| [ Total Views: 1250 | Total Replies: 15 | Thread Id: 74881 ] |
|
|
 desh
Wolfsburg Wizard
Posts: 463
Threads: 82
Registered: January 10th, 2009
Member Is Offline
Location: Tasmania
Theme: UltimaBB Vintage
Mood: 1965 1200 Beetle.
|
| posted on February 21st, 2009 at 04:52 PM |
|
|
Question on the Australian Army Beetle's
Reading this:
http://www.clubvw.org.au/Australian%20VW%20history%201.htm
| Quote: |
1946 The Commonwealth Disposals Commission in Victoria auctions off the two Army Beetles, plus numerous parts and other surplus equipment. One VW is
lost, but the other survives abandoned in Tasmania until eventually rescued by VW enthusiasts, in derelict condition, in 1990.
|
Whatever happened to this car found in Tasmania?
Are there any pictures of it?
Where is it now?
Is it restored?
--------------------------
Kind Regards
Des
|
|
|
Menangler
A.k.a.: Dave Becker
Custom Title Time!
Posts: 1991
Threads: 309
Registered: August 26th, 2002
Member Is Offline
Location: South Coast NSW
Theme: UltimaBB Pro Blue ( Default )
|
| posted on February 22nd, 2009 at 05:11 PM |
|
|
It was part of the Graham Lee's collection at Wisemans a few years ago, was 4 sale, don't know if it sold.
Found some photos
In the line up, it is the 4th from right.
| Error |
| Sorry, you must be a registered user in order to download attachments. |
|
| Error |
| Sorry, you must be a registered user in order to download attachments. |
|
FAHRVERGNUGEN;
Description of a pleasurable sensation,
Experienced when a car and it's driver are in mutual harmony, A unique driving experience, Pleasure, Satisfaction,
A feeling experienced by Volkswagen Drivers.
 |
|
|
Phil74Camper
Son of Jim - Creator of Good
Head in the Clouds
Posts: 2703
Threads: 193
Registered: August 28th, 2002
Member Is Offline
Location: Sydney
Theme: UltimaBB Pro Blue ( Default )
|
| posted on February 22nd, 2009 at 06:54 PM |
|
|
Below is the newspaper ad for the 1946 Army auction, which I think I have posted before.
Grahame Lees found the surviving car in Tasmania (on one of the Bass Strait islands, either King or Flinders Island, I'm not sure), and brought it
back to Sydney.
He displayed it at the '60th Birthday of the VW Beetle' show at Panthers, Penrith, on Sunday 24 May 1998. I remember seeing it there; it was
basically in derelect condition and was little more than a bent shell. I have searched for my photos of that day but I can't find them. Was anyone
else there that day?
| Error |
| Sorry, you must be a registered user in order to download attachments. |
|
|
|
|
Joel
Scirocco Rare
Now containing 100% E-Wang
Posts: 9368
Threads: 211
Registered: February 14th, 2006
Member Is Offline
Location: Northern Rivers NSW
Theme: UltimaBB Pro Purple
Mood: Tact Level 0.00
|
| posted on February 22nd, 2009 at 08:53 PM |
|
|
Phil, slightly off topic but a quick question for you
do u know much about the Haenel split?
reason i ask is a bloke i worked with ages ago did his time as a panel beater way back when and the panel shop he was at used to do alot of the PMG
splitties and bugs so he was abit of a vw nut himself
anyway he told me about this bug that was around at the time it was a split window and the lady that owned it brought it in from german and converted
it to RHD herself using junkyard parts, craig said the speedo was still on the wrong side
she removed the passenger seat so she could put her groceries on the floor and her son rode in the backseat
she apperently had gypsy style homemade curtains on the back windows to
he told me that story about 10 years ago but i have no reason to doubt it but just reading about the Haenel split it sounds all to similar just
wondering if it was the same bug
|
|
|
Phil74Camper
Son of Jim - Creator of Good
Head in the Clouds
Posts: 2703
Threads: 193
Registered: August 28th, 2002
Member Is Offline
Location: Sydney
Theme: UltimaBB Pro Blue ( Default )
|
| posted on February 23rd, 2009 at 07:02 AM |
|
|
Thanks Dave, I know I used to have similar photos of the Penrith day but I've lost them. Good old photo prints - I used to have shoe boxes full of
them. I also remember Graham's story about how he picked up that house-paint white spilt too, from an eccentric in the UK. It's a shame that he sold
off most or all of his collection.
Joel it doesn't sound to me like that lady's split window is the Haenel's. VW Australia documented the Haenel's car pretty well when they took
ownership of it in 1961; the Haenels were the only private owners of that car. Apparently Therese Haenel bought the 1946 VW in Europe in 1949, from a
British Army officer, and brought the car out to Australia when she migrated the same year. Her husband Ted had been interred in Australia during the
war, and when the war was over and he was released, he decided to stay. He wired to Therese (in Germany) to join him, and make a new post-war life
here. He was apparently quite surprised when Therese arrived with a VW - the first privately-owned VW to ever reach Australia. They settled in western
Victoria, raised a family and drove the VW every day.
When VW Australia was looking to celebrate the 100,000th Australian-built VW in 1961, they wanted to track down the oldest VW in Australia. After an
advertising campaign, they found the Haenels and their 1946 VW in Victoria. The Haenels were invited to Clayton to watch the 100,000th VW come off the
production line, in a ceremony that also featured the founder of the Clayton VW plant, Baron von Oertzen (he also started VW South Africa), and the
then Victorian premier, Sir Henry Bolte. The Haenels were given that 100,000th VW, a brand new white Beetle, in exchange for their 1946.
VW Australia used the '46 for promotion and advertising for a number of years. LNC Industries took ownership of the car in 1968 when they secured the
Australian VW franchise. After that, it's not so clear. I remember the car being on display at Lanock Motors St Leonards for a number of years. After
that it was on display at Greens Motorcade museum at Leppington, although still owned by LNC then.
Originally the Haenel's VW was black, but at some stage it was 'renovated' or 'restored', and was painted a light blueish grey. I think it was
always left-hand drive. It was black when I saw it at Lanock Motors in the '70s, but by the time it was at Greens Motorcade it was light grey. Greens
Motorcade eventually went out of business, as did LNC Industries, and the Haenel's VW was sold to Gilltrap's Car Museum at the Gold Coast. That
museum was quite good; at one stage they also had 'Genevieve', the 1904 Darracq from the 1953 British movie, as well as one of the Chitty Chitty
Bang Bang film cars (both are now back in the UK).
At some stage in the late 1980s, the Haenel's VW was sold again and finished up at the York Car Museum in Western Australia. I happened to visit in
1987 and came across the VW completely by accident; I had no idea it was there. The York museum is the home of the Peter Briggs collection. He also
set up a car museum in Fremantle and the Haenel's VW was moved there for a while, but it closed last year and the VW was moved back to York. It is
still there today, and available for inspection by visitors (together with the 100+ other great cars). The museum's curator is Peter Harbin - I have
spoken to him and he is quite a nice bloke. (08) 9641 1288. The York Museum website is http://www.yorkwa.com.au/Motor.Museum/index.htm
|
|
|
Joel
Scirocco Rare
Now containing 100% E-Wang
Posts: 9368
Threads: 211
Registered: February 14th, 2006
Member Is Offline
Location: Northern Rivers NSW
Theme: UltimaBB Pro Purple
Mood: Tact Level 0.00
|
| posted on February 23rd, 2009 at 05:28 PM |
|
|
cheers for that Phil
|
|
|
desh
Wolfsburg Wizard
Posts: 463
Threads: 82
Registered: January 10th, 2009
Member Is Offline
Location: Tasmania
Theme: UltimaBB Vintage
Mood: 1965 1200 Beetle.
|
| posted on February 23rd, 2009 at 05:30 PM |
|
|
Thanks for the information Phil, sounds like a sad end to a rare car.
--------------------------
Kind Regards
Des
|
|
|
Undis
Casual Dubber
Posts: 38
Threads: 2
Registered: February 26th, 2009
Member Is Offline
Location: Riga-Latvia, Summer Hill NSW
Theme: UltimaBB Pro Blue ( Default )
|
| posted on February 26th, 2009 at 11:45 PM |
|
|
The 1946 while at Greens Motorcade museum
[img] [/img]
[img] [/img]
[img] [/img]
|
|
|
desh
Wolfsburg Wizard
Posts: 463
Threads: 82
Registered: January 10th, 2009
Member Is Offline
Location: Tasmania
Theme: UltimaBB Vintage
Mood: 1965 1200 Beetle.
|
| posted on February 27th, 2009 at 11:14 AM |
|
|
Thank you to all of you for the pictures and information,
re the 1946 should these have chrome bumpers or simply painted in the same colour as the car?
I am guessing that this car would have originally left the factory in the dull British Army Green.
--------------------------
Kind Regards
Des
|
|
|
ringoschariot
Officially Full-On Dubber
Posts: 282
Threads: 72
Registered: January 10th, 2005
Member Is Offline
Location: Northern Beaches Sydney
Theme: UltimaBB Pro Blue ( Default )
Mood: hopeful
|
| posted on February 27th, 2009 at 12:02 PM |
|
|
I would have thought they would be painted but the car in the first picture has chrome bumpers and overiders and thats a 1945 model.
The ad for the army disposals shows a car with chrome bumpers.
The hubcaps would be painted ones though. Chrome was in very short supply after WW2 and it would make sense to paint these parts.
|
|
|
rose
Veteran Volks Folk
doin it for d girls
Posts: 2036
Threads: 308
Registered: December 26th, 2004
Member Is Offline
Location: Maryland - Newcastle
Theme: UltimaBB Pro Red
Mood: always happy
|
| posted on March 1st, 2009 at 08:27 PM |
|
|
There where some nice vee dubs in that shed.
[img][/img]
|
|
|
desh
Wolfsburg Wizard
Posts: 463
Threads: 82
Registered: January 10th, 2009
Member Is Offline
Location: Tasmania
Theme: UltimaBB Vintage
Mood: 1965 1200 Beetle.
|
| posted on March 2nd, 2009 at 11:10 AM |
|
|
Rose and others, you wouldn't happen to know the year of the split window raptop?
thank you.
--------------------------
Kind Regards
Des
|
|
|
volumex
Officially Full-On Dubber
Posts: 389
Threads: 35
Registered: July 1st, 2005
Member Is Offline
Location: Sarnia, ON
Theme: UltimaBB Pro Blue ( Default )
|
| posted on March 2nd, 2009 at 10:56 PM |
|
|
Des,
I don't know for sure the year of that split ragtop, but my guess would be April 1950.
This is based on:
Hub caps with the large VW logo finished May 1949.
W deck with the triangular pressing ended July 1949 This car hasn't got it, so it must have been made after July 1949.
The grooved bumpers with the flared overriders came in after June 1949. The flared overriders stopped in 1951.
The rear lights are hard to see, but they look like they have the little chrome rings, so they would be 1949. Without the chrome ring could be
1950-Oct 1952.
The running board chrome strips are a furphy
The windows in the doors don't appear to have the cutouts, so that makes it prior to April 1950.
Sunroofs only became available in April 1950.
Crotch coolers were introduced in Jan 1951, and this car doesn't appear to have them.
Side trim was introduced in June 1949.
A few SWAGs made, so I stand to be corrected... (Sunroof could be grafted in, windows could have been changed etc etc)
Reference was 'The 1949-1959 VW Beetle' Bob Wilson. Some on TheSamba claim it has errors, but I think it is a dman good start if you want pictures
and you don't want to wade through "Progressive Refinements"
|
|
|
Phil74Camper
Son of Jim - Creator of Good
Head in the Clouds
Posts: 2703
Threads: 193
Registered: August 28th, 2002
Member Is Offline
Location: Sydney
Theme: UltimaBB Pro Blue ( Default )
|
| posted on March 3rd, 2009 at 07:00 AM |
|
|
Yes always difficult to tell after so many years, when so many things could have been changed. But I think you've got it pretty close.
I haven't seen the Bob Wilson book, but I can also recommend The Beetle Chronicles by Hans Rudiger Etzold. It was originally printed in German as
'Kafer - Eine Dokumentation' but an English version was produced, edited by Robin Wager (former editor of Safer Motoring). Has extremely detailed
model change information. Now out of print, but old copies can be found on Ebay or Amazon
Doesn't apply to Aussie Beetles 1962-67, of course.
|
|
|
desh
Wolfsburg Wizard
Posts: 463
Threads: 82
Registered: January 10th, 2009
Member Is Offline
Location: Tasmania
Theme: UltimaBB Vintage
Mood: 1965 1200 Beetle.
|
| posted on March 3rd, 2009 at 04:10 PM |
|
|
Thanks to both of you,
still trying to understand and learn all the little differences that appeared through the years.
--------------------------
Kind Regards
Des
|
|
|
Rural Baja
A.k.a.: Will Holmes
Custom Title Time!
#tassievwpickers
Posts: 1075
Threads: 122
Registered: January 3rd, 2006
Member Is Offline
Location: NE Tasmania
Theme: UltimaBB Pro Blue ( Default )
Mood: Chop chop
|
| posted on March 5th, 2009 at 07:59 AM |
|
|
Purple ragtop is owned by The Fonx, (Melburgluft), have seen this in the flesh..... Very sweeeeet 
|
|
|
