Voitures Anciennes

[RobertArthur]

Keep smiling gentlemen, imagine: " You and me and this car on the road ....maybe caught for hours.....so happy together, the three of us...."

[RobertArthur]

You’d need a lot more horsepower than Ben Hur to beat this car’s sheer power.

* Model: Mercedes-Benz ‘S’ model (W 06 series).

* Registration number on the black and white photograph, around 1928, IIIA-14762 . An old German registration number from what was then the Kingdom/Free People’s State of Württemberg with Stuttgart as its capital, the days of the Weimar Republic. Under the German number plate system of the time (introduced in 1906), Roman numerals denoted the various major federal states. The breakdown and structure of this specific number plate are as follows:
a/ State code (III), the Roman numeral III stood for the state of Württemberg.
b/ Region/District (A). The letter A immediately following the Roman numeral (IIIA) indicated the specific region, in this case the capital, Stuttgart, and its immediate surroundings.
c/ Serial number (14762): the number after the dash was the vehicle’s unique identification number.
d/ This one is from the same region. By the way, the tyre tread is quite deep.

• Engine type: 6.8-litre (6740 cc) six-cylinder in-line engine (M06) with single overhead camshaft (SOHC).
• Supercharger: Roots-type supercharger which engages mechanically as soon as the accelerator pedal is fully depressed.
• Power output without supercharger: 120 HP at 3,000 rpm.
• Power with supercharger: 180 HP at 3,000 rpm.
• Transmission: 4-speed manual gearbox.
• Suspension: rigid axles with semi-elliptical leaf springs and friction dampers at the front and rear.
• Brakes: mechanical drum brakes on all four wheels, fitted with power assistance.
• Top speed: approximately 170 to 175 km/h, not too bad for its time.
* Furthermore: I don’t think we can expect those two young ladies to fit new tyres with a deeper tread themselves.

[RobertArthur]

Staying with Germany for a moment, let’s look at the then Federal Republic of Germany (1949–1999) in the 1970s. In May 1976 it was the first time the award known as ‘The Golden Steering Wheel’ (Das Goldene Lenkrad) was awarded to three passenger cars. I often find myself thinking that today’s cars all look rather similar, but if I’m honest, fifty years ago, things on the road were sometimes a bit dull too.

Three cars, three floral arrangements, three car bosses on the wings: the winning photo from the first Golden Steering Wheel award looked rather plain. Perhaps I do, after all, view a somewhat romanticised past through rose-tinted glasses. A 1976 Ford Fiesta (Mk1), an Audi 100 (C2/Type 43) and a BMW 633 CSi (E24) with Peter Weiher (Chairman of the Board of Ford-Werke Köln), Gottlieb H. Strobl (Chairman of the Board of Audi NSU) and Dr Karlheinz Radermacher (Member of the Board of BMW).

Picture please (Source: Bild, Rudolf Alert / BamS).


As we speak, this year's glittering prizes. At the Golden Steering Wheel awards in Berlin Mercedes boss surprises with new SL... and reveals the first details. Mercedes CEO Ola Källenius arrived at the gala in the prototype of the new, still-camouflaged Mercedes-Benz SL. The model is set to join the SL range in 2027, alongside the AMG and Maybach variants, and will place greater emphasis on comfort and a relaxed open-top driving experience.

Article in German, pictures speak a universal lanuage.

[Hotrodder]

Unable to read your last link. No way to get past the cookies popup without allowing my inside leg measurement to be sent to nearly a hundred third parties. My browser translater could not access the popup.

Interesting that the Fiesta was considered worthy of note by the Germans. It was announced as a sort of "peoples car" in UK and the advertising stressed that it was a simple device that was well suited to owner repair and maintenance. Today the UK motoring journalists appear to be quite unimpressed and dismissive of all but the XR2 variant. My wife had a 1.3 Ghia model in the early 80s and it never let us down. Even drove it from East Kent to Cornwall once, flat out most of the way and it was a very pleasant drive. The Ghia trim level must have included extra soundproofing because the 1.3 litre lump was very quiet at high revs on the motorway. One day on her way to work there was a bit of a pile-up on the M2 and the little Fiesta was written off. I did a deal with the insurance sharks and got paid just over £1000 and got to keep the car. I had the damage repaired and a full respray done and we carried on with it for a few years more. I would have another one today if it was affordable.

[RobertArthur]

Pictures:

The Mercedes boss himself.

The prototype of the new SL.

Comparison material.

Very nice, without infotainment system.

Also nice.