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Fantastic Plastic
About this topic channel
Explore the fascinating history of plastic-bodied vehicles on Zwischengas. From lightweight pioneers to unique specialty bodies, our collection offers in-depth articles, historical facsimiles, and comprehensive technical data on automotive milestones. Discover a dedicated archive that brings the era of plastic innovation and design to life
TVR Cerbera - British exuberance
It certainly takes more than courage to develop your own engine when you are a small British sports car manufacturer. Peter Wheeler, however, was just the enthusiast to tackle such an undertaking in the early nineties. The result was the AJP V8, which was only built for a few years and only for production use in a single coupé. This driving report on the 30th anniversary of the TVR Cerbera shows what a shame it would have been to do without it.
Incomparable? Alfa Romeo Giulia TZ1 and Alfa Romeo SZ
Over 25 years have passed between the Alfa Romeo Giulia Tubolare Zagato and the Alfa Romeo SZ (ES 30). Although both come from the same manufacturer and the same coachbuilder, they are completely different despite all the similarities. A comparison drive should show where the biggest differences come from ...
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Rochdale Olympic from 1961 – Build-it-yourself supercar
From 1960 to 1967, the company "Rochdale Motor Panels & Engineering" produced around 400 Rochdale Olympic, probably the most consistent plastic sports car of its time. Without any reinforcing metal elements, the Rochdale relied exclusively on the stability of its plastic monocoque. Supplemented with mass-produced parts from MG, Riley, Ford and/or Triumph, the talented do-it-yourselfer was able to assemble a fast and very frugal sports car in the sixties. This report tells the story of the Rochdale Olympic and shows a freshly restored example in detail.
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Racing car for the road - BMW M1 in (historic) test
The BMW M1 marked the Bavarian Motor Works' debut in the super sports car segment. The detailed test from 1980 shows that even a 100,000 franc car does not only have positive aspects.
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Ferrari Enzo - Zenith for a short time
In 2002, the Ferrari Enzo represented what was possible and was the fastest production sports car in the world. It broke with its predecessors and was also the last of its kind. That is why it is still admired today and has increased in value like few cars before it. And rightly so?
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Audi Sport Quattro - the most expensive Audi of its time
Between 1984 and 1986, Audi built 214 Sport quattros, which were designed as the basis for rallying. While the cars sold relatively poorly at the time, prices have risen continuously since then, leaving every other Audi behind. This driving report explains how the short quattro feels behind the wheel.
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Renault Rodéo - healthy escapism
In 1970, Renault countered the Citroën Méhari with the Rodéo based on the R4 Fourgonnettes. With a plastic body and Sinpar all-wheel drive available for an extra charge, the Rodeo was a robust and versatile leisure vehicle, but failed to make a major breakthrough on the market. This report proves that driving pleasure is also possible with 34 hp, with plenty of historical and current photo material.
Quantum III - The Saabuar
Haven't you always thought that the two biggest weaknesses of the Jaguar E-Type are its expansive dimensions and its unnecessarily powerful engine? And that's why you've never bought one, even though you really like the shape. If that's the case, we have something for you: the Quantum III - modeled on the lines of the noble Englishman, but only 3.81 meters long and with 52 hp. At the 1962 New York Auto Show, amateur racing driver and nuclear physicist Walter Kern presented the small roadster......
Asa RB 613 Roll-Bar - Mini-Ferrari in Corvette look
How sweet! Someone has fitted fixed headlights behind Plexiglas to their Corvette C3 to make it look more like a Ferrari. They even thought of matching Pirelli tires on central locking wheels. What at first glance looks like unsuccessful small-series tinkering turns out to be - unsuccessful small-series tinkering. Albeit somewhat differently than initially assumed. In fact, the small sports car with the Coke bottle line was closer to a Ferrari than a Corvette - which, at the time the photo......
Picture sheet Fantastic Plastic 2024 - Plastic does not rust
On June 23, 2024, around one hundred cars with plastic bodies met in Rickenbach for the "Fantastic Plastic" get-together. It should come as no surprise that many of the cars were hardly known. But they are worth a look in this extensive photo gallery.
Festival of plastic car rarities - Fantastic Plastic on June 23, 2024
On June 23, 2023, the ninth “Fantastic Plastic”meeting of cars with plastic bodies will take place in Rickenbach in Hinterthurgau, not far from Wil SG. The event is open to all makes and eras. All those who make the mix broader, more colorful, more interesting and more diverse or simply bigger are welcome at the free event. There will be no shortage of exotics and rarities in June …
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Lotus Elan GT - Roof floor
Before Lotus itself offered a coupé version of the Elan from 1965, a small workshop in Surrey fitted the plastic roadster with a sleek aluminum roof and hatchback. However, despite its successful lines, the "GT by Shapecraft" remained a rarity. No more than 20 examples were produced within two years. In this article, we tell the brief history of the small two-component sports car and show an unrestored example that, for once, has not been converted into a racing car.
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TVR S3C - The open time capsule
Many cars today are said to have been ahead of their time. The TVR S, on the other hand, was deliberately designed as an old-fashioned reminiscence of days gone by - and fulfills this role so well that it is almost hard to believe how young it actually is. Because hardly any other nineties car offers such a sixties feel. This article describes the development from the S to the S4C and describes the impression behind the wheel of an S3C
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Cool Runnings - A Citroën Méhari in the snow
Who says a buggy can only be used in summer? After all, a ski resort is just a big dune of snow. So we left the comfort zone of Caribbean temperatures with a Citroën Méhari and entered the natural cold chamber called winter. And like the four Jamaican sprinters in John Turteltaub's eponymous film, we discovered unexpected talents – not in ourselves, however, but in the little beach runabout.
Delta, the very special GSM
We would not have expected to see this car at the Oldtimer Grand Prix in Safenwil. Of course, you can see many rarities at this annual event, but a GSM Delta? Most of the organizers' visitors probably didn't even know that there was ever a car manufacturer called GSM (short for Glassport Motors). Of course, we had a head start, as we were able to photograph a GSM Flamingo a few weeks ago. Its predecessor was called Dart, and both were built in South Africa. But because the Dart was too......
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Reliant Scimitar GTE - The trendsetter
A Granturismo sports car with an estate rear end at a reasonable price - something like this had yet to be invented at the end of the 1960s. This is exactly what Tom Karen and Reliant achieved with the Scimitar GTE. Although there had already been a few custom-built "shooting brakes", it was the three-wheeler manufacturer from Tamworth that brought the concept into series production. This article tells the story of the Scimitar GTE and shows it in many current and historical pictures as well as in the sales literature of the time.
Rust never sleeps, or maybe it does?
It was car fan Neil Young who proclaimed musically in the 70s: "Rust Never Sleeps". This insight - in a slightly modified form as "Rust Sometimes Sleeps" - could have been the company motto of the Reliant Motor Company, which is largely unknown here and which delivered its products exclusively with bodies made of glass fiber reinforced, rustproof plastic (GRP for short). Unknown? Well, who hasn't laughed at Mr. Bean, who repeatedly pushed his three-wheeled rival for a coveted parking space......
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GSM Flamingo GT - Granturismo all the way from the south
Few people know the company Glassport Motors and hardly more have ever seen a GSM Flamingo. The GT coupé originated in South Africa and was developed together with its predecessor Dart/Delta by a very talented trio. Despite excellent driving characteristics and an unmistakable design, the project was not successful and only a few of these cars are likely to have survived. This report tells the story of GSM and shows the Dart/Delta and Flamingo models in many pictures and in the sales literature of the time.
Fantastic Plastic 2023 - pretty colorful
For the first time after the pandemic, the popular plastic car meeting "Fanstastic Plastic" took place again in Rickenbach on June 11, 2023. Over 100 cars arrived, and there was no shortage of exotic cars, as this photo shows.
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Marcos 2 Litre GT - Only lying down is better
How can you enhance the driving experience of an English roadster? Quite simply: by putting a roof on it. How does that work? Quite simply! Take a seat in the virtual passenger seat and join us on a drive in the Marcos 2 Litre GT.
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