CB Prototype in Western Australia

Here is another prototype ( which has now turned up in Hobart) together with a T1 Support vehicle

Bill, how many prototypes were made? And did they have a number stamped on the chassis tunnel?

Its my understnanding that there were four prototypes made originally. I have pictures of three of then in different scenes at various places around Australia.
I am told that two were sent over to Germany for evaluation. That cannot be proven. Germany archives have no current records.
I have copies of the original registration papers for three of the vehicles and I think only 3 may have ever been registered. According to the rego papers these three had the chassis numbers stamped on the transmission tunnel. Now I suppose you would like to know those numbers.

196140428
196140427
195880771

Are you on to something?
countrybuggybill

I'm guessing no number??

but there must have been more than one or two prototypes

How many went to Wolfsburg??

and what did they actually look like??

did the ones that went to Western Germany come back to Australia??

LEE

For those unfamiliar with Bill's fantastic work regarding the history of the Country Buggy, I reference the following:

The Australian Country Buggy Story
http://members.netro.com.au/~vwcc/cb.htm

btw Bill, what happened to all the pics included with text?
It appears they are no longer linked to the site.

Regards,
Steve

58camper wrote:Its my understnanding that there were four prototypes made originally. I have pictures of three of then in different scenes at various places around Australia.
I am told that two were sent over to Germany for evaluation. That cannot be proven. Germany archives have no current records.
I have copies of the original registration papers for three of the vehicles and I think only 3 may have ever been registered. According to the rego papers these three had the chassis numbers stamped on the transmission tunnel. Now I suppose you would like to know those numbers.

196140428
196140427
195880771

Are you on to something?
countrybuggybill

Maybe Bill, do you have any pictures of these?

There's an album of one of the prototypes in a collection done by 11cab. It can be seen here:
http://www.manxgallery.org/gallery/album471

Here's a couple of shots from that album:

Thanks Steve,
Those two photos are of the prototype that is located in Hobart. As you can see it is very different to a normal CB with the sloped bonnet and guards ( both front and rear) built away from the line of the body and sill area. The guy who owns it is in the process of restoration but it has had to slot in behind a '56 Oval and a Double Cab whohc are both needed for use a regular drives.
The other Prototypes look alot like the final production buggies but there are a couple of noticeable differences- round bumper bars versus rectangular and there were no holes of the exhaust pipes in the rear beaver panel as with the production CBs. I see prototypes also had front towing eyes which I have not seen on any production CB.
One last very different feature I think I can see on photographs is that the area which is recessed for the front number plate on the beaver panel for production CBs is in fact a bolt on plate on the production CBs. This would be the primary difference on any prototype CB around today
countrybuggybill

that prototype has what looks to be wipers off the 68 Beetle..

used small shafts and the wiper arms have a grub screw to tighten onto the shaft...

I really love the look of that prototype..

Love the sloping bonnet...

that style of body may have been better for flexing than the production models... ??

LEE


PS: I always thought it was strange to have rectangular bumpers when galvanised pipe would have been much cheaper and easier to obtain..... Lee