Best aircooled car VW ever made?

pete wood · 21 Jun 2010, 1:39 pm

What IYHO is the best aircooled car that VW ever made? What's your pick of the bunch? Why is it the best?

waltermitty · 21 Jun 2010, 2:01 pm

Not on list any BAY KOMBI or SPLITSCREEN models??? !!!

MY vote would be for a Double cab bay or split but I cannot as they arnet there. It would appear thay they dont rate well for you pete ? Mitchell

pete wood · 21 Jun 2010, 2:33 pm

I said CAR. the commercials are whole different kettle of fish. I like bay SCs myself, but I wondered about cars not trucks.

Nikos · 21 Jun 2010, 2:58 pm

LOWLIGHT GHIA.

This is based purley on looks. It's those damn sexy curves that do it. The low set headlights with the smaller nostrils and tail lights are just perefctly proportioned.

Nick

MickH · 21 Jun 2010, 3:16 pm

Obviously the 411....groundbreaking (especially when dropped from a great height) design for the times and a first in many ways for a VW..Highly under rated...IMHO...👍

dangerous · 21 Jun 2010, 5:28 pm

1967 Aussie Bug is my favourite.
Best on the list?...1967 Euro or 1970s 1300

vwjon · 21 Jun 2010, 6:15 pm

horses for courses, personally the FRIDOLIN is the best looking and most useable (friedolin must be toasted)
the best vw i ever had was a military 181, reverse diff, factory off road suspension, great heater, and more fun that a barrel of breasts!
most practical 70's squareback
most advanced 411-412 also the fastest and most economical
but at the end of the day if we didnt all like different things we'd all be driving beige jelly moulds!

Smiley · 21 Jun 2010, 6:15 pm

Definately a 1968 1500 Semiauto Beetle.

Man I love that car.

Smiley 😎

Joel · 21 Jun 2010, 6:34 pm

when it comes to fatchick beetles I've had a play with all of them over the years - BJ/swingaxle, BJ/IRS Sbug and Lbug but Ill always come back to the supers

The beam front end is just so agricultural, theres only so much you can do with it and the ride still just cant compare to struts

my first bug was a 71 Sbug and i still have a soft spot for them but Lbugs just have that more refined and modern feel, and seem alot bigger inside with the windscreen further forward

Mick is spot on, those 411s as ugly as they are were had an awesome ride and so roomy inside compare to bugs and type3s

jsheppard64 · 21 Jun 2010, 6:47 pm

I like the L bug in general.. but i just don't like the dash

ancientbugger · 21 Jun 2010, 6:53 pm

No SP2?!

pete wood · 21 Jun 2010, 7:31 pm

no, must have forgot that one.

btw, Dangerous, how is the aussie 67 different to the 66?

vlad01 · 21 Jun 2010, 8:09 pm

I like
late notch, late KG, and 914

since there is no 914 to pick and I already own a 71 notch i picked late KG.

they look sexy.

silver · 21 Jun 2010, 8:13 pm

Scwimmenwagen

vlad01 · 21 Jun 2010, 8:16 pm

haha yes one of those would be handy.

imagine during north qld floods. Hey ma, going up the steam to get some milk from the store, need any thing else?

waltermitty · 21 Jun 2010, 9:09 pm

Pete said

I said CAR. the commercials are whole different kettle of fish. I like bay SCs myself, but I wondered about cars not trucks.

Hey pete have you ever seen a Frid? Mitchell

Joel · 21 Jun 2010, 9:51 pm

pete wood wrote:no, must have forgot that one.

btw, Dangerous, how is the aussie 67 different to the 66?

deluxes werent much different, some had the later model pushbutton decklid latch and sunvisors but the pov pak custom model was fairly different
different upholstry, blade bumpers i think were stainless steel? few other small trim differences
there used to be one getting around here ages ago

colonel mustard · 21 Jun 2010, 10:02 pm

1303/1302, super beetle, strut bug ! 🙂

May the struts be with you!!

waveman1500 · 21 Jun 2010, 10:59 pm

I've got an S bug now but I miss my '70 1500. They're better looking at the front than the Supers, and you just knew that the beam axle would survive almost any off-road encounter with a pothole, whereas the Superbug suspension looks so delicate. I especially hate the way that the IRS shock mounts dangle down at the back like dog balls, to me they just look like they want to be ripped off by a big rock. Having said all that, I did break my beam axle, and I haven't managed to break the Super yet. I don't think it counts though as the beam axle got hit by a Mitsubishi at 70km/h.

kittycat · 21 Jun 2010, 11:20 pm

I'm just a sucker for my 1970 1500 lol, She's my first and will be forever my favourite for that reason !

ratty 63 · 22 Jun 2010, 12:42 am

just have to vote for the 411 - just so far ahead of their time. Learned to drive in my parents '69 411....

Of course, 'best' is not necessarily referring to looks is it? 😉

Having owned Beetles and Kombis the choice was far from easy 😀

R 🙂

ibmoknegawsklov · 22 Jun 2010, 5:36 pm

What no Veyron...............the radiators and intercoolers are air cooled............

pete wood · 22 Jun 2010, 5:50 pm

silver wrote:Scwimmenwagen

well technically, they aren't actually a VW. They were made by KDF.

Re the strut front bugs and the 411, by the time they'd been manufacturered, they almost 'with the times'. Remember the datto 1600/510 had a very similar setup (except OHC, but not crossflow head) but was made about 5 years earlier. The real 'ahead of it's time' VW for the 70s was the golf. The passat was ok too. Shame all the aussie ones rusted out so badly.
Beetles have never really been 'ahead of their time', rather just a completely out of the box solution to a range different problems. Sum being greater than it's parts and all that gestalt stuff.... and it's got a great shape too. 😎

vwjon · 22 Jun 2010, 7:36 pm

PETE, the K70 came out before the golf, front engined, water cooled, surely that was the "real ahead of its time vw?" the first production VW that was water cooled!

volumex · 22 Jun 2010, 8:44 pm

Zwitter

Snap Crackle Bang · 22 Jun 2010, 9:49 pm

For something different what about the Gol?
They were front engine front drive & air cooled (later on they switched to water cooled).
Sort of a mix of early Passat and Beetle technology.

The ultimate Beetle would have to be a Hebmuller though!

pete wood · 23 Jun 2010, 9:34 am

vwjon wrote:PETE, the K70 came out before the golf, front engined, water cooled, surely that was the "real ahead of its time vw?" the first production VW that was water cooled!

Well sorta, but no. Up until last year, I'D never even heard of the K70. And I've been into VWs for 15 years solid. On the other hand, EVERYONE knows the golf. And EVERYONE copied the golf. Early ford lazers even LOOKED like em! FWD, hatchback, East/west motor and trans, tight packaging, Struts all round, hipo OHC GTi model, diesel engine options. All of these things were copied by other manufacturers in ways the K70 and passat weren't. Although the K70/passat were clearly the forerunners to everything audi produced up until about 1990. Sure the Golf took some hints from the mini, but not all that many. And just like the beetle, it's the overall package that impress people. The gestalt thing again, rather than individual elements. Which to be fair, is really just the beetle but 40 years on. I wonder what it will look like next.... and I wouldn't be at all surprised if VW could do it again... providing of course, they pull their collective heads out of their yuppie iphones and stop pretending that making luxury cars is more important than just making GOOD cars.

Oh and BTW, I put my vote in for the 1303. To me, technologically it keeps the best bits of the beetle, but has real suspension (shame it never went OHCs and 5 speeds, but we can easily do that now), Struts and proper trailing arm. Fal/codores only caught up with this design in the mid 90s.

waveman1500 · 23 Jun 2010, 12:16 pm

Wasn't the K70 an NSU project which VW just happened to inherit when they bought NSU? And hence not developed by VW in any way. The Passat and Golf were VW's plan for water-cooled cars, and the K70 was NSU's idea. NSU basically bankrupted itself by pioneering the Wankel engine in the Ro80 and hence VW released the K70, but it never sold well enough to stay around for too long because the Golf was better. Or perhaps more importantly, VW really wanted to sell people a Golf and not a K70.

pete wood · 23 Jun 2010, 3:23 pm

maybe that's why I've never heard of it much

68AutoBug · 24 Jun 2010, 1:40 am

Yes,
the only thing different on the K70 was the VW badge...
it was ALL NSU...
it was ready to be made when VW took over...
so, they just made them and sold them as the K70..
why K70???
who knows..??
it had the individual tappet covers that NSU used on their engines..
and the shape was just the 3 box type.. nothing different or special... unlike the passat...

The first Audis in Australia had inboard disc brakes...
an idea from NSU..??? only guessing...

LEE

PS: they were sold in the UK... saw them in UK VW magazines

waveman1500 wrote:Wasn't the K70 an NSU project which VW just happened to inherit when they bought NSU? And hence not developed by VW in any way. The Passat and Golf were VW's plan for water-cooled cars, and the K70 was NSU's idea. NSU basically bankrupted itself by pioneering the Wankel engine in the Ro80 and hence VW released the K70, but it never sold well enough to stay around for too long because the Golf was better. Or perhaps more importantly, VW really wanted to sell people a Golf and not a K70.

68AutoBug · 24 Jun 2010, 2:38 am

ratty 63 wrote:just have to vote for the 411 - just so far ahead of their time. Learned to drive in my parents '69 411....

Of course, 'best' is not necessarily referring to looks is it? 😉

Having owned Beetles and Kombis the choice was far from easy 😀

R 🙂

You were lucky to have a drive in a 411...
a very rare car in Australia..

I prefer the 412... with the twin headlamps...
very nice...

KDF was really Volkswagen... just another name...

Beetles were well ahead of their time in the 50s...
most cars in the 50's [and before] needed an engine decoke frequently, and most didn't make it to 100,000miles..
VW used to give out 100,000 miles medals or badges to people who had reached 100,000 in their Beetle...
but it soon got too common so VW stopped their medals..

so, in the 70's Beetles were really past their prime...
but still had a big following...

LEE

ancientbugger · 24 Jun 2010, 9:54 am

You could say the Golf was just copy of the mini, i.e. front engined transverse driving the front wheels. The K70 also looks like a squared off NSU Ro80 a really nice car to drive but a very unreliable rotary, I believe the engines only lasted about two or three years then there was a few companies around (in the UK) putting the Ford V4s into them. Funny this poll is showing the 1303 out in front I wouldn't have expected that.

Joel · 24 Jun 2010, 10:11 am

ancientbugger wrote:Funny this poll is showing the 1303 out in front I wouldn't have expected that.

My thoughts exactly.
Lbugs have always been the black sheep of the bug family especially when you talk to alot of the old timers who are allergic to technology
I think all that has started to change though with advent of the germanlook scene.
95% of the serious build GLs are all Lbugs for obvious reasons

ratty 63 · 24 Jun 2010, 11:15 am

68AutoBug wrote:You were lucky to have a drive in a 411...
a very rare car in Australia..

I prefer the 412... with the twin headlamps...
very nice...

LEE

Funny you should say that Lee - I have driven 3 411's now, one of each body type (2 door sedan, 4 door sedan and the (3 door) station wagon). The wagon was an auto too. I, personally find the more curved front of the 411 more appealing than the squarer front of the 412 - and I prefer the single oval shaped headlights... perhaps its just because that is what I grew up with.

Wouldn't say no to owning either model though....actually, thinking about it, there isn't a VW model that I would say no to! 😀

R 🙂

beetleboyjeff · 24 Jun 2010, 6:09 pm

Funny this poll is showing the 1303 out in front I wouldn't have expected that.

I was a bit surprised too. I did actually vote for the '76 (have wanted one since 76), but was torn between that and the L bug (which is what I have now). I have always liked the look of the supers since they first came out - thought the more rounded shape (more pregnant I have heard it called) looked more "muscular" for want of a better term.

68AutoBug · 24 Jun 2010, 7:31 pm

ancientbugger wrote:You could say the Golf was just copy of the mini, i.e. front engined transverse driving the front wheels. The K70 also looks like a squared off NSU Ro80 a really nice car to drive but a very unreliable rotary, I believe the engines only lasted about two or three years then there was a few companies around (in the UK) putting the Ford V4s into them. Funny this poll is showing the 1303 out in front I wouldn't have expected that.

Yes, lots of seal problems with the Rotary engines...
Mazda ended up fixing them many years later..

I have always thought that the K70 looked like an RO80...
I also think they look VERY similar to the first Audis in Australia

AUDI 100 ???

LEE

PS: As 411s & 412 weren't sold in Australia...
You are VERY Lucky indeed.... LEE

colonel mustard · 24 Jun 2010, 7:46 pm

Joel wrote:especially when you talk to alot of the old timers who are allergic to technology

Something that ever super owner has experienced..

68AutoBug · 24 Jun 2010, 7:56 pm

Yes,
The 1303 was the ugly duckling beetle...
and front struts and a real dashboard didn't get the nod from VW fanatics.. lol

I remember My brother in law buying a 1303 many years ago, and ringing Me to tell Me He had bought a beetle.. lol
a 1975 beetle... YIKES...

the type 3 was also a great car...
torsion bars front and back... YES...

LEE

PS: after seeing a 4 door 411 in Newcastle in the late 60s..
that is what I always wanted... a 4 door VW... lol... Lee

beetleboyjeff wrote:
Funny this poll is showing the 1303 out in front I wouldn't have expected that.

I was a bit surprised too. I did actually vote for the '76 (have wanted one since 76), but was torn between that and the L bug (which is what I have now). I have always liked the look of the supers since they first came out - thought the more rounded shape (more pregnant I have heard it called) looked more "muscular" for want of a better term.

pete wood · 24 Jun 2010, 9:49 pm

Lee, Rodeos, isuzus and a variety of other cars have torsion bars. Torsion bars are not the problem, it's the trailing arm front end in non-strut cars that is the issue. It has real limitations. For example, KL stuff is next to impossible to get more than 1deg of neg camber. Also, the roll center for a VW beam is ON THE GROUND, while the roll centre for a swingaxle rear end is in the air almost a foot up. Add a rear mount engine and the back inside corner of the car can't help but lift nastily in turns. Even with IRS you still see this happening.

68AutoBug · 24 Jun 2010, 10:47 pm

Interesting Pete..

I really didn't mean the torsion bars themselves... lol

and OK on the trailing arms...

How much negative camber is Ok for the front using the aftermarket camber adjusters on ball joint front ends..?

although when the camber adjusters are moved the castor also is moved...

LEE

Andy · 24 Jun 2010, 11:34 pm

412 all the way for me, most technology put into and aircooled VW and great power and economy by VW standards (but not compared to other cars of the era).

If I had to choose on looks it would be the SP2 thanks!

MickH · 25 Jun 2010, 10:18 am

Andy wrote:412 all the way for me,

TRAITOR😘

Dyno · 28 Jun 2010, 12:15 am

The 412LS is by far the fastest car out of the lot. The LS had the 1800 high comp porsche 914 motor with twin 40 solexes from the factory. It had more grunt than the LE(fuel injected) too. They designed out the ugliness of the front and rear end on the 412 too, giving it a longer "shark "nose. The option list was fairly impressive too(typical of all German built VW's)... diamond velour interior, eberspacher with timer(get into a pre warmed car every cold morning!!), steel sliding sunroof, fogs, demisters, air con, tow bar, auto trans to name a few. they had Mcpherson struts up the front and coil spring IRS in the rear. Entire floorpan design is strikingly similar to a 911. HEAPS of room, and you could have a bath under the bonnet as the trunk is huge!! They were available in a 2 door, 4 door and wagon.

Dyno · 28 Jun 2010, 12:16 am

Andy wrote:412 all the way for me, most technology put into and aircooled VW and great power and economy by VW standards (but not compared to other cars of the era).

If I had to choose on looks it would be the SP2 thanks!

so 165kmhr wasn't ok for 1972?

ancientbugger · 28 Jun 2010, 7:39 pm

I remember when Porsche were upgrading the 911 (this was I think in the mid 70's) and put I think McPherson front suspension on but there was such an outcry that they had to come back with a new model with torsion bar. Morris Marinas had torsion bar front suspension but they were longitudinal.....so did Tiger tanks👍

pete wood · 29 Jun 2010, 11:41 am

stupid purists, all the WRC cars are strut all round. I read a suspension guru describing modern struts as an 'artform'. SOOO much better than a beam front.

Andy · 22 Jul 2010, 11:21 pm

VW were selling the 411/412 as an upmarket car. It was priced against a lot of cars that had more power, better features, less noise etc.
The 2L jumped to ~100HP for the last of the 412's, still well behind cars in the market they targeted.

The 411's, 412's were excellent compared to other VW's, but the market judged them against other cars in the market. Add to that almost universal condemnation from the press and these gret cars just never did as well as they could have done.

Dyno wrote:
Andy wrote:412 all the way for me, most technology put into and aircooled VW and great power and economy by VW standards (but not compared to other cars of the era).

If I had to choose on looks it would be the SP2 thanks!
so 165kmhr wasn't ok for 1972?

Andy · 22 Jul 2010, 11:29 pm

When it comes to technology people often forget other features VW implemented such as energy absobing front ends (especially in the kombi and 411/412), colapsing steering columns, fuel injection etc. There's a lot of innovation in VW's besides motors and suspension

pete wood wrote:
silver wrote:Scwimmenwagen
well technically, they aren't actually a VW. They were made by KDF.

Re the strut front bugs and the 411, by the time they'd been manufacturered, they almost 'with the times'. Remember the datto 1600/510 had a very similar setup (except OHC, but not crossflow head) but was made about 5 years earlier. The real 'ahead of it's time' VW for the 70s was the golf. The passat was ok too. Shame all the aussie ones rusted out so badly.
Beetles have never really been 'ahead of their time', rather just a completely out of the box solution to a range different problems. Sum being greater than it's parts and all that gestalt stuff.... and it's got a great shape too. 😎

Phil74Camper · 23 Jul 2010, 9:04 am

NSU designed the Ro80 - Ro stands for 'Rotary' (Wankel) and the first production version produced 80 hp (although it was soon upgraded to 115 hp). It was made from 1967 to 1977. Yes it initially suffered from poor rotor sealing, but ferrotic seals fixed the problem from 1970-on. But by then NSU was crippled by warranty problems and poor reputation (early Ro80s were very thirsty too) and Volkswagen bought them in 1969. The Ro80 was advnanced in other ways apart from its Wankel engine - it had four-wheel disc brakes, with the front ones inboard to reduce insprung weight. It had MacPherson strut front suspension and trailing arm rear, and power-assisted rack and pinion steering. It had a Fichtel & Sachs three-speed semi-auto gearbox, and futuristic low-drag styling (CD 0.355). LNC Industries imported them into Australia from 1970-72. The Ro80 was the last model to be badged as an NSU - when production ceased in 1977, the NSU name disappeared.

NSU also designed the K70 - K stands for 'kolben', the German word for 'piston' as it was a conventional in-line four. It produced 70 hp. NSU was just getting ready to release it in 1969 when the company was taken over by Volkswagen (who merged NSU into their Audi subsidiary). VW took over the K70 design and it was sold as a Volkswagen until production ended in 1974. It was a good car but was disadvantaged by not sharing any components with any other VW/Audi/NSU model, which increased costs. VW also never developed 2-door, wagon or coupe versions, and concentrated on the Audi-based Passat/Golf family instead.

A few people have mentioned VW Type 4s (411, 412) with 2-litre engines - wrong. The Type 4 was never made with a 2-litre engine; only the 1700 and 1800. The 2-litre was only used in the Porsche 914, and later the Transporter.

BTW, KdF only funded the construction of the Wolfsburg factory; the vehicles themselves were still made by Volkswagenwerk. The normal KdF logo was a swastika surrounded by a gear tooth; this was often modified to a VW symbol with a gear tooth.

Barnabie · 25 Jul 2010, 4:58 pm

Favourite VW huh?

Bit hard to choose just one - kinda like trying to choose a favourite when watching Miss Universe Pageant 😂

68AutoBug · 25 Jul 2010, 8:01 pm

ancientbugger wrote:Morris Marinas had torsion bar front suspension but they were longitudinal.....so did Tiger tanks👍

and they both lasted about 3 years... lol

How come all the pommy cars didn't last long??

Morris 1100 -austin 1800 - Morris 1500 OHC..

then the aussie made Marinas....

what was lacking??? and all those minis...??

LEE

bus914 · 25 Jul 2010, 9:14 pm

Where's the option for this one?

bnicho · 26 Jul 2010, 2:05 pm

I voted 1303 and was also surprised to see it on top.

I like practicality and the 1303 is the best Beetle in that regard. The strut front end means better handling and a useful increase in boot space. I prefer the curved screen because it doesn't feel like you have your nose buried in it. I also think the 1303 dash gives the Beetle a more modern feel and is more "user friendly".

For me, the 1303 is the ultimate evolution of the Beetle. But if I could have a split beetle as well, I'd be a happy man. 😀

Pommy cars, yes many of them did not last. Partly because of poor build quality and partly because of the lack of enthusiast following. 1100's and 1800's were really quite a good drive for their time, but they are a bit ugly. For some years more Morris 1100's were sold in Aus than Minis. Yet there are thousands more Minis on Aussie roads, because the following is there. I'm in the Vic Mini Club and we have 700+ paid up members alone. The NSW club is even larger I think.

Mk1 Golfs are good cars, and I'd quite happily drive one. But I find them a little bland - they don't enthuse me the way a Mini or a air-cooled Beetle does.

Cheers,

amazeer · 26 Jul 2010, 9:22 pm

68AutoBug wrote:PS: after seeing a 4 door 411 in Newcastle in the late 60s..
that is what I always wanted... a 4 door VW... lol... Lee

Oh cmon. Where are the kombis on this list.

I'll take a 77 deluxe micro in green/white. Thats 4 freakin big doors. Have you ever driven a 70's van from another car maker? Kombis are light years in front of the nissan/datsun/toyota offerings. They only have one quibbel. The engine in the back was a bastard for tradies as it took up a lot of cargo space. For non tradies it meant that you didnt have that raoring engine undeneath your butt.👍

zayus · 31 Aug 2010, 2:08 pm

ancientbugger wrote:I remember when Porsche were upgrading the 911 (this was I think in the mid 70's) and put I think McPherson front suspension on but there was such an outcry that they had to come back with a new model with torsion bar.

Hey Hey,

Are you thinking of the '60's, when production of the 356 ceased, and production of the 911 commenced? 🙂

The 911 has always had a Macpherson strut front end.

Phil74Camper · 31 Aug 2010, 4:07 pm

True, they were Macpherson strut (in geometric layout), but the struts were not the spring medium (like they are with Superbugs and their coils). Early 911s used longitudinal torsion bars instead. They didn't move to coil strut fronts (and coil rears) until the 964 redesign in 1990.

http://books.google.com/books?id=4-ByjhODBukC&pg=PA188#v=onepage&q&f=false

The 'best' air-cooled VW? A bit like asking what is the 'best' pizza topping combo. We all have our different favourites - and different favourites on different days!

68AutoBug · 31 Aug 2010, 4:24 pm

bnicho wrote:I voted 1303 and was also surprised to see it on top.

I like practicality and the 1303 is the best Beetle in that regard. The strut front end means better handling and a useful increase in boot space. I prefer the curved screen because it doesn't feel like you have your nose buried in it. I also think the 1303 dash gives the Beetle a more modern feel and is more "user friendly".

For me, the 1303 is the ultimate evolution of the Beetle. But if I could have a split beetle as well, I'd be a happy man. 😀

Pommy cars, yes many of them did not last. Partly because of poor build quality and partly because of the lack of enthusiast following. 1100's and 1800's were really quite a good drive for their time, but they are a bit ugly. For some years more Morris 1100's were sold in Aus than Minis. Yet there are thousands more Minis on Aussie roads, because the following is there. I'm in the Vic Mini Club and we have 700+ paid up members alone. The NSW club is even larger I think.

Mk1 Golfs are good cars, and I'd quite happily drive one. But I find them a little bland - they don't enthuse me the way a Mini or a air-cooled Beetle does.

Cheers,

Hi
the 1303 beetle wasn't liked by purist beetle owners in Australia.. much different to the USA where they are the most common beetles....

My father in Law had a MINI traveller... for many years...

the last mini made in AUstralia is in a Museum in South Australia [ I think that's where I saw it. lol]

1100, 1800, 1500 OHC etc.. they all seemed to disappear rather quickly??? but I wasn't into BMC-Leyland really...

I can tell the difference to a UK made mini though... saw one at a show in Newcastle a few years ago.. and I said to the owner.. its a UK mini... He said No, but He had bought all the bits from the UK.... lol

I did see an 1800 ute recently and a sedan also... lol

never ever see the 6 cylinder front drive Aussie made Leylands

a local had a Tasman and fitted air con to it ... He crashed it and bought the one with 4 rectangular headlamps...
He couldn't fit air con to it because of the extra headlamps
lol

cheers

LEE

bnicho · 31 Aug 2010, 5:05 pm

68AutoBug wrote:I can tell the difference to a UK made mini though... saw one at a show in Newcastle a few years ago.. and I said to the owner.. its a UK mini... He said No, but He had bought all the bits from the UK.... lol

It's probably an Aussie Mini in chassis number only, if you get my drift. Everything has been replaced around an all-important section of the inner guard...

Yes, the last Mini resides in the Birdwood museum. The last Moke was bought new by Derryn Hinch and not looked after very well. It was later sold by Shannons to a collector. I don't know where that car is now.

What happened to the Traveller your father-in-law had? I have one too, but they are very rare.

Minis are great fun to thrash around in, but the suspension is pretty harsh and the engines need to be revved.

Olive (my L Bug) is not as much fun to thrash through the curves as a Mini, but has a more comfortable ride and is more relaxed on a long highway drive.

Cheers,

zayus · 1 Sep 2010, 10:36 am

Phil74Camper wrote:True, they were Macpherson strut (in geometric layout), but the struts were not the spring medium (like they are with Superbugs and their coils). Early 911s used longitudinal torsion bars instead. They didn't move to coil strut fronts (and coil rears) until the 964 redesign in 1990.

Does that mean the VW Superbug had a more advanced front end than a 911? 🙂

No.

It's ridulous to think, that a mid '70's Superbug was superior in any way to a mid '70's 911!

Favourite Beetle of all time. My head says the 1969 1500, but my heart, says a 1952 Kabriolett.