Globe Trotting

For many of us who are into vintage iron, there is a deep interest in brands and machines that we have no interest in owning. If we like one particular marque, then there is usually an interest in one or two others that we may never have owned or have any desire to in the future. For some strange reason though, we have accumulated a level of knowledge about these other brands or vehicles. For me it is French cars. Perhaps it is because I have never owned one that there is such interest as I have owned vehicles from many countries ear to France. Countries such as England, Italy, Germany of course, and Sweden, but nothing from the country which founded motor racing.

This makes Carlisle's annual import show an anticipated event, as you can see all of these nationalities and more in one place. It is also one Of a few events of the year where Saab may outnumber BMWs, or where Opels may outnumber MGBs. By the way, what is the plural of Saab? It seems like one of those words where the plural should be the same as the singular ie: I have 9 Saab. But I digress.....the French section is a mixture of Citroen, Peugeot, and Renault. Perhaps because of the multiple Citroen DS present, it feels like there is an air of sophistication surrounding the ownership of French cars. Not in a snobbish way, it's just that there are no ratty unfinished French cars at any event where I have seen them present. Even the common man's 2CV is usually well preserved or restored. They seem much more like Jaguar or Mercedes.

Speaking of Jaguar and Mercedes, both were well represented on the showfield. Mercedes W109 models and Jaguar E-Type were particularly plentiful. The aforementioned Opel is another reason that this show is a delight. While the Opel GT is most abundant, this is the place to see multiple generations of Rekord, many Mantas (Manti?), Asconas, and more. This is another favorite section of the showfield. Favorite section #3 is the for sale corral. Just for variety it cannot be beat. A fully surface-rusted beetle, a Triumph TR4, a BMW 2002, a Cobra kit car, a Jaguar E-Type, a Mercedes SL, a Subaru Microcar, a Porsche 356 Replica, a Volvo PV44, etc. the prices were just as varied as the machines from the ridiculous to the great deal.

I have not even touched on the growing Datsun/Nissan presence, the Rovers, or the Volvo wagon brigade. This is the beauty of the event, you can walk across the globe and sample vintage vehicles. But be warned, globe trotting can be very time-consuming, and does not lend itself to a rigid schedule. You could get stuck in Sweden drinking vodka with the natives as the sky grows dark.....

The Gathering of the Clans

This year once again, the date for the annual gathering of the Nortons was moved back such that it was not the first big motorcycle event in these parts. That mattered little, as it is still the best early season event, and one of the best of the entire year. A combination of factors make it so. First of all, it is an early outing following the great winter hibernation in these northern climes. Like Bears awakening with a ravenous appetite, the first meal tastes awfully good, and you want to eat your fill.

Second, there is good riding immediately surrounding the venue. East into western New Jersey, North into northern Bucks county, and west into western Bucks county, all present some great B and C roads. Even if there was no event, you would still have hours of great riding. You can add to that the historic attraction of Washington's Crossing, and the cool artist colony towns of New Hope and Lambertville straddling the Delaware river. Not a bad use of a Sunday.

Third, you can reunite with the clan. This event really brings out the brigades and the armadas and the gaggles and the broods of vintage bike devotees. If you love your Laverdas, or you adore your Agustas, or you are thrilled with your Thruxtons, or you urinate on your Urals (sorry), or you are bonkers for BMWs, or you are amorous with your Ascots, then this is the event to gather a few like-minded individuals and show everyone else the depths of your depravity, uuhhhhmm I mean love. This is also the event to unveil your winter's work, or to show this summer's project (which will turn into next winter's work). See the slideshow below or click here for more pictures.

Fourth, you can shop. This is not a swap meet, so it is a great place to look for a fully assembled running motorcycle. Chances are, you can also see a few other examples for reference as well. It is an informed marketplace as well. Chances are, there is a guru somewhere nearby to educate you on the finer points of the potential purchase, or to whisper "Run, Forest, run away...".

Which brings us to the final reason. The event itself. Hosted by the Delaware Valley Norton Riders, another attendance record was broken with somewhere north of 900 motorcycles showing up, with around 75 Nortons !! That may be close to every running Norton within a few hundred miles ;-) There were only a handful of trailers, and they were for non-street-legal race bikes, like the lovely red Vincent. You can stroll around for hours hearing comments like "I had one of those" or "what a beautiful example..." or "why would you do that to a...." or "that's my old..." or "I want to party with this guy..." My most frequent comment was "I want one of those..."

Type 14

Volkswagen Karmann Ghia was the dream of designer and builder Wilhelm Karmann. He had built the Volkswagen beetle cabriolet, and wanted to design a unique and stylish body for the VW beetle chassis. Wilhelm and his son, also called Wilhelm, approached Heinz Nordhoff in 1950 about the idea of a cabriolet sports car on the beetle chassis, but reportedly did not get much interest. Volkswagen was producing all the beetles that they could make, and a new car with a questionable future didn't make much sense. Karmann persisted, and eventually Nordhoff agreed to allow designs to be submitted to Wolfsburg. They were rebuffed there as well. Refusing to accept defeat, Karmann eventually made an Italian connection which made all of the difference.

Luigi Segre was Director at Carozzeria Ghia. After listening to Karmann's idea at the Turin show, he arranged to get a VW beetle from a connection in France. And here is where the story starts to get a little bit mysterious and bizarre. The origin of the design of the Karmann Ghia is disputed in many circles even today, but it is clear that there were a number of connections which must have had some influence. Major design duties were handed to a relatively new designer at Ghia who is said to have introduced some novel rounded and swoopy lines. Then, the French connection, Charles LaDouche, was involved with the production of a car called the Coupe D'Elegance, which was being produced by Ghia, and which predates The Karmann discussions, but which has some resemblance to The final Karmann Ghia. Lastly, LaDouche was a Chrysler agent in France, and both he, and Luigi Segre had prior conversations and idea discussions with Virgil Exner in the US. Exner was head of exterior design for Chrysler, but was famous for the Studebaker Champion styling. Many believe that the car looks a lot like a mini Studebaker. The nose has a dose of Porsche with the nacelles and the nostrils. Lastly, there was a significant and perhaps unprecedented level of secrecy that was maintained around the project. Not just in keeping things from Volkswagen, as Ghia seem to have gone out of their way to keep Karmann away from Turin where the Coupe D'Elegance was being built. Parts of models and prototype cars were shipped around locations in Europe and hidden from notice while development was taking place.

In 1952, Wilheim senior died, but his son continued to bring the dream to fruition. After a lot of back and forth, and detail design by Karmann, the Coupe project was shown to Nordhoff in November 1953. He agreed to produce it, and the beetle chassis was widened and strengthened at the longitudinals to adapt to the new body style. This provided a very different interior than the beetle, and combined with a lower overall profile to accentuate the sports car styling. A front anti-roll bar improved handling, and the more powerful 1192 cc motor combined with a four speed synchromesh gearbox to provide some enhanced performance. The Ghia had a top speed of 77mph (compared to the Beetle's 66mph). The end result was that Volkswagen Type 143 was deemed to be the most beautiful Volkswagen ever produced. It was to be built at the Karmann factory in Osnabruck beginning in 1955. Because the Karmann factory did not have the large-scale mass production capabilities of the Volkswagen plant, many of the Karmann Ghia panels were in fact constructed from smaller component pieces and then put together. A number of interesting ideas such as the over-centered hinge, were employed as a result of working through production challenges.

Another twist developed at launch. Volkswagen was producing DKWs at full capacity, and had no place to store the new Ghia around the original launch date. The solution was to move the launch date forward, and ship cars directly to dealers. Brilliant ! Despite its looks and pretentions, the Volkswagen Karmann Ghia was no sports car. The early reviews pointed that out, and sales were initially slow. However, to a customer moving up from a Beetle, the car was indeed a lot more sporting. Sales grew rapidly, and eventually out-stripped production by 1956. This was true even in the US, where there was little to no initial advertising. A cabriolet followed in 1957, and the car went on to great success in the US and of course in Europe, selling over 400,000 units.

Oley is Original

There is something special about the state of Pennsylvania that causes it to be a Mecca for gearheads. It is not Southern California or Florida which are blessed with climates that allow for year-round indulgence. It is not particularly blessed with famous racetracks or national museums. Yet somehow, it is replete with destinations for gearhead events throughout the driving and riding season that are nationally known and loved. And the venues are not typically the large cities and towns within the state. They are locations like Carlisle and Lewisberry and Hershey and Oley.

Ahhh Oley. Population 1,282. Site of the annual Antique Motorcycle Club of America (AMCA) swap meet. There are other chapters and meets in Pennsylvania (Neshaminy, and Western Alleghany). There are chapters of AMCA across the country, but for some reason, Oley has grown to proportions that make it more of a regional event. AMCA is about originality, and their shows are judged according to the way the motorcycle would have left the factory rather than judging against other machines. Perhaps it is fitting then that the swap meet and vendor area are mostly about original, unrestored, and survivor parts and motorcycles. This is not the place to come looking for aftermarket goodies or even reproduction parts. This is the place to find the floorboards for your Excelsior Henderson.

Although Harley-Davidson may be the most prevalent marque there are plenty of other brands around. Indian, Excelsior, BMW, Honda, BSA, Triumph, etc. Oley Is nowhere near as large as vintage motorcycle days or the Barber vintage weekend, but what it lacks in size, it seems to make up for in character. This is the place to bring your strange creation or your ultra rare part, or your wildly altered vintage trike. Like other large vintage meets, it is also the place to show off your pit bike or some other unusual conveyance intended to get you around the swap meet. There are almost as many Briggs & Stratton motors at Oley as there are Harley knuckleheads. They are affixed to things never intended to be motorized in that manner, like a claw foot bathtub, or a Barbie Jeep.

Of course behind all of these creations and the vendor stalls and the rusty parts and the immaculate parts, are the people. Of course some just have a lot of time on their hands and welding tools around, but that is a caricature and there is a wide variation. When there are not several hundred stalls to peruse, you spend a bit more time paying attention to each. You notice that the Ural has a Kawasaki motor in it, or that the moped has an expensive flame paint job. You also talk to people. I bought some reflectors and learned more than I thought existed about the history of reflectors. I also learned why some Ural alternators are affectionately called "grenades". Of course you could get all of this from Google, or some online forum, but then you would miss the experience that is Oley.

Hooked on Hershey

On the annual calendar of events there are important events, and then there are must do events. The Hershey Porsche Swapmeet put on by the Central Pennsylvania PCA club is a must do event. It is billed as the largest Porsche Swapmeet in the country, and few would doubt that. In past years there have been over 1000 Porsches in attendance. It has become an international event with over 6000 visitors from all over the world. People fly in or drive-in from faraway parts. They stay the weekend and participate in events from Friday through the Sunday autocross. It has been covered in Classic Velocity before (see Hounds of the Basketweave or Hershey Pilgrimage 2010), but too much is not enough.

For me, however, it only involves a few hours of driving. I have not actually driven to Hershey in more than six years, as I am usually hauling parts or cars or driving something which can carry parts or cars back. The event can best be described as "A stimulant that crosses the blood–brain barrier and acts primarily upon the central nervous system where it affects brain function, resulting in alterations in perception, mood, consciousness, cognition, and behavior". Of course, this is also the definition of a Psychoactive drug. For most of the day on a Saturday in April, if you enter through the portal that is the parking lot outside of Hershey Park, the universe is altered, and revolves entirely around sports cars from Stuttgart Germany.

The only worthwhile news is that the funnel cakes are now available. The fortunate are those that find the part they are seeking. The unfortunate are those who strike out in this magical place of plenty. The hopeful got a lead on a rare part. Happiness is an undiscovered Porta Potty. The disappointed failed to find a less distorted door pocket than the one they already have. "Hey buddy, wanna buy some houndstooth?" The Euro is just a type of Porsche. Exotica is a pair of one year only elephant hide seats. There are crazy colors, dude, like a metallic teal 356, or an aubergine 911, or a canary yellow 914 with matching Fuchs, or a red on red 928. Like some kind of teutonic kaleidascope. Far out, man. You can like, travel through time from the 1950s to the present and back while only aging a few hours. Now its 1957, then its 2003, then its 1969. It's a trip dude. Cars are judged, not people. And those crazy sounds, four-cylinder air cooled goodness, to 10 cylinder shrieks. The joy of victory, the agony of defeat. 360 degrees of entertainment. Freaky deaky my brother.

There are not a lot of venues where multi six figure metallic perfection, and sheet metal that would be honored to be called Swiss cheese, are both welcome. The altered universe of the Hershey Swap Meet is such a place. Indulge. I guarantee you will be back for more.

Konig from Watercraft to Motocraft

In the 1960s Dieter Konig established a good reputation and a successful business in west Berlin based on building two-stroke engines for racing boats. The engine was a horizontally opposed water-cooled four cylinder two stroke. In 1969 Dieter decided to build a race bike, and spent most of that year ironing out initial teething problems. The motorcycle used German BVF carburetors to improve performance, but the main problem was cooling. It needed a bigger radiator. The team pressed on in 1970 and 1971, but continued to struggle with balancing a narrow profile, adequate cooling, and better performance.

The potential of the engine was the continuing source of optimism. The engine was already being used in the USA to power midget racers getting as much as 120 hp on alcohol. New Zealander Kim Newcombe joined the team, and major revisions were introduced prior to the 1972 season. Bore and stroke were changed, a four bearing crank, a change to Solex Carbs, and a new frame. The results were an impressive third (behind world champion Agostini and team mate Pagani) at the West German GP at the Nurburgring. They went on to claim 2 more third place finishes at the Sachsenring and the Yugoslav GP. The bike was also proving to be well-suited for sidecar use, with top five finishes in France, Austria, and at the Isle of Man. The Konigs went on to press the dominant BMWs hard, but development funding and a few mechanical failures kept them from challenging for the championship.

1973 was a good year for Konig. There was sidecar victory (dominance really, with 3 of the top six places being Konigs) in the opening round in France. There were consistent top finishes throughout the year, and the team of Schwarzel and Kleis finished second overall in the championship. The Konigs were often the fastest through the speed traps. On the solo GP circuits, Kim Newcombe was a consistent top five finisher, and finally captured victory for the marque at the Yugoslav GP. Tragically, Newcombe was killed at Silverstone with just one round to go. Despite this, he finished second in the championship, and clearly established the pinnacle of Konig's solo efforts. Konig seemed to decline from this point in terms of it's solo efforts and eventually ended works racing in 1975.

Sidecar success, however, continued with a strong season in 1974 where they finally lost to BMW in the very last round. BMW withdrew their team for 1975, and the combination of Steinhausen and Huber resulted in the elusive world championships for Konig. Steinhausen repeated his championship in 1976 establishing supremacy for the Konig outfits. However these championships were always overshadowed by the fact that BMW, their main rival for years, was not present with works efforts. Yamaha and Fath quickly rose to dominance the following year, and Konig's era faded in 1977.

New Old School

From new and concepts to new old school....