Greeting from munich

[Daniel]

I've been here about two weeks.All kinds of small little cars.They have one called the smart car.It can pull into a parking space either straight or SIDEWAYS.I am in the middle of down town.There must be a muffler rule as all the cars are quiet.Even the diesel construction equipment purr's.The autobahn is very well behaved.right lane for slow/left for fast.We took a bmw 6 series that is to be released in the next couple of years.At 225 kmh it just floats.It is a diesel but you never know it. No clack and torque that will throw you back in the seat.Also there is no oil path down the center of the highways.Except for a few old citroyens and austin minis there are no old cars.Fromwhat I understand they made emmission taxes that killed all the old cars.More later.Oh,a friends wife is a lawyer and can't find a job.....Is this a great place or what!!!

[Chino 240Z]

Hi Daniel,

Sounds like you are enjoying watching the cars! It is always neat to see how others play with their toys.

Hey, that smart car, is it the smart City-Coupe' car? When my parents visited a couple of years ago they brought me back a very small mini 1:87 scale model car or toy called the smart City-Coupe'for my collection. It is sorta fat wedge shape with a flat back end, 2 door. Very small looking car, could that be the one you are using over there? Makes a Z car look BIG! Well have some fun for us too!

Best Regards for Chino, California

Craig & Cindy

:classic:

[Alfadog]

yus, this little baby

You see them absolutely EVERYWHERE in Rome, almost as common as mopeds!

They were recently released in Australia too, but aren't selling too well.......................for obvious reasons! I love the little cuties

Daniel, are you saying you had a ride in the up-coming six series beemer???? What ? How? When? And did you take pictures?

[2ManyZs]

yeesh.. I know a car like that would never make it in the US.. can't imagine anyone wanting to be sandwiched in between a Cadillac Escalade and a Ford Excursion on the highway while the SUV drivers are talking on the cell phones and disciplining the kids in the third row seat......:cross-eye

It ain't fair Daniel, you sound like you're having way too much fun over there......Meet up with Doehring yet for a ride on the Autobahn?:classic:

[Alfadog]

Turbo, Rear-engined, Rear-wheel-drive... sounds like a sports car

The front tyres are no wider than 10 cm I'm sure of it.

The new Smart Roadster... now this I love!

[26th-Z]

I was going to stop at the dealer in Saraota and take some pictures of the SMART, but you guys beat me to it! The roadster is as small as a Lotus and screams around like one. Little stop light leaper. The SMART sedans are hard to imagine cruising on the Autobahn at 100 mph, but they do!

If you get to check out the Deutches Museum in Munich, do it. They have an Auto Union Grand Prix car, a Mercedes Grand Prix and the first jet aircraft.

[Doehring]

Daniel, have a good time here in Germany.

Munich has it's regional Z Club. Look - if you want - into the Telephone Book for Fred Schuster-Orth.

Can you now imagine what it means to run a 240z , a Twin Turbo or the new 350 Z flat out? Did you run on a normal bavarian alps country road at the allowed speed limit of 65 mph? Isn't that fun? Can you now imagine why US highways like the one from Tucson via Yuma to LA was an absolutely boring horror trip to me and why I loved the Apache Trail between Globe and Apache Junction on my way to Phoenix?

The Smart Coupe and Roadster are real High Tech cars and the little City Smart runs really 100 mph on the Autobahn, but it's made for the city and there it is great as long as you don't have to carry the big bavarian beer boxes.

By the way; I'm living between Cologne and Bonn overlooking the river Rhine valley, 400 mls away from Munich.

Rolf

[26th-Z]

Guten abend, Rolf! Wie gehts? I have friends in Mainz and visit frequently. I may come visit next summer. Perhaps we could meet. I have never seen a Z in Deutschland! Ich habe ein Strasse sehr gut am Schwangau gefahren. Did I say that right? The alp roads are beautiful with great vistas of deep valleys and snow capped mountian peaks above the thick forest. Just a total pleasure to drive and hard to concentrate on driving! I thought the roads were in fine condition, but traffic can be heavy in places. I will say one thing about driving in Europe. Slower traffic moves to the right - by God!

[Daniel]

Those smart cars make a golf cart look roomy! Believe it or not they are made by mercedes benz! I understand the box looking one is 5 pieces that are assembled.Another crazy thing here is they tag and street legal those honda type 4 wheelers.Isaw a guy blasting thru traffic on one that had slicks on it.Oh ,in answer to Alfa's question.Yes I have photos.My son is an engineer for bmw here ,thats how I get the advance on the cars.They also have a new rolls royce,bmw is making the entire car now.It makes a 7 series look like a 3 series. more later.

[Doehring]

26th-Z, you are welcome! When I look at the german Z-ZX-Club register I think that there are not more than 20 240Zs here in Germany. We have some more 260Zs (incl.2+2), perhaps up to 5 280 Z, about 6o-100 280 ZX that survived the rusty winters and some 300 Z(mainly Turbos) and Twin Turbos. In Porsche-, BMW-, Audi- and Mercedes-Land the Z/ZX never became that popular. Don't forget, Ferrar-, Alfa-, Maserati- and Lancialand is nearby as well as GB and France - other great sportscar producers. Japan is so far away! (As well as Mustang- or Corvette-Land).

The Z and ZX series were quite expensive here all the time, the garages quite rare and most shops small. Spares are a big problem, I'm really depending on your good Services in the US - and that's expensive, too: Take any MSA or Vic Brit price, add the UPS or FedEx rate to overseas (sometimes higher than the parts value), add 8% import tax on the parts and than put another 16% Value Added Tax on the addition you did before.

Life would be easier with Porsche fever than Z fire!

Rolf

[26th-Z]

I will contact you the next time I travel. Bring parts to you and go home with wine!

[BlueZee]

26th-Z

Come to Norway too. Beautiful country: fiords, mountains, clean air. Roads, hmmm... not so good, so many rocks here.:disappoin

And by the way, I need only both bumpers, new carbs and engine head. What more... I know, I know: R200 with shafts would make me very happy. And dashboard without cracks.. And bring new carpets too...Polished Panasports, why not...

Les