Friends' Gallery Picture of the Month - January 2019

[bob46320]

So its a full circle, BMW making modern Minis - Not that we need reminding of that

[Mike Costigan]

Hi Mike

What a great photo, how did it come your way?



Bill G

Sorry, I should have added an acknowledgement to Jeff Taylor, who submitted it to the Gallery back in November 2017 - 'found on the internet'.

[Chris Garner]

When BMW took over Austin Rover I wrote a letter to the London Times explaining both the history and the connection between the two.. and they printed it! I was really chuffed.

[jansens]

Ah, the modern Mini. The Germans might not have a sense of humour but do you think they understand irony?

I could do with one of those ramps like at the factory. I set up my brakes yesterday and with no engine in the car the only way to see if they approximately worked was to push it up the (very) slight incline on my driveway and let it roll down and see if it would stop!

Simon

[Mike Costigan]

Mike - what a terrific picture. I wish I had had it a few years ago when a BMW salesman who was trying to sell me a new BMW flatly denied that the car division was established by making A7s on licence from Austin - needless to say I took my business elsewhere!

Best regards for 2019

Stuart

I don't suppose he would have acknowledged BMW's debt to the Isetta bubble-car, either 

[Biddlecombe]

Mike - what a terrific picture. I wish I had had it a few years ago when a BMW salesman who was trying to sell me a new BMW flatly denied that the car division was established by making A7s on licence from Austin - needless to say I took my business elsewhere!

Best regards for 2019

Stuart

I don't suppose he would have acknowledged BMW's debt to the Isetta bubble-car, either 

Ah The refrigerator car. As seen on TV tonight

[Peter Naulls]

What a lovely photo. Dixi chassis were used by several coachbuilders, Ihle being the most prolific.

Peter.

Is the information in the source book that states that Ihle only rebodied second hand Dixis incorrect?. I came to think the BMW double kidney grille started on the 1931 Austin 7 streamlined racer and was copied by Ihle on their 600s in 1932. Some Ihle have earlier registration dates than 1931 but this is explained by the 'upcycling'. Hard to be sure from the photo, but the truck moving chassis isn't signwritten...

That's interesting Nick. According to my BMW book Ihle began making bodies for the Dixi in late '34 / early '35. They would either body a customer's second-hand chassis or sell a body ready for fitting, none of which would account for the chassis I the photo! However there were vans bodied by Assmann in 1928, Grossklaus in 1930 and also Albert Hess around about the same time.

I also read that body production only began at Eisenach in 1930, prior to that it was in Berlin-Johannisthal - so presumably chassis (and possibly completed cars) would have been constantly shuttling backwards and forwards between the factories. It's a complex story with Ambi-Budd's involvement as well as the transition from Dixi to BMW.

The book is "The Development History of BMW Automobiles 1918 to 1932" by Simons and Zeichner. A weighty tome which I picked up at the excellent BMW factory museum in Greenville, U.S.A.

Peter.

[Nick Lettington]

I don't think we are disagreeing. My point was merely to point out that given the 28 to 31 date for the photo, it's unlikely that the chassis were off to Ihle, (any Ihle registered that early being rebodied Dixis).

With the non signwritten wagon moving them and nothing obvious moving the car up, I was merely suggesting the comment regarding the movement of chasis to add bodies is more likely. 

Sounds like Ihle did their own thing for a bit before 34, when BMW styling clearly reflects their work.

[Bob Culver]

A great photo. I trust the driver was not intending any descents on wet roads!.  Trucks have come a long way from being local delivery devices competing with horse and cart. Even the relatively light Model T ton  truck was geared for little more than 20 mph. The legal speed limit for trucks on normal “single carriageway” (lane each way) roads was just 40mph in UK from 1962 until very recently, previously only 30 mph. Sources unclear but seems it may have been just 20 mph to quite modern times, so there must have been a lot of very slow trucks, as hopefully that one was.

[Chris KC]

That's as maybe Bob; but there's the law and there's the - Hell Drivers...

https://vimeo.com/275230172