1967, Car Spotting: Maastricht

First row (left, next to the man with the hat):

Unidentified car, probably Ford Cortina Mk II.

Second row, left to right: 

Citroën Ami 6, Škoda 1000 MB, Ford Taunus Transit (FK 1000/1250), NSU Prinz 4, Vauxhall FB (Victor) VX4/90, Volvo P130 Amazon, Mercedes-Benz W120/121 (Ponton), Triumph Vitesse convertible.

Third row, left to right: 

Ford Taunus P3 17M Turnier ("Badewannetaunus”), Fiat 1300/1500, Volkswagen Type 1 1200/1300 (Beetle), Ford Cortina Mk Ia, BMW 2000 Neue Klasse (Typ 120), Ford Cortina Mk Ib, Volkswagen T1 (Type 2), Volkswagen T1 (Type 2), Volkswagen T1 (Type 2).

Fourth row (street): 

Austin/Morris Mini (BMC Mini Mark I), Ford Taunus P4 12M, unidentified car probably Opel.

1966, Belgian Comics: “Gil Jourdan” ("Guus Slim")

In 1966 the new "Gil Jourdan" ("Guus Slim") album "Le Gant à trois doigts" ("Drie vingers") is published by Dupuis. The story first appeared in Spirou magazine (26 November 1964 - 22 April 1965). The Belgian detective comic "Gil Jourdan" was created by Maurice Tillieux in 1956. The first story appeared in Spirou magazine n° 962. Jourdan was based on Felix, an earlier creation by Tillieux. Main characters are Gil Jourdan a Paris-based detective and a Bachelor of Law, Andre Papignolles alias Libellule (English: "Dragonfly") a former burglar who becomes Jourdan's right-hand, Inspector Jules Annibal Crouton Jourdan's police contact and, Queue-de-Cerise (English: "Cherry Stem") Jourdan's secretary. The Renault Dauphine was Jourdan's choice of vehicle in his early adventures. In later adventures he drove a Fiat Dino Coupé, a Renault 16 or a Renault 17.

"Le Gant à trois doigts"

"Le Gant à trois doigts" ("Drie vingers")

- full colour

- first published in Spirou/Robbedoes (26 November 1964 - 22 April 1965)

- never published in English

- story and drawings by Maurice Tillieux

The main characters are Gil Jourdan, Libellule, Crouton, Ben El Mehmed, Ali head of the police, Ahmed, Mohammed, and Philippe Chardin a French spy.

Gil Jourdan

Libellule and Gil Jourdan

Crouton, Libellule and Gil Jourdan

Ben El Mehmed

Synopsis

When a box loaded with gloves with just three fingers on them is seized by French customs, Jourdan follows up the case to a Middle Eastern emirate. There he is promptly captured and jailed, but escapes leaving a wave of chaos behind him...

Ali head of the police

Ahmed

Mohammed and Gil Jourdan

Philippe Chardin a French spy

Cars

- Buick Super Riviera 1950

- Mercedes-Benz W111 Ambulance

- Mercedes-Benz W111 Sedan

- Mercedes-Benz Unimog 401

- Chevrolet Impala 1964 (2-door hardtop coupé and Convertible)

- Pontiac Bonneville 1964

- Buick LeSabre 1964

- Land Rover IIa Forward Control

Buick Super Riviera 1950

Mercedes-Benz W111 Ambulance

Mercedes-Benz W111 Sedan

Mercedes-Benz Unimog 401

Chevrolet Impala 1964

Pontiac Bonneville 1964

Buick LeSabre 1964

Land Rover IIa Forward Control

1965, Film: “The Great Race”

The American comedy "The Great Race" is released on 1 July 1965. The film, written and directed by Blake Edwards, stars Tony Curtis, Natalie Wood, Jack Lemmon and Peter Falk. The music was written by Henry Mancini.

Edwards based the film loosely on the 1908 New York to Paris Race. As an admirer of silent comedy films he dedicated "The Great Race" to the comedians Stan Laurel (1890–1965) and Oliver Hardy (1892–1957). The film included several silent era visual gags, slapstick, double entendres, and absurdities.

Tony Curtis as "The Great Leslie"

Jack Lemmon as Prince Friedrich Hapnick

Natalie Wood as Maggie DuBois

Synopsis

The Great Leslie (Tony Curtis) and Professor Fate (Jack Lemmon) are two daredevils at the turn of the 20th century. Leslie, a classic hero, is always dressed in white. He is handsome, courteous, talented and very successful. Fate, a melodramatic villain, is usually dressed in black with a top hat. His great plans are always doomed to fail. Leslie proposes an automobile race from New York to Paris. The Webber Motor Car Company builds a new car for Leslie named "The Leslie Special". Professor Fate builds his own vehicle, the "Hannibal Twin-8", with several hidden devices of sabotage. Other cars enter the race, including a New York City's newspaper car driven by the beautiful journalist Maggie DuBois (Natalie Wood)...

Tony Curtis and Jack Lemmon

Jack Lemmon, Natalie Wood and Tony Curtis

Jack Lemmon and Tony Curtis

Tony Curtis, Natalie Wood and Keenan Wynn

Awards

• Academy Awards, USA: Oscar for Best Effects, Sound Effects: Treg Brown (1966)
• Motion Picture Sound Editors, USA: Golden Reel Award for Best Sound Editing (tie “With Von Ryan's Express” (1966)

Tony Curtis, Natalie Wood and Jack Lemmon

Jack Lemmon and Tony Curtis

Keenan Wynn, Natalie Wood and Tony Curtis

Main Cast

• Jack Lemmon as Professor Fate and Prince Friedrich Hapnick
• Tony Curtis as Leslie Gallant III ("The Great Leslie")
• Natalie Wood as Maggie DuBois
• Peter Falk as Maximillian "Max" Meen
• Keenan Wynn as Hezekiah Sturdy
• Arthur O'Connell as Henry Goodbody
• Vivian Vance as Hester Goodbody
• Dorothy Provine as Lily Olay
• Larry Storch as Texas Jack
• Ross Martin as Baron Rolfe von Stuppe
• Hal Smith as Mayor of Boracho
• Denver Pyle as Sheriff of Boracho
• Marvin Kaplan as Frisbee
• George Macready as General Kuhster

Tony Curtis and Natalie Wood

Jack Lemmon, Peter Falk and Hal Smith

Jack Lemmon and Peter Falk

Natalie Wood

Trivia

• The film features the largest pie fight ever staged, with a running gag that The Great Leslie remains clean while everyone else is covered in pie. It was filmed over five days and 4000 real pies were used.
• When Prof. Fate, Max and Maggie DuBois drive into the Russian town, Maggie speaks a full sentence to the townspeople in Russian. Natalie Wood was of Russian descent and spoke fluent Russian. 
• Six "Hannibal Twin-8" were built powered by a Chevrolet Corvair six-cylinder engine. "The Leslie Special" was designed and built by the studio, Warner Brothers, using parts from several cars. Four cars were build

Natalie Wood

Natalie Wood

 
"The Great Race" Trailer (1965)

1964, Cars: NSU Spider

German carmaker NSU presents the new NSU Spider, the world's first Wankel engined car, on 29 September 1964. The Spider was unveiled at the “Internationale Automobilausstellung in Frankfurt” in 1963 (12/09/1963 – 22/09/1963). The two-door cabriolet, based on the NSU Sport Prinz, was designed by Bertone.

The engine invented by Felix Wankel, differed from a classic piston engine due to the quasi-oval design of the combustion chamber, containing a rotor that ascribed within the chamber an epitrochoid shaped trajectory, enabling the combustion pressure to be converted directly into a rotary motion. The rear-mounted 498 cc engine had a power output of 40 kW with a top speed of 150 km/h.

NSU Sport Prinz

NSU Spider

NSU Spider

NSU Spider

Between 1964 and 1967 2,375 NSU Spiders were built. In 1967, the model was withdrawn with the introduction of NSU's second rotary-engined car, the Ro 80.

Brochures:

NSU Spider (The Netherlands, 1964)

1963, Fashion: Mary Quant, Ginger Group Line

In 1963 London fashion designer Mary Quant launched the Ginger Group Line to distribute her designs. With this new line Quant moved into mass-production. Shortly afterwards, Quant cosmetics and underwear were introduced marketed using the famous Quant daisy design. By that time, Mary Quant was the leading fashion designer outside Paris.

Jean Shrimpton in a Ginger Group Line dress

Jean Shrimpton in a Ginger Group Line dress

Jackie Bowyer in a Ginger Group Line outfit

Melanie Hampshire and Jill Kennington in Ginger Group Lines dresses

1962, Car Spotting: Sint-Pieters-Woluwe, Sint Pieterskerk (Brussels, Belgium)

Front to back:

Car passing by: 

unidentified, probably Ford Zodiac / Zephyr Mk II

First parked row, left to right: 

Citroën 2CV, Ford Taunus 12M or 15M (P1), Citroën 2CV, Renault 4CV, Opel (Olympia) Rekord (P1), Fiat 600 and Opel (Olympia) Rekord (P1).

Second parked row, left to right: 

Citroën 2CV, Ford Taunus 15M (“Weltkugeltaunus”, P1), Fiat 500 Topolino C Belvedere and DKW F93/94 (Sonderklasse / 3=6).

Parked in the street leading to the church, left, front to back:

Peugeot 403 and Renault 4CV.

Parked in the street leading to the church, right, front to back: 

Volkswagen 1200 (Beetle), Peugeot 403, DKW F93/94 (Sonderklasse / 3=6) and unidentified car probably Mercedes-Benz W120/W121.

1961, Music: Eurovision Song Contest

The 6th Eurovision Song Contest was held on Saturday 18 March 1961 at the "Palais des Festivals et des Congrès", Cannes, France. It was the first contest to take place on a Saturday night. Jacqueline Joubert presented the festival for the second time and of the 16 participants Jean-Claude Pascal won for Luxembourg with "Nous les amoureux". Luxembourg won for its first time. Three countries debuted in 1961: Finland, Spain, and Yugoslavia.

Jean-Claude Pascal and Tessa Beaumont (interval dance act performer)

Draw	Country	Artist	Song	Place	Points
01	Spain	Conchita Bautista	"Estando contigo"	9	8
02	Monaco	Colette Deréal	"Allons, allons les enfants"	10	6
03	Austria	Jimmy Makulis	"Sehnsucht"	15	1
04	Finland	Laila Kinnunen	"Valoa ikkunassa"	10	6
05	Yugoslavia	Ljiljana Petrović	"Neke davne zvezde" (Неке давне звезде)	8	9
06	Netherlands	Greetje Kauffeld	"Wat een dag"	10	6
07	Sweden	Lill-Babs	"April, April"	14	2
08	Germany	Lale Andersen	"Einmal sehen wir uns wieder"	13	3
09	France	Jean-Paul Mauric	"Printemps, avril carillonne"	4	13
10	Switzerland	Franca di Rienzo	"Nous aurons demain"	3	16
11	Belgium	Bob Benny	"September, gouden roos"	15	1
12	Norway	Nora Brockstedt	"Sommer i Palma"	7	10
13	Denmark	Dario Campeotto	"Angelique"	5	12
14	Luxembourg	Jean-Claude Pascal	"Nous les amoureux"	1	31
15	United Kingdom	The Allisons	"Are You Sure?"	2	24
16	Italy	Betty Curtis	"Al di là"	5	12

First place: Jean-Claude Pascal with "Nous les amoureux"

Second place place: The Allisons with "Are You Sure?"

Third place place: Franca di Rienzo with "Nous aurons demain"

Jean-Claude Pascal sings "Nous les Amoureux"