Yes Chris, as far as I can remember the tow bar went up under the engine and bolted to the torsion bars. Dad blew up the 36-horse quite early on, as well as numerous replacement engines he built from scavenged parts over the years. I have many memories of him spending late evenings down in the garage, rebuilding a blown engine in time so he could get to work next day. I think by the late '70s, when I started to learn to drive in it, it had a 1500 Kombi-based engine. He ended up selling it in 1978 to a mate who lived nearby, so it was weird to see it being driven by someone else around the neighbourhood. His mate sold it in 1980 and the new (young) owner later wrote it off. It was pretty tired by then though.
I remember Dad telling me once that he was hit up the backside by a Holden taxi on the way home from work. It had the towbar on. His VW was kicked forward by the impact but suffered no damage. The Holden had its bumper, grille and radiator punched in and had to be towed.
That photo above was taken at Mannering Park on Lake Macquarie, where we sometimes went during school holidays. The boat was a home-made sabot that he used to teach high school kids to make in woodwork. It was a slow trip up from Hawkesbury River to Gosford on the old highway with all that on board! Good times.
Ray Black has a lovely Manly Tan VW. It features (with his numerous other VWs) in one of the episodes of the ABC Collectors Show:
http://www.abc.net.au/tv/collectors/segments/s2949572.htm
