Posted on 06/26/2011 12:33:17 AM PDT by Liberty Valance
“I think he should build another few of those ASAP to the same high standard (and, you can’t argue, the darned thing did look absolutely immaculate) to sell at future auctions. He could really rake it in.”
Indeed! Get in - get paid - get out.
You too huh? One of these says I want to buy a mint Pacer wagon! I check ebay from time to time.
Maybe the most dangerous vehicle ever on American roads. Very little between the front seat and anything running into the front end. No heater. Waaaay underpowered. No, not every owner was a hippie. My Dad is a Korean War Veteran and he bought one. The poor man’s rv at the time. I learned to drive in one. Me and my buddy John took it to a parking lot, parked on some gravel, revved the engine to the max, dropped the clutch, and the old red and white beast chugged away with nary a rock flying.
being aircooled, in the winter they were rolling iceboxes.Having spent time in my friend mom’s VW, it was not fun.
Ahhhh, memories. My favorite of all the vehicles I’ve owned in my long life.
I managed to survive when I was hit while making a left turn at night and was hit on the front left corner by a car doing over 100 MPH without lights. Took the whole front off the bus and left me sitting holding the steering wheel and staring at a telephone pole. Only God saved me by seconds and inches.
So true. The other thing I notice today is the lack of available colors on cars. It seems that everything comes in silver. Light silver, dark silver, bronze silver, etc. Add in black and white, and that's about it for color choices on most cars. Hard to believe back in the conservative 50's you'd have cars in cool combinations like black and salmon pink, or white and teal.
The most important safety equipment for the driver was shin guards in case the bus rear ended another vehicle.
More of the story here with many more pictures:
http://www.thesamba.com/vw/classifieds/detail.php?id=1155981
Easy now. My dad is as far away from a anti-American Hippie as you can get. Born in ‘29, college in the ‘50s hair never below his collar, and a Chemical Engineer.
He loves these things for some reason. his parents traveled the country in one in the late ‘50s, and he’s had a fixation on them ever since.
He’s also so tight with money, when he farts only dogs can hear it, so he loves the gas mileage.
Thanks for the new link rawhide. Amazing photos.
Here's one by Chip Foose
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