Germany

Mercedes-Benz W204 C280 Sunset Snapshots | Drive-by Snapshots by Sebastian Motsch (2019)

Mercedes-Benz W204 C280 | Sunset Snapshots

Flag GermanySunset Snapshots

After leaving my office and clocking out, I decided to go for a little sunset drive before heading home. I didn’t have any camera equipment with me – just my mobile phone, a Samsung Galaxy S5 2017.

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Drive-by Snapshots Silvester Blues 001 | Lost Places Photography by Sebastian Motsch (2017)

Silvester Blues

Flag GermanySilvester Blues | Erinnerungen an schöne Zeiten

Ein paar Stunden noch bis die Zukunft beginnt

Es ist der letzte Tag des Jahres. Nach dem obligatorischen Weißwurstfrühstück in guter Gesellschaft verbleiben noch ein paar Stunden um das fast vergangene Jahr abzuschließen. Freund Jonas entriegelt mit der Fernbedienung seine leicht patinierte C-Klasse aus den späten Neunziger Jahren und wir steigen ein. Unsere Blicke schweifen über den mit einer rot-weißen Bommelmütze bekleideten Stern. Wohin wird er uns in diesen letzten Stunden des Jahres den Weg weisen?

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Mercedes-Benz W201 190E 23-16 Vorserie | Drive-by Snapshots by Sebastian Motsch (2014)

Barn find | Mercedes-Benz W201 2.3-16 Vorserie (pre-series)

Flag GermanyWhich old car enthusiast has never dreamed of a barn find? How would it be to open the gate to an old garage and finding something long forgotten? Just imagine seeing the dust of decades dancing in the early morning light and inhaling the dry air.

Well the days of finding a classic car by chance are over, because most garages and barns have been treasure hunted already and are empty now. Today treasure hunting is more of a virtual game, as we are trying to find beautiful bargains that only had one caring owner, super low mileage and a full service history with all the dealer stamps in the right places. On top of that, a folder containing all the invoices is more than welcome and considered the icing on the cake.

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Sunset Snapshot on wet road 03 | Drive-by Snapshots by Sebastian Motsch (2015)

Chance and coincidence

“The world is so unpredictable. Things happen suddenly, unexpectedly. We want to feel we are in control of our own existence. In some ways we are, in some ways we’re not. We are ruled by the forces of chance and coincidence.”   Paul Auster
Flag GermanyFellow photographer Marco Spalluto (spallutography) and I once discussed the influence of the various factors when taking photographs. Spotting the opportunity, composing the picture, getting all the settings on your camera right and pressing the button at the right time. All of them are essential, but to get everything anywhere close to what you think is perfect takes a lot of time. However, many awesome moments are exactly what the name suggests: moments in time. Capturing a moment in bright daylight is more often than not measured in thousands of a second shutter speed.
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Yellow and Blue | Day six

While digging through my picture archives, I became aware of having many pictures that have one thing in common: matching color schemes. It really is interesting how some color combinations can be found whichever country you go to. This week I’m going to feature a selection of pictures containing the bright colors Yellow & Blue.

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Yellow and Blue | Day five

While digging through my picture archives, I became aware of having many pictures that have one thing in common: matching color schemes. It really is interesting how some color combinations can be found whichever country you go to. This week I’m going to feature a selection of pictures containing the bright colors Yellow & Blue.

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Yellow and Blue | Day three

While digging through my picture archives, I became aware of having many pictures that have one thing in common: matching color schemes. It really is interesting how some color combinations can be found whichever country you go to. This week I’m going to feature a selection of pictures containing the bright colors Yellow & Blue.

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Yellow and Blue | Day two

While digging through my picture archives, I became aware of having many pictures that have one thing in common: matching color schemes. It really is interesting how some color combinations can be found whichever country you go to. This week I’m going to feature a selection of pictures containing the bright colors Yellow & Blue.

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Citroen 2CV Chopped Duck | Drive-by Snapshots by Sebastian Motsch (2014)

Citroën 2CV | Chopped Duck Sweet & Sour

Flag GermanyA hot summer day in 2014. Heading towards the Nürburgring for the annual Oldtimer Grand Prix, we decided to stop at a rest area to buy refreshments. The petrol station was filled to the brim with travelers, their (mostly humdrum) cars, and a couple of trucks for good measure. But there is always a nugget to be found somewhere, if you just look hard enough. Actually, we didn’t really have to look hard, because the nugget occupied one of the prime spots. The owner and his friend just wanted to leave, but happily stopped and agreed to answer some questions and let me take a few pictures. Thank you, guys!

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dbs Volvo P1800 Schloss Freudenhain Passau | phootgraphy by Sebastian Motsch

Volvo P1800 | Schloss Freudenhain Passau

Flag Germany“You recently posted a picture of a beige car on Facebook. I don’t know what kind of car it is, but the picture is so beautiful that I looked at it more than once.”   Daniela Stühler

This quote is from a friend who isn’t really interested in cars – but has a professionally trained eye and lots of practical experience with equilibrated color combinations. When we met a couple of days after posting the preview shot on Facebook, she told me that she loves how perfect the color and style of the car correspond with the background. The way she spoke about her impressions of the picture catapulted me back to that very hot day in 2014 when I portrayed Stefans’ Volvo. Daniela, this article is dedicated to you for putting my previously unspoken feelings about these photos into words. Thank you.

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Passau Classic Car Day 2014 Details Volkswagen T1 | Drive-by Snapshots by Sebastian Motsch (2014)

3rd Classic Car Day | Passau Freudenhain

Flag GermanyMy friends from Passau Classics sent me an invitation to their 3rd annual Classic Car Day, held at Schloss Freudenhain. The one-day event is open to all classic and vintage cars and does not require booking. Therefore the organizers don’t know which and how many cars are going to show up. This might sound odd, but is a proven concept by now. The surprise factor is something unique, and when a rare car rolls up to registration the smiles on the faces are unbeatable. I really like the concept and wish more events would be like that. Informal and friendly are the words best describing the beautiful day 🙂

Please find a selection of detail pictures below. You might also want to visit Passau Classics on Facebook for more pictures and information.

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Land Rover Defender Janus | Drive-by Snapshots by Sebastian Motsch (2014)

Land Rover Defender variations. No happy end, unfortunately.

Flag GermanyBeing regular exhibitors at the Abenteuer Allrad in Bad Kissingen, the Off Road Center guys always showcase their skills with a couple of great Land Rover Defender builds, parts and accessories. This year they had, amongst others, their Janus-style Defender “Lotte” on display…

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Land Rover Series I Matching Background | Drive-by Snapshots by Sebastian Motsch (2013)

Matching Backgrounds | Three Flavours of Rover

Over the years, I have taken quite a few pictures where the subject and the background match perfectly – be it color, style or period correct settings. Fix yourself a cup of tea, lean back and enjoy three flavors of Rover: grandpa, son and grandson.

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BMW 318is E30 M42 | Drive-by Snapshots by Sebastian Motsch (2014)

BMW 318is E30 | Double the fun

Flag GermanyThe big portal crane in the Regensburg harbor didn’t only make a great location for the BMW E30 photo shooting, but also paid hommage to the 3-series predecessor by sporting the correct number.

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Volkswagen Käfer Cabrio | Drive-by Snapshots by Sebastian Motsch (2014)

Volkswagen Käfer Cabrio | Fasten your seat belts!

Flag GermanyMy friend Gerd and his wife Claudia started the drop-top season rather late this year. After collecting the Volkswagen Beetle convertible from storage and giving it a good wash, we decided to quickly snap a few pictures before officially starting the season.

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Peugeot 504 Golden Brown | Drive-by Snapshots by Sebastian Motsch (2012)

Sleeping Beauties | Golden Brown

Frequent readers know that most posts here at Drive-by Snapshots feature multiple pictures of a certain subject, most often accompanied by a little story. However, my archives are brimming with those lonely single pictures. Until recently I wasn’t really sure how to post them without boring you. A post containing one picture just isn’t really going to cut it. Last week, a good friend of mine had a great idea and suggested that I could group them for posts. While digging through the archives, I actually found many pictures that have something in common: a matching background, color or theme. Today, Drive-by Snapshots presents: three sleeping beauties – golden brown.

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BMW Motorcycle Sculpture Berlin | Drive-by Snapshots by Sebastian Motsch (2009)

Ford 20M Coupé | A golden helmet and a matching car

Flag GermanyFound this a couple of years ago in Berlin, in front of the MeilenWerk. The place is now called Classic Remise. The BMW K100 motorcycle sculpture itself is worth taking a closer look. Just by chance, a matching Ford 20M Coupé was parked right next to it. Speaking of interesting contrasts…

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Skoda S100L | Stanced Sunday Sundae

Flag GermanyA hot Sunday in early summer 2010 with a thunderstorm looming at the horizon. I was craving a sundae while driving on the speed limited part of the A6 in my 190E. I stopped at the McDonald’s in Sinsheim, right across the famous Museum. Seems like it was a good idea to stop just there, because upon entering the parking lot I discovered something unique: A pair of Škoda S100L – lowered to the ground, done up nicely in the (then new) rat style, complete with roof racks and odd luggage. Owned and driven by a group of friendly Czech guys. I inquired about their whereabouts… and they told me they are on the way back from a Škoda meeting in the Netherlands! Four people in each car – but to my huge amazement, they didn’t send sparks flying when they rejoind the Autobahn. I drove in convoy with them for a while and had a huge smile on my face. Seeing other peoples reactions was hilarious 🙂

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Berlin Dreilinden | Drive-by Snapshots by Sebastian Motsch (2010)

Lost Places | Berlin Dreilinden

Flag GermanyLiving in West Germany and having relatives in Berlin made it necessary to drive through German Democratic Republic (GDR) frequently. I remember sitting in the back seat of our Audi 200 as a young boy, waiting for endless hours in ridiculously long queues at the Drewitz border crossing. The round building and the service station always fascinated me. It marked the point where we re-entered familiar territory after the arduous Transit through the eastern part of Germany. Leaving the big city on the way home, it marked the point where we literally left our relatives behind and entered the Transit route once again. Fortunately those days are over, and Dreilinden now serves as a landmark that sparks memories of times long gone.

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Volkswagen T3 Nürburgring | Drive-by Snapshots by Sebastian Motsch (2011)

Porsche powered VW T3 | Triple the fun

Flag GermanyPutting up a tent in the paddock at the Nürburgring at a VLN racing weekend isn’t really an option. Instead, you might want to have something more solid. Rain is a common weather occurrence at the ‘ring, after all. And while driving in the Eifel mountains isn’t really much fun in an asthmatic vehicle, you might as well bolt a few extra ponies into the engine bay – just as this gentlemen did. Having fun on the way to the track, enjoy the weekend there and have fun on the run home. That’s not only double the fun, but triple. Volkswagen T3 + Porsche 911 engine + proper brakes and suspension = 🙂

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