Like a knife and fork
03/09/2026
Have you ever come across cutlery, i.e. a knife and fork, that you first needed an introduction on how to use before using it? Hardly, right? Because this table tool is self-explanatory. Although there are an infinite number of variations, they are all the same in their basic design.
It often feels about the same with classic cars. They couldn't be more different, of course this is not only due to the different eras, but also to the technical concepts, but you quickly get to grips with them.
Photo days are those moments in our editorial calendar when we deal very directly with our favorite subject matter, we drive them! To make the most of our time, we try to capture several cars in one day.
Well, the other day our list was very varied: pre-war, 1960s and a car from the dawning digital age, from 2011. Of course, I'm used to driving a wide variety of cars, it's part of the job. And so it was not an insurmountable task to start or handle the SAAB 96 or the Lancia Augusta. These cars feel like a knife and fork? Of course, this is not meant to be derogatory, but rather self-explanatory.
In the Saab, where the gearshift diagram is indicated on the dashboard, it was a matter of a few seconds to find reverse gear; you have to pull the lever out a little to overcome the lock. There was nothing written on the Lancia, but there are no more than four possible corners where it could be located. It is at the rear right, you have to pull the lever with a little momentum against a locking spring against your knee - Lancias of that time were right-hand drive - and move it backwards. So: children's birthday party.
Of course, there is a choke to keep the cold engine happy. This requires a little finesse, but it's an easy task and you're soon on the move.
With the latest photo model, however, I first had to recognize the key as such. There is a slot in the middle of the dashboard into which a "something" decorated with cut glass - in Switzerland we would call it a "Kloben" - fits. Can you turn it? Oh no, push it! This sends an impulse to the car, which causes the starter to work.
Then you reach into the void, because although there is a dial on the center console, it serves a different purpose. You select the gear by pressing a button to the left and right of the starter button in the middle of the dashboard; only when it lights up can you be sure that you are moving in the right direction. You can get used to it - just like the sound of a 6-liter V12 engine like in the Aston Martin Rapide, where I found this to be the case, an amazingly competent sports car with four doors - we will go into this in more detail later.
But intuition is the only way to go here. But who knows, maybe this is just a sign that I'm getting old.
