This is how it was 40 years ago at the IAA
09/22/2017
The International Motor Show IAA 2017, which is currently celebrating the latest automotive achievements in Frankfurt, is still three days away. In view of the many innovations and promises, it is certainly worth taking a trip down memory lane. The Hessischer Rundfunk radio station reported on the exhibition in 1977 in extensive television reports.
Nothing came of the electric car, criticized Fritz B. Busch and his co-interviewer Frank Lehmann right at the beginning, after they failed to find any of the electric vehicles announced two years earlier at the 1977 IAA. In around two hours of reporting, Busch and co present the new cars, from the BMW 7-series and Ford Granada to the Opel Rekord and Senattor to the Rover SD1 and Mazda RX-5.
The broadcasts by Hessischer Rundfunk sometimes seem surprisingly clumsy and Fritz B. Busch also appears somewhat stressed and sometimes unfocused, which probably had something to do with the hustle and bustle and the elaborate technology of the time.
In any case, a trip back 40 years is a thoroughly enjoyable experience, which we are happy to encourage by showing the films.
The first part reports on new models from Germany, e.g. Ford Granada, Opel Senator, etc., but the speed limit in Germany also comes up for discussion. And then you learn something about the green wedge disk.
In the second part, Barbara Siehl and Fritz B . Busch on the Rover 3500, the car of the year 1977, followed by a look at the Saab Turbo and other international innovations and crowd favorites. The motorhome is also discussed.
In the third part, Dieter Möller helps Fritz B. Busch and it starts right at the beginning with the world premiere of the Chrysler-Simca Horizon, after reporting on the many children who go missing (and are found again) on every IAA day. In the driving report, the television producers drive a Rolls-Royce Corniche worth the equivalent of a detached house. Other topics include the Porsche 928, the Mercedes-Benz 250T and the Citroën CX. A lot of time is also devoted to the VW Beetle, for which there are again delivery deadlines in 1977.
All in all, an enjoyable journey 40 years back in time. If you prefer reading text and looking at photos, please refer to our IAA report on the seventies .
