The perfect everyday classic?

Bruno von Rotz
06/30/2023

Lotus Elise und Mercedes-Benz 300 TE (© Bruno von Rotz)

There is no such thing as the perfect everyday classic, at least not in the absolute sense of the term. This does not exclude the possibility that some readers are convinced that they themselves own the perfect everyday classic. But then that is the ideal solution for him. While for one person a W124 station wagon may be the best possible combination of comfort, transport capacity and driving pleasure, the other is looking for a car like the Lotus Elise, which has to offer just enough space for two people, but is able to tear around the bends in a sporty manner and does not shy away from the racetrack.

Incidentally, generations before us had the idea of driving classics in everyday life. Over the course of the last century, cars have steadily improved, so it was perfectly conceivable to drive an older car every day if you were familiar with it and could live with the compromises it offered. That's why Ryan O'Neal, alias Oliver Barrett IV, drove an MG TC in the movie Love Story, certainly not the most practical car of the fifties when he was already 20 or so years old.

What would be your perfect everyday classic? Does it need air conditioning? Can or must it be manual? Does fuel efficiency play a role? What about reliability requirements? Leave a comment if you have found your perfect everyday classic, we are curious!

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50 years in the service of safety

Bruno von Rotz
06/29/2023

Mercedes-Benz C36 im Jahr 1996 als Safety Car in der F1

Nowadays, nobody is surprised when a "safety car" suddenly appears during a race and "catches" the field of vehicles because there is a safety problem of some kind, be it an accident or an intolerable rain shower.

VW-Porsche 914 - erstes F1-Safey Car 1973 in Kanada

This used to be different, of course. It was only in June 1973 at the Canadian Grand Prix that a safety car was used for the first time. It was a VW-Porsche 914, but the deployment went badly wrong, as the unhelmeted occupants of the Zuffenhausen sports car missed the front of the field and the outcome of the Grand Prix could only be decided at the green table. No wonder there was a break afterwards.

Honda Prelude als Safey Car im Jahr 1994

In the nineties, however, safety cars became a more familiar sight, regardless of whether it was a Ford Escort, an Opel Vectra, a Honda Prelude or, as above, a Mercedes-Benz C36 (picture above, 1996).

Over the years, the safety car drivers have obviously become more demanding, because today nothing seems to run under a veritable super sports car with an AMG or Aston Martin emblem.

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Refueling used to be easier

Bruno von Rotz
06/28/2023

Renault 12 TL (© Bruno von Rotz)

You probably know the situation. You drive to the filling station in a car you don't know very well, can't remember which side the filler neck is on and get out, only to find that the hose doesn't reach to the far side, where the tank opening is located.

That wouldn't have happened in the Renault 12, because the fuel filler neck is at the rear, almost in the middle next to the license plate. Up to this point, any fuel pump hose will reach, regardless of whether it is held on the right or wrong side.

Of course, a fuel filler neck arranged in this way also had disadvantages, as it was usually connected to a tank that was located far to the rear and therefore not exactly accident-proof. It was also relatively low, so you had to bend down. But at least you could see it immediately and didn't have to find any locks to release in the car. So everything has its advantages and disadvantages.

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Leap in time - 100 years of Le Mans

Daniel Reinhard
06/27/2023

Fabio Scherer - LMP-Le-Mans-Sieger - am 4. Internationalen Bugatti Treffen 2023 in Engelberg (© Daniel Reinhard)

A huge leap in time is captured here in one picture: The BugattiType 51 from 1936 with the brand-new Le Mans winner in the LMP2 class Fabio Scherer (born on June 13, 1999).

Bugatti won the legendary 24-hour race exactly twice: in 1937 with the Type 57G with Jean-Pierre Wimille and Robert Benoist at the wheel and in 1939 with the 57C, when Wimille shared the car with Pierre Veyron, the namesake of later Bugatti models.
Fabio Scherer from Lucerne, who lives in Engelberg, did not miss the opportunity to take part in the parade of 70 Bugattis at the 4th International Bugatti Meeting despite his foot injury. Despite his camouflage with dark sunglasses, he was of course immediately recognized everywhere and could hardly save himself from congratulations.

His victory in Le Mans was not at all a foregone conclusion, as a foot injury, a broken metatarsal, almost forced him out of the race during the first driver change. A competitor had run over his foot in the pit lane. If he had received immediate medical treatment, he would have been excluded from the race. And as the regulations stipulate at least three drivers per car, the whole team would have been excluded from the race. So he gritted his teeth and finished the race with his two colleagues, Jakob Smiechowski (31, Pol) and Albert Costa (33, Sp), despite the pain.

Because Scherer was flawless and extremely fast during the somewhat chaotic and at times really wet night, he remained on schedule, fully supported by the team. He even drove the "Inter Europol Competition" LMP2 car to the finish line for the last hour and a half and then commented: "I'm probably the first racing driver to win Le Mans with a broken foot."

It wasn't just any Le Mans race, but an anniversary race for his 100th birthday and the zwischengas team congratulates him wholeheartedly on his class victory.

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The upswing and downswing of the six-cylinder engine

Bruno von Rotz
06/26/2023

VW Golf VR6 von 1992 (© Bruno von Rotz)

Anyone who could afford a car with a six-cylinder engine in the sixties and seventies had made it. The majority of cars at the time were equipped with four-cylinder engines and two more cylinders were considered a status symbol.

However, from the 1980s at the latest, more and more car buyers could afford a (small) six-cylinder engine, and BMW and Mercedes-Benz cars with more than four cylinders often sold better than the entry-level models.

In 1991, Volkswagen finally democratized the six-cylinder engine and installed it in the Golf - the result was the VR6. Other car manufacturers also opted for compact cars with six-cylinder engines and for around two decades, cars with six engines were popular and in demand.

In the meantime, however, the mood has changed, influenced by emissions standards that are becoming increasingly difficult to meet. Six-cylinder engines are "out"; the current Mercedes-Benz C-Class, for example, does not even have more than four cylinders as the top-of-the-range AMG model, and other manufacturers are moving in the same direction. Thanks to turbochargers and optimized combustion, today's small four-cylinder engines are many times more powerful than the six-cylinder engines of the 1990s, are also economical on paper and easier to place in the engine compartment.

But hand on heart: there's really nothing like a good six-cylinder engine. Even today, I still find the power delivery and background noise more convincing than the turbocharged four-cylinder engines, and six-cylinder vehicles simply seem more grown-up and luxurious than their four-pot successors. But maybe it's just me. And it certainly has something to do with the fact that the majority of vehicles in my somewhat longer car career have been powered by six-cylinder engines (in in-line, V and boxer configurations). The Golf VR6 pictured in the color "Dusty Mauve" was one of them.

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Four with things in common

Bruno von Rotz
06/25/2023

Audi 100, Porsche 924, VW LT und AMC Gremlin mit demselben Motor im Jahr 1977

550 units of the Audi two-liter engine were produced every day in 1977. Of course, it was found in the Audi 100 (with 115 hp at 5500 rpm), but also in the Porsche 924 (125 hp at 5800 rpm), the VW LT Transporter (75 hp at 4300 rpm) and the AMC Gremlin (84 hp at 5000 rpm). The basic engine was always the same, but the ingredients, e.g. carburetor or injection, were adapted to the intended use. Only a few engines were installed in such different cars.

Audi was proud of this engine at the time and noted in the press release:
"The basic components of this engine are naturally designed for the highest power output, i.e. 125 hp, so that there are extraordinarily large safety reserves at a lower load. The camshaft in the Audi 100 and Porsche 924 was trimmed more for power, while that of the LT Transporter was trimmed more for a favorable torque curve. The LT camshaft is also used in the American Gremlin because in the USA, with a legal top speed of 55 miles = approx. 90 km/h, the final power is irrelevant, but the torque in the lower speed range should be very high. The valve timing and compression ratio, in conjunction with a carburettor or fuel injection system, make it easy to achieve very different performance requirements."

Here is the technical data of the Audi variant from the 1977 AR catalog:
Four cylinders in line, (86.5 x 84.4 mm), 1984 cm3, compression 9.3:1, 115 hp (84.5 kW) at 5500 rpm, 16.8 mkp (164.8 Nm) at 3500 rpm, octane requirement super gasoline
Overhead valves, overhead camshaft (timing belt); light alloy cylinder head; 5-bearing crankshaft; oil filter in the main flow, downdraft register carburetor, dry air filter. Battery 12 V 45 or 54 Ah (or 63 Ah), alternator 35 (automatic 55) a.w. 65 A; water cooling, 7 liter capacity, thermostatically controlled electric fan.

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Wireless ignition - We tidy up the engine compartment

Paul Krüger
06/24/2023

Der Motor eines Alvis TC 21/100 von 1955

At first glance, this engine compartment of an Alvis TC 21/100 looks like that of any other car from the 1950s with an in-line engine and OHV counter-flow head. But something is missing. Just what? The title has already given it away: the ignition cables. They are not hidden on the side facing away from the photographer. This is reserved for the carburetor and exhaust as well as the associated manifold antlers.

The less than aesthetically pleasing tangle of cables and their outlets are concealed behind a solid cast aluminum cover, which is attached to the engine block with three knurled nuts. Of course, this concealment is not just for visual reasons. The protective metal cover also shields the electrics from environmental influences. And if you tamper with the ignition, you will automatically read the firing order when you remove the cover - no chance of miswiring.

This is just one of the many beautiful details of the Alvis TC 21/100 with Graber bodywork. We will be publishing a detailed report in the coming days.

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Attention disc brakes

Bruno von Rotz
06/23/2023

Scheibenbremsen-Kleber auf dem NSU Prinz 1000 L

Jaguar was already competing with disc brakes at Le Mans in the early 1950s and soon many a sporty car had disc brakes instead of drum brakes on at least one axle. However, this was much less common for small cars.

NSU Prinz 1000 L mit Scheibenbremsen vorne

The NSU Prinz 1000 L, however, already had front disc brakes in the mid-sixties and this was proudly announced with a large sticker on the rear window (picture above). This was not only for marketing reasons, but also to prevent following drivers from being rear-ended if they were surprised by the braking power of the small car.

Jaguar also labeled cars with disc brakes, as can be seen on the Mk 2.

Today, safety-relevant equipment is rarely announced on stickers, perhaps also because it wouldn't come across so well if it said "Car brakes automatically!" or something similar ...

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He came and went again

Bruno von Rotz
06/22/2023

In issue 26/2001, the magazine "auto motor und sport" announced the Volkswagen minivan as a competitor to the successful Opel Zafira for 2002. However, things didn't happen quite so quickly: the first cars were only delivered in February 2003. And they looked almost exactly like the still somewhat "raw" rendering on the ams cover.

The demand was there, the car was well received. In principle, it offered the same features as a Golf, but had two additional seats and significantly more versatility. This was great for large families and despite the somewhat unusual seating position, the car drove well. The powerful diesel gave it convincing performance and with DSG there was even no need for manual gear changes. It was economical anyway.

Two million Touran I were sold by 2015, the successor Touran II was less successful, but remained on the market a little longer than the Opel Zafira. However, Volkswagen's minivan is soon to be history, if Oliver Blume has his way, as he wants to thoroughly clean out the vehicle portfolio. It's a shame really, because as we all know, no SUV offers so much space in such a small footprint. But obviously today's buyers see things differently ...

P.S. We are planning to digitize the more recent ams issues in the near future. Issue 26/2001 will then also be available in our magazine archive.

ams Heft 26/2001

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Nothing is eaten as hot as it is auctioned ... or something

Paul Krüger
06/21/2023

This phenomenon is familiar from gastronomy, where simple (but by no means bad) dishes are often stylized as haute cuisine with romantic embellishments, which is intended to create a different expectation in the guest - not least in terms of price. This is also practiced in a very similar way at classic car auctions. Unfortunately, even at the largest auction houses, the world of classic cars is not just made up of special bodies, racing cars and one-offs. Every now and then, mass-produced cars also have to be sold because - as the name suggests - they are the only way to achieve the desired mass in the catalog. You can't make a living from super classics alone.

Of course, you also want to sell the most normal cars as expensively as possible. So you add an engine capacity, the body shape, the designer and some equipment detail to the former sales designation - even if there is only one possible value for each of the first three variables and the fourth is irrelevant. And so a likeable Triumph TR4 quickly becomes a pompous Triumph TR4 2.1 Bucket Seat Roadster by Michelotti. Does this make the name more impressive or more ridiculous? Well, I have a very clear opinion - which apparently does not coincide with that of the average auction clientele. Because there is no other way to explain such attention-seeking self-evident ulcers.

To explain: although the number of characters has tripled, the additional information gain is zero. Pretty much all TR4s had bucket seats, a 2138 cubic centimeter engine and a two-seater body designed by Michelotti. Yes, on request there was also a slightly smaller engine for the two-liter motorsport class as well as an overweight coupé called the Dové GT - but this only makes a distinction necessary if the auction car has one of these features. Otherwise, you only make an ordinary TR4 seem more unusual than it actually is. Or to put it another way: of course you can season boiled potatoes with ten different types of fleur-de-sel - but in the end, boiled potatoes are still just boiled potatoes.

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