Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2009/07/03

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Subject: [Leica] Messerschmitts at One O'Clock
From: charlie at droolassicpark.com (Charlie Meyer)
Date: Fri, 3 Jul 2009 08:14:52 -0400
References: <988F53E1-A358-487D-BC8B-861BBB2C0FCE@me.com>

Ah the wonderful world of little German bubble cars. My Father owned  
the best known example of this genre, the BMW Isetta, a wee door-in- 
the-front one cylinder engined car that topped out at about  
45mph....downhill.  Dad was a weightlifter at Notre Dame, and I have  
spotty childhood memories of him lifting one end to turn the car  
sideways in the one car garage to make room for the much more  
practical station wagon...back in the days before a early pregnancy  
test precipitated the purchase of a minivan or monster SUV. I would  
later discover that not every Dad was like mine...like when watching  
Superman lifting a car on TV and making it look like no big deal.  "Or  
did I just dream it", as the Python boys said in 'The Life of Brian.'  
Blame the makers of Grand Marnier, crippler of young adults.

My Father, a retired mechanical engineer, had a knack for picking cars  
that were quite practical...but the Isetta did bring that into doubt.   
We've spent most of the last half-century laughing about it!

In the last decade or so, BMW has finally (and probably grudgingly)  
admitted building such a car. In the 1950s, there was no DNA test to  
determine paternity...the lads in Munich were of the mindset of: 'it's  
the mailman's kid.'

Even that long ago, looking for Isetta parts such as the glass fuel  
filter bowl resembles scrounging odd  Leica bits such as the right  
SOOPD variant for my Summaron f3.5/3.5 cm 'that big auction site'  
these days. :-P

Those of us in Leicadom aren't the only ones with an insatiable taste  
for the arcane.

Charlie

On Jul 3, 2009, at 4:30 AM, Gerry Walden wrote:

> I have just posted a small gallery of photographs of Messerschmitts  
> - but these are all well and truly grounded. Go to 
> http://tinyurl.com/my3srd 
> .
>
> Gerry
>
> Gerry Walden
> +44 (0)23 8046 3076
> Web: www.gwpics.com
> Blog: www.stockuk.blogspot.com
>
>
>
>
>
>
> _______________________________________________
> Leica Users Group.
> See http://leica-users.org/mailman/listinfo/lug for more information
>

Charlie Meyer
West Virginia Coordinator
Basset Rescue of Old Dominion, Inc. (BROOD)
Droolassic Park
Keyser, WV

Basset Hound Rescue: Work With Women. Pick Up Dogs.




Replies: Reply from charlie at droolassicpark.com (Charlie Meyer) ([Leica] Messerschmitts at One O'Clock)
In reply to: Message from gwpics at me.com (Gerry Walden) ([Leica] Messerschmitts at One O'Clock)