Summertime is vacation time

Daniel Reinhard
06/30/2019

And they are on the road again, the tourists with all their belongings. The Dutch in particular are known for their camping vacations. With the Oranjes, you always get the feeling that they take pretty much everything they own with them on vacation. Surfboards and mother-in-law's coffin on the roof, various bicycles mounted in the rack at the back of the car, plus the caravan with all the trimmings. The towing vehicle is really getting down on its knees and at the slightest incline the speed slows down almost to a minimum. But to each his own, as are the two VWs, the Beetle and the Bulli with their matching caravans.

We wish you all an accident-free, breakdown-free and relaxing vacation, wherever you choose to spend it.

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Even more powerful - auction database on Zwischengas

Bruno von Rotz
06/30/2019

Auktionator

Over the past few months, we have worked hard to extensively expand our auction database , which we launched over a year ago, and add new functions.

Over 54,000 transactions (lots) and 625 auctions from 2013 have now been recorded. Hardly anyone in the German-speaking world has a comparable collection of data.

Several paths lead to the individual lots/transactions, which now also have their own display screen showing all stored values for a traded automobile.

Auktions-Datenbank - Anzeige eines Lots

All saved auctions with their basic data can be called up via the auction overview .

Auktions-Datenbank - Browser

The individual auctions can then be displayed in a general overview. From there, you can of course also branch to the individual lot and view it.

Auktions-Datenbank - Übersicht

There is now also a search mask to find auctioned vehicles. Various selection criteria, including vehicle and auction data, can be used to search for and then display specific transactions. Each displayed result line leads to a traded automobile.

Auktions-Datanbank - Suche

In addition, relevant auctioned vehicles are now also displayed for vehicle articles and valuations, at the moment simply a selection.

Auktions-Datenbank - verwandte Auktionsergebnisse

However, the most important new feature for many readers is hidden in the gallery of auction items. If you scroll through the pictures for an auction report (currently only works on the desktop), you will see the auction results for this vehicle at the bottom of the text for each picture!

Auktions-Datenbank - Ergebnisse direkt in der Bildergalerie

Just give it a try, a good starting point is certainly the recently published results of the Bonhams Chantilly auction .

We are aware that there are certainly other wishes from our users that remain unfulfilled. We would love to hear from you how we can make your life even easier and where you would like to see further improvements to the auction database. Write to us, preferably using the contact form.

P.S. If you find any errors in our data, we are of course always grateful for a tip.

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Niki Lauda's Ferrari 312T, a car steeped in history, goes under the hammer

Daniel Reinhard
06/29/2019

Niki Lauda passed away on May 20, but the legacy of the three-time Formula 1 world champion lives on. As reported on the zwischengas blog on June 2, his cars are now being given a further boost in value. The first car, the 312T from 1975, is already on the market and is considered one of the most beautiful Ferrari racing cars ever. It is now being auctioned off in Pebble Beach. "Gooding and Company" estimates the value at between six and eight million US dollars.

"auto motor und sport" writes aptly: "Niki Lauda enjoys hero status. His three Formula 1 world championship titles for Ferrari and McLaren make him one of the most successful drivers in history. His fire accident at the Nürburgring in 1976 made him a world-famous sportsman. His fighting spirit and resilience made him a role model. His hard-hitting and unsparing analysis made him one of the most valued experts in the paddock."

Lauda's first world championship car

He drove home his first title in the premier class in Austria in 1975 with the 312T. Lauda won five GPs in 1975: Monte Carlo, Belgium, Sweden, France and the USA. The Austrian won the French Grand Prix in Le Castellet with chassis number 22 and later took second place at the Dutch GP in Zandvoort and third place at the Nürburgring in Germany. It is precisely this GP winner that the auction house is now auctioning off.

The 312T is 4.143 meters long, 2.030 meters wide and 1.275 meters high. The wheelbase of the then first world champion Ferrari since 1964 (John Surtees) is 2.518 meters. From a technical point of view, the changed gearbox position stands out, as chief designer Mauro Forghieri had the five-speed gearbox installed at right angles to the engine in front of the rear axle. Hence the T in the name for "transversal".

144 of the 600 kilogram total weight came from the engine. In 1975, a V12 with a 180 degree bank angle was still responsible for the true sound in the car from Maranello. The three-liter twelve-cylinder produced around 505 hp at 12,200 rpm. The dimensions: 650 mm long, 680 mm and 300 mm high.

Lauda drove this Chassis 22 in five Grand Prix races in 1975 and put it in pole position every time, according to Gooding and Company. Lauda took the best starting position a total of nine times that year. Including at the Nürburgring, when he spun the 312T around the 22.8-kilometer Nordschleife in under seven minutes (6:58.6 min.).

This 312T was sold to the French collector Jacques Setton in the 1980s, who later sold it to the Dutchman John Bosch. From there it went to an American collector in 2008, who now wants to sell the Lauda-Lauda for a profit. The auction house is now expecting a sales value of between six and eight million US dollars. The racing car with the characteristic air scoop above the driver's head will be auctioned by "Gooding and Company" in Pebble Beach on August 16/17, 2019 .

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Against expectations: Four-cylinder Porsche grew more than Maserati and BMW

Bruno von Rotz
06/28/2019

Poll 9 - Wertzuwachs von vier Autos - neu beurteilt

Five years ago (2014) we had a question of the week in which we wanted to know from our readers which of the four cars ...

BMW 3200 CS
Citroën SM Injection
Maserati Indy
Porsche 924 Carrera GT

... probably performed best in terms of value.

The result of the survey was a joint lead by BMW and Maserati, (closely) followed by Porsche and with Citroën SM bringing up the rear.

Vergleich - erwarteter Wertzuwachs 2014

At the time, we promised to re-examine the performance after two years. We missed this three years ago (2016), but we have now (2019) looked at the four cars again!

And it turns out that the readers were right about the Citroën, which they predicted would perform the least. In fact, if you take the Classic Data ratings for condition 2 as a yardstick, it was 36 percent.

However, the readers were wrong about the winner, as neither Maserati nor BMW were able to increase in value the most, with the Porsche 924 Carrera GT winning by some distance, increasing in value by an impressive 134 percent in five years.

What the readers correctly predicted, however, was that the Maserati Indy and the BMW 3200 CS Coupé would develop similarly in terms of value. The BMW increased in value by 88 percent, the Maserati by 90 percent.

Here are the 2014/2019 Condition 2 valuations for the four cars in table form:

Vehicle	Built from/to	CD Condition 2 € 2014	CD status 2 € 2019	Growth
BMW 3200 CS	1962-1965	53100	100000	88 %
Citroën SM Injection	1972-1975	36000	48900	36 %
Maserati Indy 4700	1971-1973	50000	95000	90 %
Porsche 924 Carrera GT	1980-1981	35100	82000	134 %

Maybe we'll look again in five years' time.

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Over 500 Ford Capri in Speyer

Gerald Mandl
06/27/2019

Ford Capri Treffen in Speyer 2019 (© Gerald Mandl)

This has probably not happened very often, if at all. From June 21 to 23, 2019, 511 Ford Capri models from 1969 to 1986 met at the Technik Museum Speyer, the oldest of which was built in March 1969 and is certainly one of the oldest models in this country.

The Capri meeting was organized for the 14th time in the last 25 years by the Capri Post - the national contact address for all Capri drivers (and formerly the independent magazine for all Capri drivers until 2008). The people behind the Capri Post are Andrea Mandl and myself, Gerald Mandl.

In 2019, we were able to celebrate a double anniversary, namely 50 years of Ford Capri and 25 years of Capri meetings in Speyer.

Ford Capri Treffen in Speyer 2019 (© Gerald Mandl)

The meeting was well represented internationally, with drivers from 17 nations in attendance, namely Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Liechtenstein, France, Luxembourg, Belgium, the Netherlands, Denmark, Great Britain, Ireland, Norway, Sweden, Spain, Poland, Hungary and Slovakia.

The largest club delegations came from the Netherlands (Capri Club Netherland with 23 Capris), Switzerland (Capri Club Free Drivers (Switzerland) with 21 Capris), Spain (Capri Club Espania with 18 Capris) and Norway (Capri Club Norway with 14 Capris). The latter also had to make the longest journey (on their own wheels!), namely 2200 km. But the clubs from Spain (1844 km) and Ireland (1500 km) also drove a long way to meet up with their Capri colleagues from all over the world.

RS-Capris am Ford Capri Treffen in Speyer 2019 (© Gerald Mandl)

The highlight of the meeting was the 1974 Ford Capri RS Group 2, which was even started and driven for a while to the delight of the participants. An anniversary movie was shown in the IMAX large-screen cinema.

Ford Capri Sonderausstellung in Speyer 2019

The special exhibition 50 Years of Capri and 25 Years of Capri Meetings at the Technik Museum Speyer provided plenty to talk about.

And then there was the large parts market. Participants were able to take home exclusive gifts, namely an anniversary plate (limited edition) and a special edition of the Capri Post with the history of the Speyer meeting.

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The VW Golf Cabriolet, and what it should almost look like ...

Bruno von Rotz
06/26/2019

VW Golf Cabriolet Prototyp von 1976 an der Techno Classica 2011

"This is what it really looks like," was the headline of Auto Motor und Sport in March 1977. They were referring to the anticipated VW Golf Cabriolet and naturally also provided a photo. This showed the prototype from 1976, as it could be seen at the Techno Classica in 2011 (photo above).

VW Golf Cabriolet ohne Bügel 1977 in AMS (© AMS)

AMS wrote about the photo:
"Despite all the speculation in various car magazines, the planned convertible version of the VW Golf will be a real fresh-air car. True to the model of the Beetle convertible, which is currently in great demand, the open Golf version will also be launched on the market without a roll bar."

Incidentally, the reason given for replacing the Beetle Convertible was not safety concerns, but stricter emissions legislation in the USA. A price was also given, namely less than DM 12,735, and the open Golf was announced for 1979.

The AMS writers were right about the latter, as they were able to show the finished Golf Cabriolet in February 1979. And it did have a bow! And a thickly padded soft top, similar to that of the Beetle. None of this made the car any prettier, but it did make it safer and more practical. However, it was also more expensive, as prices were quoted from DM 17,000 in 1979, a substantial increase on the earlier Beetle Cabriolet.

Nevertheless, the first Golf Cabriolet, which was often called the strawberry basket because of its bow, was a success. The open-top version survived the model change to the Golf II and 389,000 units were produced. Truly impressive. And can still often be seen on the roads today!

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The 24-hour race at the Nürburgring - once modern, once classic

Daniel Reinhard
06/25/2019

The traditional 24-hour race at the Nürburgring took place for the 47th time last weekend. In 24 dry hours, it was a matter of bare survival and in the end it was not the fastest but the bravest who won.

At 10 o'clock on Sunday morning, it still looked like a safe Porsche one-two victory, but then everything turned out differently. The Frikadelle Porsche suffered a puncture and the Manthey Porsche was handed a time penalty for speeding under yellow flags. When the HTP Mercedes was also taken out of the race by an accident, the way was clear for the Audi R8 of Vervisch, Kaffer, Stippler and Vanthoor.

Friday morning also saw the traditional three-hour 24h-Classic race.

Christoph Breuer initially took the lead at the start, closely followed by Patrick Simon (# 511) in the Porsche RSR-IMSA Gr.5. However, the TV presenter and racing driver from Wiesbaden did not hesitate for long and overtook Christoph Breuer immediately after the Yokohama-S.

Simon, who had already said before the start that he was determined to win this race, immediately pulled away from the field and initially drove his laps alone at the front.

However, while leading the race, Simon unexpectedly pulled into the pits after the sixth lap at slow speed and retired: "I was just about to turn onto the Nordschleife when the throttle linkage broke," explained the Wiesbaden-based driver, whose disappointment was written all over his face.

After Simon's retirement, the new leader was Dr. Eddy Althoff (#501) in the Porsche Carrera RSR, closely followed by Michael Küke (#503) in the Porsche 911 Carrera RSR and Dennis Busch (#502) in another Porsche 911 RSR.

For the second half of the race, professional driver Jörg Müller took over the leading Porsche from Dr. Eddy Althoff. The German-Swiss driver immediately showed his mettle and fought an exciting and at all times fair duel for the lead with privateer Michael Küke. The duel was decided shortly before the end of the race by an unfortunate racing situation for both sides.

"After the Adenauer Brücke bridge, we were riding close together up the hill when a competitor spun in front of Küke and stopped in the middle of the track. We both had to brake hard and I slid slightly into the back of Küke. As this damaged my front apron, I had to go to the pits to have it fixed. That decided the race. In the end, my team-mate and I are happy to have finished second," said Müller.

Victory therefore went to Michael Küke from Essen, who completed the 3-hour distance alone. "I've been taking part in this race since 2004 and this is the first time I've won," beamed the winner. "Due to a defective fuel cap, I had gasoline fumes in the car in the second half of the race, which was obviously unpleasant. Luckily, the minor rear-end collision with Jörg Müller didn't have any major consequences, because when I heard his squealing tires, I adjusted to everything," said Küke.

The podium was completed by the brothers Marc and Dennis Busch, who finished third.

So much for the facts, but let's let the pictures do the talking and compare the current and historic editions:

Klassisch - 24 h Nürburgring 2019 (© Daniel Reinhard)

The Mercedes Benz 300SE of Holger and Niels Thielert

Modern - 24 h Nürburgring 2019 (© Daniel Reinhard)

The AMG Mercedes GT3 of Götz, Marciello, Arnold and Hohenadel

Klassisch - 24 h Nürburgring 2019 (© Daniel Reinhard)

Start of the historic 3-hour race

Modern - 24 h Nürburgring 2019 (© Daniel Reinhard)

Start of the traditional (modern) 24-hour race

Klassisch - 24 h Nürburgring 2019 (© Daniel Reinhard)

Two Opel Mantas, one of them the long-standing crowd favorite from the current 24-hour race by Beckmann, Hass, Strycek and Schulten ...

... and the Opel Manta A in the classic race by Jansen and Brauer

The fastest classic, Jörg Müller in the Porsche Carrera RSR

The fastest of the modern racing cars, the Porsche 911 GT3 R with Lietz, Pilot, Tandy and Makowiecki

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Left-hand drive is worth money (Question of the week)

Bruno von Rotz
06/24/2019

Frage der Woche 132 - Links- oder Rechtslenkung

Until the 1950s, many cars in this country still had the steering wheel on the right-hand side, and not just British ones. After that, left-hand drive became established on the mainland. Many car types were subsequently offered with both left-hand and right-hand steering wheels, the latter for the UK, Australian, South American and Japanese markets, among others. However, some cars were only sold with one steering wheel position, especially if they were built in small series.

Anyone buying a classic car, which is somewhat rarer, often has to choose between a left-hand drive and a right-hand drive. In modern road traffic, the left-hand drive has important advantages, e.g. when overtaking or entering a public parking garage. However, British vehicles in particular are still often offered in this country with right-hand drive, while left-hand drive alternatives are perhaps even rarer.

In a " question of the week" , we wanted to know which steering wheel position the Zwischengas readers would choose and would they be prepared to pay extra for the left-hand steering wheel.

The result is surprising in its severity. Only 16.4 percent stated that they would have no problem with the steering wheel on the right and would not pay a surcharge for it.

A total of almost 43 percent would pay more if they could buy their dream classic car with the steering wheel on the left-hand side. Of these, 28.1 percent would consider a 10 percent surcharge to be reasonable, 14.8 percent even 20 percent more.

35.3 percent would not buy a right-hand drive car at all. And 5.4 percent did not find a suitable answer, perhaps because they would pay even more than 20 percent extra or because they would prefer a steering wheel in the middle - yes, there was that.

The complete graphical evaluation looks like this:

Frage der Woche 132 - Links- oder Rechtslenkung - Antworten

The next question of the week has already been posed , this time we want to know which of six proposed classic cars readers would buy for a given amount of money with the aim of preserving value.

All previous evaluations of the questions of the weekcan be found in the dedicated topic channel.

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The green goddess - Liz Taylor's Rolls-Royce goes under the hammer

Bruno von Rotz
06/23/2019

Rolls-Roye Silver Cloud II Drophead Coupe von 1960

In 1959, the American actress Elizabeth Taylor married the singer Eddie Fisher. A few months later, she ordered a Rolls-Royce Silver Cloud II with H.J. Mulliner Drophead Coupé body (LSWC278) built to her specifications. The car was delivered in the UK at the beginning of 1961 and then shipped to the USA.

Liz Taylor im Rolls-Roye Silver Cloud II Drophead Coupe von 1960

The car accompanied the couple on many trips, including taking Liz Taylor to Rome when she was there in 1962 to film the movie Cleopatra. During this filming, Liz Taylor also met Richard Burton, with whom she had an affair. Whether this was the trigger for Eddie Fisher denting a fender of the Rolls as he sped away from the film set is not known for certain.

In any case, Richard Burton was also seen driving the car in the USA afterwards, and in 1964 Taylor and Burton finally became a married couple after divorcing Fisher.

Liz Taylor was much more loyal to the Rolls-Royce than her husbands and is said to have kept the left-hand drive car until the late seventies. Since then, the Rolls has only had one other owner.

Interieur des Rolls-Roye Silver Cloud II Drophead Coupe von 1960

The convertible will now be auctioned off by Guernsey Auction House at the Pierre Hotel in New York on August 6, 2019.

Incidentally, Liz Taylor chose the color "smoke green" so that it went well with her favorite dress. The green goddess received a lot of media attention, as she was pictured with Liz Taylor in various magazines.

Convertible versions of the Silver Cloud usually fetch high prices at auction, so it will be interesting to see how much the star story will affect the value.

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Original condition, "matching numbers" and the future of classic cars

Bruno von Rotz
06/22/2019

In the past, the world was a simple one. You bought a car with an engine and gearbox and had three numbers that today, 30, 50 or 80 years later, are the best match to make the classic worth its price.

However, changing an engine was a fairly common occurrence in the past, and car manufacturers even offered special exchange engines for this purpose.

But what will it be like in the future? Tesla, for example, already offered upgrades for the Roadster, where motors and battery packs were replaced as required. Do these components carry numbers? Are they decisive for originality? Will the software versions also be included in the originality check in future?

What criteria will be used to assess the originality of a BMW i8 in 20 years' time? Will it be enough if the original three-cylinder engine is still on board or will the batteries and all electric motors also have to be from the year of birth?

It looks very much as if the issue of "original condition" will be no less complicated in the future than it is today ...

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