarities will go under the hammer from 17:00. From 16:00, there will be a number of automobiles up for grabs, including photos signed by Roger Moore and Sean Connery as well as all the Bond girls of the time. It won't be cheap, but money has never been a problem in Gstaad.

Bilderausstellung an der Oldtimer-Versteigerung in Gstaad (© Daniel Reinhard)

Everything is ready for Gstaad's first vintage car gallery auction. Everything was set up and installed on Wednesday, December 27, in heavy snowfall. A Christmas atmosphere spread through the packed ski resort as the De Tomaso Pantera was pushed into the hall on slicks. Not really the time of year for fast vehicles.

This was clearly demonstrated on the return journey on the snow-covered road. Of course, the Ferraris and Astons stayed in the heated underground garages in the posh ski resort of Gstaad. For this kind of weather, men and especially women still have the right SUV with turbo power. Unfortunately, all of today's aids were of little use, as the traffic came to a standstill again and again for a short time because suddenly nobody dared to step on the gas pedal. The 30 kilometers or so from Gstaad back to the flatlands were adventurous, but the traffic was far more of a danger than the snow. Long live progress, long live the SUV, thought the modest station wagon driver, while practising patience and thinking about the beautiful classics in the Gstaad tent and which of them would be the most fun on snow and slippery roads.

The announcement of the auction on Zwischengas with all the late entrieswas definitely not to be missed. And of course you shouldn't miss the auction on Friday either. We will certainly be there.

44 Auto-Klassiker (inkl. 1 Traktor) an der Versteigerung der Oldtimer Galerie in Gstaad (© Daniel Reinhard)

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The battle of the two Jaguar D-Types

Bruno von Rotz
12/27/2017

XKD 518 und XKD 403 - zwei Jaguar D-Type an Versteigerungen (© Mathieu Heurtault und Patrick Ernzen)

There were probably 71 Jaguar D-Type racing cars built (and 16 road-going variants called XKSS). So how likely is it that two of them will go under the hammer in one weekend? Low? Well, maybe, but it will still happen on the weekend of January 20/21, 2018.

RM/Sotheby's and Gooding & Company will each be auctioning off one of the elegant racers with streamlined bodywork.

Jaguar D-Type XKD 403 (© Patrick Ernzen - Courtesy RM/Sotheby's))

RM/Sotheby's seems to be able to bring the more prominent vehicle to Arizona, as it is a factory car with chassis number XKD 403 from 1954, which was driven by Stirling Moss and Peter Walker at Le Mans in 1954 and was later used by the factory as a development vehicle.

Jaguar D-Type XKD 518 (© Mathieu Heurtault - Courtesy Gooding & Co)

Gooding & Co, on the other hand, will pilot one of the 53 customer cars to Scottsdale. XKD 518 from 1956 has a long British racing history (with a start at the Vienna-Aspern airfield race in May 1958) and once even passed through the hands of the young Bernie Ecclestone.

RM/Sotheby's have estimated USD 12 to 15 million for the works car XKD 403, Gooding USD 10 to 12 million for the privateer D-Type XKD 518.

Will the fact that two D-Types are going under the hammer have an impact on the price? And if so, in what way? In any case, the flight to Arizona should be worthwhile for interested parties, as it is rare to find such a generous selection.

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A beetle year

Bruno von Rotz
12/26/2017

VW 1303 Cabriolet 1975 (© Daniel Reinhard)

The end of the year is approaching and so it's time to look back a little. What strikes me is that many of the car memories of 2017 have to do with the VW Beetle. Not only with the Beetle itself, like the 1303 Cabriolet pictured, but also with its derivatives, which we really enjoyed this year.

Formcar Formel V von 1965 (© Daniel Reinhard)

There was the 1965 Formcar Formula V, for example, which was incredibly dynamic despite its relatively low engine output - a monoposto in fact. The low seating position exactly between the four wheels alone provided a driving experience in a class of its own.

Apal VW Buggy von 1975 (© Balz Schreier)

And then there was the Apal Buggy, which accompanied us for a few weeks in the summer and brought a lot of sunshine into the cockpit and into our hearts.

What the VW derivatives have taught us is that a lot of driving pleasure is possible even with 30 or 40 hp and that you don't need two overhead camshafts and 6, 8 or 12 cylinders to be able to move sportily on four wheels.

In any case, we will remember our "Beetle year" for a long time to come.

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Auto Motor und Sport in the Zwischengas magazine archive!

Bruno von Rotz
12/25/2017

Auto Motor und Sport und Das Auto im Zwischengas-Zeitschriftenarchiv

Since the beginning of zwischengas.com, over seven years ago, we have been working to collect and make available online as many relevant documents as possible that have been written about the automobile, especially the major automobile magazines. We started with Schweizerische Automobil Revue, but this was soon followed by ADAC Motorwelt and other magazines.

Now we are facing a particularly big growth spurt, as we have been in the process of digitizing the leading German car magazine "Auto Motor und Sport" (and its predecessor "Das Auto") page by page and making it available on zwischengas.com.

As a Christmas present to our readers, so to speak, we have now been able to integrate the first 25,000 or so pages into the Zwischengas magazine archive. These are the volumes 1946, 1947, 1948, 1950 and 1951 of "Das Auto" and the years 1952 to 1963 and 1969 of "Auto Motor und Sport". A treat for car lovers and full of nostalgia and memories.

More will follow by March 2018; Auto Motor und Sport (together with Das Auto) comprises over 200,000 pages, which will eventually be available in full on Zwischengas. This will increase our magazine archive to a total of well over 500,000 pages, all of which will be searchable and readable (for Premium users). Unique, not only in the German-speaking world!

To celebrate and document this, we have also produced a short film that gives an insight into what it means to digitize such a large volume. Enjoy.

Click here for the extended journal archive.

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The somewhat different Christmas story

Bruno von Rotz
12/24/2017

Audi TT Diesel

The year is 2045, the world is a different place than it was 20 or 30 years ago. The last snow was seen at low altitudes in 2024. Cars are electric, autonomous and still not silent. Old cars with combustion engines are hardly recognizable anymore; they are the passion of a few enthusiasts who drive them in halls or on closed roads and parking lots. They no longer have a place on public roads with automated traffic and have been banned in almost all countries.

And then the sensational news: A diesel sports car from the early 21st century was found in a derelict garage just outside the metropolis. Yet diesel cars had long been considered extinct and destroyed. And the car can even be started, despite being stationary for over 25 years. Passers-by listen spellbound to the harsh sound of combustion, which has long since been forgotten. And then it starts to snow, for the first time in 21 years. This must be what Christmas feels like ...

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Pastor von Ah and his traveling confessional

Karl Imfeld / Daniel Reinhard
12/23/2017

Around 1935, Bishop Georgius had still strictly forbidden priests to ride bicycles except in emergencies. Haste in the service of God was not appropriate. Because ordinances are there not to be kept, the service for the salvation of souls became more expeditious over the years. Twenty years later, important reasons and pious persuasion were still needed to justify the purchase of a Vespa or Lambretta "Christian persecutor".

Pioneer priest Albert von Ah

Episcopal disapproval or not, the Kerns priest Albert von Ah was decades ahead of his colleagues. In 1909, he was the first clergyman and the third person from Obwalden to buy his first car, a high-wheeled Fiat. And he needed it. His friends, who like him appreciated a game of Jass (Swiss card game) and a bottle of good wine, lived almost three hours away on foot in the canton of Nidwalden.

Of course, the rattling vehicle could also be used for a ride to Sarnen with the village celebrities. Always a bit at war with the local council, it wasn't a bad idea to at least curry favor with the municipal clerk. Von Ah's high-legged two-seater with curtains on the side windows was parked more and more regularly in front of the "Obwaldnerhof" in Sarnen.

The irreverent pedestrians had long since dubbed the car "von Ah's confessional". It soon became clear how immature and unreliable the technology still was. The road from Sarnen to Kerns was steep, more suited to horses and a cursing carter than to the new motor car. By the Boll chapel at the latest, the municipal clerk had to get out of the car and, if necessary, push it along the last stretch. The two-seater was then driven into the village again.

Combined strength

Such a valuable carriage needed a shelter. To this end, von Ah had the front wall of the chicken coop above the vicarage torn out without the permission of the church bailiff, but to his annoyance. There was a problem with the access road. The rain softened the ground and the narrow wheels spun. The help of the vicarage cook, an energetic and strong spinster, was needed. With combined forces and shouts of encouragement, they set to work. The vicar shouted from the cart: "Push, Aff!", the cook behind the cart: "Pull, donkey!".

The technology made progress. Von Ah swapped the underpowered "confessional", which was built more as a city vehicle, for a Ford. It mastered the old Karrweg from Kerns to Stans effortlessly and much faster. Strangely enough, when the gentleman and his friends had drunk a liter or two of red, the car was often unable to keep on track on the way home. Once, shortly before midnight in Ennetmoos, the Ford got stuck in the dirt of the Drachenried next to the roadside. A farmer and an ox got the priest back on the right track.

Pyre in the way

To avoid the dangers of the Drachenried, there was a wider and slightly better detour from Nidwalden to Kerns via Acheregg and Alpnach. It was a mild summer evening in 1921, after a hearty Jass in the "Engel" in Stans. Von Ah drove off the road in Alpnach, today one would say by a little more than one per mille. "He drove off the bridge over the Kleine Schliere at half past ten at night, six meters over the road and just not into the Schliere". At least that's how the Alpnach village policeman recorded it in his report. The policeman and a couple of men from the nearby "Krone" got the car back onto the road, whereupon the priest, barely back at the wheel, drove into a pile of gravel. The policeman thought a fine of two francs was appropriate. Not because of the pile of gravel. Outrageous! You'd get a good Znacht (dinner) for that, raged von Ah. He only paid the fine after receiving a notice from the police director. He had found out that the priest and his friends had enjoyed plenty of wine and that the Stans innkeeper had refused to put another liter on in view of the late hour and his reverend's treacherous journey home.

Bishop's word of power

The parish and church council gave the bishop a gentle hint as to whether perhaps.......?

Yes, yes, said the bishop and ordered von Ah to sell his car immediately in a harsh letter. During the confirmation visit, the bishop wanted to see the effect of his word of power.
The priest showed the bishop the empty chicken coop and the bishop would almost have believed him if the church bailiff hadn't blabbed from school and revealed that the car was in the feed barn of the vicarage. What is credible, however, is that the car remained in the stable until the bishop had left.

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Lucas - Prince of darkness (prince of darkness)

Bruno von Rotz
12/22/2017

Lucas Scheinwerfer von 1947

Lucas was a kind of equivalent to Bosch in the UK. Virtually all cars on the island are fitted with Lucas electrical components. Lucas was once a proud company, but with the decline of the British car industry, Lucas also became less important and was merged with the American Varity Corporation in 1996, eventually surviving as a brand name that, funnily enough, is now owned by ZF Friedrichshafen.

Lucas Elektrik in einem Auto von 1947

Because Lucas components were so widely used in British vehicles and did not always offer the necessary reliability, Lucas also gained a bad reputation. This was reinforced by a number of jokes. Want some examples?

Lucas invented the short circuit. Or, if Lucas had manufactured weapons, there would never have been a war. Or, Lucas as the manufacturer of the three-position switch - off, flickering, on. And so on. The saying "Lucas, Prince of Darkness" arose because the lights literally went out from time to time in many cars with Lucas electrics.

In fact, Lucas probably manufactured a number of electrical components that were neither convincing in terms of design nor material quality. In addition, quality control was probably not always up to scratch. However, there were also many high-quality Lucas products, such as the very reliable electrical components used in pre-war Rolls-Royce cars. Lucas also took over the famous brake company Girling. And some of the defects associated with Lucas were probably also related to the Lucas customers who specified and installed them. But they were probably also too resistant to change and did not tackle problems with the required consistency. Even interesting developments and innovations could not prevent the decline.

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