Aircooled VW South Africa

Vehicles built with combi running gear and F1 WHEELS/TYRES to detect landmines in the 70s' wars.


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pookie_(vehicle )

Hi Actually not to detect mines rather protect the occupants.
Interesting stories about those Due to sanctions the builders had a hell of a time finding spares and especially the splined section where the rear torsion bars go into. it was eventually found in sa and a few were made
Armand

My father actually drove one in the Rhodesian war as he was in bomb disposal.
He often tells stories about his Pookie.
Madbones

I think I posted something about this before. They got all the old F1 tyres from Kyalami as F1 was a regular fixture on the calendar then

The Pookie was in fact used for mine sweeping. It was also used as the basis for a later design, the Leopard, which was based on the mechanicals of the late baysplit hybrid "Brazilia" bus, and was meant to protect farmers and other civilians from land mines.

Leopard at the Joburg War Museum:

Further reading:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leopard_security_vehicle
http://www.baragwanath.co.za/leopard/
http://www.aircooledvwsa.co.za/viewtopi ... =1&t=17606
http://www.abovetopsecret.com/forum/thread438461/pg1
http://www.jrtwood.com/article_pookie.asp

That is why we call him THE FIG

We're just sitting around the dinner table looking at these with my in-laws who are from Rhodesia and my wife remembers going to school in one of those during the Rhodesian bush war. Boy, aircooleds have been in our family for a long time.