Driver, not collector - Gerry Leumann (obituary)
08/18/2021
Zwischengas went live on December 22, 2010, preceded by a beta phase for a few initiates. Gerry Leumann was there from the start and was the first Zwischengas reader to become a Premium member. He passed away on August 6, 2021 at the age of 77 after a serious illness. This means that his beloved cigar, which he also liked to have in the corner of his mouth while driving a classic, has gone out forever.
Gerry Leumann-Würsch remained a loyal reader until the end. Born on June 30, 1944, he was a great lover of old cars and enjoyed driving heavy and powerful English cars.
You would meet him in his Invicta at the Klausen race, on the Gaisberg or at the Concours d'Excellence in Lucerne. He drove from Beijing to Paris in a Bentley and had himself chauffeured around Lake Sarnen in a Martini at the "Oldtimer in Obwalden" meeting. Gerry was a welcome guest wherever he went.
Gerry always said: "I'm not a collector, I'm a 'driver'." So his private website was also called "Alpine Driver". Even when it was pouring with rain, his motto was: "The roof stays down, we drive fast enough and don't get wet!"
He drove his cars all over the world, from the Alfa Romeo 2600 Spider to the Bentley 6.5/8 Litre Le Mans Tourer and the Jaguar XK 150 OTS.
From 2001 to 2019, he took part in around 130 historic events. In 2007, he even won his class at the Beijing-Paris Rally. He loved long distances, also drove from London to Cape Town and took part in major Bentley tours in South Africa, the USA, South America and Jordan.
We were always delighted to meet him at the events we photographed or even drove along to.
We at zwischengas offer our sincere condolences to the family. We have not just lost a premium reader, but a friend.
