The new SwissClassics Revue 91-3/2022 is already or will soon be in subscribers' mailboxes, while more spontaneous readers can pick up the June-July issue at newsstands or order it individually.
In keeping with the season, this issue focuses on open-air vehicles, with five convertibles gracing the cover. You can get particularly close to the sky with the two open-top Mercedes-Benzes. While researching and driving the red 190 SL and the silver SLK 230, we came across a surprising number of similarities between the two starters. Due to its age, the MG VA is a little more sedate, but all the more exclusive, especially when it wears the expensive four-seater Tickford dress like our photo model.
From one Brit to the next, the buyer's guide takes a look at the Triumph TR4, 5 and 6 models. The special explains how best to pass your oldie into new hands and get a satisfactory value for money. Two extraordinary personalities from the automotive scene are also portrayed. Firstly, we explain how Jo Vonlanthen made it into Formula 1 and why he is still in demand today, and secondly we look back at Franco Sbarro's adventurous career and his previous work as a car designer. We conclude with a very special two-wheeler that was over thirty years ahead of the Vespa.
It's already heavenly in the forecourt to paradise
The crème de la crème rarely enough to feed a chef. This admittedly somewhat flippant metaphor is intended to suggest why Mercedes-Benz not only presented the super sports car of those years, the 300 SL, at the 1954 New York Motor Show, but also served up comparatively affordable home-style fare in the form of the 190 SL. Even if it lacked the temperament of its six-cylinder relative, the 190 SL had many convincing qualities, then as now.
A good forty years later, Mercedes-Benz also added an economy version to its R 129 model series. However, the SLK was also much more than just a budget-friendly alternative to the large SL roadsters and was one of the best in its highly competitive class. Like its ancestor, the 190 SL, it was not cheap in its youth. How good is the SLK, which has now matured into a youngtimer, as a classic?
Ciao, amore mio...
It's usually hard to say goodbye to the classic, and no wonder after all those kilometers of country roads, pass crossings and trips into the distance. So it goes without saying that the future whereabouts of the oldie are close to your heart. Fortunately, many roads lead to Rome, and buyers can be found on the Internet, at trade fairs or even in traditional printed sales advertisements. In addition, you can hand over your car and the responsibility for its sale to garages or auction houses, which are often much better able to assess both the technical condition of the vehicle and the market situation than private sellers. It is not easy to keep a clear head with all these options and also in terms of asking price, which is why we are devoting our current special to the topic of selling classic cars.
MG's gentleman in a tailor-made suit
The sporty vehicles of the M.G. Car Company in particular, such as the Midget and N-Type Magnette models, shaped the image of the company founded by Cecil Kimber. The small roadsters of the T-series are also widely known, but the VA, which was only produced from 1937 until the start of the war in 1939, is mainly known to connoisseurs, which is certainly due to the low production numbers. However, we recently learned from a completely restored example with an exclusive folding Tickford body that the VA may well be destined for a little more limelight.
If you're going to ignite late, then do it right
Jo Vonlanthen's career path seemed to be straight ahead, but at the age of around 27, motor racing took hold of him. He quickly drove his way through the formula classes, became Swiss champion in a Tecno Formula 3 in 1972 and sat in a Formula 1 cockpit twice in 1975. The man from Alterswil probably entered the motorsport circus too late for a major international career, but after his racing career he really took off as an exhibitor and collector of monoposti. We met Jo Vonlanthen, soon to be 80 years old and still in retirement, for a chat.
Of triumph and pitfalls
The Triumph TR4, 5 and 6 are among the best-known and most popular roadster classics of all, and the open-top Brits are correspondingly sought-after. However, before you rush out and buy a TR, you should be aware of the differences between the various evolutionary stages as well as the pitfalls and potential problem areas of the sports convertibles. Due to the relatively uncomplicated technology, many models have not been tinkered with particularly expertly. From page 96 onwards, you can read about the components that experts say often cause trouble and what else you need to consider when buying a TR4, 5 or 6.
The Sbarro story
From today's perspective, Franco Sbarro's career almost reads like a fairy tale. Born in southern Italy, he had nothing but his curiosity, his inventive spirit and, of course, his passion for cars in his luggage when he traveled to Switzerland by train in 1957. Just a few years later, as a mechanic at the prestigious Ecurie Filipinetti, he was already working on racing cars and soon also on his own prototypes, which were exhibited at the world's biggest motor shows. He founded design schools, hosted kings and still hasn't had enough.
The Vespa of the twenties
Significant premieres are almost always firmly etched in the collective memory. Of course, there were more historically significant moments than the appearance of the scooter, but you would think that a two-wheeler with a curved box frame and engine under the seat that was already produced in 1922 would still be a little more present in people's minds. But despite all the design innovation, the Lomos chair bike was probably produced too briefly to leave a real mark. Recently, one of the avant-garde single-track cars was salvaged from an attic in the canton of Glarus, which prompted us to retrace the history of the chair wheel built by DKW.
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