Aircooled VW South Africa

Blitzkrieg wrote:

Chris wrote:Fantastic pics and a great history on that Bug.

+1

This is what I love about this forum!!!! Thanks for sharing and now go look for more pictures immediately

love this thread

Wonderful stories and pics!

Dave I thoroughly enjoyed your story, especially the pics. I too have had a Baja with big wheels and 2l motor and I too hanker for another one. I spent three months at Ruacana, where the dirt (as in rocks) roads took their toll on the army Buffels (armoured Unimog).
I once witnessed a Baja being the only car at a 4WD meeting to go through the most difficult obstacle. Yes, I think I will get me another...

Found a few more

Beetles definitely like fishing...

On the beach somewhere between Hamburg and the Great Fish Point - there was a drought, the river mouths dried up and you could drive for 50 or 60km down the beach...

And Albert Falls - I think... Dunno where we found this boat, but it seems it could go on the roof racks of a beetle...

Beetles don't mind work... this was soil surveying in Swaziland Christmas vacation '85/86... the 'tache is a mielie tassle...

Beetles like to relax too...

Somewhere on the South Coast - on the way down we were having a few quiet dops as we went - next thing a cop bakkie pulls up next to us, lights flashing telling us to roll down the window. Our hearts drop and we think we are in the poo... Cops hand us a six pack and tear off up the road canning themselves. Unreal.

Was looking for pics to start a new thread for My Second Beetle, a sunshine yellow '74 1600, but can't find any anywhere. Strange.

It cost me R6000 and ended up being no where close in condition to my '71. Was nice to have the 1600 engine tho.

Interestingly enough, I went to renew the licence on my trailer a month or two ago, and the traffic dept told me I had outstanding traffic taxes. For what I asked. A beetle they said. Can't be I said. Haven't had one since '97. That'll be it they said. Road tax for '98 is what's outstanding. Can't be I said, I was in the UK. Tough they said, you didn't change ownership, so you're liable for the taxes. !£$!£$!"!! said I. Luckily enough, they sold it to Beetle Buddies the after or I'd have been liable for 10 more years of tax. I'd not have reconditioned it - it came from CT and was pretty vrot under the paint. Feel sorry for whoever Beetle Buddies reconditioned it for.

That mielie tassle pic lol - so wrong, 70's porn star or something.

As for the rest - great pics and nostalgic tales

From my father when I mentioned that I had started this thread:

Do you remember the epic trips we took to Sofala (Mozambique) in our 1956 1200 Beetle pulling a purpose built trailer? The history of that Beetle is that when we moved up to Salisbury from the Lowveld in about 67, we needed a second car for your mum but couldn’t afford one. Then a couple of weeks after we had settled in, I unexpectedly got a cheque for £160.00 for a curtain allowance for Pete’s sake. Since our curtains were already hung up I took the cheque down to the VW dealer to see what he could do for £160.00. He had this 56 beetle in quite good bodily condition but with what sounded like two burnt valves and old Michelin tyres which must have barely passed the RWC inspection and a hundred and plenty miles on the clock. I bought it forthwith and we used it like that for a year or so – I even did a trip to the Lowveld in the middle of a tropical cyclone in which the only thing that moved was our 2-cylinder Beetle and a Landrover, with much more difficulty then the Beetle. When I got back I decided to jack it up and make it our main car. I got a new sub-assembly, reconditioned from Germany aus nogal, fitted new 6-ply proper tyres and we were away. Not only did that Beetle take us to Mocambique twice but on several holiday trips to SA (with a nanny) and finally a trip to Cape Town for my MBA, via Durban and Port St Johns. We had it for years after that and only sold it when Ross was imminent because we couldn’t face maneuvering a carry cot in and out of the back seat of a Beetle. If you talk about value for money, I really don’t think you could beat that, not to mention a 20 year old car that never gave us a moment’s trouble. Beetles are fantastic.

Kind of says it all

Awesome

Dave, has you dad got a picture (you can scan) of the 56 with the trailer....would love to see it? Great thread!

I don't think so, but will ask.

The 56 was a bog standard 1200 oval - the trailer was quite big compared to modern day Venter trailers, had a box made of plywood with compartments for gas stove / crockery / cutlery / lights / etc. Homemade forerunner of the off road trailers you see today I suppose. Had 15" wheels as well, I think, off a Morris if I remember right.