Electrified classic cars/youngtimers have few fans (question of the week)

Bruno von Rotz
09/30/2019

Poll 139 - einen elektrifizierten Oldtimer/Youngtimer fahren?

More and more manufacturers of modern cars are also helping to electrify historic vehicles. Electric versions of Aston Martin, Jaguar, Volkswagen and other cars from the sixties to seventies have come onto the market in the last two years, allowing their owners to keep up with modern traffic almost silently and without exhaust fumes.

In the question of the week , we wanted to know whether Zwischengas readers could imagine driving an electrified classic/young car. 359 readers took part and took a clear stance:

71.9 percent would not want to drive an electrified classic/young car under any circumstances, preferring original classics

14.2 percent can imagine driving a quietly humming electric classic if there is no other way of getting around in old cars

12.3 percent can already imagine driving an electric
classic/youngtimer today, especially as it should be possible to dismantle them today and thus not destroy any cultural assets during electrification

1.7 percent could not agree with any of the answers given.

A clear decree: for classic/young car enthusiasts, originality counts more than modern technology.

The results are presented graphically as follows:

Poll 139 - einen elektrifizierten Oldtimer/Youngtimer fahren? Antworten

The next question of the week has already been posted, this time about the choice of color when buying a classic/young car.

And of course you can still view all the previous results of the now more than 100 questions of the week.

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Kind of Blue?

Bruno von Rotz
09/29/2019

Alfa Romeo Giulia 1300 ti von 1967

Normally we try to stick to German on Zwischengas and avoid English expressions, especially in headlines.

But we have to make an exception here. We recently photographed an Alfa Romeo Giulia 1300 ti from 1967 in a color that is difficult to define. You could say it's a kind of green. Depending on the incidence of light and the time of day, however, you could also guess a kind of blue, which in English would perhaps be called "Kind of Blue".

Now 2019 also marks the 60th anniversary of "Kind of Blue", one of Miles Davies' most famous records. Jazz trumpeter Davies recorded this album in the spring of 1959 together with other famous musicians in the studio and it was not only a great commercial success, but also had a lasting influence on jazz music. It is no coincidence that it is one of the best jazz albums of all time and the elaborate recording technique (in stereo) made a significant contribution to this.

Schallplatten-Cover Kind of Blue 1959

The first track on the second side of the record is also called "Blue in Green", which brings us back to the Alfa Romeo Giulia and its color. It's a nice meeting of two stories, isn't it?

P.S. By the way, if you have a flair for jazz and don't know "Kind of Blue", you should definitely give it a listen. It's also available on Spotify, YouTube and co.

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Incomprehensible equipment elements in classic cars

Bruno von Rotz
09/28/2019

Toyota Celica Supra 2.8i von 1983

Some things on a classic car that make perfect sense today will seem strange to the future owner. There are many features whose purpose will probably not be so easy to fathom in ten or twenty years' time.

We noticed this in a Toyota Celica Supra 2.8i Coupé from 1983 (picture of the dashboard above). Presumably for reasons of symmetry, the Japanese designers had fitted a similar-looking equipment element to the left and right of the instrument panel.

Heckscheibenwischer-Steuerung des Toyota Celica Supra 2.8i von 1983

On the right, the rear window wiper is operated by a multifunction switch.

Münzfach im Toyota Celica Supra 2.8i von 1983

On the left, however, a similarly round coin compartment was installed. Why does a driver need a coin box, the classic car driver will ask himself in one or more decades. By then, parking meters will be just as cashless and contactless as parking garages or highway toll collectors. Even today, the capacity of this coin box in the Toyota would not go far, as you quickly pay a few euros or francs for even short stays in the city center ...

Only those who can remember the days of cash will be able to fathom the purpose of this strange round container in the future.

Can you think of any other such equipment details? Leave your comments, we are curious to see what our readers have already come across ...

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The Sebring from Bremen

Bruno von Rotz
09/27/2019

Bremen Sebring von 1983 (© Barret-Jackson)

Of course, the red sports car did not come from Bremen, but was sold as the Bremen Sebring in 1983 to Lee Liberace. The Sebring was one of the many Nova modifications.

Motor des Bremen Sebring von 1983 (© Barret-Jackson)

In contrast to the original Nova, however, the Sebring was equipped with a V6 general-purpose engine with a displacement of 3.8 liters and a 3-speed automatic transmission. As with the Nova, you could get into the vehicle by lifting half the cabin.

Interieur des Bremen Sebring von 1983 (© Barret-Jackson)

However, the singer, pianist and actor Liberace probably didn't really like the vehicle, because when the car was sold in 1988 after his death, the speedometer showed just 1690 miles driven.

Heck des Bremen Sebring von 1983 (© Barret-Jackson)

The red sports car was bought by the singer Jimmy Velvet, who was hardly known in this country and who enjoyed success in the 1960s with songs such as "We Belong Together" and "It's Almost Tomorrow". Jimmy didn't drive much either, as there are now 1809 miles on the clock.

Bremen Sebring von 1983 (© Barret-Jackson)

And now you can buy the car at the Barret Jackson auction in Las Vegas between October 3 and 5, 2019. An estimated price is not given, but Lot 354 will be offered without a reserve price.

Some time ago, we published a report on the Sterling GT , which was also based on the Nova GT. There you can also read more about the history of the unusual plastic coupé.

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Instead of inflating (and getting bigger and bigger), you can also shrink

Bruno von Rotz
09/26/2019

Minisprint GT von 1966

These days, it seems that cars are constantly getting bigger and thicker. Examples include the Fiat 500 X, a mini SUV derived from the more compact Fiat 500, or the VW Golf Plus, a minivan based on the Golf V.

But there is and has been another way. At the London "Racing Car Show" in 1966 (see report in AR 3/1966), Silent Travel presented the Minisprint GT, a lighter and lower version of the Austin/Morris Cooper S. Thanks to plastic doors and hoods and a boot lid made of the same material, the weight of the shrunken Mini (left in the photo above) could be reduced by a total of 64 kg together with the lowering of the body (10 cm lower). This meant that the standard 76 DIN horsepower was still around 640 kg, not a bad prerequisite for convincing driving performance.

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How much car does it take to be recognized?

Bruno von Rotz
09/25/2019

Konturen eines Alfa Romeo Giulia 1300 ti von 1967

You may also experience this from time to time. You turn a corner and see, just barely visible, elements of a car behind a wall. A headlight, parts of the radiator grille, a piece of hood. Can you already identify the car?
In the example shown, with a keen eye and some experience, this might actually be possible. The single headlight could perhaps still belong to an early Fiat 124, but the barely visible contours of the "Scudetto" allow clear conclusions to be drawn about the manufacturer.

Konturen eines Alfa Romeo Giulia 1300 ti von 1967

The roof area would have been even more significant. The contours of the rear window, the shape of the passenger compartment, all this was probably only found on a car from the post-war period.

Konturen eines Alfa Romeo Giulia 1300 ti von 1967

When you get closer to the car and see the entire front end, it is clear that we are looking at an Alfa Romeo Giulia 1300 ti.

Try the same with one of the many SUVs from the Far East ...

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Why don't you go over there?

Bruno von Rotz
09/24/2019

Ausschnitt aus dem Filmplakat "C'était un rendez-vous"

Ulf Poschardt, who many "petrolheads" are no doubt familiar with, wrote an eloquent column in the "Welt am Sonntag" of September 15, 2019 on the subject of "Liberating the road" (illustrated with images from the short film "c'était un rendez-vous" by Claude Lelouch, we also published a review of the film). In his text, Poschardt discusses the current hardening of the fronts between car lovers and car opponents, the environmental problems and the driving pleasure that some people still feel when they get behind the wheel.

He then refers to past discussions when left-wing critics were advised to "go over there". This referred to the GDR at the time and the socialist conditions that went with it. Of course, this is all history, but according to Poschardt, the "why don't you go over there" could now be reinterpreted as "why don't you take the step into a car-free future". He recommends that people who don't really want to drive should give up their cars and instead switch to trains, buses or bicycles to help unclog the roads.

Here is an excerpt: "The ideal mobility turnaround sorts mobility along qualities of life. If you don't want to drive, you should be able to do without it as soon as possible. This is still difficult in rural areas, but here too, artificial intelligence and innovative mobility providers can help those who don't want to pay road tax, use petrol stations or have a guilty conscience. Car enthusiasts will have emptier roads, and highways will become amusement parks for people who don't appreciate beauty and speed. That's why freight tuners should get off the roads and onto the rails. Instead of the eternal denunciation of the car, the 'go over' of the present is to dare to take the step towards a car-free future. Politicians at local, regional and national level must give priority to alternatives to the car. At the same time, the collectors, hunters and drivers of magnificent rolling cultural assets should be treated with appreciation because they enrich the lives of residents in the city. With symphonies of flat twelve-cylinder engines or roaring six-cylinder boxers, it must be just as endearing as the sight of old Beetles, polished Pagodas and antique Land Rovers in the sparse parking lots. Anyone who uses a car has an obligation to make the city more beautiful and exciting. "

Rarely has anyone argued for automotive aesthetics like this and positioned themselves against the activists who climbed onto brand new car roofs at the IAA to make their point. Thank you, Mr. Poschardt.

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When economical driving was still digital ...

Bruno von Rotz
09/23/2019

Today, complicated bar charts and precise fuel consumption displays down to the decimal point remind us how economically we are driving. In the sixties and seventies, drivers had to have a sense of how economically they were running their engines. In the eighties, more or less sophisticated fuel consumption displays came into fashion. BMW, for example, had an analog display that announced the number of liters of gasoline per 100 km.

Toyota did not want to go that far with the Celica model in the mid-eighties. Two LEDs had to suffice here. If the green diode was lit, then you were driving economically, if the yellow one was lit, then you were obviously accelerating too much or revving too high. This was hardly really useful, especially as the Toyota Celica was a sports coupé and certainly very few drivers cared about these two LEDs.

The driving report on the Toyota Celica 2.0 GT-i 16 Liftback from the late 1980s is of course also available to read.

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From the Deutsche Auto Zeitung to the magazine "Auto Zeitung" - 50 years

Bruno von Rotz
09/22/2019

Auto Zeitung 21/2019 - über 300 Seiten stark

Almost at the same time as Sport Auto , Auto Zeitung is also celebrating its 50th birthday. The anniversary issue has now been published, over 300 pages long and full of current and historical content. Even posters, once a favorite room decoration of many teenagers, are not missing, including one with the BMW M1!

Auto Zeitung 21/2019 - über 300 Seiten stark

The first "Deutsche Auto Zeitung" was actually published on April 10, 1969, at a price of 70 pfennigs, but the anniversary is now being celebrated in September.

Stars von 1969 - in der Auto Zeitung 21/2019

Of course, the Auto Zeitung has also included some retrospectives in issue 21/2019. For example, it remembers the stars of 1969, the year of its birth.

Heftrückblick über 50 Jahre Auto Zeitung

It looks back at the more than 1,300 issues published, shows many of the cover pages from that time and highlights special articles.

Sportrückblick über 50 Jahre Auto Zeitung

Of course, there is also a sports review, as motor racing was always an important pillar of the Auto Zeitung.

The highlight of the anniversary edition, however, is the (almost) complete reprint of the first issue of the "Deutsche Auto Zeitung" in its original format. In its first year, it really was a newspaper in A3+ format and with a layout reminiscent of the Bild newspaper.

Sensational stories and titles in large letters were intended to attract readers. The first issue featured "Mercedes shocked the whole car world" on the front page and was about the Stuttgart-based manufacturer's Wankel plans.
However, the makers of Auto Zeitung did not want to leave the reprinted original issue completely unchanged, which is why a modern article entitled "Opel puts an end to compromises" was included, which basically refers to an advertisement for the Opel Grandland X Hybrid 4 on page 7.

We'll forgive it, because the rest of the 16-page reprint is great fun to read. The Opel GT was tested back then, the Audi Coupé was announced, racing had its say (with Jochen Rindt, among others) and many a zeitgeisty item was printed that no magazine would afford today. Thank you for the exciting look back, dear Auto-Zeitung makers!

Auto Zeitung 1/1969 vom 10. April 1969 als Faksimile-Abdruck bei Auto Zeitung 21/2019 dabei

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Quiz for car connoisseurs - gearshift (2)

Bruno von Rotz
09/22/2019

Autokennerquiz - Schalthebel (bild)

The gearshift is one of the most important controls in a car. Whether it's a three, four, five or even six-speed gearbox, changing gears is one of the essential driving activities and is also a lot of fun (for most drivers).

Car manufacturers recognized early on that the gearshift also plays an important role in terms of design. The gearshift knobs and balls in particular are correspondingly individual. But the shape and, of course, the installation method also differ from car to car.

But is it possible to identify the car if you only have the gearshift and not the entire interior (or exterior) in front of you? We dug out some pictures from our photo archive for the second time and concentrated on the gearshift. And so, after a break of a few months, a new car connoisseur quiz has been created.

Now it's up to you to recognize the vehicles! Do you want to give it a try? Click here for the ten questions and the fun!

You can find more car recognition quizzes from the past here ...

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