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Mariella Mengozzi

Mit großer Trauer musste ich erfahren, das Mariella Mengozzi, Die Direktorin des MAuto Museums in Turin unerwartet im Alter von 60 Jahren verstorben ist. Ich habe Mariella anlässlich der dritten Europäischen Konferenz für Automobil Historiker im Oktober 2022 in Turin kennengelernt. Bei der Organisation der Konferenz hat sie uns großzügig geholfen und Vorschläge gemacht und so einen großen Anteil am Gelingen der Konferenz gehabt.

Es war für mich eine Freude sie kennenzulernen zu dürfen. Wir trauern mit dem gesamten MAuto Team und der Familie von Mariella über ihren frühen und unerwarteten Tod.

With great sadness I had to learn that Mariella Mengozzi, The Director of the MAuto Museum in Turin passed away unexpectedly at the age of 60. I met Mariella on the occasion of the third European Conference for Automotive Historians in Turin in October 2022. She generously helped us with the organization of the conference and made suggestions, thus playing a major role in its success.

It was a pleasure for me to have had the opportunity to know her. We mourn with the entire MAuto team and Mariella's family her untimely and unexpected death.

Paris - Wien 1902

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Das größte Motorsportereignis des Jahres 1902 war das Rennen Paris – Wien vom 26.06.1902 – 29.06.1902. Es führte von Paris über Belfort, nahe der Schweitzer Grenze durch die Schweiz bis Bregenz in Österreich und dann über den Arlbergpass, Innsbruck und Salzburg nach Wien. Wo dann auf dem Prater Gelände das Ziel dieser Wettfahrt war.

Ich hatte schon lange an ein Buch über dieses Rennen nachgedacht und auch schon etliche Seiten geschrieben. Letztes Jahr hatte ich mit Pal Negyesi dem Verleger des ;Magazins „Rare and Unique Vehicles“ darüber gesprochen und das Ende des Gesprächs bestand darin, das ich bis Mitte diesen Jahres mit dem Buch fertig sein sollte.  Es waren dann arbeitsreiche Wochen, aber das Buch ist fertig geworden und ab sofort im Handel.

Es ist vielleicht nicht ganz so geworden, wie ich es mir Vorgestellt habe, aber ich glaube das ich das was mich an diesem Rennen so fasziniert hat, rüber bringen konnte.

 

The biggest motor sport event of 1902 was the Paris - Vienna race from 26.06.1902 - 29.06.1902. It led from Paris via Belfort, near the Schweitzer border through Switzerland to Bregenz in Austria and then over the Arlberg Pass, Innsbruck and Salzburg to Vienna. Where then on the Prater grounds was the finish of this race.

I had been thinking about a book about this race for a long time and had already written several pages. Last year I had talked to Pal Negyesi, the publisher of the magazine "Rare and Unique Vehicles" about it and the end of the conversation was that I should be ready with the book by the middle of this year.  It was a busy few weeks, but the book is now finished and on sale.

It may not have turned out exactly as I imagined, but I think I was able to convey what fascinated me so much about this race.

Marcel Renault   -The Winner-

The Gordon Bennett Cup. It now resies at the ACF

Automobile Club de France

Selwyn Frances Edge, the winner of the Gordon Bennett Cup 1902

Der Belgische Rennfahrer Jaques Dechamps auf seinem Dechamps Voiture Legere bei einem Halt irgendwo in Österreich.

The Belgian reacedriver Jaques Dechamps on his Dechamps Voiture Legere during a stop somewhere in Austria.

Der Deutsche Enke auf seiner Watrtburg Voiturette aus Eisenach vor dem Start in Paris. Er musste schon auf der ersten Etappe aufgeben,

The German Enke on his Watrtburg Voiturette from Eisenach before the start in Paris. He had to give up already on the first stage,

Alpenpanorama am Arlberg

Der Mors Fahrer Augieres kurz nach dem Start in Paris. Er erreichte als 26ster das Ziel in Wien

The Mors rider Augieres shortly after the start in Paris. He reached the finish in Vienna in 26th place

La Traverse de L'Arlberg Le Sport Universel Illustre 06.07.02

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                     AVUS 100

 

Back home in Berlin we celebrated the 100th anniversary of the Avus racetrack. . The first race on the brand new track was held onSeptember 24th 1921.

Hier in Berlin feierten wir den Einhundertsten Jahrestag der Avus Rennstrecke. Das erste Rennen auf der Nagelneuen Strecke fand am 24.09.1921 statt.

 

 

Start of the 4HP Taxclass at the Avus race 1923. On the left an Apollo with Carl Slevogt and on the right Graf on an EGO at the wheel.

 

Der Start der 4 PS Steuerklasse beim Avus Rennen 1923. Links der Apollo von Carl Slevogt, rechts Graf auf Ego.am Steuer.

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NAG racing car at the Avus race 1922. Driver Hans Berthold who came second behind Cristien Riecken in an similar car.

NAG Rennwagen beim Avus Rennen 1922. Fahrer Hans Berthold, der zweiter hinter Christian Riecken in einem gleichen Auto wurde.

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Goggomobil Coupe at a race for small cars around 1960 in the south bend.

Goggomobil Coupe in einem Kleinwagen Rennen um 1960 in der Südkurve.

Paris - Berlin 1901

Another remarkable  date was the 27th of June 2021.  That was  the 120th aniversary of the race Paris Berlin. Sadly there was no celebration. I read in a daily newspaper from June 1901, that the race will pass Spandau, where I live, And to make it even more exciting, it was going along the street where I live passing the front of the house before traversing the river Havel, towards Charlottenburg, where the race was finished.

Ein anderes bemerkenswertes Datum war der 27. Juni  2021. Das wart der 120 ste Jahrestag des Rennens Paris - Berlin. Leider gab es da keine Feier dazu. In einer Zeitung vom Juni 1901 las ic, das das Rennen durch Spandau, wo ich wohne, ging. Noch besser war das es an dem Haus vorbeiging, in dem ich wohne bevor es über die Havel nach Charlottenburg ging , wo das Rennen endete.

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The Gladiator racing car # 44 with the driver Mercier which took part in the Voiture Legere class. The car did not reach Berlin.

Ein Gladiator Rennwagen. Der Fahrer der Nummer 44 war Mercier. Er nahmm in der Klasse der Leichten Wagen Teil. Das Auto kam nicht bis Berlin.

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Michael Graf Wolff Metternich

Michael Graf Wolff Metternich, one of the most known automobile historians in Germany, died on February 14th in his home in his 98th  year.

He was born on 21.Juli 1920 and even as a boy he began to collect Automobilia. His first car was a Bugatti, but as this was in 1940 , he had to stop driving and becoming a soldier. From 1945 – 1949 he was prisoner of war with the Russians.  In 1954 he married Baroness Ingmarie von Ritter zu Groensteyn and in 1958 he became the proud father of Bosco  Graf Wolff Metternich. In 1962 Michael began to collect together with his friend Richard von Frankenberg old cars, because they thought about making a German Automobile Museum. During this time he bought his Maybach and developed more than a soft spot for this make. He founded the Maybach club and was for quite a long time the president of the club. He was also an active member of the Allgemeiner Schnauferl Club (Germanys oldest car club). Later he began writing his first articles for German automobile magazines and also the first of several Maybach books. In 1997 he founded with Hans Otto Neubauer the AHG (Automobilhistorische Gesellschaft) the German club for automotive historians. They both wrote the essential book “Sie bauten Autos”, which describes more than one hundred German speaking automobile engineers from 1885 until 1945. The last book he wrote was “Maybach und der Motorsport”, (Maybach and the motorsport) it was published in 2009.

He was always very helpful and if someone researched in a topic and asked him for help, he was the last one to say no.

He always took part at the meetings of the AHG and as he became to old to do longer journeys the AHG  developed  the ”Metternichtage” a meeting which was and will be always in spring. The first one was near his home and he held there a very interesting speech about his (car )live.  In 2016 he came to the Metternichtage at Ober Ramstadt where he gave an very interesting speech about Arnold Zoller, his cars, engines and of course superchargers. Last year he came too, but gave no speech. Mentally he seemed  as young as ever.

I met him personally the first time in 1999 and he was always a nice charming ma, who could tell interesting stories of cars he passengered in his childhood. As he came from a well situated family he had plenty of family members driving interesting cars.  Steiger, Mercedes SS and others and so he was a mine of information.

With him the German automotive historians lost the person who gave the German car history a home.

 

The AHG will hold his name in honour with the “Metternich Tage”

Michael Graf Wolff Metternich in Ober Ramstadt 2016

Photo: Wolfgang Blaube

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