Friday, January 06, 2012

Johnny

Johnny Cash - The man in black
Being the son of poor cotton farmers,
Johnny's economic and personal struggles
during the Depression shaped him as a person
and inspired many of his songs.

Tuesday, January 03, 2012

Good-bye Saab


I loved the cool Swedish car company and their stylish and turbocharged lineup - sad to see that GM let Saab die...! Pictured here is the famous Saab 99 Turbo with rallye driver Stig Blomqvist.

Wednesday, November 23, 2011

Sunset on SS France, September 1973

The S.S. France sails into the sunset during westbound transatlantic crossing on September 1, 1973 perhaps a portent of things to come.

Image/text source from: Worldshipny.com.

Friday, November 11, 2011

2012 Moto Guzzi V7

Moto Guzzi presented this "new" 2012 V7 with a reworked 750 ccm-twin in fancy black color at the motorcycle fair in Milano. See also this link.

Sunday, September 25, 2011

Forgotten dream cars: Facel Vega

I've seen this Facel III at the Meilenwerk Stuttgart. The Facel Vega was the French premium car for the high society in the 1950s and 1960s. It run with a big and powerful V8-Chrysler engine. The Facel was seen as one of the most luxurious and fastest cars money could buy - although it was pretty expensive. Actors and singers loved as it was a cool and fancy car.
The later models, like the smaller and cheaper Facel III had a four pot from the Volvo Amazon. The market for luxury and expensive cars in France had changed in the early 1960s and even the lovely Facel III couldn't stop the downturm of the company.

Monday, May 16, 2011

When days go by

Elbe sandstone mountains with fortress Koenigstein , East Germany

Saturday, May 07, 2011

Upper Lusatian house in Spremberg, Oberlausitz

Traditional house in Spremberg in the Oberlausitz, former East Germany. The house is called "Umgebindehaus" or upper Lusatian house. It's defined by the constructional separation of its living area from the roof, or its living area from the upper story and roof.

Sunday, March 20, 2011

Monday, January 17, 2011

Simson Schwalbe KR51/1


Schuco, the German toy maker, has a lovely collectible of the Simson "Schwalbe" ("Swallow"), type KR51/1, in their range.

Wednesday, December 15, 2010

Simson Schwalbe comeback


The Simson "Schwalbe", the pendant of the Italian Vespa of the former German Democratic Republic will have a comeback - not with it's 2-stroke engine but an electric motor. The electro moped, called "e-Schwalbe" will be launched on the market in summer 2011.

The original "Schwalbe" was built from 1964 - 1986 in Suhl, German Democratic Republic, and over 1 million mopeds were built. Waiting list for a "Schwalbe" was up to 5 years.
The beautiful "Schwalbe" has cult status in West and East Germany, where it is now as popular amongst enthusiasts as the VW Beetle and even more than the Piaggio Vespa