Spotted: Two Commie cars in London
I guess it's not everyday that one can spot two East German cars in a row in the very heart of Central London, but I happened to stumble onto two of these dapper Germans right there. There they were, in a rather tatty condition, the blue one a Trabant and the other one a rather less obiquitous Wartburg 353 Tourist. It made for a great contrast with the hugely expensive red-brick mansion blocks just behind it (FYI you probably can't even get a 1 bedroom property there for under £500,000). I wonder who's the owner of the cars, does he live there? It did say resident permit holders only on the parking sign, so I guess the owner is one and the same person. So who could it be, someone rich to live there and mad enough to drive around in these cars, a banker with a great sense of humour perhaps? A rich marxist? Some dazed university professor (this bit of London happens to be riddled riddled with universities)? A former East German ambassador? Well, I guess we'll never know. Though, do enjoy the photos (that I sadly had to take with my awful camera phone).
Add a commentShed or Minter: Churchill's Land Rover
Prime ministerial cars are not usually associated with 'four-wheel drive', 'countryside', 'cargo area', nor with a spare wheel on top of the engine bay. Some though, should be associated with those keywords, not surprisingly it's one of those eccentric British aristocrats who had no problem being transported in an off-roader. The Rt Hon. Sir Winston Spencer Churchill KG. OM. CH. MP (and I'm probably forgetting one or two official titles) got a Land Rover for his 80th birthday in 1954 (during his second stint as British PM). Exactly this Land Rover is up for auction at Cheffins' Vintage Sale on 20 October here. Looking at the odometer, there isn't much evidence that it was driven much, just 12,932 miles were racked up over the years (including other owners since 1973) but according to the PR bluff in the press release Churchill it was put through good use on Churchill's estate with the PM himself as a frequent passenger.
Video: Vorsprung durch Technik
Looking through the Guardian's series of articles on Germany I happened to stumble across a very interesting a video here for those that have an interest in advertising, and in this case advertising cars. Now we've all heard the Audi slogan 'Vorsprung durch Technik,' but how come it became a catchphrase even in the english-speaking world and became synonymous with German prowess as whole in the 1980s? Sir John Hegarty, the British ad man responsible for dusting off the slogan, which he found on an old poster during an Audi factory visit, rekindles how the campaign came to fruition. Further down on this page the original video ad that made the campaign such a success. What strucks me is the apparent ease with which narrator Geoffrey Palmer talks his way through the ad, effortlessy explaining in a few sentences and with little words that actually have nothing to do with the technical advancements of the car why an Audi is so much better technically than competitors. Closing with a cheeky: "If you wanna get on the beach before the Germans, you better buy an Audi 100. Vorsprung durch Technik as they say in Germany." Hear, hear as they say in British parliament.
Photography: The 1969 Italian Grand Prix
With the 2012 Italian Grand Prix underway this weekend, it's a good time to look back at a previous edition of this traditional F1 race. With Hamilton and Alonso being particularly strong this weekend, the 1969 edition saw Jackie Stewart and Jochen Rindt go head to head. It was in this race that Jackie Stewart claimed his first F1 title with three races still to go by finishing first. It wasn't a walk in the, admittedly beautiful, Royal Villa of Monza park for Stewart though, the first 4 drivers finished within a second of one another. Rindt crossed the line just 0.08 seconds after Stewart while Frenchman Beltoise and New Zealander McLaren where right on his heels. It is no surprise that this race is the closest 1-2-3-4 finish in GP history with lead changes almost every lap. Best of all we have some photos of this momentous occassion!
Add a commentShed or Minter: 1957 OSCA Barchetta Vignale
This time an unlikely candidate for an internet auction. On Ebay in France we found this splendid OSCA Barchetta with a Vignale body. We say splendid but other evidence points at this listing not being quite what it seems, simply because it has been listed thrice on three different websites each stating different countries as location. Here one in Sweden and here one in Belgium (with the tel. number leading us to classicscars.com). This 1957 OSCA was listed on the other two websites as MT4-2AD. Interestingly the seller states that this car has the same Vignale body as the Ferrari 225S, which is a bit odd as that one saw the light in 1957, why would an innovative and creative company like Vignale shape an already retro body for a new chassis in 1957? More likely it is a rebodied car. By the way, underneath a photo of what seems to be the same car. Story doesn't end here as the 'Sweden-based' seller of this car also has another OSCA (and many other cars) for sale, listed on the same day here. It all sounds a bit fishy, but what do I know. Of course it's possible this 'Claus' guy has multiple cars to sell, and yes perhaps he's a global traveller living in Sweden, France and Belgium. But why then, put only one of those priceless cars on Ebay on an account which previously hasn't sold anything else than a few video games, U2 concert tickets and lots of toothpaste? To me it is a mystery, to others it is not much of an issue.
Ed. Went for $250,000 in the end!
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