The car-driving duck - 90 years of Donald Duck
06/09/2024
Three years after his first appearance on June 9, 1934, Donald Duck became a driver. Of course, we could go on and on about how the eternally unlucky man got his red "313", which, according to illustrator Carl Barks, is a "1934 Belchfire Runabout", which in turn is vaguely based on the 1938 American Bantam. But you've heard or read all that before.
Instead, let's devote ourselves to one of the rare cases in which "real" cars rather than fantasy cars are to be found in Duckburg. Such as in Marco Rota's 2004 story "The Knight of the Road", in which Donald works in his uncle's used car dealership - and whose pun on the original title "Knight Rider" is somewhat lost in the German translation.
The very first panel of the twelve-page comic shows Citroën DS, Citroën 15-Six, Mercedes-Benz 300 SL and the later main character of the story: a 1954 Cadillac Series 62 Sedan. Donald is supposed to drive it to a customer appointment. On the way, he picks up two wanted bank robbers who pose as a mother and son team in need of help - and at the end of the breakneck drive, throw themselves into the arms of the police seeking help.
But it's not just the crooks who suffer from Donald's "chivalrous" driving style. In the end, the Cadillac has also lost a lot of its shine, but has gained a lot of dents.
Incidentally, "The Knight of the Road" was not the only car-related story in Mickey Mouse magazine 45/2004. A few pages later comes "Car mania", in which Donald and Gustav try to outdo each other with ever more expensive and swanky cars to impress Daisy. However, they stick to the usual fantasy names such as "Lord Locus" or "Haudi H4" - and Donald ends up with his trusty "313".
P.S. Many of the comics featuring Donald Duck can still be bought in the store of the German publisher Egmont .
