Why eat far away?

Martin Sigrist
04/16/2026

If you work, you need something between your teeth. As my workshop is a little way from home, I occasionally enjoy my neighbor, a simple country pub that serves well-made food without all the frills, while I'm working. As a place where craftsmen and "tradesmen" meet, as we say, it's perfect for me. What's more, you won't be looked at the wrong way if you come here in overalls. Or at least not if you haven't just stepped out of the oil sump.
These breaks are the moment to think about this or that problem again. And in summer to rehydrate - in German: for a cold beer.

Antipasti

But there are also other moments: those when the work is done, the car is running again and you need to go for a test drive. I'm blessed, so to speak, because the topography around my "pad" is ideal for this. There are inclines, the Seestrasse, and along it - all kinds of pubs! Sorry, they are well-to-do restaurants! One of them recently invited me for a trial meal. At first I was a little taken aback by the honor, but then I realized that I've been there before. The Alex at the Hotel Alexander in Thalwil, with chef Luigi di Gregorio. And when I was thinking about going there, about 5 minutes from home, a study by the Swiss umbrella organization for historic vehicles, the SHVF Swiss Historic Vehicle Federation, came to mind. This was presented in 2020 and shows that around 1,000 francs per car and year are spent on going out for a nice meal in this country. So we are a (guest) economic factor!

Taglioloni a'l limone d'amalfi

So it is definitely of interest for a restaurant to think of us hungry mechanics, pleasure drivers and club excursion organizers. So it makes perfect sense for a restaurant to invite a motoring journalist, even if - at least in our editorial office - this happens rather rarely. So I took the opportunity to go there, to the Hotel Alexander on Lake Zurich in Thalwil. No, we don't get any advertising from there (yet?), I don't have any shares there either and yes, you can always win over the voracious journalist with a bit of food. However, it will always be about food, trying to target something else from there is pointless, even if it is still sometimes attempted in the car industry today.

Parmiggiata alla Mamma Lia

And I'm also aware that if Sigrist recommends a restaurant anywhere in the world, that really doesn't mean much. He likes to eat, but he's certainly not a gourmand.

But I can say this about my lunch by the lake: Italian cuisine, refined but not overcooked. With the questionable reliability of a newly repaired car, the Alex is an ideal place. It has two good goals: to get there without breaking down and to get good food. If I do break down, I could walk back or take the S-Bahn two stops. But first we eat, in any case! And here's another recommendation: don't go too far, maybe even in the village. The village culture will thank you. And it would be a good reason to bring out the classic once again.

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The picture behind the story (2) - Man on the moon

Daniel Reinhard
04/15/2026

Artemis II

April 6, 2026 - Astronaut Jeremy Hansen takes a photo from Orion.

It was July 20, 1969, when Apollo 11 became the fifth manned space mission to land on the moon for the first time. The three astronauts Neil Armstrong, Michael Collins and Edwin "Buzz" Aldrin took off on their mission in a Saturn V rocket on July 16. While Collins waited in the spacecraft, Armstrong and Aldrin touched down on Earth's satellite in the lunar module "Eagle". At exactly 02:56.20, Armstrong was the first person to set foot on the moon - shortly before Aldrin - and radioed back to Earth:

"That's one small step for a man, but one giant leap for mankind!

22 hours later, the two successfully returned to the command ship and the capsule safely splashed down in the Pacific on July 24.

Around 600 million people around the world watched the live TV broadcast at the time. I still remember well that we had the first color TV - the "Körting" brand - in our village of 3,000 people at the time. More sandstorm than moon could be seen, and often only the then familiar test image. Nevertheless, practically the whole village took turns making a pilgrimage to our parlor to hopefully get a few colorful impressions of the moon. Bruno Stanek was the moon specialist at the time and provided commentary by day and night.

Now, on the night of Tuesday, April 7, 2026, the "Artemis ll" has once again quietly and silently orbited the moon after a fabulous 57 years. At 00:43 Swiss time, the probe disappeared behind the moon for 40 minutes at a distance of 406,780 kilometers (breaking the record set by Apollo 13 in 1970 with 400,171 km), without any radio contact with Earth.

Countless digital images of the far side of the moon were taken and have already appeared on the Internet. In 1969, "Buzz" took the legendary analog pictures with a Hasselblad 6x6 specially built for the moon in a quality that is still unbelievable today. No wonder there were many conspiracy theories surrounding the moon landing at the time. The landings from 1969 to 1972 never took place and are said to have been staged at night in the Arizona desert and in Hollywood studios.

GP von Amerika

When I was lucky enough to meet "Buzz" (96) in person at the 2012 American GP in Austin (he was even introduced to me by Jackie Stewart), I couldn't help but wonder about the whole truth. Jackie laughed out loud and Aldrin said that I was certainly not the only one, but he could assure me that only he of the three of us had had the moon under his feet... ok, he's a bit ahead of me there, because I had already had the Arizona desert under the soles of my shoes during the Grand Prix in Phoenix from 1989 to 1991.

In my two books " Inside Formula 1 " and "Inside Formula 1 Lap 2 " you can read countless of these stories and see their pictures. A few of them, whose stories didn't make it into the books, will now find a place here in future.

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Test drive!!!

Martin Sigrist
04/14/2026

I tell myself the same thing every time: stay sober, listen and look closely. Be critical, ask all kinds of questions and try - er - again: stay sober! Well, I definitely don't have a drinking problem, it's the clear mind I'm supposed to use. And what happens then? Like last weekend, I throw all those good intentions and intentions to the wind, get in a car and give myself over to its sweet temptations. This time it was a 1964 Jaguar Mk 2 - a very nippy 3.4-liter still with the Moss gearbox and overdrive. It was probably repainted in the past, but the interior is pleasingly original with beautifully patinated red leather seats. The history is reasonably well known; the cuddly saloon was delivered by the Swiss importer for the French-speaking part of Switzerland, Garage Claparède SA in Geneva.

And then? As soon as the engine is started, the exhaust is bubbling and the car is moving, these things are forgotten. Yes, the car drives great, it shifts gears well, the overdrive is engaged and disengaged smoothly and no rumbling noises penetrate the interior. The brakes also pull reasonably straight. Only the brake fluid level indicator occasionally flickers. Then all is well with the world. And so you drive along, talking to the owner about God and the world, steering here and there and enjoying the ride. Yes, the car chokes when leaving a traffic circle, the fifth cylinder oils up the spark plug, there are small bubbles on the door edges and the color, whether this blue metallic is original, is also unclear. But the short drive was enjoyable. That all sounds quite good, but the question arises as to whether I have now looked at this car "soberly", felt inside it and examined it critically? I'm afraid not! Because it wrapped me around its finger, lulled me, flattered me a little (in this case with a scratch-free downshift to second gear) and - quite honestly - clouded my senses. But when the fog has lifted, I will probably have to make a decision. As this hasn't happened yet, I'll forgo a picture of the car in question and present a contemporary "serving suggestion" for the Jaguar Mk 2 from the corresponding 1964 sales brochure.

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The "Kleine Uhu" from Graupner

Bruno von Rotz
04/13/2026

Der "Kleine Uhu" von Graupner

When you get a little older, experiences from your childhood are particularly moving. So when I recently came across a documentary about the Graupner company on YouTube, I remembered my own "Little Eagle Owl", which my father gave me as a present around 55 years ago.

The "Little Eagle Owl" was a glider with a wingspan of about one meter, which first had to be painstakingly assembled. My father helped me with this, of course, because I probably wouldn't have been able to do it so well.

I can well remember that I re-covered the wings several times. Rough crashes often resulted in a hole in the covering and I had to pull thin paper over the balsa spars again.

Graupner Katalog in den Siebzigerjahren

At that time I was quite enthusiastic about model flying, I bought the thick Graupner catalog and dreamed of proportional remote controls and motorized sails. However, I stuck with the "Little Eagle Owl", everything else was simply too expensive. And the catalog also went into the waste paper at some point, and the glider did not survive, nor did the Graupner company. The German company was regarded as a model company for decades, but eventually missed the boat when Far Eastern suppliers flooded the market with cheaper and ready-built models.

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Paul Krüger
04/12/2026

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Note on the Ascona C

Martin Sigrist
04/11/2026

Well, my colleague Krüger didn't give the good Opel Ascona C much credit in his blog . And what's more: I have my own experiences with this model. However, I have to say that it was more the circumstances and the drivers that drew my attention to the good Opel than the car itself.

In the summer of 1990, I joined the recruit school in Payerne (VD) as a motorist recruit. Training to become a truck driver in the army took place in several shifts. Back then, we started with driving lessons from the instructor, our driving instructors. Their rank was that of adjutant, most of them were former chauffeurs or dispatchers who had seen their chance to enjoy a secure salary, regular working hours and generous fringe benefits as professional military personnel. These included a company car and that was - that's right - an Opel Ascona C!

Most of our adjutants were not very "military" types: Knowledgeable, quiet and sometimes up for a laugh. I can remember that a comrade once wanted to lean out of the side window while maneuvering, but he had forgotten that the window was still up. The "Adi" and driving instructor had to laugh so hard that he stopped the lesson. Another time, the motorcyclists had the idea of doing some motocross on the track, which I wasn't so sure would comply with any regulations. One of them promptly pulled up, an Ascona C. The adjutant got off, put his hands on his hips and watched the action, then he rounded up the whole gang, gave them a telling off and then - the comrades drove on! They shouldn't attempt any big jumps, the old Condor A-350 machines would overload the frame beams if they landed too hard...

My driving instructor, God rest his soul, was a little different, a Romand, a French-speaking local. The good man always greeted me with a - not so friendly: "Siigchrrrritzzz, what are we doing today?" We called him "Spike" because, like Tom and Jerry's dog, the corners of his mouth were always pointing downwards and his pronunciation was just as wet when he barked. And he barked a lot! And "Spike" also drove - of course - an Opel Ascona C!

But there was also the collective driving school as a further level of training. Then we drove, always two comrades together on one vehicle, in a platoon, i.e. with our smallest unit in a convoy on a designated route. The instructors occasionally followed us in their cars or waited in a tight bend with a notebook. Don't let a double wheel touch the safety line in the bend! Then there was a reprimand afterwards. But we always kept an eye open to see if there was an Ascona sitting in our mirror or even one parked somewhere on the side of the road. What made it a little easier for us was the fact that the army only allowed rather muted colors: blue, white or a strange beige, we called the color "Kindergaggi". Metallic paints were taboo.

But I got rid of "Spike" relatively quickly, he probably lost his nerve in front of the assembled squad at some point, so he was taken out of service, in his last assignment, of course. Revenge was sweet, because this entire cadre of the Motf RS 248 had also suffered from "Spike's" barking fits in the past, at the beginning of their own military careers. My own military career then proceeded in a calm manner, as the picture proves. But it was driving that Spike hammered into me with his very own charm - barking at me! Motf Sigrist was able to complete an accident-free period of service.

But my respect for a blue, white or gaggia Ascona C has remained to this day. Because who knows, maybe it's the restless spirit of "Spike" that haunts me and shouts after me: "Siigchrritzzz! Rrrrrrright-faaaahhhrrrrrr!"

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Almost like back then

Bruno von Rotz
04/10/2026

Peugeot 302 im Franz-AG-Gebäude (© Bruno von Rotz)

You had to take a closer look. But if you peeked inside the building, you could see a Peugeot 403 and a Peugeot 302 inside.

Peugeot 403 im Franz-AG-Gebäude (© Bruno von Rotz)

The fact that two old Peugeot models were on display in this architecturally not uninteresting building - unfortunately, the two exhibits have since been removed - was no coincidence.

Peugeot 302 und 403 im Franz-AG-Gebäude (© Bruno von Rotz)

The building on Badenerstrasse in Zurich belonged to Franz AG. And this Franz AG had sold new Peugeot cars for many decades.

Franz AG Werbung 1967

But the used car business was also part of Franz AG's service portfolio.

In 2024, however, Franz AG sold several locations, including the one on Badenerstrasse, to AMAG. Peugeot cars will therefore no longer be sold in the building that was planned back in the 1950s.

Franz AG an der Badenerstrasse im Frühling 2026 (© Bruno von Rotz)

However, a company logo on the outside wall of the workshop building is still a reminder of the former Franz AG operation.

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Everyone needs a victim

Paul Krüger
04/09/2026

Opel Ascona (1982) – Werksfoto eines Ascona C

For Mr. Bean it was the light blue Reliant Regal; for Marshall Eriksen it was his Pontiac Fiero and for the guys from Top Gear it was the Morris Marina. And the Vauxhall Vectra. And the Nissan Juke. And the Toyota Prius. And the VW Beetle. And the Mini Countryman. And the Jaguar X-Type. And every modern Peugeot. The car that always gets a bad rap and always has to be used as a bad example.

Of course, I also have a favorite target that always has to take little side blows in blog posts and articles: the Opel Ascona C - the German offshoot of the front-wheel-drive J platform, which also produced such gems as the Cadillac Cimarron and with which General Motors proved in 1981 that you don't need help from Spain to build lousy cars.

How something like this could sell 1.7 million units is beyond me. Because while even total commercial failures like the Talbot Tagora and Lancia Trevi, for all their lack of quality, at least have good industrial design to offer, an Ascona C just looks exactly like what it is: an American from the deepest "Malaise Era": unimaginative and awkward with strange proportions.

However, this at least gives it another - albeit rather dubious - top position: in no other car does the visual impression depend so much on the choice of wheels. And that is the only impression I have of the Ascona C so far. That and the very vivid descriptions of a former editorial colleague who had to spend his childhood suffering in the back seat of several Ascona Cs.

Well, I confess: that's enough to make me talk, but not enough for a journalistic opinion. So I urgently need to drive one. Preferably an SR. Although: better not. After all, all the preconceptions about the Lancia Trevi and Talbot Tagora have already proven to be untenable. In the end, I still like the Ascona C. And then I'd need a new victim...

Opel Ascona SR (1984) – Werksfoto

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The fluttering has stopped

Martin Sigrist
04/08/2026

At best, valve flutter "only" causes ugly dents in the tappets. At least that's how a friend's engine turned out after it was dismantled. The phenomenon occurs when the valve train can no longer keep up with the engine speed due to its inertia. Something starts to jump, to "flutter". In the case of the friend's Volvo B20 engine, it was the tappets on the cams, the dents in them spoke a clear language, they were virtually beaten up by the cams. The reason for this is the over-revving of the engine.

On my first Caterham Seven - pictured in 2002 on the Anneau du Rhin, Ford Sierra or Renault Clio Williams are hardly ever seen on a trackday these days - I converted the valves of the 1600 Ford Kent engine to double valve springs. As a result, the valve flutter should only start at around 6500 rpm instead of 5500 rpm. Lighter pushrods and rocker arms would also help.

Valve flutter manifests itself with a collapse in performance, but unfortunately this is not a real rev limiter, but the harbinger of a ruined engine and a sign of a careless driver. Modern engines, on the other hand, are protected against over-revving. Everything equipped with DSG, torque converter automatics and the like is anyway. Valves no longer flutter. I certainly don't have any nostalgic feelings about it.

On the same day at the racetrack where I "got in" with flapping ears and a good dose of luck and then decided to convert, another colleague's engine exploded. His rev limiter could not prevent it from doing so. Shifting down first and only then braking when the engine is revving is simply wrong. After all, what use is an ignition interruption if the engine is mechanically over-revved in coasting mode? Fortunately, my engine survived! It is still running smoothly for another owner - with the double valve springs.

Yes, valve flutter doesn't need a revival. Incidentally, this also includes steam bubbles, the shimmy or vacuum windshield wipers at full throttle. Even nostalgia has its limits!

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Hobby and titmouse

Gerhard Schütz
04/07/2026

"A hobby that degenerates into a tit was already one before."

Fritz B. Busch

Do you know why you're here?

Where am I?

That's beside the point. So you don't know why?

No, not really.

Is it true that you have 533 model cars?

How do you know that?

That doesn't matter. Did you have a difficult childhood?

Are you a psychiatrist?

Psychologist. So, what was your childhood like?

My parents hated cars.

And now you compensate...?

I don't compensate, I collect.

Exactly.

Just how? Why am I even here?

You went off the deep end.

Oh that?! I just wanted to install a model car display cabinet in the bathroom...

You completely demolished the bathroom.

I had no way of knowing that there was a water pipe right where I was drilling.

And an electrical line! There was a short circuit. Your girlfriend was afraid for you and came running.

And in the process she trampled my propeller-driven van and a very rare Jaguar, and that's when I lost my composure and smashed the bathroom mirror.

They should have turned off the water.

I couldn't think straight anymore.

Do you think it's normal to have a model car display cabinet in the bathroom?

There was just enough space.

And your girlfriend agreed?

No!!!

Darling, what are you shouting about?

Me: I had a nightmare.

What kind of nightmare?

I'll tell you later. I'll get us a coffee first.

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