This page is dedicated not only to motorcycles, but also to cars, better to say all motorized vehicles. It is amazing, how many vehicles one ownes during a lifetime!
My first motorized vehicle after WW2 was a reinforced Victoria bicycle with a 50 ccm "sideboard" 2-stroke motor and a small tank under the baggage holder. The longest voyage I made with this first "motorcycle"was from Eislingen/Fils to Stuttgart, aprox 40 quilometers, just to attend a concert. I was sixteen years old.
The next motorcycle was my father's one, which was discovered in a farmers barn and changed against a swiss wrist watch, very precious that days. The motorcycle, a NSU 1929, was totally worn out, inoperable and a challenge to my fathers engineering and restauration abilities. When it finally worked I used it very seldom to go to school in order to avoid envy, because there were not many motorcycles on the streets that days.
1951 Victoria Moped
1929 NSU 251 T, restaured 1950
(foto taken from the internet)
Going back in history to May 1945. This car, a Hansa 1100, saved our lives, when we had to flee from the russian Red Army, leaving everything behind in Bad Teplitz-Schoenau, actual Czech Republic
(foto taken from the internet)
When I went to university in Hannover1953 I had an old military bicycle, built together from 3 other scrap bicycles. Imagine that they stole my dear bicycle, with which I had crossed Germany from South to North. On the other hand this was the start of my real motorization. I bought a blue used NSU Lambretta with an advanced electric starter, which did not work in winter or any low temperatures. But with this Lambretta I went from Hannover till Paris where I tried to study at the Sorbonne. This was a dream and failed because of my inexistent french. Soon I was back in Hannover.
NSU Lambretta
(foto taken from the internet)
In the meantime the german motorcycle industry had advanced very much and I was keen about a new more powerful scooter, because the Lambretta made barely 70 km/h on the Autobahn, a constant fight with the also slow trucks. My choice fell on a Heinkel Tourist, 175 ccm, red, beautiful, powerful and very comfortable. With this scooter I repeated my Paris voyage a second time, this time from Dusseldorf to Paris. The Heinkel Tourists have till today a strong old-timer association and are dealed at high prices.
My red Heinkel
Germany can have very cold winters and I catched the typical motorcyclist molestia, a kidney inflammation. My doctor forbid me to ride any motorcycle and here is where started my car career. The first car was a french-blue used Renault 4CV with 21 Horsepower and I loaded it with all the girl friends of my friends and went again to Paris in the company of my friend Hugo with his cabrio Fiat Topolino.(not shown here)
1956 My friend Ekkehard and the 4 CV
1957 The 4 CV at the Notre Dame, Paris
1958 My reseda-green Dauphine with my father and the poodle Cheri at the Cuxhafen harbor
1959 The green Dauphine near Chateaux Thierry, France
1961- I transferred my white "french" Dauphine to Brazil and to my surprise Brazil was full with brazilian made Dauphines. Here you see it at he Recreio dos Bandeirantes beach, Rio de Janeiro
1961 The french Dauphine with Marita and Basko at the Recreio dos Bandeirantes, Rio de Janeiro
1965 The Swiss Intermezzo, our bahama blue Volkswagen 1500
1987 Gurgel Xavante and "China"
1988 Then followed various brazilian Volkswagens, here a red Gol
1982 FBM with son Markus
1988 Gurgel Carajas, full fiber glass plastic
1993 This is somewhat different, an industrial adventure, which failed. The Eurotraktor in Munich with brazilian components
1993 The Eurotraktor with my friend and technical developper Franz
1994 another GRP car, the off-road Tanger
1994 Tanger
1995 off-roader Lada Niva
1995 Lada Niva in the mountains of Macaé de Cima
2006 JPX in the mountains
JPX in Rio de Janeiro
Hyosung Aquila 250, in Brazil called Kasinski Mirage
(foto taken from the leaflet)
Dafra (Sym) Citycom 300i