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    barn find
    News
    11 November, 20200

    Barn Find and the Motor Hunters

    Barn Find means the luck of an engine treasure hunter, but do you really know what these words mean? We explain it in our article today. Surely you have seen one of the many TV series where the protagonists go around different towns, usually in deep America, looking for antiques and objects with the potential to become iconography for the potential buyer. One of the specialities of these authentic treasure hunters is finding vehicles that have been abandoned in an old barn waiting for better times, a practice known as Barn Find. The thrill of opening the old doors of a ship and finding a relic of the engine, whatever its condition, is an indescribable feeling. Then come the numbers, the negotiation of the purchase, the cunning of the searcher so that his state of mind is not noticed, and the expertise of the seller if he really knows what he has in store.   If you want to know what this world is all about, you can start with this series on Youtube, Barn Find Hunter. It’s worth a look if you’re interested in the world of motoring and car restoration – don’t miss it! In this world of curiosities that destiny has placed before the searchers, there are several famous cases. One of them was the discovery of a 1978 Chevrolet Corvette Indy 500 Pace Car with only 4 miles. A collector’s item that was later sold at auction for about 80,000 Usd. Recently the news of the discovery of a Porsche 911 Turbo S Flachbau in perfect condition jumped out. This car was manufactured in 1989, besides being in perfect condition, the most curious thing is that it only had 220 real kilometres in its odometer. Such a jewel has a cost in accordance. Its owner has put a price of 770.000 Usd. For those who are interested, it is located in Naples (Florida). If you want to open your mouth with this peculiar world of luck, you can ask for a Zolty and simply indicate the direction of the Retro Auto-Moto Ramm in Barcelona. As described in this article by La Escudería, the history of this place and its promoter is that of a faithful lover of classics. You can’t miss it. Zolty, we’ll take you there.
    hispano-suiza
    News
    25 September, 20200

    Hispano-Suiza, a legendary brand in Barcelona

    Within its great industrial and entrepreneurial past, an emblematic car brand, Hispano-Suiza, was founded in Barcelona in 1904. Two entrepreneurs, Damián Mateu Bisa and Francisco Seix Zaya, together with the Swiss engineer Marc Birkigt, began to develop luxury and racing cars. They also had a division specialising in the design and manufacture of aircraft engines, boat engines and land transport vehicles. The origin of the company comes from the “Compañía General Española de Coches Automóviles Emilio de la Cuadra, Sociedad en Comandita” which had been founded in Barcelona in September 1898. Due to financial problems, when they had only manufactured 5 of the 6 vehicles they had planned, the company had to close down in 1901. One year later, in November 1902, José María Castro Fernández, one of La Cuadra’s main creditors, set up the company “J. Castro, Sociedad en Comandita, Fábrica Hispano-Suiza de Automóviles”, after obtaining financial support, taking over the technical staff and specialised workers of the previous company. In March 1904, the company closed down and Hispano-Suiza was born. In the same premises of J. Castro in Floridablanca Street, work began on the new company, which in principle was to finish the cars that had been left over from the previous company. Hispano-Suiza cars were soon considered to be luxury cars and symbols of social prestige thanks to their reliability, quality and performance. Furthermore, they were fast enough to make their way into the fledgling car races and to triumph in multiple competitions. The automobile assets of the Spanish Hispano-Suiza (the Barcelona factory and the range of products, projects and patents; but not the company or the Hispano-Suiza brand) were acquired by the National Institute of Industry (INI) in 1946. After this nationalisation, ENASA was created and began to manufacture lorries and buses and, for a short period of time, sports cars, under the Pegaso brand. This is another story that we will tell you in a future article. With Zolty App, we will get to know the origin of the automotive world and its relationship with Barcelona. Don’t miss it!
    cultura segura
    Events, Leisure, News
    18 August, 20200

    In Barcelona, culture is safe

    It is true that, due to the health crisis that we have lived through, the leisure time that Barcelona could boast so much in previous summers is being harmed. Limited capacity, queues, cancellation of mass events … The necessary measures are being taken in all sectors to ensure the well-being of users as far as possible. But what about the culture sector in particular? Is it being harmed excessively? Is it possible to enjoy a safe culture in Barcelona? We will tell you! For a few months now, the cultural sector has been one of the most affected by the restrictions of the different public organizations to stop the spread of COVID-19. Professionals and amateurs in the sector have not been able to remain silent before abusive measures that are not consistent with others that are being adopted in other sectors, such as the hospitality sector. For this reason, the campaign “La Cultura es Segura” (Culture is Safe) was started, under the hashtag #culturasegura, to claim shows such as concerts, plays, cinema, and other cultural activities that are complying with all the corresponding health regulations and that are also much safer spaces than others where so many restrictions are not being applied. On July 20, 2020, from the #CulturaSegura initiative, a press release was published where the burning issues around cultural restrictions were put on the table: “None of the 140 active outbreaks in Catalonia has its origin in a cultural event”. However, what acts were completely canceled? Cultural events. The outrage of this sector was perfectly justified. They tell us: “It is not acceptable, nor true, nor fair, to tell citizens that culture is a contagious activity and deprive ourselves of the economic viability that we could have after 4 months of crisis. Open beaches, open activities, open streets, vacations around the corner, and the only occurrence is to close safe spaces where people have a good time, enjoy, reflect, laugh and cry…, in conditions of maximum control, hygiene and distance, approved by PROCICAT itself.” A sector that takes health security measures seriously, such as the cultural sector, does not deserve to be the most punished. The artists, the professionals, the amateurs, all the people on and behind the stage… They all deserve to be able to continue doing their job, since they meet all the rules to do so. This summer, do safe and responsible activities, go to cultural activities. Go to the movies, the theater, or a concert. In Barcelona, culture is safe.
    historia taxi
    News
    4 August, 20200

    The history of the taxi in Barcelona

    In Barcelona, as in other large cities in Europe, we can trace the history of the taxi back to the 19th century, when passenger transport was covered by carriages. These horse-drawn carts were a service for the citizen, who paid the amount stipulated on each previous journey according to the rates established to reach their destination. We are talking about the 19th century, but in 1654, in London, the first rental carriage service was documented within a regulated framework for the city’s public transport. However, motor taxis emerged in our city around 1906. There were not many, only 6, but more than enough to cover the low demand of the time. During those first years, motorized vehicles coexisted with Barcelona and shared with horse-drawn carriages. In 1910, the first automakers such as Hispano Suiza began to operate the first fleets of taxis with their own drivers and in a few years, the sector was developed with a few companies and individual professionals. One of the first autonomous taxi drivers of which there is evidence is Martí Vidal, whose Fiat 12 HP was a regular on the corner of Aribau and Diputació in front of Café Tupinamba, an establishment that grouped together a potential customer of his service. We’re talking about the year 1912. By the year 1920 there were already about 250 taxis and 64 established stops. The service was not the most used in the city, and there was still no custom of stopping cars in circulation. The 1929 World Expo was a before and after in the history of the taxi. In those few years, the fleet grew to 4,000 vehicles. Let’s not forget that at that time Barcelona had just under a million inhabitants. Once the World Expo was over, the oversupply triggered a trade war that led to the closure of companies. In 1930, by mandate of the City Council, the sector was regulated with guidelines such as the obligation to previously have a minimum experience of two years as a driver to obtain the license, a fare of 60 cents per peseta per kilometer and the color yellow as a distinctive color in the vehicle. The history of the taxi has evolved a lot from then to the present day, where we can see driving cars whose hybrid technology benefits us from its efficiency and low consumption, as well as the incorporation of mobile applications to request a travel service. Zolty App makes the difference in terms of benefits for this type of technology, you just have to take a look at our service and its features to check it.
    ozono vehiculos
    Leisure, News
    16 July, 20200

    We treat all our vehicles with ozone

    The new normality that we are experiencing as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic has introduced many changes in our lives. From the most visible ones such as confinement, social distance, the occupation of public spaces, to others that are not so evident but that contribute to a change in our daily lives, like the ozone treatment. Surely this year 2020 will mark a before and after in the way of proceeding in many daily aspects. Among the numerous recommendations of the experts, which are included in a series of tips that the Ministry of Health publishes on its website, whose link you can see here, hygiene is the main weapon to combat a possible contagion. In addition to the hygienic measures that we must adopt to protect ourselves, we must also worry about the objects that we manipulate and the environments where we stay or transit. For this reason, at Zolty we strictly follow these recommendations. All of our vehicles are periodically washed and disinfected. We follow a strict hygienic protocol, where the first step is an intense washing both outside and inside our vehicles, using a high composition of sodium hypochlorite combined with water and biodegradable detergents. All our vehicles are periodically washed and treated with ozone The next step is to treat the entire cabin with ozone. Using the vehicle’s own air conditioning system, ozone, being a gas, has the ability to penetrate and occupy all the areas that are difficult to access by diffusion, which is a great advantage in achieving complete disinfection. Another of the protection measures that we have incorporated is the installation of transparent partitions to separate the environments from the driver and the passengers. The sum of all the measures we implement try to maintain the essential health security conditions so that your trip is as reliable as possible, preserving your well-being and that of our collaborators. Zolty, at the forefront of sustainable mobility. Choose your destination, we will take you.
    turismo espacial
    Leisure, News
    2 June, 20200

    Do you know what space tourism is?

    Since Elon Musk announced his SpaceX project, it seems that outer space is the new frontier for tourism. Space tourism is something that will not be available to many for economic reasons, but we also remember that it was not until the second half of the last century that transatlantic commercial flights began to be launched regularly and the first ones had prices that were quite unattainable for the most of the population. But so much maelstrom these days regarding the launch of SpaceX, leads us to confuse the concept of space tourism. The true reason for the prominence of SpaceX is its Falcon 9, a reusable rocket that was already tested 4 years ago, successfully taking off and landing. This new rocket opened the doors for NASA to use it as a connecting vehicle between Earth and the International Space Station (ISS). Until now and for about ten years, NASA relies on Russian Soyuz pods and launch pads for these missions. This project allows them to regain their independence from their direct rivals in the space race. If all goes well, Bob Behnken and Doug Hurley will be the crew of the Crew Dragon, a capsule that will be the connection module to the orbital station. Here is another opportunity that already has a name, Commercial Crew. It is the joint idea between NASA, ISS and SpaceX for space tourism of the future. The significant cost reduction that implies the use of these new rockets and the capacity of the cabin of its capsule, which allows up to seven crew members, open a new possibility. Almost 20 years ago Denis Tito paid $ 20 million to spend 8 days in the orbital station where he arrived aboard a Soyuz. Cirque du Soleil founder Guy Laliberté in 2009 paid $ 35 million for an 11-day trip. For now, we know that staying at the ISS at the price of $ 35,000 per night, not counting a flight, the cost of which is not yet known, has four interested on a waiting list according to Space Adventures. Another issue is that of the companies Virgin Galactic and Blue Origin, which are developing ships capable of flying, for a few minutes, just above the limit of space, 80 or 100 km according to the definition chosen by each company, to private passengers, to $ 250,000 change in the case of Virgin. Something more modest but more affordable if you want to treat yourself of this magnitude.