German

The pool of original cars continues to shrink, thanks to fires, floods, rust, and kids with a hankering to build a sand rail   {vsig}2009-2_2282{/vsig} The Volkswagen Beetle sedan inspired unusual loyalty and enthusiasm based on its practicality, reliability, adaptability, and affordability. Originally conceived by Dr. Ferdinand Porsche in the earliest days of his consulting…

Though the 853 bears an uncanny resemblance to the legendary Mercedes-Benz 540K, and has a similar output, values lag behind the better-known car Horch is one of the four companies that merged to form Auto Union, from which the present-day Audi descends. After training as a blacksmith and qualifying as an engineer, August Horch set…

Considerable care is necessary on steep slopes. The driver is flanked by the tracks and sits ahead of the engine; he’s not likely to escape if the vehicle flips {vsig}2008-12_2262{/vsig} The Kettenkrad was typical of vehicles designed and manufactured for the German Wehrmacht during WWII-innovative, well made, and generally superior to equipment used by their…

Stories abound that McQueen did everything he could to use the car as it was intended, and in that way, I imagine he had great fun with it {vsig}2008-11_2250{/vsig} In 1976, Porsche unveiled what was to be the first production 911 Turbo, known internally as a 930 and externally as the Turbo Carrera. Their success…

At about $10,000 below the auction company’s low estimate and a titanic $145,000 below the 2005 list price, those 4,500 miles were dear indeed {vsig}2008-10_2236{/vsig} The Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren revives the glorious tradition of the 300SLR and marks the reawakening of Mercedes-Benz’s passion for super sports cars. It is a passion that can be traced…

At its launch, the 300SL cost more than twice the price of a Jaguar XK 140. Today, it’s worth about four times as much Mercedes-Benz returned to postwar competition in 1952, fielding two of its new 300SL (W194) sports cars in the Mille Miglia. The pair finished a creditable 2nd and 4th overall in this…

Mercedes-Benz returned to postwar competition in 1952, fielding two of its new 300SL (W194) sports cars in the Mille Miglia. The pair finished a creditable 2nd and 4th overall in this most difficult of events, and the promising start was followed up by a win in the challenging La Carrera Panamericana. The Works first raced…

Schwimmwagen owners seem to be an enthusiastic crowd, often seen in the company of drastically less hip Amphicars Porsche’s Type 60 (the Volkswagen prototype), with its strong backbone chassis and air-cooled engine, had been recognized as an ideal basis for the German army’s proposed Kübelwagen (“bucket car”)-a lightweight, open utility vehicle. A small number of…

Stuttgart’s choice of pre-WWII, 540K designer Hermann Ahrens masked brilliant new engineering with an image of the past {vsig}2008-7_2198{/vsig} More expensive than the 300SL sports car and almost double the price of a contemporary Cadillac, the Mercedes-Benz 300S was one of the world’s most exclusive automobiles. Elegantly styled in the prewar manner, yet technologically up…

The most distressing point is that the whereabouts of any original parts from chassis 1316 do not appear to be known {vsig}2009-12_2395{/vsig} Porsche revived the Carrera name for its top-of-the-range 911 in 1972-73. Designated Carrera RS (Rennsport), the newcomer was intended as a limited-edition “homologation special” to enable the factory to enter Group 4 competition…