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Apr
02
Erinnerungen an den ersten Neuwagen meiner Eltern
Spontan sind wir dieses Jahr an Ostern über die Grenze nach Nancy gefahren und haben das Auto in einem leicht patinierten Parkhaus abgestellt. Der Weg zum Ausgang führt uns quer über das Parkdeck. Wir unterhalten uns über einen der ersten Besuche meiner Eltern in unserem wunderschönen Nachbarland. Jahrzehnte ist dieser Ausflug her und ich stelle mir vor, wie es in dem damals neuen Parkhaus ausgesehen haben mag. Anstelle von silbernen, schwarzen und weißen Einheitsfahrzeugen parkten hier damals Autos in allen möglichen Formen und Farben ― je bunter desto besser.
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Jul
12
Judging by the previous posts this week, one could be under the impression that our visit to Gatebil Rudskogen was all about classic Volvos. Hell no! There was so much more to see! You walk around a corner, all the time expecting to see souped-up drift cars or a mad Amazon. Walking along the go-kart track had many a surprise to be discovered, like this old Mercedes-Benz W110. The sun played wonderful games with the green paint and chrome, but the personal touches of the owner are what made it really special.
Jul
06
My friends from Passau Classics sent me an invitation to their 3rd annual Classic Car Day, held at Schloss Freudenhain. The one-day event is open to all classic and vintage cars and does not require booking. Therefore the organizers don’t know which and how many cars are going to show up. This might sound odd, but is a proven concept by now. The surprise factor is something unique, and when a rare car rolls up to registration the smiles on the faces are unbeatable. I really like the concept and wish more events would be like that. Informal and friendly are the words best describing the beautiful day 🙂
Please find a selection of detail pictures below. You might also want to visit Passau Classics on Facebook for more pictures and information.
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Mar
13
A hot Sunday in early summer 2010 with a thunderstorm looming at the horizon. I was craving a sundae while driving on the speed limited part of the A6 in my 190E. I stopped at the McDonald’s in Sinsheim, right across the famous Museum. Seems like it was a good idea to stop just there, because upon entering the parking lot I discovered something unique: A pair of Škoda S100L – lowered to the ground, done up nicely in the (then new) rat style, complete with roof racks and odd luggage. Owned and driven by a group of friendly Czech guys. I inquired about their whereabouts… and they told me they are on the way back from a Škoda meeting in the Netherlands! Four people in each car – but to my huge amazement, they didn’t send sparks flying when they rejoind the Autobahn. I drove in convoy with them for a while and had a huge smile on my face. Seeing other peoples reactions was hilarious 🙂
Mar
07
The Aepyceros melampus is so common in South Africa, that it is actually called lions’ fast food. The antelopes’ heavyweight namesake immigrated from Detroit in 1966 – and is a rather rare species by now. I found this two-tone painted Chevrolet Impala 4-Door Hardtop in Camps Bay, Capetown. The late afternoon light was glorious, again! You can even see a glimpse of the Table Mountain in the background of the second picture.
Jan
23
Austin Six | A vintage car that has never been fiddled with
I stopped to refuel my car at a local petrol station in Alexandra, New Zealand. It was a chilly winter morning, the air smelled like snow. A vintage Austin Six pulled up and the owner also started refueling. It’s always easy to start a conversation with a fellow car enthusiast. He told me that his grandfather bought the car brand new and it got handed down to him eventually. The car has apparently not been fiddled with since new! A couple of accessories, new spare parts now and then – but no major repairs. It has never been repainted and had a wonderful patina inside and out that told all the stories of many years and miles. The gentlemen even asked me if I would like to drive it around the block. Thank you, sir!
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Sep
21
If you are a frequent reader of this blog, you might remember seeing a glimpse or two of this Peugeot 504 Break in the post about the Winnebago LeSharo. Even the EU-spec vehicles are kind of hard to find in good condition these days, because many of them have been exported to northern African countries years ago, to be used (and abused) as taxi cabs. Finding this US-spec model on an early morning was a nice and unexpected surprise. No visible rust on this extremely rare car, but very lovely patina. If cars could talk, this one would definitely be able to tell some interesting stories about the adventures of a long life on at least two different continents…
Apr
15
The day we visited Franshoek featured rather dull colors, due to low hanging clouds and the odd rain shower. The whole town seemed to be muted. We unsuspectingly walked around a corner – and found a bright red pony! A rare one, too – being right hand drive. I’m not sure whether or not this 1965 Ford Mustang came from the factory like that. Might as well be a right hand drive (RHD) conversion, possibly from Desert Classic Mustangs.
Jun
01
A field with fading beauties from various countries in southern France. So far, vehicles from Germany, Italy and the UK have been featured here on Drive-by Snapshots. But this little series of posts couldn’t be complete without the French, or could it? Non monsieur! Pas du tout!
OK then, we’ll start this post with the colors of the French flag: bleu, blanc et rouge. Fun fact: you can see the Italian colors in the background (with a little help from a gentle Brit).
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Sep
15
Mercedes-Benz C123 | A Comet coupled to a Coupé
Surfing makes hungry and supplies don’t last forever. Coming back from shopping groceries at the local supermarket in Lit-et-Mixe, we found this period-perfect car and trailer combination: A shiny blue Mercedes-Benz W123 Coupé with a Constructam Comet 6T caravan in tow. Unfortunately the owner wasn’t around at the time, so I couldn’t ask him, if this particular combination had in fact been together for almost three decades. And when I woke up the next day… he had already left the campground and moved on.
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Mar
19
Borgward produced quite a few technically interesting vehicles in the 1950’s but was forced into bankruptcy in 1961. The Borgward B 611 I found in Bremen represents a company that unfortunately is long extinct. However, the brand is still loyally supported by enthusiasts from the (e.g.) Borgward IG and the Borgward Club Bremen. The van featured here looks like it was properly restored at one stage and painted in period-correct colors. Sun visors have been popular accessories back then, available in various sizes and colors.
