 Some twenty years ago I spotted this workhorse somewhere in Switzerland. I had never seen it before and to be honest I have never seen one since. Which isn't strange as it's an FBW, made in Switzerland. FBW stands for Franz Brozincevic Wetzikon who started building trucks as early as 1910. I think this one dates from the 1960's. Maybe someone from the FBW club can bring me up-to-date? photo Rutger Booy May, 15, 2010
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 Many years ago I saw this poster hanging on a garage wall and was immediatelely intrigued. No, not what you think... I wondered about the make Lubra as I had never heard of this oil company. And the strange thing is that is in Italian, but the two girls are driving what looks like an American car of the late 1940s. Can you tell me more about Lubra Motor Oils? May 14, 2010
 Some people have a totally different look at our hobby. Simply called "The Car" it's a sculpture mainly made of wood by Marisol, a Parisian born artist by the name of Maria Sol Escobar. She made this statue of a in 1964 when she became influenced by contemporary pop artists such as Andy Warhol and Roy Lichtenstein. May 2, 2010
 A great drawing of a dangerous situation. Made by Gordon Horner (1915-2006) who will familiar to readers of The Autocar from 1946 to 1980 and to those who remember the super artwork of some of the Castrol Achievement booklets of the 1960's and 1970's. His work, although initially similar to that of Gordon Crosby with its attention to detail and speed, rapidly developed into a looser style with the use of far bolder bright colours, particularly the bright blues, reds and yellows which predominate many of his works. This loose style superbly reflects the speed and shimmer of vehicles. (with thanks to Tony Clark from Motoring Art Information) April 18, 2010
 Day after day you walk by this barn never knowing what's inside. But then a sudden spring storm blows away the galvanized iron giving you a peek inside. Otherwise I would never have had the unexpected surprise of seeing several models of the Renault Frégate up in the rafters. Even including a now , the Domaine. April 17, 2010
 Some time ago I spotted these wonderful Chevvies at the local fair. And there (click and enjoy)! April 5, 2010
 A question I received from Hugh Stiles: "In a toy car Forum, we're trying to work out why some Dinky Toys appear to have been sold in The Netherlands in . The trail leads back to 1933 and a company called G. S. Miller Co's Automotief Producten NV, Nieuwe Zijds Voorburgwal 120 in Amsterdam. Being Dutch and involved with pre-war cars, have you ever heard of this firm? Have you any idea what they sold? Do you know what became of them? I know it's a bit of a long shot but we're running out of options, but any help will be most gratefully received."
The picture of the Mobilgas truck immediately prompted me to dig up . I don't know about the boxes though. Can you help?
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March 28, 2010
 Every year the Bonneville Speed Week gains more popularity and attracts hundreds of participants, not to mention the many spectators. The tradition of Land Speed Racing on the salt flats near Utah dates back to 1949. All kinds of vehicles take part, divided in separate classes. Some of them really are fast and there is a special club for drivers who achieved a speed of more than 200 miles. During the past sixty years only 15 women made it into this club and one of them is Zoffi Pedy-Proffit. This year she and her team took part in the ‘Special Construction’ category with their Ferguson powered by a 1952 Ford V-8 with an Ardun head and a Scot supercharger running on pump gasoline. After several attempts this combination pushed her to a new record of 280.508mph (448.8km/h), ranking Zoffi amongst the fastest women on earth.
October 15, 2008
 In 1953 Dr. Bruhn, who was then the head of Auto Union, wanted a suitably representative vehicle. The DKW experimental department still had a 1938 Horch 830 BL lying around and on the basis of that car they developed a chauffeur-driven limousine. After Dr. Bruhn had used the car for some time it was sold to a US soldier based in Germany, who took it home to the USA. Eventually the Horch ended up in a Texas field where it languished for many years before it was rediscovered by Ralf Hornung from Audi Tradition. The Horch is now on display “as found” in the Audi Museum, but will be restored later.
July 24, 2008
 “You can depend on an Austin” was Austin’s post-war advertising slogan. To prove this was no mere saying, PR director Alan Hess and a team of drivers took three Austin Sixteens on a publicity run visiting seven capitals in seven days. Despite severe snow during the cold winter of 1947, the Austins completed the trip successfully. Sixty years on the same trip will be recreated, starting on 25 September 2008 in Oslo and finishing in Switzerland at the Swiss Classic British Car meeting. The team, consisting of Ian Chambers, John Vincent and Edwin Hammond will drive the Austin Sixteen that finished the 2007 Peking-Paris with no major problems, so this trip should prove relatively easy. The original 1947 cars each had a flag holder on the roof which, as the cars passed through each country, had that countries flag added. The holder looks as if may be a modified car badge bezel and Ian Chambers would love to have one on his car. Can you help?
July 8, 2008
 They say a Ferrari can be as quick as a fox on the run. That certainly goes for the mid-engined six-cylinder 246GT Dino, but to get this fox going, you’ll have to make an effort. It has been hiding in a barn for the past 26 years, but being dry-stored, it’s still in sound shape. However, a long sleep like this leaves its marks: there’s some corrosion on the door and a little peeling paint at the rear, although this should require little work. The engine is a different matter: it hasn’t run for some time and presumably needs a full rebuild. It’s not every day when opening a forgotten barn you’ll find an abandoned Ferrari. This 1971 246GT Dino will be offered by Coys at their next auction on May 25. With some time and money this Dino will really be as quick as a fox on the run!
(photos courtesy Coys)
May 21, 2008
 Right after World War II Italian film director Roberto Rossellini was on its way to become one of the most important directors of neorealist cinema. In 1948 he received a letter from a Swedish actress who had seen his movies and wanted to make a film with him. Her name was Ingrid Bergman and this letter to Rossellini was the start of their love affair. The couple had become close friends with Enzo Ferrari and when Roberto wanted a present for Ingrid to celebrate their wedding anniversary, the choice was obvious: a custom made Ferrari 212 Inter Coupe. Ingrid was delighted with her present and called it her “Growling Baby”.
May 9, 2008
 Today the Dutch celebrate the birthday of their Queen Beatrix. When in 1956 she finished school at age 18, her father, Prince Bernhard, gave her a present: a brand-new green Fiat 1400B. Built between 1950 and 1958, it was Fiat’s first car with a monocoque body. The middle class car was quite successful, but almost all have been scrapped by now. All of them? No, Classic Car dealer Christoph Grohe from Switzerland found this amazing unrestored 1400B with -what is believed original- mileage of only 44.000 kilometres. The upholstery is in perfect condition as the seats have been protected by transparent vinyl covers.
(photos Beatrix courtesy Frans Vrijaldenhoven)
April 30, 2008
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