Professor Doctor Heinz Nordhoff and the right honorable, the prime minister Options

[wonkipop]

today we were alerted to a discovery by a worthy nerd in the VW club who had made available this truly beautiful piece of correspondence dating from an era that was not only technologically and industrially supremely confident but also so P O L I T E.

i just love the post war prime ministers one word response - see hand written notes on letter.

i barely have a memory of the pm of that era (he lasted well into the 60s and was an enduring figure running the nation). but to me a ghostly figure on the tv in the corner of the lounge room where i sometimes spent my 60s childhood watching dr. who or woody woodpecker. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif)



you got to love the stationary of aus VW.
the roos look like they live on a diet of cigarettes and bllack coffee given their body mass index.

anyway. this prompted a discussion over the lunch table at the workshop here today (having spent the morning fixing starter motor wires on the 914 having finally got some hoist time - the hoist has been heavily used by other hangers on with italian junk, now they are all called tony by me. Fix It Again Tony.

,,,,,,,,,,and my old mate who has set up this workshop looks at the letter and goes ---
i know that name.
turns out he taught a certain character called gray in his architecture class at the tech college here around about 1968 and mentioned to the student he was trying to set up his 62 beetle with twin carbies to make it GO but was having trouble locating a good set up.
the student volunteered his old man worked for VW but no further detail.
next week he came to class with two boxes containing solex carbs and intake manifolds.
there was never any invoice attached.
needless to say young gray passed his class apparently with flying colors.

and now we know who his old man really was. the guy at the top of vw australia. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif)

the set up survives in the beat up kombi (bus to you guys or really its a panel van version) that lingers in a corner of the workshop.

its a mystery carb set up that is factory (except for the lash up linkages which are vintage aus backyard creations (IMG:style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif) ) and fits on an upright type 1 engine. nothing like the type three dual carb set up. but its factory. or top shelf factory.

we reckon it was left over stuff that was sent out by wolfsburg for the redex round australia rally VW beetles. which were supposed to be stock but were always rumoured to be NOT.

note the fuel pump. all those owners of pre 65 beetles and ghias can cry in their cups of tea.





another day doing stoopid things at the north antarctica research base.

and the 914 cranks its starter like it just rolled out the gate at osnabruk. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/beerchug.gif) (IMG:style_emoticons/default/beer.gif)

[emerygt350]

Man, I would love a van like that. What a cool story.

[fixer34]

Reminds me when I put a set of type 3 Solexes on a friends Bug many years ago. Jury rigged the crossbar, a bit tight in the compartment but it ran well.

[Flyinlow]

Man, I would love a van like that. What a cool story.

Is that called Aussie engineooety?

[Flyinlow]

Man, I would love a van like that. What a cool story.

Is that called Aussie engineooety?

[worn]

Man, I would love a van like that. What a cool story.

Very cool story. Would love to have been at that lunch table!

[bkrantz]

Thanks, Wonk.

That combi reminds me of a friend who used his as a tow vehicle--really--for his 240Z autocross/track car. I think he also had dual carbs. And it caught fire (a little bit). But he fixed that and kept towing.

[wonkipop]

Thanks, Wonk.

That combi reminds me of a friend who used his as a tow vehicle--really--for his 240Z autocross/track car. I think he also had dual carbs. And it caught fire (a little bit). But he fixed that and kept towing.

apparently the bus that sits in the corner of the workshop started life in the UK where it was delivered new. the owner then migrated to australia. he "drove" here. and not the usual way that believe it or not some folks did by driving right down through the south of europe and on to afghanistan and down to india (usually bombay) and then both owner and car by ship to australia.

no this one went with its owner on a very unusual trip. he shipped it across the atlantic.
then drove across the usa. then shipped it across the pacific. and it and he lived in australia for a short time before selling it to its present owner my mate back in the early 70s. apparently it once sported stickers all over its sliding solid barn door recording the trip across the USA. sadly that door got wiped out by a panel beater driving erratically some time back in the 70s. said panel beater replaced side door with a door with a window at no cost to owner to repair it. but the stickers were lost with the door.

apparently there are traces of the trip with other stuff inside the van but its presently jambed in the corner and i can't get inside it. the back is full of "junk".

plan is to restore it totally mechanically but leave the body pretty much alone.

we shall see. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif)