Oldtimer

... is a so-called false friend. This is what Germans call their vintage cars.

The other day just at the corner on a neighboring street, I saw it parked: a vintage Beetle from 1959. Why do I know the year?

I still remember one of the Volkswagen slogans at that time: Blinker statt Winker, i.e., from August 1, 1960, Volkswagen replaced the traditional VW semaphore turn signals with conventional flashing directional indicator lamps.

The Beetle on the right could have been my car (©VW Oldtimerfreunde)

If you watch the vintage car closely, you notice that a chromium piece covers the slot of the original semaphore. The owner has replaced the turn signal with a flashing directional light integrated into the small red taillight. However, when the rear light is flashing, it is difficult to distinguish between intermittent braking and a change of direction.

 (©VW Oldtimerfreunde)

Subsequently, in 1961, Volkwagen modified the taillight into a two-chamber system: orange indicating a change in direction and bright red when the brakes are in action.

Red Baron bought his first car in December 1960, a brand new red (what else?) Beetle dashing out about 2000 euros.

Here is the rear of Red Baron's 1960 Beetle, proving that the rear bumper of the Freiburg vintage car is not an original part.

The photo was taken in 1962. That year, I worked on my thesis at an institute located in a suburb of Munich. Note that I kept my Hamburg license plates (Hansestadt Hamburg) while residing in Munich.

In the backyard of his lab, Red Baron in a white lab coat is replacing those dangerous taillights. I bought the new casings and refitted them.

Another Volkswagen slogan that impressed me in December 1960 was: Vier PS mehr (Four more hp). On August 1, 1960, VW increased the power of its 1200 ccm air-cooled engine from 30 hp (22 kW) to 34 hp (25 kW). 

My Indian-red Beetle had a Schiebedach (translated as a ragtop, but better described as a folding roof).

Near Primošten, Yugoslavia, on our honeymoon trip. Elisabeth, looking at the photographer, is standing in the car. Sorry, but in the 1960s, most photos taken in Germany were black-and-white. 

Looking for the red color of my Beetle, I found the above car offered for 23,000 euros on eBay. It has the original taillights, bumpers, and folding roof, but the tires are incorrect, and the car's color is only approximate. The red in the photo with the flashing directional indicator lamps shown above comes closer. Indian-red Beetles were only produced in the period 1960/61. 

 There was a third slogan about the Beetle I remember well: Er läuft und läuft und läuft ... (It runs and runs and runs ...). I never had a major breakdown or was stranded with my Beetle in the middle of nowhere. But I also experienced the slogan's spoof: Er säuft und säuft und säuft ... (It heavily drinks and drinks and drinks ...). My Beetle was a boozer.

Every Monday, when I entered my lab in Munich, a gloating colleague had already his slide rule* out, declaring, "My Beetle was a piggy bank again, only 7.6 liters (of gas per 100 km)." This corresponds to a range of 31 miles per gallon, while my car never made it above 22. My colleague had the previous 22 kW engine while I had the famous 3 kW more and the well-known gas-guzzler. 

*There were no pocket calculators in 1961

 The car I drive nowadays is from 2009, with a power of 215 kW and a range of 23 miles per gallon or better, manifesting technical progress in 50 years.

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