The cover story of the last issue of SwissClassics Revue in 2015 focuses on the two Italian small-series vehicles Moretti 850 Sportive SS and the 124, which are more than just a Fiat. The buyer's guide looks under the hood of the Far East coupé Datsun Z and shows once again that not all sports cars come from Germany, Italy or England. It also reports on the Austin Seven and the first attempt to achieve mass motorization in Europe and shows that the era of cars with wood carburetors is far from over for everyone. There is also a flashback to the 1950s, when cars ready for demolition attracted thousands of spectators to the edge of the grass tracks in the Gürbetal valley. Contemporary witnesses have their say and a true-to-original stock car is portrayed.
Giovanni Moretti's niche product
If you see a Moretti on the side of the road or at a classic car show, passers-by can almost always immediately identify this car as Italian-made and, if the brand emblem were not visible, would probably guess it was a Fiat. That wouldn't be so wrong. But the two Moretti vehicles, the 850 Sportive SS and the 124, show that a Moretti is more than just a Fiat. And that a Swiss had a hand in it.
When you say sports coupé, you usually think of Porsche, Ferrari, Aston Martin or other illustrious names. Want an alternative? Driving a coupé without regrets (and, depending on the model, without spending a fortune) is also possible in the former Far East competition with the Datsun 240Z to 280ZX models.
Accessories that the heart once desired
Some pre-war cars did not yet have a heating system - something that is hard to imagine today. And many other items of equipment that are taken for granted today had to be purchased additionally by drivers. This article takes a look back at the vehicle equipment of more than six decades ago and also reveals many accessory curiosities.
At the beginning of the 1920s, Great Britain experienced the dark side of the Roaring Twenties. The economic euphoria of the post-war period had faded and strikes by miners paralyzed the nation. As a source of finance, the government massively increased road tax at this time, making mobility unaffordable for many families. For this reason, Herbert Austin developed a small and inexpensive vehicle, the Austin Seven. It became a bestseller and found buyers all over the world.
Wild guys
What do you do with a rusty 1948 De Soto? Restore it? Far from it. Four buddies from the Grübetal have done what you would have built in the 1950s: a stock car. So it's worth taking a comprehensive look at the scene back then.
Nowadays, there are hardly any cars with wood carburetors on our roads. Especially not Opel Kadett City with automatic transmission, 1200cc engine and built in 1975, which obviously never existed in this configuration. No, the topic of wood carburetors belongs to a time of deprivation, when there was a lack of everything and everywhere - such as fossil fuels.
Of course, the latest issue of SwissClassics Revue also includes a detailed calendar of events, the large vehicle market, event reviews and previews and many other topics.
You can find out more at swissclassics.com.
