Like in a race car! That's always the impression you get when thousands of horsepower pull on the leading edge of the wing and you slide against the backrest as if pushed by invisible force. 4.50 p.m. - I am sitting in a four-engined KLM DC 4, and below, Berlin-Schoenefeld gently pulls away under the left wing.
It's going south. At 5.30 p.m. we fly over Zittau. 5.45 p.m. Prague, at 6.25 p.m. Munich. The bird climbs slowly because the Alps lie in "thick dirt". At such a height without oxygen, the "Juno pump" knocks noticeably against the ribs. At 8.30 p.m. the plane touches down in Rome-Ciampino. "Man," says one, "sometimes I don't get from Berlin to Fürstenwalde that quickly!" At 11 p.m. we continue, and after another 7 hours of flight Cairo and thus Egypt lies below us, the land of the pyramids and the eternal sun.
Right at the airfield we convince ourselves that the responsible authorities of the German Democratic Republic acted correctly by choosing Cairo as the location for the German Industrial Goods Exhibition. Here is the air crossroads of Africa and the Middle East. All major airlines fly here, bringing tourists and merchants from all over the world. It's like a long-distance train station.
Cairo itself has 2 1/2 million inhabitants and traffic that far outshines everything that has been experienced so far. The fattest American "steamers" push through the modern streets next to Fiats, Renaults, VWs and Skodas, and it is a matter of pure luck to get a parking space in the afternoon or in the evening up" when we are taken to the exhibition grounds in a taxi by an Arab in the sizzling traffic. In my 25 years of experience as a driver, I have moved pretty much everything that has wheels, but what we are presented with here borders on artistry. Here is the motto: honk your horn and push into the crowd with gusto! If the brakes aren't in top shape, then carefully inquire about a shady hospital beforehand, because driving like this can sometimes result in damned dangerous situations. Pack camels, donkey and Horse carts stoically pull through all the noise and activity, making for a colorful picture.
Not all of the exhibits survived the long journey without damage. The trucks and vans are the most affected and it will take a lot of work to get them in order by the start of the fair on March 10th. The vehicles should not only be finished; they should also be ready for exhibition in order to testify to the good work of our workers in the German Democratic Republic. Exhibited are: three Hunger tipper vehicles, including a 3-ton and a 6-ton three-way tipper, a 3-ton and a 6-ton Horch, four Phanomenon (diesel flatbed, bus, van and ambulance), four Framo wagons, two IFA F8s, one IFA F9, one AWO with sidecar, one BK solo and one with sidecar as well as an RT 125. We get all the vehicles ready on schedule and can also set them all up effectively at the focal points of the exhibition.
On the evening of March 9th, Cairo experiences fireworks of unprecedented proportions thanks to our pyrotechnicians, and President Nugib opens the exhibition early in the morning of March 10th. Our vehicles are the focus of interest from the first to the last day. Hundreds of thousands and thousands of times we answer the two main questions: how is the price? What's the price? Also: and the consumption? And the consumption? Everything is felt, everywhere is turned, screwed, knocked.
Especially when the students from the many technical schools in the country arrive, there is no end to the questions about the number of cylinders, 2 or 4 stroke, drive, ignition, shock absorbers and suspension. The final judgment of almost everyone: German = good! Your cars and motorcycles are o.k. We can book considerable orders. However - it must be said here - there are also those that offer more driving comfort. want better and richer interiors and more chrome. The competition is big. In the GDR we will have to do everything we can to realize the demands, some of which are justified.
The collective racing film "Battle for Seconds" is showing in the DEFA cinema on the exhibition building. The local police have their hands full to smuggle in the many onlookers in a reasonably orderly manner.
The exhibition closed on March 30th. 200,000 people passed through the turnstiles at the entrance and took home a vivid picture of the efficiency of the industry in our GDR. One day after the exhibition closes, a technical purchasing commission from the medical department takes the Phanomenon ambulance to a demonstration in the desert. On the stretchers Inside are two doctors, not buckled up. A Ford drives in front of me. I have to follow it. He drives all over the place - I keep at it - uphill and downhill, over sandy slopes and ditches - this phenomenon doesn't affect the Phanomenon at all - the Ford just can't get rid of me. In the end, this becomes too stupid for the chief engineer. He gets behind the wheel himself and privately drives a small cross-country race. He "stirs" the gears like a "dental technician" - even that doesn't shake the Phanomenon. - After half an hour he comes rushing back. The officers inside and everyone involved have only one rating for the car: very good.
The IFA F8 and F9 limousines will also be presented to various interested parties in the desert. Everyone is impressed by the performance of the small engines, especially when, at a day temperature of 40 degrees in the desert, on the way to the pyramids in Sakarah, with both fully occupied cars, it is possible to simply leave much "big chunks" behind.
Although they got us an international driver's license so that we can take part in the big desert drive of the Rallye de Luxor, which goes over 1700 km, this appointment is unfortunately too late for us. We have to decline our Egyptian sports friends with sincere regret. On the morning of April 8, KLM takes us back into their care. The "Flying Dutchman" takes us in a ten-hour flight via Crete-Sicily Rome-Nizza-Lyon to Berlin, safely and on schedule, to the minute, just like the Berlin S-Bahn.
Our impression of the market situation for our vehicles?
Is it possible to realize all concluded contracts on schedule 2.1. and if we meet the wishes and demands of the Egyptian and Oriental markets as far as possible, we will strengthen the old, long-established trade relations and friendship. between Germany and Arabia, to a country that is arming itself, free from imperialist tutelage, to go the way of the future!
Ewers
Full publication is here:
https://gdrfahrzeuge.blogspot.com/2023/06/1954-illustrierter-motorsport-gdr-year_8.html
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