100E origins

[quk@isham-research.demon.co.uk (Phil Payne)]

In message <34F47909.E3CCD60C@multiverse.com> harrison writes:

> > No one has ever known what that "T" stands for.

>   BMW and MB both market their wagons in the states as "touring" models.

When the 'T' first came out in the mid-1980s, one of our salesmen wanted me to 
authorise one as a company car.  I didn't, because our insurance company was 
loading premiums for 'Kombis' at the time.  But I remember an awful lot of 
banter about the thing - it was a long time coming, between previews and 
launch, and a lot of people thought it was a joke at first.  Stern and Bunte 
printed 'spy' pictures of it, and thought up some wonderful nicknames.
 
"Rennlaster" was one - "racing truck".  My all-time favourite (and you have to 
hear it pronounced with a Hessen accent) was 'tieffliegender Sattelschlepper" 
- "low-flying low loader".
 
Audi had just produced the "Avant", and names were in vogue more than numbers 
or letters.  When Daimler-Benz announced it would be called the "T" series 
there was general incredulity, and everyone wanted to know what it stood for.  
Daimler-Benz replied: "It's just a letter".

BMW _did_ brand as "touring" with a small 't' from the beginning.  I drove a 
BMW in Berlin a couple of weeks ago, and found it quite well designed - 
especially the feature that lets you open just the rear window and not the 
whole hatch.  Neat. 

-- 
 Phil Payne
 UK Audi [ur-]quattro Owners Club