When history repeats itself

Bruno von Rotz
08/31/2023

Fiat Barchetta von 1998 (© Bruno von Rotz)

It was around 40 years ago when I bought my first old car, a Fiat 850 Spider that was around 15 years old at the time. For very little money. I didn't necessarily want an old car at the time, but I did want a convertible. And the range of affordable open-top sports cars was small at that time, because from the 1970s onwards, one manufacturer after another had given up building full convertibles for safety reasons and because of the threat of American regulations, which never came.

Today we are almost at the same stage again. A few years ago, almost every major manufacturer had at least one inexpensive convertible in its range, but now you really have to look for them. Yes, there are still convertibles, but they are often to be found in the luxury segment and are hardly suitable for a beginner in terms of price alone. The situation is different with used convertibles from the nineties. There's a really wide selection here and, adjusted for inflation, the prices are hardly higher than what I paid for the Fiat 850 Spider back then. And, surprise surprise, it could be a Fiat again today, which, like its predecessor, benefits from mass-produced technology, but with its design and charisma is much more exotic than the Punto from which it took its technology. We are talking about the Fiat Barchetta (picture above).

Isn't it great that there are cars like this that enable young people to get into the classic car hobby? Yes, the Fiat is not yet a real classic car, but it won't be long before it has "worked its way up" from a youngtimer to a sprightly classic car.

Let's hope that the affordable convertibles of the nineties, whether Audi Cabriolet, Alfa Romeo Spider (916), Mazda MX-5, Daihatsu Copen or even Fiat Barchetta, can inspire many young people for the old, largely still analog automobile technology, because new blood is essential for the future of the classic car hobby. And by the way, these cars are also great fun for old foxes like us ...

P.S. We will be publishing some driving reports on the convertible generation in the next few weeks ...

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How far should originality go?

Bruno von Rotz
08/30/2023

Ford Mustang mit LED-Leuchten (© Philips)

If you want to drive your classic car in the dark, you will soon realize that the H4 lights used in the past do not turn night into day, quite unlike the modern xenon or LED lights of the everyday vehicle you probably also have.

For some time now, retrofit LED inserts have also been available as a replacement for H4 or H7 halogen lights, for example from Philips. According to test reports, these LED lights provide a significantly better and brighter light because they emit over 200 percent more light. They are also said to last five times as long. These LED lights are now even approved for some old cars (be sure to check beforehand).

But what about originality? LED lights somehow look like a foreign body on a classic car, the light emitted is colder. You immediately notice that a modern component has been installed here, similar to retrofitted daytime running lights.

We would be interested to know what our readers think of this? Simply comment on this blog post to let us know what you think of LED light inserts in old cars.

P.S. The ADAC has published an article on these retrofit LED lamps .

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The silver arrow among the racing transporters

Paul Krüger
08/29/2023

Holtkamp Cheetah Racing Transporter 1961

In 1954, the famous Mercedes-Benz racing car fast transporter was a rolling extremism - both in terms of performance and proportions. While Opel Kapitän drivers felt like kings of the left-hand lane at a painstakingly achieved 140 km/h, the "Blue Wonder" was speeding along at over 160 km/h in the rear-view mirror. Seven years later, of course, an American proved that it was still possible to improve on this.

Norman Holtkamp traded in VW and Porsche products in Inglewood, but in his spare time he loved to drive so-called "midget races" in small single-seaters. However, transporting them from race track to race track using a trailer soon became too cumbersome for him - too unstable at high speeds, too awkward to maneuver. Piggybacking on a transporter would make it much easier to transport the little speedsters.

So in 1960, he grabbed a Mercedes-Benz 300 from the scrap heap and cut 20 inches out of the floor panel, reducing the wheelbase to 239 centimetres, which was even shorter than a VW Beetle. The rear single-joint swing axle was allowed to remain in place, but instead of the three-liter six-cylinder engine, he installed a five-liter V8 from the Corvette amidships.

Designer Dave Deal converted Holtkamp's sketches into usable design drawings, which were knocked into aluminum at Trountman-Barnes Customs. Holtkamp borrowed the driver's cab from a Chevrolet El Camino. To ensure that all four wheels remained on the ground even when unladen, a water tank was installed in the rear in addition to the two fuel tanks to balance the load.

By the end of 1961, the "Cheetah Transporter" was ready and immediately became the star of every paddock on the West Coast. With a top speed of 112 miles per hour (180 km/h), it even outperformed the German model. Of course, the handling was very adventurous due to the short wheelbase, which is why Holtkamp soon tackled an extension, which he never completed.

Shortly afterwards, the halved Hauler became the property of Speed Shop founder Dean Moon. Unlike the "Blue Wonder", which was scrapped in 1967 and reconstructed at great expense between 1993 and 2000, the silver US speed truck still exists today - and its current owner is determined to reassemble the two halves into one vehicle.

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No special classic car driver's license required (question of the week)

Bruno von Rotz
08/28/2023

Frage der Woche 242: Sollte ein Oldtimer-spezifischer Führerschein eingeführt werden?

In times when cars park themselves, switch on the lights and windshield wipers and maintain the lane and distance to the vehicle in front, the person in the front left seat is increasingly turning from an active driver into a passive monitor. Even driving school cars today have hill-starting aids and parking beepers, so that a feeling for the clutch or the dimensions of the car can hardly be conveyed. The technology takes care of it. Nevertheless, anyone who passes their driving test in a modern car today can then drive a car of any age without even having heard of manual choke, unsynchronized gearboxes and cable brakes without ABS. Does this make sense, today and in the future

We wanted to know what Zwischengas readers think about this and asked the following " question of the week" : Should a classic car-specific driver's license be introduced?

The result was pretty clear. 57.4 percent of the almost 250 respondents rejected additional regulations or driving tests, as there are already enough regulations.

30.7 percent are of a similar opinion and assume that those willing to drive can acquire the necessary knowledge themselves.

Less than ten percent in total were in favor of an additional driver's license, of which 1.2 percent (absolute) were in favor of an independent "license", 5.3 percent in favor of a supplementary test to the regular car driver's license and 2.9 percent in favor of additional theoretical training.

2.5 percent were not in favor of any of the answers.

In total, almost 90 percent were against additional regulations or an additional driving license for classic cars. A clear vote.

Graphically, the evaluation looks like this:

Auflösung der Frage der Woche 242: Sollte ein Oldtimer-spezifischer Führerschein eingeführt werden?

The next "question of the week" has already been posed. This time, in the context of the auction of a Ferrari 250 GTO taking place in November, we want to know from Zwischengas readers how much it might cost.

And of course you can still read all the results of the previous "Questions of the Week" in the topic channel.

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Matching numbers - why at all?

Bruno von Rotz
08/27/2023

Motorennummer

If there is one term that appears frequently in vehicle market advertisements or in inquiries from prospective buyers for an advertised car, it is "matching numbers". This is generally understood to mean that the engine that was installed in the car when it was new is still there today, i.e. it has never been replaced. Because classic car buyers want to play it safe when making large investments, they insist on the original engine and prefer to walk away if the engine number does not match the chassis number at the time of delivery. Many people seem to be downright afraid of buying a car that is not equipped with the original engine.

Motorennumer beim Opel Kadett

However, replacing engines used to be the norm. When used Porsche 356s, for example, were available for a few thousand DM or francs, nobody would have even dreamed of having the engine completely overhauled. It was better to put in a good used engine from an accident-damaged car and that was that. The car didn't run any worse afterwards and wasn't worth any less because of it. It's just that the new engine number actually belonged to a different vehicle. An obstacle to buying today.

However, the matching-number mania also leads to the "correct" engine numbers being subsequently stamped in. In the case of a Porsche Carrera RS, the "correct" engine can quickly add a few tens of thousands in value, and you can even read in books what the correct engine and gearbox numbers should be.

Even today, a "wrong" engine, provided it is of the same design and healthy, certainly does not make a classic any worse from the driver's point of view, or perhaps even better. Better a cleanly declared and skillfully built replacement engine than a re-stamped "original engine" that may not have the correct ingredients, isn't it? After all, it's about driving and not just playing with numbers ....

P.S. Of course we understand that a completely original car may be worth a little more than one in which parts have been replaced. But when it comes to racing cars at the latest, this makes almost no sense at all, as they have been constantly modified, improved and adapted. And it was the same with heavily used everyday cars ...

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Change your radiator grille

Paul Krüger
08/26/2023

Opel Omega B2 2002

An Opel Omega B is a practical vehicle. Not only as a station wagon, whose cargo space has the dimensions of a standard overseas container. The saloon is also incredibly versatile in its areas of use. Of course, you can take part in any Opel or Youngtimer meeting with the 20-year-old lightning carrier.

Vauxhall Omega 2.6 V6 2001

But loosening eight screws is enough to gain legitimate access to gatherings of English automobiles. Just swap the radiator grille for a Vauxhall part and the Hessian is an identical Brit. It is just as easy to convert the Omega into a US classic, as the fat German was sold as a compact Cadillac in the USA.

Cadillac Catera 2000

Replacing the tailgate, which is also adorned with a brand logo, is a little more difficult - but by the time the doorman sees it, you've already passed him by.

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A Colt for all occasions

Paul Krüger
08/25/2023

Waffen für den Autofahrer, gefunden in AMS 10/1963

The gun enthusiast recognized it immediately, of course: The headline is wrong. Because here we don't see a Colt, but a Walter PP on the left and an Astra Cadix on the right. What has this lost on Zwischengas? About as much as it lost in auto motor und sport in 1963. Back then, someone saw the combination of glove compartments and handguns as the ideal combination for a little self-defense in between.

That's why Georg von Stavenhagen gave useful tips in issue 10 of that year on which assault buffers were suitable for cars and - even more importantly in Germany - which could be purchased without a firearms license. Five years earlier, a much more conscientious approach had been taken and eleven types of pistols and revolvers had been compared with each other. For example, how well they smash the door of a standard DKW.

In the spring of 1975, the Stuttgart-based company published another guide on the subject of roadside defense. After all, the lethal full metal jacket ammunition had already been replaced by tear gas charges. However, the weapons expert interviewed did not think much of this - and recommended the classic percussion revolver. Maybe that's why the number of traffic fatalities was so high in the seventies...

Waffen für den Autofahrer, gefunden in AMS 10/1963

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The secrets of varnish

Bruno von Rotz
08/24/2023

Porsche Farben von 1974

Classic car owners can usually provide fairly detailed information about the technology and engine of their classic car, but when it comes to the body and the ingredients of the paintwork, they hardly know anything. Color is just color and it's enough to know that it's "Bahama Yellow", isn't it?

Anyone who talks to Jürgen Book, the classic car paint specialist at Glasurit, quickly learns that there are a few more subtleties involved. First of all, the paint structure already includes several layers of different components and then the paint itself is also made up of different parts, namely pigments, binders, fillers, additives and solvents. Today, as we know, water-based two-component paints are mostly used, but in the past there were also oil-based paints and nitro paints, to name just a few examples.

The next time your car needs to be painted, ask the master mechanic to explain it to you. He will probably engage you in a lengthy conversation and you will realize that a lot has to come together before a car shines in its most beautiful colors. Or until minor damage is properly repaired. Exciting!

P.S. By the way, the colors above are from Porsche's 1974 palette.

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Adorned with foreign stars

Paul Krüger
08/23/2023

Since 1909, a three-pointed star has adorned all products of the Daimler-Motoren-Gesellschaft, from 1926 often combined with the laurel wreath of Benz & Cie. For around 40 years, the distinctive bonnet hood ornament remained the emblem of the South German quality products, until its elegance was also enjoyed on the other side of the Atlantic. From 1949, the Lincoln Cosmopolitan shone aft from three-part round lights, the masking of which could also be interpreted as a propeller.

Die Rückleuchte eines 1950er Lincoln Cosmopolitan

The democratization of the motif only lasted three years: it even appeared three times on the face of the 1952 Ford: on the right and left in the position lights as well as its adipose brother as an ornament in the middle of the radiator grille. Studebaker (see cover picture) and Pontiac were even closer to the Stuttgart original in 1953. However, no one adorned themselves so prominently with foreign stars as the 1959 Oldsmobile, whose wheel covers unabashedly pointed in three directions.

Prospektseite eines 1959er Oldsmobile

Of course, this phenomenon was not limited to cars. Probably the most curious use of a non-Mercedes star can be found on the wheels of the 1955 Lewyt, the first vacuum cleaner with rubber wheels - and whitewall tires. Perhaps the intention was to highlight the outstanding ease of use. Or maybe it was just a funny coincidence.

Lewyt-Staubsauger 1955

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When the dollar rolls ... or not

Bruno von Rotz
08/22/2023

It's over, the weekend of big numbers and new records. Between August 17 and 19, 2023, the three auction houses Bonhams, RM/Sotheby's and Gooding auctioned off a total of 481 cars. USD 302.12 million was invoiced for them. Compared to the previous year, this was exactly the same number of cars. A coincidence.

Even the average price achieved of USD 770,035 compares well with the previous year, when it was USD 794,316. But then the differences become clearer.

While the average sales rate was 78.1 % this year, it was significantly higher last year at 86.3 %. At the same time, however, the "no reserve" share rose from 43% to 47.4%, meaning that consignors took higher risks and yet fewer cars were sold.

Of course, the list of the ten most expensive cars is always interesting. And it has it all in 2023.

At the end of the weekend, the Ferrari 412P from 1967, which Bonhams sold for USD 30.255 million, was the undisputed number one.

Second place went to the 1957 Jaguar XKSS, for which RM/Sotheby's realized USD 13.205 million.

In third place was the 1962 Ferrari 250 GT SWB, which Gooding & Co sold for USD 9.465 million.

Three more Ferraris, a Bugatti, a Mercer, an Alfa Romeo and a Simplex followed. As many as four pre-war cars were catapulted into the top ten, while just one young car, a Ferrari Enzo, made it into the first 10 positions.

Overall, there was a feeling that the dollar was rolling a little less quickly than in the previous year, with many an interesting car coming to a standstill. Younger cars had a slightly easier time than older ones, with the exception of the pre-war cars, which were also good for surprises. Across the board, Ferrari sports cars seemed to have an easier time with bidders than those from Porsche, with exceptions proving the rule.

And yes, there were also some records to report, for example the 412P was certainly the most expensive Ferrari of its kind to be auctioned. However, other expected records failed to materialize, such as those for the Ferrari 250 LM or the Porsche RS60. Another time ...

P.S. The results of the individual auctions by Bonhams, RM/Sotheby'sand Gooding & Cohave of course already been documented and commented on.

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