Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 1999/08/11

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Subject: [Leica] Re: Old Leicas and better than the new "Junk" Cameras
From: "Ray Rubey" <rrubey19@idt.net>
Date: Wed, 11 Aug 1999 17:48:52 -0400

With reference to the great reverence that some Leica fans have for the
quality of old Leicas, there has been considerable progress in materials and
manufacturing in the last fifty years.  Evidence of this was illustrated
when a British restoration organization rebuilt an Auto Union race car a few
years ago (Auto Union is now Audi).  The Auto Union was one of the German
great racing cars in the era immediately before World War II; their only
competition was Mercedes-Benz.  Must of the cars were lost but a few have
been found in Easter Europe after the collapse of the Soviet Union.  When
one of these newly discovered pre-war cars was being rebuilt, some aluminum
engine parts were beyond restoration so new ones had to be fabricated.  The
old parts were sent to a laboratory for analysis so faithful replicas could
be made.  The laboratory replied that the type of aluminum used in that
pinnacle of German engineering in the late 1930s  had about same qualities
and strength that is used today in making cheap lawn furniture.