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by Dr. Iain Corness

Round the Houses at Monaco

The Monaco GP, one of the most difficult races on the calendar is on this weekend. If the F1 wallahs have been complaining about difficulty in passing at some of the ‘open’ circuits, then they’ll certainly be crying in their beer (or probably champagne) over this one. Round the houses, alongside the harbour, where they have rescue crews in boats for those who go for a swim (Aussie Paul Hawkins was one, and Alberto Ascari another), through the tunnel and round the tight Tabac corner. One mistake and you win a wall.

After the excitement of the European Grand Prix, who will win this one? If it rains, put your money on Mrs Schumacher’s elder boy for sure. Rubens Barichello, however, proved to everyone that he is not the ‘rainmeister’ he thought he was and Eddie the mouth Irvine has been showing his crashing good form again. Young Jenson Button in the BMW Williams will have his work cut out for him at Monaco, but so far, he has been rising to the challenge very well, despite Sir Frank Williams being his usual “piggy” self. Expect to see Button cast off like a pair of Sir Frank’s smelly socks by the end of the year and my tip is that he will join Jaguar when Herbert goes.

If you would like to join me on Sunday night, come “trackside” at Delaney’s Irish Pub, Pattaya 2 Road, in front of the big screen. Come thirty minutes early and have dinner with me at the Carvery, while listening to the Jazz before the race starts.

BMW officially churning ‘em out

Following the ceremonial opening of the new BMW plant on the Eastern Seaboard by the Prime Minister Chuan Leekpai a couple of weeks ago, we were all given a tour of the plant. For a motor manufacturer, this was an amazing occurrence. Not the walk through tours, which you can get any day all over the world, but the fact that we were allowed to take photos. Try walking through FoMoCo or the General’s camp site with a camera round your neck - especially if you are a journo - and see what happens. You would imagine that they were protecting secrets of national importance. People come leaping out of the woodwork, leg-rope you and remove the offending device! So it was “Good on yer, BeeEmm” for your very open policy.

I mentioned this to a Ford manager who was present (spying perhaps?) and he rather churlishly suggested that BMW had nothing to hide because all the workers needed there was a screwdriver! Nasty! The outgoing Head Honcho of Ford Manufacturing at their Eastern Seaboard estate, David Snyder, did have the grace to blush when I mentioned the Ford no-camera rule to him.

I must say I was impressed by the senior BMW folk from the Fatherland, they just gave a massive air of commitment and confidence, and the to be expected Teutonic thoroughness was evident. There is no doubt about the fact that the BMW presence is going to be good for the Eastern Seaboard. GM and Ford can take down their “Detroit of the East” signs - the Germans are here with a vengeance.

Trot out the Ozcars

Chatting with the Australian Automotive Trade Commissioner for S.E. Asia, Tony McDonald, and he tells me there will be another Australian Concept Car coming up to Thailand in November and this time it will be an electric vehicle. Let you know more later.

What was of possibly more interest was the fact that he has a couple of the new Holden Calais models up in Bangkok. Yes, the things they flog here as Chevrolet Lumina’s after prising the Holden badges off ‘em - though as my old mate Ellis said from GeeEmm, “We are the manufacturer and we can put any badge we damn well like on ‘em” and of course he is strictly correct. But for me they are home grown Aussie cars. Unfortunately the ones here are only the V6 models - how I would love to get my hands on one of the V8 grunters from downunder! Tony has promised me a fang in one (but he promised that last year as well)! Stay tuned.Farewell, David

David Snyder from FoMoCo (see above) mentioned to me that his tour of duty is almost coming to its end here and he will very shortly be returning to the States to assume a marketing position for Asia Pacific. Automania will be sorry to see you go, David. You have done a sterling job down there at the Eastern Seaboard Industrial Estate and got your factory up and running at a time in Thailand’s economic history when all those “in the know” reckoned it was the wrong time to do it.

However, you showed them who was wrong by helping increase the market share held by Ford here and building a damn good little pick-up to boot. My cronies in Oz, to where some of the Ford pick-ups are exported, all say it is a well built unit. (One day, I might actually get to ‘officially’ drive one here. Perhaps you could arrange it, David, before you go!)

Safe trip, David Snyder, and we look forward to welcoming you back in another capacity.

Autotrivia Quiz

Last week, I asked about the firm “Autowelo” that built six cylinder cars after WWII, but there was something quite distinct about these 6 cylinder cars. What was it? And even more importantly - why?

This was one for the war buffs amongst the motoring maniacs. After WWII, BMW was split in two by the partitioning of Germany and the Eisenach factory, then in the Soviet zone continued production of the BMW pre-war 6 cylinder cars under the name of “Autowelo”, which later became the EMW. For those who like incredibly minute details, the quartering on the “BMW” badge was changed from blue to red on the EMW’s - but not till 1951. So there!

So to this week - I am looking for an originally German make of car, made by a guy with an Italian name. The cars became very famous, and one of them won the first Grand Prix held after WWII. What was it?

For the Automania FREE beer this week, be the first correct answer to fax 427 596 or email [email protected]. Remember that Automania now has its own web page, complete with its own link. Look up the Pattaya Mail on line at www.pattayamail.com

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