This blog will expand on themes and topics first mentioned in my book, "The Automobile and American Life." I hope to comment on recent developments in the automobile industry, reviews of my readings on the history of the automobile, drafts of my new work, contributions from friends, descriptions of the museums and car shows I attend and anything else relevant. Copyright 2009-2020, by the author.
There are few cars that become movie stars in their own right. One is the Highland Green 1968 Ford Mustang GT fastback that Steve McQueen drove in "Bullitt."
The other is the yellow Rolls-Royce that Robert Redford drove in the 1974 movie, "The Great Gatsby." In fact, it's one of just a handful of cars to make the cover of Newsweek and GQ magazines.
"The car is super rare," said Harry Clark, founder of Classic Promenade in Phoenix. "It was a star component, not unlike the 'Bullitt' Mustang, in the film. The difference is, with the 'Bullitt' Mustang they made two. This car is the only one.”
Now the car, a 1928 Rolls-Royce 40/50 HP Phantom I Ascot Dual Cowl Sport Phaeton, could be yours.
Classic Promenade Auctions will hold an online-only auction of 30 high-end collector cars and motorcycles, the Gatsby Rolls-Royce being one of them. This “virtual” auction starts in early September; the Gatsby Rolls-Royce goes up for auction October 12-25.
'Simple millionaire to billionaire'
Until then, the car is in the Classic Promenade's showroom in Phoenix where two people have already tried to buy it, Clark said. He told them they have wait for the auction, which is sure to be a zinger. The published auction price is $1.5 million to $2 million.“Analogous to the 'Bullitt' Mustang, we think if three or four buyers want it — and we think they will — it’s up to them to determine how much they bid, but we think it’ll be a lot of money,” Clark said. “The 'Bullitt' Mustang sold for $3.7 million, but the car was worth $20,000. This car is worth a whole bunch more just as a car. Then, Robert Redford in the 'Great Gatsby' takes it to a whole new level.”
But hitting the upper end of Clark's range is unlikely, said John Wiley, manager of valuation analytics at Hagerty, a Traverse City-based company that specializes in collector car insurance and valuations.
"Hitting the high end of that estimate would make this the most expensive Phantom I ever sold at auction," Wiley said.
The current record is $1.98 million, set at Gooding & Company’s 2013 Amelia Island auction, Wiley said.
Mercedes-Benz model series 124, stroke-controlled single-arm panoramic wiper.
1 – Clear view: The windscreen puts an end to air blowing directly at the occupants. But the next challenge is not far away; when it rains, for instance. For that is when drops cloud the driver’s view. This is, of course, a safety hazard. Help was already at hand as early as 1903: on 10 November 1903 the American Mary Anderson received US Patent No. 743.801A for her “window cleaning device”.
2 – Clear Construction: The first windscreen wiper in the world had wooden arms with rubber lips attached to them. The arms revolved around an attachment point. They were also ingeniously powered: there was a lever in the driver’s reach. When the lever was pulled, a spring was tensioned, and this then allowed the wiper to glide across the pane.
3 – Inspiration: Anderson got her inspiration for this idea during a journey by tram through New York in winter. She observed that snow on the glass prevented the driver from gaining a direct view of the road. As was usual back then, the driver lifted up part of the pane for a clear view – letting cold and wind into the tram. The windscreen wiper was the solution to this problem.
4 – Pioneer: Anderson hit the bullseye with her invention – but she was premature. She tried to market the innovation for comfort and safety, but not a single vehicle manufacturer included the windscreen wiper in series vehicles. It was not until the patent protection expired that it gained acceptance from the 1920s onwards.
5 – Variants: Other inventors also devoted their efforts to achieving a clearer view. For example, in 1908 Prince Heinrich of Prussia, a passionate motorist and brother of German Emperor Wilhelm II., invented the “Henrici screen cleaner”, a fabric-covered “wiper ruler”. It was fastened at the upper edge of the pane and was moved by hand – which only worked with open-top vehicles. This meant that you got wet but at least you could see clearly.
6 – Development: Over the decades the windscreen wiper was repeatedly improved. Electric motors power the wipers, higher driving speeds call for improved designs, electronics and sensors control the wiping, rubber lips no longer freeze, windscreen-cleaning wiper water is heated and put on the glass in an ever more targeted manner: numerous innovations accompany this part of the history of technology, and many come from Mercedes-Benz.
7 – Everything for a clear view: The retractable windscreen wiper for better pedestrian protection is revolutionary. It was invented by safety engineer Béla Barényi in 1951. In 1970 the research vehicle C 111-II was the first to be given a single-arm wiper. In 1982 it was used as standard equipment in the “Baby-Benz” (model series W 201), albeit significantly modified: sophisticated kinematics even brought the arm into the upper corners for a very large wiper area.
8 – Sight and light: There are windscreen wipers for headlamps as well as for the windscreen. In conjunction with a wiper washer nozzle for cleaning the lenses, they are found, for example, in the model series 116 S-Class or in the 107 model series SL/SLC. For good vision also extends to the lights.
One of the highpoint in American automotive history -- the 1955 Cadillac. Image taken from the digital collections of American Memory, Library of Congress. I can't think of a better car made in 1955 anywhere in the world.
Digital ID: (color corrected film copy slide) thc 5a50517 https://hdl.loc.gov/loc.pnp/thc.5a50517
Reproduction Number: LC-H8-CT-C02-022 (color corrected film copy slide)
Repository: Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division Washington, D.C. 20540 USA
Classic, if well-worn, 1955 Chevrolet in a field near Taylor, Mississippi
Digital ID: (original digital file) highsm 47070 http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.pnp/highsm.47070
Reproduction Number: LC-DIG-highsm-47070 (original digital file)
I have found the Carol Highsmith collection at the Library of Congress to be very valuable when chronicling the automobile and American life. The 1955 Chevy marked a decided transition in Automotive History, as significant as the Ford flathead V-8 during the 1930s and its influence on the common person. One of the most important cars in American history!
The testers from Auto Bild were impressed. In around 22 minutes, they were able to charge the almost empty battery of a Porsche Taycan to 80 percent. A record that is almost obligatory in this segment because sporty drivers are not the types to wait for a charge. “For Porsche in particular, high charging performance plays a major role,” says Dr. Stefanie Edelberg, Engineer at Porsche Engineer-ing. “Sporty driving drains the battery faster, and the customer doesn't want to have to wait an hour to fully recharge it.”
“Especially for Porsche, high charging performance is key.”Dr. Stefanie Edelberg, Engineer
Drivers no longer have to. “Battery technology for cars works well in practice, including in terms of perfor-mance, charging and service life,” says Dirk Uwe Sauer, Professor of Electrochemical Energy Conversion and Storage System Technology at RWTH Aachen University.
Dr. Stefanie Edelberg works as an engineer at Porsche Engineering in the Electric and Hybrid Vehicle Concepts and Package department. The team deals with the design, packaging, and development of HV batteries.
“However, several extreme properties can-not be combined. You can't have everything at once.” Ultra-fast charging combined with a high energy density? That's not possible because the service life would suffer from this combination. Sauer is therefore skeptical about media reports about supposed miracle batteries, because usually a single parameter is optimized at the expense of others. “There will be no universal all-rounder battery,” he says.
Lithium-ion cells: high energy density
Energy storage systems for electric vehicles are getting better all the time, but lithium-ion cells will remain the technology of choice for the foreseeable future. This is because the high reactivity of lithium and the high energy density of the cells make it possible to store a relatively large amount of energy in a small space. They also boast good storability and robustness, which enables them to withstand around 2,000 charging cycles in an all-electric vehicle at a high depth of discharge before losing their utility. However, developers believe that they could last several times as long. Furthermore, lithium batteries do not have the memory effect that nickel-cadmium batteries suffer from. In the case of frequent par-tial discharges, they “remember” the typical energy requirement and adjust their capacity to it.
In addition, lithium-ion technology still offers a wealth of development opportunities in terms of cell chemistry and cell design. Energy density, for example, could benefit from this: according to researchers at the Fraunhofer Institute for Systems and Innovation Research (ISI), energy density has almost doubled over the past ten years in large-format lithium-ion battery cells for electric cars – to an average specific energy of 250 Wh/kg (or 500 Wh/l energy density). By 2030, energy density could increase by a factor of two.
Other properties of lithium-ion cells can also be further improved. “The biggest challenges are fast charging and safety,” reports Prof. Dr. Stefano Passerini, Director of the Battery Electrochemistry Research Group at the Helmholtz Institute Ulm. “A quick charge to 80 percent in 15 minutes or less would make electric vehicles even more attractive. However, the safety requirements also rise in con-junction with rapid charging.”
The capacity and performance of the battery diminish with each excessively fast charge
Rapid charging is a challenge because lithium atoms migrate into the carbon crystals of the electrode during charging. When discharging, they are retrieved from there. “The faster the battery is charged, the greater the risk that the charge carriers will stick to the surface of the crystals, forming a metallic layer and thus damaging the cell,” explains Sauer. So capacity and power diminish with each rapid charge. In extreme cases a short circuit can occur. “Unfortunately, it is not easy to say what ‘too fast’ means exactly,” says Sauer. “Intensive research into ways of detecting this in the laboratory, and above all in the vehicle itself, is under way in many places."
Charging and discharging a lithium-ion battery: in lithium-ion batteries, the negative electrode (usually made of graphite) and the positive electrode (usually made of transition metal layer oxides) are divided by a separator. Positively charged lithium ions can freely pass through it in both directions. When discharging, electrons flow from the anode via the outer circuit to the cathode, while simultaneously positively charged lithium ions also go through the separator and migrate into the cathode structure. During charging, an external voltage drives the lithium ions back in the direction of the negative electrode. Lithium is particularly well suited for batteries because the lightest metal in the periodic table is very keen to give up one of its three electrons. At the same time, their high reactivity also results in lithium atoms easily forming chemical bonds. To prevent this, they must be protected from air and water inside the battery.
Other technological hurdles also await the developers: The charging plugs, charging cables, and the vehicle infrastructure must also be designed for the high currents. The motto here is “amperes are heavy.” In other words: high currents mean thick cables and therefore weight. However, this can be compensated through a higher-voltage battery system. That's why the Porsche Taycan was equipped with a high-voltage battery system of 800 volts instead of the 400 volts common in electric cars.
Prof. Dr. Stefano Passerini is Director of the Battery Electrochemistry Research Group at the Helmholtz Institute Ulm (HIU). His team studies batteries as well as the sustainable use of resources, the environment, and the economy.
In order to compare the charging times of electric vehicles with different battery capacities, the C-rate (C stands for “capacity”) is a useful metric. It indicates the ratio of the charge or discharge current of an electrochemical cell in amperes (A) to the capacity of the cell in ampere-hours (Ah). A value of 1 means that complete recharging takes one hour. 2 stands for half an hour, 3 for 20 minutes.
The developers are aiming for a C rate of 10, which means about six minutes of charging time—similar to refueling. We are still a long way from that today. But in the FastCharge research project, Siemens, Phoenix Contact E-Mobility, and Porsche, among others, are working on improving the energy supply system for electric vehicles. The industrial consortium has already made great progress. A Porsche research vehicle with a battery capacity of around 90 kWh achieved a charging capacity of 400 kW, enabling charging times of less than three minutes for the first 100 kilometers of range. A complete charging process from 10 to 80 percent at the ultra-fast charging station took 15 minutes. C rates of 4 to 5 are therefore feasible. “The decisive factor was an innovative cooling system for the battery, the vehicle and the charging system,” Edelberg explains.
The solid state battery is expected to bring progress in terms of fast charging and safety. In this case, a polymer or ceramic is used instead of the liquid electrolyte. Since no liquid is used, the batteries become more compact, which allows their energy density to be increased significantly. At the same time, the cells are less flammable.
“We expect solid-state lithium-ion batteries to reduce safety problems because solid-state electrolytes are less susceptible to fire.”Prof. Dr. Stefano Passerini
“We expect solid-state lithium-ion batteries to reduce safety problems because solid-state electrolytes are less susceptible to fire,” says Passerini. Theoretically, it could also be charged faster. “But the practical feasibility has yet to be proven,” Passerini concludes.
Lightweight alternative: lithium sulfur
However, lithium will remain the basis – as well as with another variant, which is currently being intensively studied: lithium-sulfur batteries. In these cells, the cathode consists of a sulfur mesh that completely replaces the conventional grid structure of cobalt, manganese, and nickel. This makes the batteries significantly lighter than conventional energy storage devices. But at the moment they are also significantly more expensive, which is why they may be more suitable as an option for future air taxis. Their durability is still considered problematic.
Other technologies for increasing energy density that are currently being researched and could be launched now or in the years to come include electrode materials made of silicon-carbon composites, nickel-rich cathode materials, or high-voltage materials that enable cell voltages of around five volts. “Research in these areas is already closer to practical application,” says Sauer. Many other approaches, he noted however, were still in the field of basic research, such as sodium ions instead of lithium ions or metal-oxygen combinations.
Production capacities of lithium-ion batteries: Although China will continue to have the largest production capacities for lithium-ion batteries by some distance, Europe, and Germany in particular, are catching up. By the end of the decade, factories with an annual capacity of 413.5 GWh and 173 GWh, respectively, are slated to be in place.
Sauer sees one decisive question for all development avenues: costs. “In the end, the range of a vehicle is not limited by the weight of a battery, but by its price.” According to the consultants at Horváth & Partners, the price of lithium-ion batteries per kWh has fallen from 400 euros in 2013 to 107 euros in 2019, but the price decline will not continue at this pace due to increasing demand. This is mainly due to the raw materials: “Raw materials account for up to 75 percent of the cost of a battery,” says Sauer.
One thing is clear: in the next decade, lithium-ion batteries, with all their further enhancements, will remain the dominant technology. “Progress will be evolutionary, not revolutionary,” says Sauer. “I do not expect any great leaps forward as the limits of the laws of nature are already being probed as we speak.” Which isn’t necessarily a bad thing: “The characteristics of this technology are too good to be replaced by anything else. Electromobility is already working very well with what batteries can deliver today and the potential for further development in the coming years,” emphasizes Sauer.
In Brief
Today, lithium-ion batteries already offer long ranges and short charging times for electrically powered vehicles. But development still continues apace. New technologies such as solid state batteries and new electrode materials could further increase energy density in the future and further reduce charging times.
In retirement I have plenty of time to watch MeTV in the early morning, particularly asI am a big fan of"Perry Mason." Every day I see have to suffer through the Chris Berman and Ice-T Car Shield ads -- "Game over when your check engine light comes on!" The testimonials are very convincing, with engines, and transmissions replaced saving customers up to $6000. And those folks giving their experiences look like you and me -- the kind of people who atcha "free TV."
It sounded to good to be true. And you have to watch ME TV all day to get exposed to all the services that simply are too good to be true -- Social Security Medicare and Medicaid, Reverse Mortgages, Life insurance starting at $9.95. The latter claim, pitched by Alex Trebek, has the catchy line of Pirce, Price and Price -- the three Ps!
I understand that Car Shield is very friendly and easy to deal with as you sing up, but not so much when filing a claim. I won't get into details here, but let the BBB websiaedo the talking. See
480 km at Monza, April 29, 1990. Mauro Baldi (starting number 1) leads with a Mercedes-Benz group C racing sports car C11. The team Baldi/Schlesser win the race.
In 1990 the Sauber-Mercedes team won in eight out of nine races of the World Sportscar Championship in Group C. Jean-Louis Schlesser and Mauro Baldi won the drivers’ championship in the Mercedes-Benz Group C 11 sports car and became world champions. As in the previous year, Jochen Mass was runner-up. Sauber-Mercedes defended its title in the teams’ championship.
As they had already done in the first championship year with the Sauber-Mercedes C 9 in 1989 the German-Swiss team entered with a racing car painted silver. This return of the Silver Arrows to the circuit was down to the impetus of Professor Werner Niefer, who was the chairman of what was then Mercedes-Benz AG and deputy chairman of Daimler-Benz AG. It was on his initiative that the original dark blue racing cars were painted silver – just like their successful predecessors that had written racing history up until 1955.
Innovative technology: The C 11 is the logical progression of the successful C 9, which won the legendary 24-hour race in Le Mans in 1989. The Silver Arrow was also built at Sauber in Hinwil (Switzerland) under the management of head designer Leo Ress. It was the first time a carbon fibre chassis was used, which contributed towards the minimal kerb weight of 870 kilograms and also offered a high level of rigidity. The Mercedes-Benz engineers around Dr Hermann Hiereth optimised the Mercedes-Benz M 119 engine. The V8 turbo engine with four-valve-per-cylinder design had 4973 cubic centimetres of displacement and during the qualifying tuning generated up to 680 kW (924 hp) in the racing car. In normal racing conditions and with continuous stress it was 537 kW (730 hp). The drivers were inspired – they praised the drivability of the deep-rumbling eight-cylinder engine and the well-tempered handling of the C 11.
The Mercedes kids: For the 1990 World Sportscar Championship, Mercedes-Benz race director Jochen Neerpasch wanted the experienced drivers Jean-Louis Schlesser, Mauro Baldi and Jochen Mass to be accompanied by highly promising young drivers. The top three of the German Formula 3 Championship were chosen: Heinz-Harald Frentzen, Michael Schumacher and Karl Wendlinger. The youngsters were already impressing at the first test drives in Le Castellet at the end of 1989. Peter Sauber summed it up: “Frentzen was the fastest, Schumacher was hardly any slower, drove very consistently and was very interested in the technology even then. Wendlinger was the most cautious and really didn’t want to break anything.”
Successful races: In the 1990 seasons the three junior drivers started as partners with Jochen Mass. The pairings of Mass / Wendlinger and Mass / Schumacher each won a world championship race. All three young drivers had great careers ahead of them. Michael Schumacher won the Formula 1 World Championship seven times. Heinz-Harald Frentzen won three Grand Prix races and was the Formula 1 World Championship runner-up in 1997. Karl Wendlinger had his Formula 1 debut in 1993 with Sauber in Kyalami and today is an AMG Brand Ambassador and instructor at the AMG Driving Academy.
Mercedes-Benz racing driver Manfred von Brauchitsch, portrait from the 1930s.
Manfred von Brauchitsch after his victory at the International Avus race in Berlin on 22 May 1932 in a Mercedes-Benz SSKL with a streamlined body. Next to him are Mercedes-Benz racing manager Alfred Neubauer (right) and mechanic Willy Zimmer.
On 15 August 1905 Manfred von Brauchitsch, later to become a racing driver, was born in Hamburg. Initially he wanted to become an officer, but after a serious motorbike accident he was discharged as unfit for service by the army in 1927. In 1929 he began motor racing. His breakthrough followed in 1932 when with the Mercedes-Benz SSKL, featuring a pioneering streamlined body, he won the international Avus race in Berlin and even beat the great Rudolf Caracciola. This spectacular success provided the nobleman with a contract as a Mercedes-Benz works driver for the 1934 season.
Silver Arrow: In 2019, in the “125 years of Motorsport” anniversary year, Mercedes-Benz Classic rebuilt the SSKL streamlined racing car and assembled it with great authenticity to ensure it could be experienced – also on the track. Body, chassis and engine were produced as close to the original as possible in the complex project.
Master of many hundreds of horsepower: Manfred von Brauchitsch won many major races. In 1934 he won the international Eifelrennen race at Nürburgring on the race debut of the Mercedes-Benz W 25 and was victorious in both the 1937 Monaco (W 125) and 1938 French (W 154) Grands Prix. His driving style was spectacular, paying little attention to the state of the vehicle. Tyre damage and even accidents led to many failures or defeats. He was dogged by an image of notorious bad luck. Decades later the racing driver explained his motivation: “Of course it is nice to win. But it is glorious to sit in such a racing car, to command this complex machine and to be master of many hundreds of horsepower.”
Bon vivant: After the Second World War Manfred von Brauchitsch tried to make a comeback in motorsport, but he failed. In 1954, with the emphatic support of the government of the GDR, he emigrated to East Berlin where he found new popularity as a highly regarded peace activist and sports official. When it came to his somewhat unconventional life, he described himself as a “bon vivant”. His contact to Mercedes-Benz never fully broke off: for instance, in 1974 he was invited to attend the French Grand Prix as a guest, driving a demonstration lap at 280 km/h in the Mercedes-Benz W 154 dating back to 1939. In 1995, Manfred von Brauchitsch celebrated his 90th birthday at the Mercedes-Benz Museum in Stuttgart. He died at the age of 97 on 5 February 2003 in Gräfenwart, Schleiz.
While President Trump has urged his supporters not to buy Goodyear tires, oddly enough the President's custom limousine, known as the "Beast" rides on custom made Goodyear tires. Goodyear said in a 2009 statement that it is "the exclusive tire for the presidential limo and the standard tire of the US Secret Service."
Note that in the material below mention is made of how when Joe drives the car it brings back thoughts of loved ones now gone. This is one important reason why people buy, restore, and drive old cars. I once had my father's 1979 Malibu. Every time I got behind the wheel I thought of him. To this day I wish I had cousin Freddy's 1950 Oldsmobile Rocket 88 or 1964 GTO. Those gone seem to be in the car, as memories of what they once said or facial expressions become clear. You could call it rolling spiritualism.
Biden is the original owner of the car, which was a wedding gift from his father, who worked at a Chevrolet dealership. During his time as vice president, he often lamented that he wasn’t allowed to drive it due to security concerns.
In a new video, which appears to have been shot along the drive to his Wilmington, Del., estate, Biden says the car brings back memories of his father and his late son Beau.
“So I spent the winter finding the money,” Hummel recalls, “selling two other Porsches I had, and some rare parts and a bunch of motorcycles that I didn’t need. I really felt like I connected with this car. When an old Porsche still has that charm and personality you’ve got to go for it. It’s become such a rare thing to find because so many of them have been restored and lost their character.” This was not to be a straightforward purchase, however. The owner had bought the car back in 1964 and cherished it ever since. It was a member of the family, and not something he could easily part with.
A look inside the Pre-A Speedster's cockpit
“The owner was dragging his feet on it because it had been a significant part of his life and selling it was the end of an era,” Hummel explains with evident empathy. “And then something happened. He parked the Speedster behind his truck and forgot to set the brake, so as he got out it rolled into the back of the truck, denting the hood and braking a headlight. That’s when he called me and said “So, are you going to come and talk to me about the Speedster or what?” – he didn’t want his wife to know he’d dented it!”
Matt was back in Oregon within 48 hours and a deal was duly struck. He describes the Speedster as ‘an old shoe type of car’, weathered and worn but also familiar and comfortable. It has never undergone a full restoration, instead being carefully maintained with replacement parts and paint over the years, and at some point a colour change to the interior from its original red to black.
"Now I’m part of this Speedster’s log book and history."Matt Hummel
“I have all the documents and receipts from 1964, so everything the owner did he kept a record of. It’s a genuine 77,000-mile car, so it drives pretty nice and I’m very fortunate that he took such good care of it. Now I’m part of this Speedster’s log book and history. I’ve already started adding my receipts and it feels so good to be connected to a car that been so respected through the years.”
Anyone familiar with Hummel’s previous 356 projects will not be surprised to learn that he immediately began removing any replacement parts in a bid to return the Pre-A to its correct 1954 specification. “Over the years a lot of original parts had been changed out or upgraded – like reproduction taillights, a new shifter knob or ignition switch. So I’m changing everything back with unrestored factory parts that fit the overall image of the car. It feels like restoring a painting or something now, putting all the fine details back into it. I love doing it – returning an old Porsche to its original glory.”
Hummel has also put the car back onto its original 16-inch rims and correct cross-ply tyres. Future plans include some minor rust repairs to the chassis and, if he can find enough original red upholstery with the right degree of wear, a return to the correct interior specification. But the exterior will remain absolutely untouched, save the one repair to that all important dent.
“A lot of people see what I’m doing and want to help out,” Hummel says. “Some of them have even given me free parts to help bring the car back to absolute originality. The Porsche community is great for that – people are so helpful and supportive. I’m having so much fun working on it and it’s a blast to drive. I really value the experience and cherish the car so much that I actually look on owning it as a gift. It is an honour to take on this car and it’s going to be with me for a long time.”
Permit for the automotive pioneer: On 2 June 1888, the Mannheim district office in the Grand Duchy of Baden granted Carl Benz permission to “run test drives with the patent car he produced”
1 – Benz: Carl Benz, the inventor of the car, was probably the first ever person in history to be granted a driving licence – even if, back then, a document by this name had not even been developed yet. However, in as early as 1888, the Mannheim district office in the Grand Duchy of Baden granted him permission to “run test drives with the patent car he produced”.
2 – Worldwide: The German Empire officially introduced the driving licence as a certificate for “charioteers’ fitness to drive” in 1909. In the UK, the Motor Car Act, adopted in 1903, made ownership of a driving licence mandatory from 1 January 1904. In the US the first states introduced the licence in as early as 1903 and in France, where the car was popular particularly early on, driving licences were already a requirement in 1899. That first year saw the issuing of almost 1,800 driving licences in the Paris region alone. By the way, using horse and cart did not require a licence and the driving licence for horse-drawn carriages has only been mandatory in Germany since 2017.
3 – Lessons: Nowadays, you need to take lessons and get through a theoretical as well as a practical test before you get a driving licence. Those who pass the tests are handed the sought-after document, permitting holders to drive a car on public roads. This liberty has also been making the driving licence a ticket to adult life for more than 100 years. The history of driving schools goes back to the start of the 20th century. Among others, Mannheim-based vehicle mechanic and racing driver Jean Pfanz, an employee at Benz & Cie., established the first Benz driving school in 1904. The first German driving test was taken in 1904 in Prussia.
4 – Profession: For many people, the driving licence is the foundation for their profession: for instance, lorry drivers and taxi drivers, bus drivers and staff members at logistics companies. One of the “33 Extras” on display at the Mercedes-Benz Museum is a reminder of this in the form of the driving licence for chauffeur and Benz employee Josef Strassl, issued on 10 September 1910.
5 – Digital: Colloquial references in Germany for the driving licence originate from the old days when the permit used to be a grey or pink paper document. Ever since 1999 the driving licence has been a plastic card. However, digital versions have been gaining ground for some time. For instance, Estonia, Kosovo and, since autumn 2019, Norway have also been using driving licence apps.
6 – Sport: Anyone longing to experience their passion for motorsport first-hand needs a corresponding licence – a driving licence for racing drivers so to speak. Available categories range from novice to super licence for Formula 1. Nowadays, it takes a valid, standard driving licence to be able to race at the pinnacle of motorsport. Up to and including 2015 this was not mandatory.
7 – Future: In the foreseeable future we won’t be able to do without driving licences. However, when vehicles begin driving autonomously in the future, who will need a driving licence then? The vehicle owner or the vehicle?
I have been interested in art cars since watching the documentary "Wild Wheels." I included a brief discussion of them in the introduction of my The Automobile and American Life. Then last year I wrote an article on VW Beetles and art cars for "The Conversation." It would be picked up by a number of media outlets, including Newsweek Japan. But until now the presence of art cars at the Burning man events totally escaped me. How did that happen?
While my omission might have been due to my laxity its in keeping up with contemporary culture, it might also be the consequence of the extreme breadth of the topic of car culture. These Mutant Vehicles have to be approved by a committee before inclusion into the Burning Man event. Too bad no Burning Man in 2020! Each on of the following images -- and this topic has been widely covered by the media -- deserves some sort of commentary. I will try to do this the next few days, so you might want to check back.
So what does this vehicle tell us? It is a 1959 Chevrolet mounted on top of a tracked construction vehicle. The couple is not sitting together. While the man is manipulating the construction vehicle, the woman is sitting in the bak holding an umbrella. It suggests quite defined gender rilles: man as the controller, the woman as a passive, fashion-oriented individual. In 1959, we are at the threshold of the Interstate Highway System. Families are going in vacation, enjoying increased leisure, and yet at the same time are distancing from one another. Men and women and living in two distinct worlds, while physically being
together.
S
Passive and aggressive.
Some sort of God, perhaps? Not a friendly object. A crab claw. A fish with teeth? This bizarre biomimicry also conveys a sense of confusion, lack of integration and purpose. What do you think?
More biomimicry! Why all the sharks? Is the statement they are making one of danger and destruction? The car has plenty of teeth. So what! An exercise in bullshit.
