Fantastic Plastic car meeting on June 3, 2017 with the buggies in the spotlight

TEXTMarch 13, 2017 · 3 min

Bruno von Rotz, automatically translated

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Bruno von Rotz · 29 Photos

Archiv3 Photos

Balz Schreier3 PhotosErik Fuller - Courtesy RM Sotheby's2 Photos

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Sporting design - Impressions from the "Fantastic Plastic 2013" event

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The Sterling GT attracted eyes and lenses like candy attracts flies - seen at the "Fantastic Plastic 2015" meeting

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Meyers Manx Dune Buggy (1963) - drop center rims and roll bar were part of the package

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Meyers Manx Dune Buggy (1963) - close to the original

Bild von Partner Porsche AMAG August Foto-Galerie 2026

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Albar Buggy S - especially fun in good weather - Fantastic Plastic 2015

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Autodynamics Deserter (1970) - with makeshift weather protection

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Autodynamics Deserter (1970) - Helvetized buggy in action

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Autodynamics Deserter (1973) - buggy version already shown two years ago, now slightly improved - at the 1973 Geneva Motor Show

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TVR Grantura Mk2a (1960) - at the plastic car meeting "Fantastic Plastic 2016"

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Sylva Fury Spyder (1971) - at the plastic car meeting "Fantastic Plastic 2016"

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Renault-Alpine A310 (1982) - at the plastic car meeting "Fantastic Plastic 2016"

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Pontiac Fiero Formula (1988) - at the plastic car meeting "Fantastic Plastic 2016"

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MVS Venturi 260 LM (1995) - at the plastic car meeting "Fantastic Plastic 2016"

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Sterling GT - looks much more expensive than it was - Fantastic Plastic 2015

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Enzmann 506 - built in the new century - Fantastic Plastic 2015

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Panhard CD - Lettering - Fantastic Plastic 2015

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Trabant P50 - with caravan, made of plastic of course - Fantastic Plastic 2015

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Sabra Sport - originally designed by Reliant, later also manufactured under license in Israel - Fantastic Plastic 2015

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Thurner RSR at the plastic car meeting Fantastic Plastic 2014

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Microplas Toledo at the plastic car meeting Fantastic Plastic 2014

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Matra Djet VS at the plastic car meeting Fantastic Plastic 2014

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Mini Marcos at the plastic car meeting Fantastic Plastic 2014

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Lotus Europa S2 807 Hemi at the plastic car meeting Fantastic Plastic 2014

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Marcos models from the front and from behind - seen at the "Fantastic Plastic 2015" meeting

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Marcos Mantara (1998) - at the plastic car meeting "Fantastic Plastic 2016"

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Lotus Esprit S 2.2 (1981) - at the plastic car meeting "Fantastic Plastic 2016"

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Alpine-Renault A110 1600 S VB (1972) - at the plastic car meeting "Fantastic Plastic 2016"

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Sixties and seventies mixed up - Fantastic Plastic 2016

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The Marcos team arrived with a large contingent - Fantastic Plastic 2016

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The Swiss Museum of Transport was busy taking photos - Fantastic Plastic 2016

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A festival of colors and shapes - seen at the "Fantastic Plastic 2015" meeting

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Plastic car spectrum - Peerless, Marcos and Ferrari 250 GTO replica - Plastic car meeting Fantastic Plastic 2014

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The front car may look older, but it is younger - MP Lafer 1973 and Chevrolet Corvette C1 from 1960 - Plastic car meeting Fantastic Plastic 2014

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Pretty colorful - plastic cars are usually also colorful creatures - Plastic car meeting Fantastic Plastic 2014

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Plastic cars from different countries and eras - seen at the "Fantastic Plastic 2015" meeting

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Der Sterling GT zog Augen und Linsen an wie Süssigkeiten die Fliegen - gesehen am Treffen "Fantastic Plastic 2015"

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Meyers Manx Dune Buggy (1963) - Tiefbettfelgen und Überrollbügel gehörten dazu

Meyers Manx Dune Buggy (1963) - eng am Original geblieben

Albar Buggy S - bei schönem Wetter besonders vergnüglich - Fantastic Plastic 2015

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Autodynamics Deserter (1970) - mit behelfsmässigem Wetterschutz

The "Fantastic Plastic" plastic car meeting will take place for the fifth time on June 3, 2017. Cars from over five decades are expected again this year, which will hopefully result in an interesting cross-section of the plastic era in automotive engineering.

Sixties and seventies mixed up - Fantastic Plastic 2016

Forgotten plastic cars

In the 1950s, a new material began to revolutionize vehicle production. GRP or fiberglass made it possible to produce plastic car bodies at low cost. The new material was mainly used for the production of sports cars (e.g. Alpine-Renault, Lotus, etc.), but limousines (e.g. the Renault Espace or the Trabant 601, leisure vehicles (Citroën Méhari, Renault Rodeo) and very small vehicles (e.g. Spatz, Belcar) were also produced.
In most cases, the companies left it at building the bodywork out of plastic, but the more determined like Lotus and Rochdale went one step further and built entire vehicles out of plastic.

Boom with the buggy

In addition to exotic sports cars from Marcos, TVR, Gilbern and Reliant, there was one type of vehicle in particular that helped the plastic bodywork to achieve great success: leisure and beach cars. In particular, the buggy built on Volkswagen Beetle chassis enjoyed great popularity in the 1960s and 1970s, with hundreds of thousands of these kits and finished vehicles being sold.

Apal VW Buggy (1976)

The fifth edition of "Fantastic Plastic" will be dedicated to them and, of course, the organizers are hoping for a broad appearance of VW buggies, whether they have been fitted with bodies from Albar, Apal, Meyers Manx, Karmann or other suppliers.

Also in the luxury sector

Plastic bodies were not only popular with the manufacturers of inexpensive vehicles, however; luxury sports car manufacturers such as Jensen or large companies such as BMW or Ferrari also relied on plastic for the bodies of certain models.

Sterling GT - looks much more expensive than it was - Fantastic Plastic 2015

The Jensen C-V8, the BMW M1 and the Ferrari 308 GTB Vetroresina are just a few examples. In general, the list of plastic cars is long, but many of these vehicles have long since disappeared from our roads, whereupon most have been forgotten.

From Lucerne to Bleienbach and Rain

The program of the fifth Fantastic Plastic begins on 3 June 2017 in Lucerne at the Lucerne Museum of Transport, where the vehicles will gather and the crews will have the opportunity to visit the new road traffic hall with the new Monteverdi exhibition (yes, Peter Monteverdi also wanted to build a plastic sports car at the beginning of the sixties), which was inaugurated just a few weeks earlier.

Plastic cars from different countries and eras - seen at the "Fantastic Plastic 2015" meeting

Then it's on to Bleienbach Airport, where a varied program awaits the event participants. The event ends with a cheerful barbecue in Rain, the outdoor storage facility of the Swiss Museum of Transport, where further attractions await the plastic drivers.

Inexpensive, not a luxury event

The meeting is open to the public. A fee of CHF 30.00 (vehicle with driver) or CHF 50.00 (vehicle with driver and one or more passengers) is payable for participation with a vehicle. The price includes a visit to the Lucerne Museum of Transport and participation in the various activities, as well as the road book for the transfer stages.

Trabant P50 - with caravan, made of plastic of course - Fantastic Plastic 2015

Registration is recommended in order to secure a starting and standing place. The number of participants is limited.

All further information can be found on the event website.

A comprehensive report of the "Fantastic Plastic 2016" meeting including many photos on Zwischengas gives potential participants a first impression of the event in advance. On Zwischengas you will also find reviews of the events of "Fantastic Plastic 2015","Fantastic Plastic 2014" and"Fantastic Plastic 2013".

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