Can it be a Shaguar?

Martin Sigrist
11/30/2024

If James Bond drives an Aston Martin, then a Jaguar was just the thing for Austin Powers. Or: wait, a Shaguar!

The iconic Brit from the three comedy films starring Mike Myers is now up for sale.

The parodies of a whole bouquet of British films and television series from the 1960s are full of clichés. Mike Myers admitted that he had incorporated almost everything into his trilogy that had flickered across the screen and the television screen at the time and had anything to do with crime thrillers or spy thrillers...

...or with a lot of British humor. Myers copied Austin Powers' horn-rimmed glasses from Michael Caine, Peter Sellers provided him with many a model and - of course - James Bond was his greatest role model.

The Shaguar perfectly reflects this collection of clichés. The decor with the Union Jack underlines this strikingly. The car is a Series 1 ½ E-Type from December 1967, originally painted in Opalecent Silver Blue with a duck blue interior. This color can still be seen in the engine compartment.

As a right-hand drive car, it currently has a US-specification engine with two Stromberg carburetors instead of three SU carburetors. As the only Shaguar in the entire film production - there was only this car - the "E" appeared in all three films. The Shaguar also made a further appearance in a music video by Madonna for the song "Beautyful Stranger" together with Myers.

With the recent controversy surrounding the rebranding of Jaguar, this "E" is a good opportunity to sit back and reflect on the significance and seriousness of some of the things you encounter in a car's life. This "E" should definitely not be taken too seriously.

The car, which apart from its decor has no other film-specific extras, has a fairly decent interior and was overhauled around 20 years ago.

However, there is one special feature: the lettering on the boot lid reads: "Shaguar".

On January 18, the Shaguar will be auctioned off at Mecum in Kissimmee FL, USA.

Photos: Jake Pullan / Mecum

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From machine operator to passenger

Bruno von Rotz
11/29/2024

Bugatti 35 (© ACS / Jürg Kauffmann)

The automobile was once a crude, very mechanical structure. To start and drive it, you needed skill, strength and sometimes the ability to suffer. In the beginning, that was fine, because the alternative was walking or horse-drawn carriages. The automobile was faster and easier to handle, with all its early weaknesses. But you almost had to be a machinist or mechanic to start the car and keep it moving.

Over time, however, cars became more and more comfortable. Electric starters, automatic gearboxes, closed bodies, heating/air conditioning and more and more electric and electronic helpers were introduced, allowing a carefree journey after which you arrived neither soaked in sweat nor exhausted. A luxury-class Mercedes-Benz of the eighties or nineties, just like its competitors, offered almost every comfort you could wish for.

Development has continued and is now so far advanced that drivers have little more to do than passengers did 100 years ago. Modern cars can travel many kilometers without the driver having to intervene. Level 2 autonomous driving is a reality, and level 3 will soon be too. In fact, the driver is increasingly becoming a passenger himself, and his new demands are correspondingly different. "Entertainment" is required, music playback at sound study quality level and a nice ambience (with alternating light pulses ...). Incidentally, we are deliberately not talking about electric cars versus combustion engines here, because the hybrid or ICE (internal combustion engine) everyday vehicle has actually also developed in this direction.

Of course, not all car buyers are looking for these modern achievements; a not inconsiderably large segment continues to love the genuine "driver's car", as an automobile that gives pleasure and satisfaction when actively driven. No wonder, then, that manual gearboxes are very much in demand again, as are sporty-sounding exhaust systems.

One question that naturally arises from the perspective of the classic car enthusiast is whether people who grow up with such modern cars, in which the driver is more of a passenger, will ever be able to do anything with a classic automobile. And the follow-up question is how large the segment of those who still want to experience the "joy of driving" will be.

But one thing is for sure, I myself am less comfortable in the role of driving passenger ...

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A life with a TVR 2500M

Max Müller
11/28/2024

TVR 2500 M (1972) (© Max Müller)

It is true that the TVR 2500 M is the 1970s sports car from Blackpool that was produced in the largest number, namely a total of 947 units. Most of these coupés were exported to the USA in order to comply with Californian emissions regulations, as the Triumph TR250, which supplied the engine for the TVR 2500 M, was already on the road in the United States.

Attentive Zwischengas readers have already been informed about the TVR 2500 M several times. Perhaps the interest in how many of these cars are still in our latitudes is correspondingly great.

I myself saw a TVR for the first time in 1974 in the catalog issue of "Sport-Auto 12/1974", it was the 3000M. I never let go of this brand after that. As chance would have it, I came across a TVR dealer (Caterham Car Sales) on Finchley Road during a short stay in London in the spring of 1976. There I stood in front of a yellow 3000M for the first time. After asking the asking price, I went back to Switzerland "doing the math". Shortly afterwards, I returned to London with the desire to buy the car. Unfortunately, this "yellow" 3000M was already gone - but there were others, including a 2500M (from the first series built in 1972), which I bought immediately.

Chassis des TVR 2500 M (1972) (© Max Müller)

At the end of 1977, I dismantled the TVR into all its individual parts, leaving only the starter motor, because I couldn't loosen the screws, and the windshield wiper, which I wasn't very interested in, in one piece. It was exactly the right time, because the rust on the tubular frame and other steel parts was already so far advanced that the corrosion could still be easily removed. The tubular lattice frame was sandblasted and spray galvanized, then painted white with the appropriate pre-treatment and special paint. All other steel parts were also sandblasted, galvanized and given a clear coat. Where possible, axles, bolts and other parts were replaced with stainless steel.

Restaurierung des TVR 2500 M (1972) (© Max Müller)

The engine was given a complete overhaul and the compression ratio was raised to 10.5:1. With three Weber 40 DEOC carburetors and a new exhaust system, the in-line six-cylinder ran much better and you could hear it too. The entire electrical system was also rebuilt.
Almost 50 years later, everything is still almost as good as new, and dirty parts can be cleaned without much effort. As can be seen from various reports, the TVR 2500M was said to have high fuel consumption (up to 21.9l/100km). After the measures taken from 1977 to 1979, it is quite difficult to achieve a consumption of over 10 liters per 100 km. On average, over a large number of fill-ups, consumption was between 7 and 8 liters per 100 km. I can't give any more precise information about the power, which is stated as 105 kW in the vehicle registration document, only that it is not possible to determine the maximum speed, but 6000 rpm can be easily achieved in 4th gear (the piston speed of 19 m/s then reaches its limit), which was practically impossible in the past. Comparisons show that my 2500M can easily keep up with a 3000M or even a TR6 Injection.

After a longer stay abroad and after almost 17 years of standstill, it was possible to get the car back on the road with comparatively little effort (CHF <3000.00 incl. MFK). Cheers! Finally able to go on trips again, including the Susten Pass, unfortunately with far too much traffic, and recently the Gurnigel route, this time practically alone and therefore a bit more racy. It was just great fun!
After the restoration, there were actually no more serious breakdowns.

Of course, maintenance such as inspection, servicing and, if necessary, repairs on a car like this poses completely different challenges than you would expect from a modern car. For example, it is advisable to carry out a general inspection of the entire technology after two or three longer trips. This involves tightening all the screws, examining any problem areas more closely and, if necessary, replacing them. It is worth investing half a day in between, as this allows you to identify and rectify any problems at an early stage before a "breakdown" occurs.

All this is made considerably easier with a good knowledge of the car and an understanding of automotive technology in general. A well-equipped garage (home base) is also helpful. I couldn't imagine being completely dependent on garages, especially as those who are really knowledgeable about cars like this are pretty rare.

Nevertheless, I was very lucky to find a specialist at my new place of residence after returning from abroad who was able to help me with the revival. It was the touring garage in Gamsen. The car was transported to the garage, a thorough service/repair (brakes) was carried out and the MFK was successfully passed.

Schrauben am TVR 2500 M (1972) (© Max Müller)

The beginnings of my relationship with the TVR 2500M were not easy. Leaking radiator immediately after purchase on the drive home (Sunday), an empty cooling system on a long downhill drive, which indicated a defective cylinder head gasket. As the water temperature continued to be a problem thereafter, the whole thing had to be looked at more closely, and the installation of an oil temperature gauge helped. Lo and behold, the oil temperature soon reached 70 - 80 degrees, and after a few kilometers on the freeway it very quickly reached 120 to 130 degrees. The installation of an oil cooler solved this problem.

I was satisfied with the performance when I bought it, so I simply took note of the fuel consumption. When driving through a gallery, I could hear a terrible hissing noise in the exhaust, which indicated that the exhaust had a much too small cross-section. The sudden failure of the entire electrical system on the Gotthard on the old road in fog, rain, darkness and heavy traffic was also very surprising. Only the hazard lights and the fan heater were still working, everything else was dark. So we opened the hood and closed it again - it wasn't clear what we were looking for. And suddenly everything was back to normal and we were able to continue our journey. This incident was repeated two more times, always the same. The fault could not be found even after disassembly.

On the occasion of the participation in the TVR Continental Meeting in Zolder in 1980, after the major restoration in the years 1977 to 1979, a defective cylinder head gasket stopped the joyful laps on the Ring, later on Saturday afternoon. While looking for a replacement gasket, the dealer we were lucky enough to find told me that I had fitted the wrong one and gave me the correct gasket. The change was made on Sunday in the hotel parking lot and then I was able to start my journey home to Switzerland.
One Friday evening in 2004, I had arranged to meet up with a friend. As I was waiting for the green light at a traffic light in Visp, a car hit me full force in the rear and pushed me into the car in front. I was able to get a new rear section and a new hood in England (Davis Gerald) without any problems. Fortunately, the new hood also had the air intakes, but the air intake at the bottom was no longer the same as on subsequent models.

Although the open TVR 3000S came onto the market a few years later after I bought the TVR in 1976, it never persuaded me to part with the TVR 2500M. It is simply the "driving machine" for me and I hope it will stay that way for a long time to come.

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Back to the basic setting

Martin Sigrist
11/27/2024

Get in - turn the key - drive off, the basic steps and activities required to operate a car - in my perception, they roughly correspond to the state of the car at the end of the 1970s. You could even say: simply a car. This car has an ignition lock on the steering column or in the dashboard, a handbrake handle between the seats, it can also have a foot parking brake, that's fine. There are three pedals at your feet and a gearshift on the transmission tunnel or, if necessary, on the steering column - the inboard entertainment. There are light and blinker switches, horn buttons, switches for the windshield wipers and a few rotary controls or sliders for the heating. That's all - nothing special!

But what sounds so listless here is the exact opposite, because it leaves room to grasp the true characteristics of a car: The engine sound, the response to throttle movements, the way the clutch grips, the mechanical feel of the gearshift, the type of feedback from the steering and suspension. My senses serve primarily as a human-machine interface and the interplay of input and output is so wonderfully effective. I need my attention to drive and not to operate the car.

In the 1970s and 1980s, this relationship reached a level of perfection from which the car industry has gradually moved away - from the basic attitude of the "car" phenomenon to numerous, ever wilder variations. We have now reached a point where every new car represents a new world in terms of its operating mode and the wealth of functions. 1500 different things could be operated with the touchscreen and slider bars of the Volkswagen ID.3, according to the press presentation in Wolfsburg. The gigantic hyperscreen of the Mercedes EQS even provides haptic feedback to commands that are transmitted to it by touch. A Lucas toggle switch also did this, purely mechanically. The Fiat 128, as shown in the picture, has a total of 21 things that can be operated and controlled on the dashboard.

After almost 40 years of driving experience, you always feel like a novice driver in many new cars. Occasionally I ask myself whether a hurdle isn't already being erected in the showroom if a potential buyer can't even operate the elementary things without instruction. Anyone who hasn't noticed that the selector lever in a Mercedes has been moved back to the steering column, or that a part of the instrument panel in a VW determines the direction of travel by means of a rotary movement, is lost.

In some cars, the selector lever has to be pulled backwards in order to drive forwards - this used to be the case with the classic automatic selector lever. Others, however, think it should be the other way round, forwards for forward. And N is then available at the touch of a button, P anyway. However, only the gear indicator somewhere on the TFT screen tells you whether you are really in the right gear, because the switch or lever always snaps back to its original position. Or the button won't accept the commands with the best will in the world because your finger is too cold, the car doesn't feel like it at the moment or the fatigue detection system thinks you need a coffee - OK, that was a bit of an exaggeration, but it would be technically possible.

Why use the 70s and 80s as a benchmark? The reason is simple, these were the cars of my childhood and youth, I learned to drive at the end of the 1980s. Of course, operating older cars was and still is a challenge at times, but a fun and engaging one. Mastering a pre-war car was even a satisfaction. Fighting your way through four menu levels in a modern car until you manage to eliminate some warnings and beeping noises, or switch off the seat heating again because you thought you had raised the interior temperature, is an insult.

However, I don't want to give vent to any anger here, because there are two solutions: Drive a classic car or - use the voice control. Because what "hello Mercedes" or the corresponding keystroke (!) and the subsequent voice message can achieve is sometimes quite amazing, but somehow that would be unnecessary. We prefer driving classics.

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Once upon a time ... the measured use of the accelerator

Bruno von Rotz
11/26/2024

Gaspedal in der Mitte (© Daniel Reinhard)

If you've only ever driven modern cars, there's one thing you probably haven't experienced. Namely, that the accelerator pedal should be used with care.

Today, you can simply press the accelerator even on snow and the electronics will take care of the traction. Similarly, when accelerating with a cold engine, modern cars simply pull away, there is no misfiring or choking (of the carburetor).

Of course, this was quite different a few years or decades ago. After a cold start, the engine first wanted to be kept happy with careful accelerator pedal jabbing. And on slippery surfaces or simply when cornering, a sensitive approach to the accelerator pedal was the order of the day if you didn't want to skid.

It was simply part of being a good driver to think for yourself and not just step on the gas pedal at will.

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Back roads through automotive history (8): The tyranny of the chauffeurs

Gerhard Schütz
11/25/2024

It's true: the most beautiful, interesting and sometimes weirdest discoveries are always made on the back roads. This also applies to the back roads of automobile history.

In a 1909 article, Tristan Bernard, the successful playwright and author who frequented upper middle-class homes, made fun of the tyranny exercised by chauffeurs, "these high personalities", over their masters, who had no idea about car technology.

Chauffeur als Tyrann? (© Archiv Gerhard Schütz)

In the past, it was the wet nurse who disturbed the peaceful inner life of a middle-class household with her omnipotence. Today, the chauffeur-mechanic is the new tyrant of families. The solicitousness with which one speaks to a wet nurse so as not to damage her milk bears a strong resemblance to the shy submissiveness displayed towards this new family god, the mechanic.

For the self-driver who knows the technology, the employed mechanic loses much of his significance. He is then just like a dried-up nurse who is easy to replace. But if the owner does not drive the car himself, it is only the mechanic who can interrogate the mysterious engine like the entrails of a sacred animal in the event of problems.

Chauffeur als Tyrann? (© Archiv Gerhard Schütz)

And especially in the case of vacation trips, he becomes an important figure in the family. It is he who determines the daily program, he decides on excursions and their duration. He uses certain technical terms such as "postpone ignition time" or "replace candle" with authority towards the host, who in turn conveys them to his guests with a weighty nod of the head.

It is particularly difficult for a guest to make contact with the mechanic. He makes shy attempts at conversation. He circles inconspicuously around the car, which the young, inaccessible mechanic washes with his usually special first names such as Anselme or Donatien. Sometimes the guest goes all out and asks a shy question: "Are you happy with the tires?" or "How fast is the car on the straights?". The mechanic limits himself to a bare number. If he's in a very good mood, he even speaks. What a feeling! The guest pricks up his ears and listens to everything with interest, whether things he knows or things he will never understand.

Being able to hold such a conversation gives the guest a feeling of superiority over the other guests, and even over the owner, who can't quite hide his envy. If the guest can sit in the front seat on a drive, he is accused of having spoken to the chauffeur.

One of the greatest feelings for the co-driver is when he is ordered to honk the horn at dangerous spots. I once witnessed the childlike joy of a 55-year-old investigating magistrate who was given this task: What a satisfaction it was when he spotted a black dot in the shape of a harness or a vagabond far ahead on a flat, straight stretch of road.

The fanfare sounded. But if he pressed the horn too quickly, all he heard was a hoarse "Couac" that made the man blush with shame.

The almost divine power of the chauffeur-mechanic is revealed most impressively when the car breaks down. The car stops. He gets out. Nobody dares to ask anything. Is it an insignificant stop? Or a serious problem? The driver keeps a straight face. You don't really know whether you should get out.

Without a word, he puts on a blue vest. Everyone understands that it's going to be a long affair. They get out in silence and move away a little to talk about the mystery, while the master, lying on his back with his head and upper body under the car, looks as if he is being suckled by the monstrous animal.

Only after a long time is the owner or a guest who has found the contact delegated to make inquiries. And if the breakdown is serious, if you have reached the next village on foot, if you have found help to take the wagon to the village blacksmith and if your fellow travelers have been repatriated by horse-drawn wagon and train, there is nothing left to do but wait at home for the mechanic to return. Maybe it takes a day, maybe two days, maybe a week. You are by no means relieved to be rid of this despot. You fear him, but you need his knowledge.

You can't drive out for the time being, you've let your horses go. And on foot? What a pain! The house, deprived of its automobile, cut off from the world, resembles a besieged city.

The text appeared in a medical journal. How much of this ironic depiction is reality and how much is exaggeration is impossible to say today. But one thing is clear: the new freedoms, the new possibilities that the automobile offered at the time could not be enjoyed in the early days without certain downsides ...

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This is not a test!

Martin Sigrist
11/24/2024

"This is not a test, this is Rock'n'Roll", Robin Williams once shouted into his microphone as US Army radio presenter Adrian Cronauer in the movie "Good Morning Vietnam". Whether what has recently been heard from Jaguar is just a test or a whole lot of rock'n'roll, i.e. shaking and rolling in the sense of a new sign of life, has been the question since a completely unknown logo appeared on Jaguar's official website - accompanied by a rather weird little film in the style that the world was able to enjoy at the opening of the Olympic Games. In the city on the Seine, the Grande Nation wanted to express its openness to the world, its pioneering achievements as the first real revolutionaries in world history and its always ambivalent attitude to high art and the great issues of the world.

But what exactly does Jaguar want to express to us? Yes, the brand wants to change, to become a luxury brand and only build electric cars. But what exactly is the problem with Jaguar in its current form that such a radical change is even necessary?

What is certain is that last Tuesday evening, November 19, 2024, on Jaguar's Instagram channel with 17 million followers - and almost a single post - only just under 6000 viewers gave it a like. In contrast, there were an incredible, almost entirely negative 2500 comments. This is at least the number of posts that were not immediately deleted by the administrators for being too pithy. So there was no lack of attention for the traditional British brand.

Jaguar wants to reinvent itself, as the manufacturer, which has been in the hands of the Indian conglomerate Tata since 2008, expressed some time ago. Ratan Tata, the owner of the traditional company - with roots as a trading house in the 19th century - and who had originally only wanted to buy Land Rover from Ford and only became aware of the significance and history of Jaguar when the brand was already in his portfolio as "by-catch", once wrote in a letter to a friend: "I love the brand!" A firework display of new models erupted and some of them dispelled old prejudices.

The election of the Jaguar i-Pace as "European Car of the Year 2019" marked the high point - so far (?) - of Jaguar in Tata's possession. It is important to look at this in the overall context, even if you may not like electric cars very much. For the first time in the brand's history, a model had climbed to the top of this podium and outperformed the entire European competition; the i-Pace was the first European e-car in its class. However, Ratan Tata had already permanently retired from management in 2017 and died on October 9, 2024 at the age of 86.

For around two years, the manufacturer's PR department in Coventry has hardly made any statements to the public other than which model would be taken out of production and when. Or how many dealers were to have their contracts terminated. In the UK, this affected around 60 representatives from a network of 80 large Jaguar branches. But if there is nothing left to sell, then there is no need for dealers. On August 15, 2024, Jaguar even announced that there would probably be no new cars to buy from the remaining dealers at all in 2025. New cars are not expected until 2026, when they will probably all be in line with the new brand identity

Regarding the Jaguar F-Type's farewell drive - the last examples of the last sports car with a combustion engine are currently rolling off the production line - Jaguar's Global Head of Public Relations, Ken McConomy, said that there were "exciting new cars" in the pipeline. McConomy was once head of Jaguar Classic. Until recently, the world had never seen any of this. However, a picture of a prototype was leaked to the public last week, probably deliberately placed. Judging by appearances, the first thing to open the great new era will be a very crouched saloon that looks very promising even in camouflage. Jaguar calls it a four-door GT. This is admirably courageous in an era that is increasingly turning away from the classic sedan. However, it remains a mystery why the long-waiting fan community has never been given a taste of it.

If the brand still appears anywhere today, it is literally in tow with Land-Rover. One example: at the Goodwood Festival of Speed this year, the brand was only to be found in the JLR tent, as the parent company now calls itself - Jaguar Land Rover - with just one car bearing the "Leaper", the leaping cat, a Jaguar i-Pace. At least there were still some new Jaguar sports cars or SUVs to be seen outside. The appearance was not glorious; Jaguar only makes history with replicas of old models, such as the recent two E-Types for rich Southeast Asian customers. The fire still flares up from time to time thanks to such intermezzi. What is clear, however, is that Jaguar has been packing up its tents for some time in the familiar manner. A total of 67,000 cars could still be sold worldwide in 2023.

But it is not yet completely dark, so the world is now facing a Jaguar rebranding that has at least brought the Jaguar name back on everyone's lips for an eternity - whether as a laughing stock or a stroke of genius is still completely open. After all, the Leaper will live on. Whether this also applies to the Growler, the snarling Jaguar head, seems questionable. What is certain, however, is that the new appearance is a slap in the face for all those who associate the brand with classic British automotive engineering. The short film, which can also be found on the Jaguar.com website, would until recently have caused a great deal of astonishment even at an avant-garde French manufacturer such as Citroën or its premium division DS Automobiles.

But perhaps it just needs a little hope, confidence and a little more insider knowledge. Perhaps Jaguar wants people to understand the brand anew and take some time for it. Perhaps the new cars will be much better than the barely convincing repositioning of the Jaguar brand and these new Jaguar cars will quickly make this turmoil forgotten.

But should this also succeed in the same way as the new brand image, then there will still be the memories and automotive contemporary witnesses of the eras when Jaguar founder William Lyons (pictured in Geneva in 1961 at the premiere of the E-Type) knew how to amaze with ever new strokes of genius, when Jaguar dominated the racetracks and the development department revolutionized the automotive world with the invention of the disc brake.

What remains are the memories and stories of the most memorable new car launch ever seen at the Geneva Motor Show, the E-Type of 1961, or of how the brand went against the tide with a V12 engine at Browns Lane, the brand's long demolished headquarters in Coventry, during the 1973 oil crisis. Neither the Second World War nor the incompetence of British Leyland's management were able to bring the brand to its knees.
But is it now threatened with extinction - in the worst case even as a laughing stock? Or are we witnessing another piece of automotive history being written? We don't know, so we'll have to wait and see!

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Attention: Not suitable for Sunday drivers!

Paul Krüger
11/23/2024

Dodge Coronet Super Bee (1970) – Prospektseite, die Unwissenden vom Kauf des 440 SixPack abrät

Imagine if a brewery proudly advertised its beer as stale. Or a packet of chocolate would proclaim: "You're already fat enough!" Or a car brand would write in its brochure: "You're no good for this car." Which manufacturer would dare to do such a thing - if not the Chrysler Corporation, which went completely crazy in its advertising at the end of the 1960s?

The brochure for the 1970 Dodge Coronet actually contains such a well-intentioned rejection. The advantages of the sporty Super Bee are listed on page 9: Sports suspension, optional four-speed transmission and, of course, the 440-cui V8 with SixPack - followed by a note that if you don't know what a SixPack is, please go back to your knitting patterns.

The brochure then goes to the trouble of explaining the three-carburetor system, but it could have done without. If you want a car like this, you already know it anyway. And if you don't know, this car is not for you. In this respect, it wasn't bad advertising at all - it was good customer advice. And a Dart with a six-cylinder engine is nice, too.

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How the ugly duckling became a proud swan

Bruno von Rotz
11/22/2024

Erlkönig im Jahr 1986

Would you have recognized the car? We can help a little. The two prototype photos were taken in 1986.

Erlkönig im Jahr 1986

The press release at the time announced that the car would arrive in spring 1987.

It was indeed the Alfa Romeo 164 designed by Pininfarina, and yes, the production version looked much more convincing than the two prototypes.

We published a driving report on the Alfa Romeo 164 a long time ago, and of course we have integrated the prototype pictures we have now found into it.

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The subjunctive of good opportunities

Martin Sigrist
11/21/2024

Could have, should have, would have, would have - the subjunctive mood and the classic vehicle have often provided these - let's call them - "moments" in my past.

Recently, while editing our article on the Riley Two-Point-Six, the successor to the Pathfinder, I remembered how, back in the mid-1990s, there was a black car with whitewall tires parked on the grass verge in front of Garage Koch, an Opel dealership in Ebikon, Lucerne. A Riley Pathfinder in its original condition. The price: 7500 francs, or around 7000 marks at the time. That would have bought a car with a 112 hp four-cylinder engine, leather interior and right-hand drive.

At the time, I seriously considered selling my DS 23IE for the car; the Riley looked incredibly chic in its hint of Lancia Aurelia design. However, I shied away from looking for parts - quite a while before the age of the internet - and didn't bother.

I also left a 1957 Volkswagen T1, offered by a distillery in the canton of Schwyz - at around the same time as the Riley - for the asking price of 400 francs (!), the car had too much rust for me. The heating pipe had rusted because moisture had penetrated under the heat insulation. When I think of the ruins from which Bullis are rebuilt today ...

I then bought a 1963 station wagon, an ex-Swiss army radio car with crispy sills, from a country inn for 300 francs and swapped it with a friend for a Belgian Citroën 2CV from 1959 built in Forest, which I then sold on to the then president of the Croatian 2CV club - he was a cab driver in the Zurich region - for 1700 francs.

Speaking of Döschwo; a few years later, the premises of a Citroën 2CV mechanic who was well known in the city of Lucerne - he was a Messi - were to be cleared. In a rare display of generosity, the otherwise extremely stingy gentleman, who despite his huge workshop even worked outside in winter because it was packed to the rafters with goods, offered me a Citroën AK 400, i.e. a box duck.

I was its proud owner for about two minutes, because I realized that at almost 1.90 m in length, it was almost unbearable in the thing. I'm sure there would have been a solution, but the box for the spare wheel stands sideways in the interior and prevents the seat from sliding backwards beyond the B-pillar. Apparently I wasn't so aware of the rarity of the car 25 years ago. That's why I left the car behind.

A Lambretta 125 Li Series II still crosses my mind from time to time. I had once bought the "Lahm-Berta" from a colleague, with the option of also taking over the license plate "LU 3003" - in Switzerland, plates are registered to the person, not just the vehicle, and could therefore easily remain with the old owner when selling a vehicle. I refused to take over the great plate, it was just one too many for me.

The Lambretta had a loose cooling ring on the flywheel magneto - from Ducati, of course - otherwise it was well-patinated and equipped with all the finer details: Extra chrome all round, luggage rack with spare wheel and chrome cover and, most importantly, individual seats. From today's perspective, an absolute dream. But I was used to Vespas, which were lighter and more agile, but perhaps also far less stable, admittedly. And I wanted a dry sump system for my Caterham Seven, which cost money.

So I passed on the "Bertha" - without ever registering it - after a few years in the workshop for about twice the price I paid for it, which was a great deal for me at the time. It reappeared some time ago in the showroom of a relevant classic car specialist in Basel for five times the price.

Yes, and the Lotus Europe Hemi 807 that a scrap dealer from Valais offered me - for very little money. The reason was that I was once looking for a windshield wiper for an International Harvester school bus because I had lost both windshield wiper arms in the pouring rain on the way to Valais. I won't mention the location in detail, but just this much: from Lotus Esprit to Studebaker to Bentley, many a piece of precious scrap is probably still stored today in the professionally managed stockpile on concrete and with an oil separator. Perhaps it helped to be able to speak French pretty much fluently, in any case the junkyard owner called me shortly after my visit to say he had pulled a Lotus Europe out of a garage, and shortly afterwards I had some pictures in my voicemails.

A Lotus Europe Hemi 807 was a special model for Switzerland only, built on the initiative of the then importer Perrin in Geneva, and equipped with a potent Gordini engine based on the Renault 16 engine otherwise installed in this model. The car in question was not only the basis for the type certificate of this car and thus the first ever, it was also the Geneva show car and the car that can be seen on the supplement for the show novelties of the Automobil Revue catalog from - was it 1969? - a magnificent find! However, it was also a miserably bent accident car whose entire front end was probably made of filler rather than GRP. But the most important parts would have been there - but my mind was absent, I passed the thing on to a car dealer and restorer in Delémont, without ever having owned the rather extraordinary Lotus myself - it once had over 100 hp - without the complication of the later Twin Cam. Today I'm not sure whether that was luck or misfortune. The fact is, I've never been able to get that thing out of my head.

And the most recent example is a Jaguar MK II that slipped through my fingers because I was too lazy to pick up the phone. So another colleague of a colleague who called me bought it, this gray 3.4-liter Jaguar Mk 2 for 13,500 francs. The new owner recently returned with it from a vacation trip to the Côte d'Azur without any complaints. If only I had, if only I were, if only I would...

But you can also look at all this from a different perspective: I have probably also saved myself many a hassle and avoided many a disappointment - perhaps even ruin. What's more, I'll have more stories to tell when I'm telling my friends stories of robbery at a regulars' table or in a garage during this rather classic-poor winter time. And anyway, the next once-in-a-lifetime opportunity that I shouldn't miss is coming up soon - maybe!

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