Every week a random topic from the automotive world comes along in De Vluchtstrook. From unusual collaborations to bizarre creations or historical stories, few things remain unaddressed in this column. These are the 10 best-read articles of De Vluchtstrook in 2020!
This year we created ‘De Vluchtstrook’. A section in which, as you have probably noticed, the most diverse issues from the automotive world are discussed. Why does someone in Argentina put a bottle on their parked car? How did a Peugeot V8 ever end up in a Renault? Where does that ‘nice’ smell of a new car come from? One story was read better than the other. We list which ten stories could count on the most interest.
10. Audi Avus: supercar with W12 made of wood
The Audi Avus was a sensational concept car for several reasons. Apart from its unconventional and striking design, it served as a showcase for the aluminum spaceframe and the W12. Later, at the A8, these two things reached the production stage for the first time. There was something special going on with the W12 of the Avus, because it was made of wood! The bike itself wasn’t ready when the Avus appeared at the 1991 Tokyo Motor Show.
9. Edsel, a costly failure
Ford wanted to take market share from Chrysler with Edsel, a new sub-brand next to Mercury and Lincoln. Extensive target group research was carried out and Ford invested heavily in a dazzling marketing campaign. Unfortunately, the public never warmed to Edsel on a large scale and in 1959 Ford killed the brand again after barely two years. It was certainly a costly failure, because today the loss Ford suffered at the time would be $ 2.4 billion!
8. Peugeot’s uncrowned horse power king
A few years ago, Peugeot’s sporting division started a revival. With the GTI models of the 208 and 308 and the RCZ-R, the French finally had some fireworks in the showroom again. Yet there was also a powerful Peugeot in the shop window in the previous decade, but you had to search carefully: the 407 Coupé 3.0 HDiF had a 241 hp 3.0-liter V6 diesel engine under the hood. Unfortunately Peugeot never officially delivered this motorization in the Netherlands.
7. The third side window of the Volvo XC70
Sometimes it’s all in the details. Not that the Volvo XC70 is indistinguishable from a regular V70, on the contrary. Yet Volvo put more effort into it than you might initially think. For example, the exterior mirrors had a different design, the roof rails were slightly higher and the XC70 had different rear side windows. The latter in particular is striking and something that you can easily overlook. Nevertheless, Volvo took the trouble to make the windows specifically for the XC70.
6. The smell of a new car
If you’ve ever bought a new car or walked around a showroom, you can imagine the typical smell of new cars. Usually, new cars smell quite chemical and that has a clear reason: the substances used in the manufacture of the interior are the main causes. Nowadays, car manufacturers are trying to reduce that odor by using other means, also to reduce the possible harmful effects on health.
5. Citroën continues to drive on three wheels
The ‘flying carpet’ is a metaphor often used to describe Citroën’s hydropneumatic suspension system. In addition to the high degree of comfort, this system had another advantage: the DS could also continue to drive on three wheels! The suspension system ensures that the car remains straight. In the assassination attempt on French President Charles de Gaulle in 1962, the system even proved to be a life-saver.
4. Damd’s retro candies
When you think of the word ‘tuning’ you may immediately think of gaudy, heavily spoiled creations with a lot of power. The Japanese tuner Damd is hardly known here, but for some of his creations clearly takes inspiration from European cars. For example, the company can convert a Suzuki Alto Lapin to a Renault 4 lookalike if desired. In addition, the Japanese deliver an Aston Martin-like nose for sports coupés such as the Subaru BRZ and the Nissan 350Z. The article lists a few creations.
3. Windshield wipers on side windows and mirrors
Nowadays, wipers are actually only available for the front and rear window. In the late 1980s it was different in Japan, because Nissan had a wiper for the side mirrors and Toyota even went as far as providing the front side windows with their own wiper! In the end, these windshield wipers turned out to be more of a gimmick than actually being useful, but at the time, as a successful Japanese businessman, you could undoubtedly steal the show with them.
2. The Renault with a Peugeot V8
Nowadays, brands often collaborate in the development of new cars, but it is difficult to imagine that some brands can ever pass through one door. Renault and Peugeot are a good example of this. Nevertheless, the brands joined forces in the second half of the 60s for the Project H: a car for the top segment. Ultimately, both brands went their separate ways with the Renault 30 and the Peugeot 604.
1. The buried Plymouth Belvedere
The story of the buried Plymouth Belvedere is the best read ‘hard shoulder’ of the year. In 1957 the idea sounded nice: put a Plymouth Belvedere underground as a time capsule to look back on it fifty years later. In 2007, the car was dug up again, only to discover that it had in fact become one unusable rusty chunk. The car was afterwards slightly refurbished and is now in a museum in Roscoe, Illinois.