For the end of the year, we were to choose a stamp that represented the end of something.
This may seem an odd choice, but this Austrian stamp for the Steyr XII Taxi-Landaulet made me think of the end of the era for London's iconic black cabs The Mayor of London announced last week that from now on the Fairways will no longer be licensed and will be replaced by (not black) Nissan vans.
A landaulet was a term carried over from horse drawn carriages and means a cut down version of a landau (convertible roof carriage) or "a closed car with folding top, seats for three or more inside, and driver's seat outside". Steyr (named for the town near Vienna) started out manufacturing arms, but moved into automobiles after WWI. If you are so inclined you can read more about Steyr-Puch and see other examples of their automobiles here. And here is a link to London's black taxi history.
While many drivers may mourn the loss of the the one taxi, I am sure the chauffeurs of these landaulets did not mourn the loss of their unprotected carriages.
It is really strange that they did not think about also putting the driver inside a closed up space and that he was exposed to all the elements. It must have been a very novel idea when they did think of it. I do like the way your mind works and that you chose this stamp as a symbol of the end of an era. xox
ReplyDeletewell, my brain was not up to researching any dramatic endings, and this was in the news this week, so...
DeleteReally? No more black cabs? What a shame - that's certainly the end of an era.
ReplyDeleteYellow was the big color for cabs here.
ReplyDeleteThe British manufacturer of the black cabs have been sold off,I believe.
ReplyDeleteHappy New Year.
I like those big old cars but looks as though Steyr-Puch produced some fascinating designs over the years. Nice idea to have the badge in the background of the stamp design.
ReplyDelete