Infected with the car virus from an early age
11/05/2020
Some time ago, a reader sent me a small booklet in which he had documented his impressive car career. Around three dozen pages described the stages of his car career up to the present day, simple prose, no pictures.
At first I was skeptical/critical, but the more I read in the little booklet, the more enthusiastic I became. Because the stories were not only about horsepower and technical masterpieces, but also about the environment at the time and many special experiences.
From the Swiss motorcycle, on whose tank the 4-year-old boy was allowed to ride, to the first car ride (at the age of 12) at the wheel of a Renault Heck (4 CV), it is only a few lines, and shortly afterwards the narrator was allowed to drive a Postbus himself, not yet 15 years old. These events alone make it clear how different times were back then.
The driving test was taken in a Land Rover, and the first car he owned was an Alfa Romeo 6C with a Graber body, albeit without a passenger door. The planned repair was not successful due to a lack of spare parts, the car went to a farmer who then used the parts for a horse trailer! An MG should have followed, but it was too expensive. So it became a DKW from 1938, an MG came later after all.
And so on and so forth. A life full of great cars, with stories and memories of each one. Of course, there is also the restored classic at the end (an Alfa Romeo Giulietta Spider).
A really entertaining little book ... and actually an incentive for anyone who was able to experience a car-rich time to write down their findings. It is unlikely to become a bestseller, nor will it win the Pulitzer Prize. But a few readers will appreciate what has been written and perhaps be inspired by one or two memories.
