With soft knees, they climbed out of the Dallara cars and stepped up to the podium. They took off the helmets and were able to look each other, finally in the eye again. Now you decide to pop the Cork, took a shower in champagne, fell into each others arms. Six hours and nine hundred miles they had in the narrow Cockpit of the Dallara sat, facing each other alternated every hour at the wheel – and now, on this Sunday in September, 2002, struck on the Motodrom of Mont-Tremblant in the canadian province of Quebec, their finest hour: Fredy Lienhard, at the time, 55, and his son Alexander, then 22 years old, had won with Didier Theys your first and last common car racing.

One, however, was missing: the Grandfather had heard on the podium – his name was Alfred, he was also a racing driver. As a metal fitter, he had founded the business, whose Name is emblazoned on the rapid Dallara: Lista stands for Lienhard steel, robust office facilities, for one of the leading industrial companies in the Canton of Thurgau.

“These cars have to be moved”

Today is the red-and-white Dallara, an exhibit on four wheels – not the prettiest, not the fastest, not even the oldest or most precious, but without a doubt, the most important of about 120 cars, has bought Fredy Lienhard in the course of half a century – among them, animal legends, such as beetles, duck and frog, impressive street cruiser and legendary classics, Rocket on four wheels as well as a complete set of all formula 1 cars from the Sauber.

As the questions accumulated, especially by school groups who wanted to see special cars, decided to Fredy Lienhard, to make his life’s work accessible to the Public: At the 9. April 2009, exactly ten years ago, he opened in the old walls of the former alcohol management at the port of romanshorn his “Auto-construction”. Should be, since the Senior year ago, the Board of management, the Junior has handed over more than just one of the many museums in the lake Constance region. Gradually, the son develops a paternal heritage to the “world of experience”. “It is not enough to provide the valuable rarities just for Show,” he says. “These cars move the minds – and you’ll need to be moved.”

Therefore, he organizes Events such as on mother’s day, if the culinary “delight-Festival” all the mothers to be pampered. “And on a regular basis Roll-outs: Since you can complete on the passenger seat of a selected race car on our in-house course personal test drives.”

On the own “test drives” on dad’s company’s site, Alexander remembers with verlegenem Smile. “I sat on his knees, holding onto the steering Wheel and Jesse, God, I can’t even tell you how young I was then!” So small that the feet could not reach the pedals yet. But large enough that the passion, which had inherited the father from the Grandfather, captured the boys: “We all have some kind of petrol in their blood!”

Even today, father Fredy, 71, and his son Alexander, 39, get, occasionally, the old Dallara from the Museum team and go to Italy, Germany or Austria, where the circuit of Monza, Hockenheim or the Red-Bull-waiting Ring. Let the engine roar and alternate with each other in the Draw, as 17 years ago in Canada.

the future belongs to The water fuel engine

But was there anything else? The protection of the environment, sustainability, climate crisis, CO2 emissions . . . Alexander Lienhard of hybrid engines, and toxic batteries, which drives electric cars. “These are only interim solutions. The future belongs to the hydrogen engine, but you have not noticed in the industry and in politics, still – or you don’t want it to be true. Truly sustainable only.”

Tell it – and gets behind the wheel of his private car: The Toyota Mirai is one of the few hydrogen-powered cars, which are currently permitted in Switzerland. “The drives like any other car, is in the purchase cheaper than a Tesla – and the hydrogen is cleaner and cheaper than any other energy. The only Problem: There are hardly any hydrogen fuel stations in Switzerland.”

the Roll-out of the world of experience can learn any of the visitors in Lienhard Mirai the future. And then in the past of the automobile immersion.

Opening times: Sundays from 10 to 17 clock, on weekdays by appointment. Tel. 071 466 00 66. www.autobau.ch (Sunday newspaper)

Created: 06.04.2019, 17:09 PM