Month September 2021

Engines

Suzuki T500 (1968-1975). From Godenzoon to stunt price offer

The patriarch of the Suzuki T500 was the Suzuki Cobra, the T500 point 1. And the 500/FIVE was the warm-up for that. That the first-generation Suzuki 500 twins (with their 34mm Mikunis and carefree port timing) had massive gas mileage? Oh well: you only used such a thing to drive as fast as possible from gas station to gas station.

Articles

Daihatsu Charade. Trailblazer for four-stroke three-cylinder engine

Nowadays the choice of cars with a three-cylinder engine is extensive. Downsizing - with or without the help of a turbo engine - has been topical for several years. However, the three-cylinder four-stroke engine is not a phenomenon that has emerged as a fairly fresh development within the automotive industry. In the autumn of 1977, the Japanese Daihatsu launched the Charade, which was the first car in the world to have a three-cylinder four-stroke engine in the front.

Casual meetings

Fiat Dino Spider (1967) by Jan Wiebe Tolman. Distinction.

As a car company, Tolman Drachten has been a household name in the region for decades and has a strong position as a Toyota dealer (since 1983). But this story is more about the history (from 1956) of the Fiat, Alfa and Lancia dealership.

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Then and Now – column

We last saw each other only about fifteen years ago: the extremely amiable and skilled Mang Yuan as Mister Yamaha showed at that time that there were also good managers. He had been a genetic motorcyclist and for years Yamaha's PR man in the Netherlands and then did the accessories and parts and the project development for the brand with the crossed tuning forks.

Articles

Opel. The swinging sixties

Olympia, Olympia-Rekord, Kapitan, Blitz. In the 50s, the range of the American-German manufacturer Opel was solid, affordable, voluminous and ... bourgeois. “Opel, that Zuverlässige.” The reliable. The word "sporty" was not in the vocabulary. Beautiful coupes and roaring exhausts was something for loose-minded Italians or eccentric British. But that would soon change.

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Joost Woesthoff is a motorcycle wrecker – column

The local motorcycle salvage is a place of pilgrimage. Joost has lots, lots and lots of Japanese stuff. From 1970. And recently a BMW. A Genuine R65 TIC. But that was a funny mistake. Just like the Ducati Paso that once stood in a corner blushing and shy.

Casual meetings

Austin A30: Unique in shape and design

Sometimes you have a chance encounter where the owner is excited to show his 'small classic car' to others. He wanted to reveal that he was a great enthusiast of small classic cars such as the Italian bambinos (Fiat/Autobianchi) and English saloons such as this Austin A30. However, we were not told the story behind the car and that is why we thought it would be fun to delve into the (advertising) past of this 'everyman's' car.

Articles, reports

Peugeot 203A and Mille Miglia 2021. A report from thousands in AMK 10-2021

Dreaming and making dreams come true. Buby den Heeten and Joost Bindels did this in June 2021. They drove the Mille Miglia with the 203 Peugeot 1951A. Ellis Blase from Peugeot Netherlands put us in touch with the Dutch team.…

Articles, Things worth knowing

Peugeot 504 Saloon in Europe

In 1968 Peugeot showed the 504 to the world. It immediately became Car of the Year. The refreshing design was one of the decisive factors for the honorary title. The independent suspension and disc brakes all round also played an important role in the selection of this beautiful mid-sized car, which had a long European career. From 1968 to 1983 it was available on our continent as a Peugeot 504 Berline.

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Resuscitation with obstacles – column

Owning a BMW GS does not make the owner an accomplished motorcyclist. But the man we overtook was driving like a wet rag. When we had a nicotine stop a few kilometers further – you have to nurture your addictions – the BMW limped into the parking lot and came to an embarrassing clumsy stop. Then to fall. We knew that BMW drivers have their traditions, but this was new to us. So we went to have a look.