D-day is over

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Purchasing classics there

D-day is over. The 75th D-day is over. Just like all previous times, but on a larger scale. D-day was a kind of tsunami. And strange things happened in the run-up period.

D-day: Because you must have been there.

Because nowadays everything is an 'event' that must be 'experienced & lived'. And then? Then not only do a lot of people want to watch, but a lot also want to participate and be seen. For nearly as long as victory has been won, there have been people who have been concerned with honoring all that has happened for that peace. This includes many enthusiasts of old military equipment. And dress up as WWII soldiers? People had been doing that for years and years. Only it took a while before we saw them in SS uniform. While that is historically very correct.

The army stuff you saw was allied by definition for a long time

The Americans had completely outnumbered the opponents with their mega production of war equipment. For various reasons that were relevant at the time, you saw very little former German and Russian war equipment recently after the war. While those parties had also clearly manifested themselves in wartime. But there was only limited ambition to appear commemorative drives and things on a BMW or something. Things were scarce too.

And for Western Europeans, "Russia" was proclaimed by the Americans as the new enemy and "far from my bed." Until well after the sixties, there was little enthusiasm for participating in vehicles with Maltese crosses or swastikas. Let alone to show you in German army clothing. Russian machines were simply overlooked.

In the motorcycle field you could show yourself on BSAs and Harley 50 cc side valves. Those machines were massively made. And once they were rebuilt to civilian, they were later hoisted in their old coat. What came to army bicycles from other Allied countries? That was little and for gourmets. Most survivors live in museums. Take a look at the Motorworld site of Vyacheslav Sheyanov.

Now there are more veterans

In the meantime, the emotions have somewhat subsided and there is a historical awareness that more parties were participating in WWII. Germans. Japanese ... All those Russians. And they also had army motorcycles. The interest in those machines has grown. But due to the various historical circumstances, not much is left of it. A BMW Wehrmachtssspann or a Zündapp? Consider amounts exceeding € 70.000. Through various dealers we were asked if we knew someone who could deliver a perfect BMW R12 within a week. Someone had immediately decided to do 'D-day on such a machine. He did it. He ticked two tons ... And let the machine fly into his private plane. Have too much money let people do crazy things.

A kind of 'day prices'

The asking prices of Liberators rose in the year for the 75th D-day 5000 dollar. British veterans on two wheels were suddenly also clearly more wanted. But 350 cc DKWs with their cartoons made of cast iron made of cast iron remained reasonably affordable. The prices of the Russian M72 sidecars also increased. And that is historically justified. At first, those machines only had value because they were put in German army paint and BMW received emblems. After all, they were just counterfeit BMW R71s. Handy for re-enactment. Yet? But in the meantime there has been a growing awareness that an original M72 has just as much value as a Liberator. Such a Russian is as good as a Harley or better. He fought on the right side, is tough, the parts supply is almost perfect and affordable. And driving a sidecar for just half of a third of the price of a Liberator also appeals to people.

In terms of pricing, life in classic country is of course a strange thing. An American trader adjusted his - very high - asking prices to the new reality in a stylish way: “We won D-day. Son now our WLAs are cheaper! ”

D-day
The Rikuo from the Vyacheslav Sheyanov collection
D-day
Found on Moldavian camping

D-day

Found in France

D-day
Another recent French find
D-day
Not even Dnepr. Just a Nepper
D-day
The correctly restored M72 of Richard Busweiler

 

 

 

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2 comments

  1. In the past it was already customary to show your skills, especially if you proved better than the rest; the draftsman of the most beautiful cave drawing undoubtedly got the daughter of the tribal chief, and showed it off in society.
    This "Kijkmijeens" virus has spread widely among mankind, thanks to contemporary technologies.
    Closely related variants such as “selfies” have already surfaced and are unfortunately socially accepted.
    At every grand upcoming event, people make all kinds of attempts to keep this "watch me" virus out, but cunning traders cleverly anticipate it; required objects shoot up in terms of price ... and usually fall drastically afterwards ... which suits the trader very well.

    • Hello Pascal. It's just like that. 25 years ago I bought two neat M72s for 500 guilders. In 1961 Ernie's father bought a WLA for 110 guilders. A comrade's grandfather won a Talbot Lago by betting with a local notable. He was a blacksmith. Somewhere along the path of things, everything has its absolute bottom price. Then you can make the purchase of your life. Or else? Then we muddle on with the realization that you can dance anyway, even if it is not with the bride. could count and greet in Japanese)

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