4 replies to this topic

[D-Type]

Photos of cars in the 1920's Grosser Preis von Deutschland show all the cars to have a transverse band painted around the bonnet.  Was this to identify which capacity class a car was in?

[Tim Murray]

In this earlier thread on the 1926 German GP Otto Grabe posted the following:
 

I'd like to add a small note to a great work already done.
The "Allgemeine Automobil-Zeitung" (#15/26) wrote that all cars were delivered with coloured stripes around the bonnet to characterize the classes (D=white, E=red & F=black). And next: the headgear (?) of the drivers corresponded to the race colors of their nations (the pictures don't show that, do they?) and the precise race distance was 391,461 km.

[D-Type]

Thanks Tim.  However did you find that? My searches on vrious parameters didn't find it. 

 

The helmets in national colours is an interesting example of the "Teutonic Thoroughness" stereotype.  I wonder how they managed with the more esoteric colour shemes, e.g. "bonnet, body and chassis" in different colours or schemes with stripes.

[Tim Murray]

It was slightly serendipitous, Duncan. I remembered that there had been a thread on the 1926 German GP where Michael Müller had analysed the race in detail, and so I checked it out just in case he'd made some mention of the stripes. As it happened, he hadn't, but Otto Grabe had.

 

 

[uechtel]

Thanks Tim.  However did you find that? My searches on vrious parameters didn't find it. 

 

The helmets in national colours is an interesting example of the "Teutonic Thoroughness" stereotype.  I wonder how they managed with the more esoteric colour shemes, e.g. "bonnet, body and chassis" in different colours or schemes with stripes.

It´s early twenties, don´t forget. Not too many nations were represented yet (I am sure the more sophisticated colour schemes came only later) and drivers starting in Germany were of even fewer countries, as the races were not on international top level.