Scenes from an Automotive Wonderland

Gregory Cagle was a 10-year-old car fanatic when his family moved from New Jersey to Germany in 1956. For the next five years he photographed unusual, rare and sometimes bizarre automobiles throughout Europe. This book features 105 specimens of auto exotica, captured with Cagle’s Iloca Rapid-B 35mm camera—not showpieces in museums but daily drivers in their natural habitats. In the background can be glimpsed, here and there, the mood of postwar Europe. The story behind each photo is told, with dates and locations, information and history about the cars and some of their owners, along with Cagle’s personal anecdotes.

Gregory A. Cagle is a writer and a jazz musician with a lifelong passion for automotive, motor racing, and flying history. The author of numerous magazine articles on these subjects, he lives in Cary, North Carolina.

Gregory A. Cagle
Format: softcover (7 x 10)
Pages: 245
Bibliographic Info: 168 photos (11 in color), bibliography, index
Copyright Date: 2018
pISBN: 978-1-4766-7178-9
eISBN: 978-1-4766-3053-3
Imprint: McFarland

Foreword by Jeff Lane • 1
Introduction • 3
Birth of a Gearhead • 7
Survivors • 11
Adler Trumpf Junior 12
Austin 7 Ruby 14
BMW Dixi DA-1 3/15PS and DA-3 Wartburg Sport 16
Citroën 5CV Type C “Torpedo” 18
DKW F8 Meisterklasse ­Cabrio-Limousine 20
Ford (Cologne) Eifel Roadster 22
Hanomag 2/10 PS “Kommissbrot” 24
Hanomag Kurier 26
Hansa 1100 28
Steyr Type 50 “Baby” 30
Talbot-Lago T-120 Coach 32
Tornax Rex Coupe and Z-250 “Schwarze Josephine” Motorcycle 34
Willys-Overland Whippet Model 96 Coach 36
Lilliputia • 39
Aero Minor II STW 40
Autobianchi Bianchina 42
BMW Isetta 44
BMW 600 46
Brütsch Mopetta 48
Champion 400 50
Fiat Nuova 500 52
Fuldamobil 54
Goggomobil TS-400 Coupe 56
Gutbrod Superior 58
Heinkel Kabine 60
Hoffmann ­Auto-Kabine 250 62
Kleinschnittger F125 64
Lloyd LP600 66
Maico MC 400 and MC 500 68
Messerschmitt KR175 Kabinenroller 70
Messerschmitt KR200 Kabinenroller 72
Messerschmitt Tiger (F.M.R. Tg 500) 74
Meyra 200–2 76
Prvenaç 78
Vespa 400 80
Victoria/B.A.G. Spatz 250 82
Zündapp Janus 84
Mundania • 87
Alfa Romeo 1300 Giulietta Berlina 88
AWE Wartburg 311/2 Cabriolet 90
AWZ Zwickau P70 92
AZLK Moskvitch 402 94
Borgward Isabella 96
Citroën ID-19 Break/Familiale 98
Fiat 1100 TV Trasformabile 100
GAZ M-20 Pobeda 102
IFA F8 and F9 104
Lancia Aprilia 106
Panhard Dyna X87 Junior Coupe 108
Renault Dauphine 110
Saab 92B and 93 112
Tatra T-600 Tatraplan 114
Volkswagen ­Karmann-Ghia Cabriolet 116
Volvo Amazon 118
Between pages 120 and 121 are 6 color plates
containing 11 photographs
Exotica • 121
Alfa Romeo 6C 2500 Freccia d’Oro 122
Alfa Romeo 1900C Supersprint (Touring) 124
Allard ­L-Type 126
Alvis TC 21/100 Special Saloon (Graber) 128
Arnolt-Bristol Bolide Deluxe 130
Aston Martin DB2/4 Mk. I 132
BMW 507 134
Bugatti Type 37 and Type 43 136
Bugatti Type 55 and Type 57SC Atalante 138
Cisitalia 202GT (Pininfarina) and 360 Grand Prix Car 140
DKW 3=6 Monza 142
Ferrari 212 Europa (Vignale) 144
Ferrari 250 Europa Cabriolet (Pininfarina) 146
Fiat 8V 148
Fiat 600 Chérie Gran Luce Berlina (Vignale) 150
Fiat 600 Coupe (Viotti/Boano) 152
Fiat 1100/103 Coupe (Vignale) 154
Fiat 1100 TV Coupe (Vignale) 156
Fiat 1100 TV Coupe (Pininfarina) 158
Fiat-Abarth 750GT (Zagato) 160
Fiat Nuova 500 Jolly 162
Lagonda DB 2.6-Liter “Woody” Estate Car 164
Maserati A6G54 2000 (Zagato) 166
Mercedes-Benz 300 SL “Gullwing” Coupe 168
Mercedes-Benz 300 SL Roadster 170
Porsche 356A 172
Siata 208CS (Balbo) 174
Triumph TR2 Francorchamps Coupe (Impéria) 176
Built for Speed • 179
Cooper-Climax T43 Formula One 180
Lola Mk. 2 Formula Junior 182
Lotus 18 Formula Junior 184
Maserati 450S 186
Maserati Tipo 61 “Birdcage” 188
NSU “Kompressor” Land Speed Record Car 190
O.S.C.A. ­Tipo-S 1500 TN 192
Porsche Type 550 and 718 194
Porsche Type 718/2 Monoposto Formula Two 196
Scarab Formula One 198
Mysteries, Imposters and Backyard Dreams • 201
Alfa Romeo (?) 202
DKW (?) Roadster 204
Lloyd (?) “Land Yacht” 206
Volkswagen “Hallore” 208
Volkswagen Type 14A Cabriolet (Faux Hebmüller) 210
Willys Jeep Conversion (?) “Woody” 212
Bibliography • 215
Index • 225

• “Filled with the black-and-white photographs [Cagle] took, along with make and model information and personal commentary on unusual automobiles that have since all but disappeared…Cagle makes it easy to feel the excitement and enthusiasm he felt as a young boy. Any car spotter will enjoy this book, and may find a 26 horsepower favorite. The book is presented in a pleasant, easily readable format… recommended”—Choice
• “A gamut of wonderfully rare and unusual photographs…a book with so many unusual cars and scenes that it boggles the mind…a must read”—SAH Journal
• “This books is a collection of [Cagle’s] photographs with extremely informative descriptions and a history of each car. The writing is very personable and engaging…very well researched…. Recommended—ARBA
• “Features 105 specimens of auto exotica…. An interesting examination of automotive esoterica”—Vintage Roadcar
• “This is exactly the sort of material that take you back to the fifties, or shows you what the streets of Europe looked like at that time. Cagle has meticulously researched the cars in this book…his style of writing is pleasant, informative and humorous. He avoids the usual mistakes you can find on the Internet, and paints the wider picture, without becoming pedantic”—Rumcar News.