The confusion of a time traveler from 1972
The most famous time machine is probably the DeLorean DMC-12 ("Back to the Future"), at least from the perspective of automobile enthusiasts. In principle, however, a Triumph TR5 would also be conceivable as a time machine, perhaps because lightning strikes unexpectedly and catapults the driver from 1972 fifty years into the future?
So here he is suddenly driving in June 2022 and can't stop being amazed when he begins to realize that he has apparently travelled into the future.
Where have all the safety colors that were so popular in the seventies gone? There seem to be only white, gray and black cars left, some of them even in matte paint. And why do the cars suddenly have such huge aluminum wheels, when the Audi 80 presented in 1972 was still happy with 13-inch steel wheels? They must weigh a ton, these 20-inch wheels, thinks the Triumph time traveler.
And then a relatively bulky vehicle turns the corner, almost as high as it is wide, and it has Porsche lettering on the rear. That can't be right, Porsche builds sports cars like the 356 and now the 911 or the 914, but this high-legged thing that looks more like a Land Rover than a proper car? Our time traveler is rightly confused. He has barely recovered from the shock when a car with no visible radiator grille whizzes past him. Aha, so the rear engine has caught on after all. But why do these things make no engine noise but very loud rolling noises?
He doesn't have much time to think about the developments. He is overtaken left and right by speeding bicycles, some of which are equipped with huge superstructures in front of the handlebars. Yet he is driving at a constant 30 km/h, as required by the speed signal, once again surprisingly for him.
The Triumph begins to warm up and start to grumble. He revs the engine higher so that the water circuit flows faster and the fan draws in more air. The speedometer shows just under 40 km/h and there are two flashes. The startled TR5 driver looks up, but the weather is fine, no thunderstorms in sight.
The good man is not feeling well in modern times, but how can he get back to the good old seventies?
