When you still had prospects

Bruno von Rotz
01/31/2018

We've already discussed the view to the front a few times, but this time we're turning our attention to the rear. We are sitting in an estate car and want to reverse into a parking space, for example. More than 40 years ago, this was not a problem, as the models of the time had huge side and rear windows.

The Volvo 145, for example, had an almost luxurious glass house that was hardly disturbed by the B and C pillars.

Heckansicht Volvo 145 (1972) versus BMW 320i Touring (2017)

In modern times, as shown by the current BMW 320i Touring of the F30 series, this looks quite different. Not only has the amount of glass decreased, it is also made even more invisible by significantly wider B- and pillars. Headrests also obstruct the view. The 1972 Volvo did not even have these on the rear seats. What you can see in the picture are the headrests of the third row of seats, which could of course be folded down.

But even 10 or 20 years after the Volvo 145, the views to the rear were still much better, as the example of the Mercedes-Benz T model of the W123 series clearly shows.

Heckaussicht Mercedes-Benz 250T von 1979

And BMW also had much clearer Touring models than the current ones, such as the E30 Touring or the E43 Touring. It was only when estate cars had to become ever flatter and sportier and the beltlines slid upwards in line with the saloons that visibility was lost. Of course, safety aspects also contributed to this. For example, a modern estate car should offer significantly more protection in the event of a rollover, but being able to "look out" is also part of safety and modern estate cars perform much worse in this respect ...

P.S. The pictures shown here were all taken from the driver's seat and with the same focal length.

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Ice and snow

Daniel Reinhard
01/30/2018

A little man stands in the forest, very still and silent,
He has a little coat on because of the cold.
Tell me, who might the little man be,
Standing alone in the forest
With the dark blue coat.

eis und schnee

The solution to the riddle: It was the Zwischengas photographer at the "Snow and Ice" rally, who unfortunately chose the wrong one at a junction with two roads, both leading to the Gottschalkenberg, on the instructions of a walker for the 50:50 choice and oh dear, not a single vehicle passed me. After about two hours, it was really clear that no one would be coming either. On the way back, at the same junction, the tracks in the ice showed which route would have been the right one.

This is called bad luck and, in this case, carelessness, as I had relied too much on the walker and didn't check the map I was carrying. This can happen from time to time in unfamiliar areas, and spontaneous route changes can be made by the organizer, for example if roadworks have not been cleared, and the photographer is rarely equipped with an up-to-date road book.

In addition, you are usually alone in the car, while the rally participants have a co-driver who checks every meter of the route and even they can get lost from time to time.

Oh how many hours I've spent waiting as a photographer, but if no one comes along at the end, you're doubly annoyed and of course it's always a shame when the location and lighting conditions you found would have been really good, but unfortunately on a completely wrong road.

Fortunately, there was a second chance in the evening and, to the delight of all the participants, I was spot on.

eis und schnee

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Successful as a Japanese in the USA and on the road with an English car

Daniel Reinhard
01/29/2018

The Japanese driver Takuma Sato loves Indianapolis and vice versa. In 2004, Sato finished third on the podium for the only time at the US F1 GP in Indianapolis.

Takuma Sato

13 years later, he even stood at the top when he became the first Asian ever to win the prestigious "Indy 500" last year. The small Japanese man, very likeable in his manner, like so many Japanese, invited us to England for an interview in 2004. We met in a small pub near London. He didn't arrive in a super sports car, but in a Mini, almost like Mr. Bean. His enthusiasm for the little Englishman was so great that he was happy to be photographed in it, despite all his sponsor obligations.

Takuma Sato im Mini

That year, he drove the F1 from the British American Racing Team with Jensen Button and was therefore not tied to a manufacturer at all. In 2017, after many years, his big breakthrough finally came and he was even able to win the race in the legendary pasta pot against the sensational rookie Fernando Alonso. Alonso, who had to retire in seventh place with engine damage just 21 laps from the end, joked at the awards ceremony: "Next year I want your engine, Takuma." He did not mean the four-cylinder engine from the Mini, of course, but the 2.2-liter V6 turbo from Honda.

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Elegant figure skating

Daniel Reinhard
01/28/2018

What has not already taken place on Lake St. Moritz? In skijoring, a skier is pulled over the snow by a horse, car or even a motorcycle. In the late 1940s, the so-called free skating competition for figure skaters might have taken place behind a car.

Eiskunstlauf

The young lady is pulled across the frozen lake on her skates by an MG TC. Figure skating was not only the first Olympic winter sport to be held as part of the Summer Games from 1908 to 1920, it was also the first Olympic sport for women. It is not clear from the picture whether the MG could provide enough traction for the lady, but at least you can see the driver's enthusiasm. The picture hangs as decoration in a hotel in Pontresina.

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The per mille slider

Daniel Reinhard
01/27/2018

Unfortunately, it is difficult to find out when this now completely obsolete "SFA-Promille-Schieber" came onto the market. I suspect it was in the seventies.

Promille Messer in den 70er Jahren

At least back then it was still allowed to drive with up to 0.8 per mille. Today, in Switzerland you reach the limit at 0.5 per mille (new drivers 0.0 per mille), in other countries, mainly in the Eastern Bloc, such as Hungary, alcohol is completely banned, expressed in per mille 0.0! Even the red wine sauce could become a problem. The card correctly shows that the blood alcohol concentration is not only influenced by the amount of alcohol consumed, but also in particular by body weight and gender. It is not noted on the card that the decisive factor is whether the drink is consumed on an empty stomach or with food. The card also states on the back: Alcohol makes you carefree.

Alkohol Messer anno 70er Jahre

Some people think they drive even better when they have been drinking. But appearances are deceptive. At a young age, people may not want to admit the problem, even though it is clearly there.

So many years ago, we started our own test at an indoor karting track. The four of us drove the first stint sober and then started drinking, no "coma drinking", just a few beers. In between, we drove a lap again and again, and of course we compared our telemetry data, i.e. lap times, at the end and lo and behold they got massively worse. We also bumped into the barriers much more often than on the first run, which clearly showed that our driving precision had deteriorated massively.

Incidentally, alcohol breaks down very slowly in the blood: around 0.15 per mille per hour. This means, for example: If you go to bed at one o'clock in the morning with 1.8 per mille, you will still get up at seven o'clock with about 0.9 per mille. If you want to protect yourself and those around you and avoid stress with the police and authorities, it is by far the best thing to drink only water or to be chauffeured.

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Cobra meets Viper

Daniel Reinhard
01/26/2018

What happens when a Cobra meets a Viper? The Viper is flattened.

Cobra trifft Viper

This is what happened during the photo shoot with Cobra 289 (Recreation). The viper (or was it perhaps just a viper?) didn't have the slightest chance of escaping the other reptile. Its leisurely meander across the main road came at the wrong moment, just as the Cobra shot past.

Cobra 289 Recreation

The viper should have heard the ruckus from the open side vents early on, but it has been proven that snakes can't hear anything and can only see poorly.
Snakes are practically deaf, as their outer ear, auditory canal and eardrum are not developed. However, the animals do have a well-developed inner ear. This means that they can perceive ground vibrations, which they register via the lower jaw and are warned of approaching predators.

The reptile should therefore have felt the shaking and rumbling of the approaching cobra, but probably only when it was already too late. Of course, the Cobra was so fast that there were only a few milliseconds between perception and death.

The three cyclists were also visibly startled when, on downshifting, not only did a jet of flame shave their legs, but also when a loud bang almost threw them off their bikes....

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Johnny Hallydays A3/C

Daniel Reinhard
01/25/2018

Johnny Hallyday (June 15, 1943 - December 5, 2017), the French "Elvis", left behind not only an estimated 85 million records but also an Iso-Rivolta.

Johnny Halliday und sein Iso Grifo A3/C - Copyright Courtesy RM Sotheby's und Getty Images

His biggest performance was the free concert at the Eiffel Tower, attended by around 600,000 fans. Mick Jagger commented on this mass crowd: "In France, Hallyday is unattainable". Well, he also loved cars and drove an Iso-Grifo A3/C with the rare "Avional body", which consists of an alloy of aluminum, magnesium and copper and is riveted together like an airplane.

The body is therefore very light and elastic, but difficult to work with. As a result, the car has a total weight of just 969 kg.

An A3/Competizione competed in Le Mans in 1964/65. The car finished 14th overall in its first year with the Belgian Pierre Noblet and the Swiss Edgar Berney and won the class for prototypes with a displacement of over 5 liters.

However, racing was no longer pursued in 1965 following the dispute between company boss Renzo Rivolta and Giotto Bizzarini, and the A3/C was sold by Bizzarrini under the name Bizzarrini GT 5300 Strada and Corsa. In the end, between 22 and 30 vehicles are said to have been built.

The car with chassis number B 0209 from Jean-Philippe Smet, the real name of Johnny Hallyday, is now going under the hammer in perfect condition at RM Sotheby's in Paris. Bids of between 2.5 and 3.5 million euros are expected.

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Opel not in Geneva

Daniel Reinhard
01/24/2018

A major manufacturer and permanent guest will not be at the Geneva Motor Show in 2018. Opel has canceled.

Open am Genfer Autosalon 1964

"We can confirm that Opel will not be represented in Geneva this year," says a spokesperson from Rüsselsheim, adding that the brand will place "a stronger focus on its own product launch events". In other words, if there is nothing new to show, they will stay at home and save the money. A strategy that other manufacturers are already pursuing: Opel's new parent company PSA, for example, was only represented with Citroën at the IAA 2017; Peugeot and DS did not have a stand. Volvo is limiting itself to just one trade fair appearance per continent; in Europe, this remains Geneva.

Opel am Genfer Autosalon

For years, Formula 1 thrived on magnificent vehicle presentations with concerts by big pop stars at the best and most famous venues in the world. Journalists were flown in from all over the world and catered for. Today, the majority of cars are presented online. Is this perhaps also the future of manufacturers and the death of the big motor shows?

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A GTO is cleaned up!

Daniel Reinhard
01/23/2018

The Ferrari 250 GTO is one of the most expensive cars in the world.

Ferrari GTO

At the last sale, a car changed hands for no less than 38 million US dollars. This is probably the main reason why you hardly ever see a GTO anymore, because who wants to drive such a valuable car in normal traffic?

Nevertheless, many people would like to have a car like this, even if only as an art object in their garage. But even in a top garage, dirt accumulates and so it has to be cleaned from time to time and this usually happens in the fresh air, but watch out...... It's gone in a flash!

Source: Archive

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Designer of the Porsche 911 shape has died - obituary Gerhard Schröder (1925-2018)

Wolfgang Blaube, Bilder Privatarchiv Gerhard Schröder, Werk, Wolfgang Blaube
01/22/2018

Gerhard Schröder passed away on January 7, 2018. As a designer, the namesake of the former German Chancellor was not a media-famous celebrity in the automotive world. But his work was all the more significant.

After the Second World War, Gerhard Schröder, born on March 21, 1925 in Markoldendorf in southern Lower Saxony, attended the highly regarded Hamburg School of Car Construction. During his studies, he was already working intensively on improving folding and folding mechanisms for convertible tops.

In April 1950, he joined the company "Carrosserie Worblaufen, F. Ramseier & Co" near Bern. The famous Swiss specialist for open-top bodies is the ideal place for him to mature into a sought-after expert in this field.

In January 1952, Gerhard Schröder moved to the coachbuilder Karl Deutsch in Cologne-Braunsfeld, where he worked on various soft top designs for Ford convertibles.

Just six months later, the next station followed, and with it another important step in his career: Gerhard Schröder moved to Karmann in Osnabrück, where he initially developed the large-scale production version of the soft top linkage for the Volkswagen Cabriolet. With the start of series production of the VW Karmann-Ghia, his next major task begins: the realization of an open version of the elegant Volkswagen coupé. It goes into production in the fall of 1957 with the VW Karmann-Ghia Cabriolet. However, at this time Gerhard Schröder was already working for the company to which he would remain loyal until his retirement. (Schröder on the right in the picture)

Bei Porsche in den Sechzigerjahren - Kolb, Günter Kübler, August Wilhelm Gösse, Schröder (rechts) (© Archiv Gerhard Schröder)

It is the Dr. Ing. h.c. F. Porsche KG in Stuttgart-Zuffenhausen. Here, the body designer passed through various stations, and the development of folding tops was joined by other activities, increasingly in positions of responsibility.

As it would be several years before Porsche opened its own professional design department, Gerhard Schröder's tasks also included designing and creating entire bodies. In the early 1960s, together with model maker Heinrich Klie, he created the shape of the Type 901, which, as the Porsche 911, became the most famous sports car in the world - a work for which Ferdinand Alexander "Butzi" Porsche took credit as head of the styling department, officially known as the "Model Department".

The Klie/Schröder duo also played a key role in the genesis of the Porsche Carrera GTS, which was known internally as the Type 904; the former once again as a designer, the latter with the implementation of the plastic body - a first for Porsche.

Thanks to the success of the 904, Gerhard Schröder became head of a working group responsible for the body design and construction of Porsche racing sports cars.

This work resulted in the 910, 907, 908 and 917, which made Porsche the most successful brand in endurance racing.

Eugen Kolb (81), who created the silhouettes of these legendary cars under Gerhard Schröder, still praises his former boss today as a team player among his superiors who always gave his employees a free hand and had no problem delegating responsibilities.

In the early 1970s, Gerhard Schröder moved to the body-in-white department and later to the research department. He took early retirement in the late summer of 1984. Porsche's important designer, who was hardly known outside the sports car manufacturer, mainly thanks to his modesty, has now died in Nuremberg at the age of 92.

But the work of this lovable man will remain unforgotten. With the body shape of every classic Porsche 911 Coupé that drives past us - and with every Targa roof that disappears into the trunk when folded: This idea, too, born in 1965, came from the creative mind of Gerhard Schröder.

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