Funkengroovin Wednesday - Scenes From A Museum, Rarities and Relatives

Since the last post was The Oddities and Egyptian Relatives, here's a selection of cars from the Museum that are related to the Beetle and to each other, as well (very strange, and extended arrangements that VW has had with other auto makers) aka "The Relatives."

Please let VB know if you find any errors (not including spelling as spell checker is still out of order.)

Previous Posts:

Funkengroovin Wednesday - Scenes From A Museum
Funkengroovin Wednesday - Scenes From A Museum, Beetles
Funkengroovin Wednesday - Scenes From A Museum, The Oddities and Egyptian Relatives


(Below Two Photos): Horch From Wiki: "The company was established by August Horch, a former production manager for Karl Benz, and a partner on November 14, 1899 with a capital of 30,000 Goldmark at Ehrenfeld, near Cologne. Horch was also later the founder of the German automaker, Audi, which is named after the Latin translation of his surname (Latin word for the regional Saxon expression, horch, which is the imperative form of “hark” - "listen" in German)."


(Below): NSU Type 32 From Wheelspin: The History Of The Beetle-The Earliest Beginnings Pt.1
"With the hard-won experience of the Type 12 project, Porsche was soon able to build the Type 32, a fully functional prototype that avoided many of the mechanical problems of the earlier car. The NSU car retained the same layout as its Zundapp predecessor, but in place of the radial five-cylinder engine was a horizontally opposed four cylinder 1 litre unit. Unfortunately for Porsche, contractual agreements with Fiat forced NSU out of the carmaking business, leaving Porsche only the prototype to show for its efforts."



(Below): Hebmuller From Volkswagens Of The World: "Type 14A Hebmuller Cabriolet ...Volkswagen managing director, Heinz nordhoff, chose Hebmuller and Karmann to make cabriolets based on the Beetle. Karmann was asked to produce a four-seater convertible and Hebmuller a two-seat roadster. To own one would elevate you to a very special level of VW enthusiast. And, to buy even a rusty relic today would cost a veritable heap of money."

More about the Hebmuller, with loads of photos available at Wheelspin's, Weird & Wonderful VWs: The Hebmuller Story


(Below L-R): Porsche 914,Type 3 Karmann, Karmann Ghia

From Volkswagens Of The World: Porsche "For the 1976 model year only, Porsche produced a version of the 911 with a 2.0 litre Type 4 Volkswagen engine. It was called the Porsche 912E and sold only in the US market for a year. It was a stop-gap car produced to fill a niche in the market for a four-cylinder Porsche that was cheaper than the six-cylinder 911. 1975 was the last year of the VW-Porsche 914 (also with a 2.0 litre Type 4 engine) and the front-engined, water-cooled, four-cylinder Porsche 924 was not ready for release in the US market until the 1977 model year. (The VW-Porsche 914 was sold in the USA as a 'Porsche 914' and through Porsche rather than VW dealers.)"

From Volkswagens Of The World: Type 34 1500 and 1600 Karmann Ghia "In September 1961 Karmann introduced its version of the Volkswagen Type 3, known as the VW Karmann Ghia 1500 Coupe'...It has an unusual body style that people either love or hate. It was built in the Karmann factory at Osnabruck on the VW Type 3 floorplan, engine, gearbox and running gear...The Type 34 Karmann Ghia was never sold as a convertible and production reached only 42,562 by July 1969...Regrettably, the Type 34 Karmann Ghia has the distinction of being the first model that Volkswagen ever deleted from its range. It's production line was given over to the VW-Porsche 914 sportscar."

And for the Karmann Ghia (again from Volkswagens Of The World): "In September 1957 the VW Type 1 Karmann Ghia Cabriolet was introduced with a body just as pretty as that of the fixed-roof coupe'. Type 1 Karmann Ghias always had the same specification as the top-of-the-range and most powerful Beetles, except that the McPherson strut was never introduced Karmann Ghias. Production was from 1955 to March 1974. Like the Beetle Cabriolet, production of the Type 1 Karmann Ghia could have gone on for longer. However, its production line was needed to make the new front-wheel drive Volkswagen Scirocco sports coupe'."

NEWS:
More of the Rotten:

From Microbus to Routan: Will new VW minivan sell?

Where is the VW Microbus?

"But here we are at the 2008 Chicago show with a Dodge Grand Caravan given “Das auto” treatment. Sorry, this one is not straight out of Wolfsburg.

I knew it was rude, but I couldn’t help it. At the press conference, I stared at the abundant front overhang on the latest VW model to bear an unpronounceable name. It… is… huge. The Routan is no Microbus. (Perhaps it should be dubbed the “Rhinoplasty.”)

What happened? Business realities came crashing in. Engineering a Microbus that could meet increasingly stringent safety regulations in the States and abroad was adding significant cost, according to Volkswagen, and thereby reducing its market and profit potential.

The short-term fix in the United States was to partner with Chrysler, a relationship not unlike those VW had struck with other automakers in Europe through the years."


VW Taps Chrysler Design, Not Hippie Bus, for First American Van: Live at the 2008 Chicago Auto Show
"If you’ve been dreaming of some hip, new-wave version of the hippie microbus, dream on."


Not So Rotten News:

The self-parking van is just around the corner.

"Volkswagen has confirmed it is developing its car-based park assist system for commercial vehicle use.

It is looking at the system being launched this week on the VW Tiguan, after it was pioneered on the Touran, for the next generation Caddy and Crafter vans.

The park assist uses sensors, cameras and computer-links to the electronically assisted steering system to parallel reverse the vehicle into a parking space on either side of the road.

The driver simply switches on park assist when approaching a line of parked vehicles with suitable gaps and the electronics measure gaps, alerting the driver if there is one large enough for the vehicle.

Once a suitable gap is found the driver simply takes hands of the wheel and lets park assist take over turning the wheel as necessary to slip into the gap. Only the speed of the reverse and any forward correction is controlled by the driver."


(Go to the link for all the amazing photos and an in-depth description.)
VW Space Up! Blue: the one concept car I really, really want

"The SUB is concept and we may or may not see this get produced. I, for one, hope it does go into production because it’s frickin’ sweet. I always wanted one of the old VW buses and this is just ten times better.
I just hope VW puts this bad boy into production."

More photos here and here, both from autoblog.

From Jalopnik: Porsche Powered VW Transporter


HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY TO ALL!

B-52s - Love Shack

Funkengroovin Wednesday - Scenes From A Museum, The Oddities and Egyptian Relatives

Trying to make up for lost posts during VB's return trip to Egypt and then the sudden Internet outage, VB presents another edition of Scenes from a Museum. And, yes, she knows it's not Wednesday anymore.

Previous Posts:
Scenes From A Museum, included Transporters
Scenes From A Museum, Beetles, had all Beetle photos.

All pics are digitized versions of photos taken during our trip to Germany, 1996, when we visited the Wolfsburg VW Museum.

(Below)VW Invader GT (?)



(Below) DKW, Baby Thunderbird:
"DKW cars in the 1950s were all based on characteristic 2-stroke engines which were gradually becoming obsolete and an aerodynamic body shell developed just before the War. Marketing these cars became more and more difficult and DKW desperately needed an image boost.
And so director William Werner, of US American origins, ordered his stylists one day in 1956 to design "a sportscar that has to look like a bomb". The stylists decided to check out what was on the market and ultimately came up with the 1000Sp; a German interpretation of the 1957 Ford Thunderbird with a non-removable coupe top not unlike that of the one-off 1956 Ford Thunderbird "Five-Window Hardtop" prototype." (Read and see much more about it on the link and here at Wiki.)

1965
"Daimler-Benz sold their shares in Auto-Union to VolksWagen Werke, who thereby got influence in Auto union. In 1965 DKW and AU 100 were removed from the manufacturing and a new Audi was introduced."




(Below L) Off White Car, NSU
(Below R) Predecessor to possibly the Wanderer W25 (VB's thinking this car is related to the Auto-Union line, but she's not exactly sure where. It took her several days of studious undertaking to come to this inconclusive guess.)

From Wiki: "The trademark of Auto Union was a symbol of four overlapping rings, symbolizing the four member companies (all four in a line, in an attempt to avoid confusion with the 5 Olympic rings). The trademarks and company names of the member companies - Horch, Audi, DKW and Wanderer - were continued; the four ring logo was used only in racing. The four ring logo of Auto Union is still a trademark, and now used by Audi."

Talking about strange relationships, especially since VB is in Egypt:
"In 1969, just as the car was about to be launched, NSU was taken over by Volkswagen, who integrated the Neckarsulm company with Auto-Union/Audi, which it had acquired in 1964." (Wiki)

From Marc's NSU Pages, NSU Ramses: (Check out more of the description, and pics at the link.)

"The NSU Ramses Utilica was the first car produced in Egypt, and was the result of a coorporation between the new egyptian car firm Egyptian Automotive Co., and the german NSU. The factory was located right next to the Great Pyramids. Plans were to produce around 10.000 cars a year, most of the work being manual labor.

Other models created by were the Ramses Limousine, and Ramses Gamila, a two-seater sport car with a vignale body."

The Independent ranks The Ramses as one of the, Top Ten African Cars, "Based first on the British Frisky and then the NSU Prinz. As the name suggests, made in Egypt. One of Colonel Nasser's pet projects in the 1950s."


Further on down the genealogical automobile road:

"Nasr, (Arabic: النصر‎, long form: El Nasr Automotive Manufacturing Company) is Egypt's state owned automobile company, founded in 1960 in Helwan, Egypt. Since 1979 the company has produced licensed versions of the Fiat 128 and 125, and in 1991 introduced a further range of Fiat designed cars licensed via the Turkish company Tofaş. In the early 2000s Nasr began producing the Florida range under license from Serbian manufacturer Zastava.

Nasr was a replacement for the short-lived Ramses automobile (also state produced), which suffered from poor design and performance. The Nasr was intended to be an affordable car for the average person of means (though it was still too expensive for a large proportion of the Egyptian population). The company's creation was also part of the general industrialization process initiated after the Egyptian Revolution of 1952, which would see millions of Egyptians flock to urban areas to gain work in newly built factories and industrial centers."

VB wonders if any of those NSU Ramses,the Ramses Limousine, and/or Ramses Gamila are still around. That would be interesting - possibly another post too. For now - back to the Museum.

(Below): The Beetle Trolley Car




(Below): Experimental - ARVW: Much better photo at Wiki.

Also, here:
"The ARVW (Aerodynamic Research Volkswagen) set two world records, and seven class records, for diesel vehicles at the high-speed track in Nardo, Italy. The fastest lap was completed at a speed of 362.07 km/h. This experiment was designed to provide detailed information on the effects of aerodynamics on fuel consumption at high speeds. The drag coefficient of the ARVW, the "Silver Cigar," is 0.15. The test concluded that the vehicle consumed 6 liters per 100 km, at 250 km/h, and at top speed, 13.61 liters per 100 km. In comparison, renowned sports cars required 38 liters of fuel for 100 km."




(Below): Stretch Beetle Convertible





No music video today. Music videos offered only on real Funkengroovin Wednesdays. BTW, spellcheck is still not working, and the Internet is still fairly slow - no fun watching videos when it takes over an hour to load them. (VB hasn't really tried lately, since it has turned into a frustrating ordeal.)

Funkengroovin Wednesday - Scenes From A Museum, Beetles

More pics from the Wolfsburg Museum. Today is Beetle Day. Go here for the first post, which includes Transporters. Again, photos are old SLR negatives that have been scanned onto a CD. The color is off (VB has tried to "pump it up" some) and they're grainy, too. VB only has iPhoto for touch-ups. More of these to come including: Oddities, Rarities and Relatives, Miscellanea, and Toys. (Also, If VB has been misspelling words, that's because the Google spellcheck is not working - and she's a really bad speller to begin with.)



Wrought Iron Beetle:



A Variety Of Beetles:



From Another Angle:




Custom Beetle:




Custom Beetle, Again:


Beetle Cross Section:

Funkengroovin Wednesday - Scenes From A Museum

In 1996 VB and family made a genealogical trip to Germany, where The Boss Man's family originates. Home base - Bramsche. Just south in Osnabruck, is a VW Factory that conducts tours. They were closed. After visiting the one remaining human from The WWII Russian Front, numerous cemeteries, sites, and pubs, we drove on to Wolfsburg. Below are Scenes from A Museum, which VB has digitized from SLR film. More to come, later, but for now enjoy. VB had to pump up the color as the photos turned out rather dull and very grainy.


(Below Center) Type 166 Schwimmwagen: See also, Wiki.

*"Perhaps the most technically advanced Volkswagen made during World War II was the Schwimmwagen, or swim car. It was designed by Ferdinanad Porsche and even by today's standards, is amazing. It is probably the only truly amphibious car ever put into scale production...It could be driven straight from the road into a river or lake without stopping and vice-versa." "Steering in the water was not by way of a tiller and rudder as with boats, but simply by changing the direction of the front wheels: the car was steered in the water just as it was on land - by the steering wheel."





(Below L) The Thing:

*"The Volkswagen 181 was sold under various names such as 'Safari,' 'Kurierwagen', 'Trekker', 'Merzweckwagen', 'Mehrzweckfahrzeug', and 'The Thing' (in the USA)."


(Below R) Type 147 Fridolin:

*"...which roughly translates into 'tiny toddler', a sort of pen name given to very little boys...As second-hand ex-government surplus vehicles, Fridolins became popular with young people in Europe because they were like small versions of Type 2 Kombis."


(*All quotes from Volkswagens of the World, by Simon Glen.)





(Below) A Trio of Transporters:




(Below) A Trio Of Transporter Varieties - from Behind:





(Below) More Transporters:




NEWS:

We've spotted one of these here in Maadi. Many photos available at the link, below.

Spirit of the VW Camper van goes Element-al

"The family vacation just hasn't been the same since the ubiquity of the Westfalia Camper and the VW Type2 as a family vehicle, both of which have been toppled by the rise of the minivan. There have been Westys since VW went mostly conventional with the Eurovan, but they're not much of a common sight on US Highways anymore.

Ursa Minor Vehicles understands that all those former kids who took trips to the Grand Canyon in a Westfalia have a soft spot for the poptop. Thus, the Ursa Minor ECamper kit for the Honda Element has been born."


Car Clinic

"Q I want to buy a motorhome with a bit of character. I’m considering a VW camper but wondered if there were any other funky models. All the new ones seem to be grey and functional. I saw what I think was a Mercedes camper van about 15 years ago, which was quite cool, but I’ve no idea what it was. Any suggestions? – RS from London

A The VW camper has achieved cult status, particularly among surfers, and secondhand examples are highly sought after. The earliest model, referred to as the split-screen model (or “splitty”), was built from 1950 to 1967.

Its successor was known as the “bay” or “breadloaf” (because of its shape) and was built from 1968 until the late 1970s. Prices for both range from £4,000 to as much as £15,000 for an exceptional example. The later, flat-screen models, are less sought after and go for £2,500-£6,000. See the VW camper owners’ club (www.vwcampers.com ) and for used examples go to www.dubfinder.com."


How Jack Johnson went from surfer to superstar

"The genesis of What You Thought You Need was the four months Johnson and his wife, Kim, spent touring Europe in a VW camper van after they graduated from college. Losing Keys, his most overtly political song, was inspired when he noticed two bumper stickers on the car ahead. “One was Support Our Troops, the other was Jesus Loves You. I thought, what would Jesus think if he saw that?”


VW launches Caddy Maxi van


Courtesy of CarDomain Car Blog (More information and photo of the concept car at the link below):

VW Helps Make Minivans Almost Cool

"Though piggybacking its new minivan on Chrysler's Town & Country platform, VW promises a van that'll have a character all its own. The new van, dubbed the Routan—sharing the "-an" suffix with VW's other minivans, Touran and Sharan—will be unveilled next month at the Chicago Auto show."

VW Routan: Missing the minivan crest?


Something Rotten? Businessweek critique about VW's U.S.A. business practices.
VW's Sales Target: Bold or Bull?

I’m not as down on the Routan name for the Volkswagen van as Welch is. Volkswagen has a history of naming problems…God knows…but this isn’t the most egregious example. I nominate the Touareg for that designation. Although, the Bora, which is the European Jetta, comes close.



Key to the Highway - Eric Clapton

(Internet here in Cairo is working better, but still incredibly slow.)

Weekend News Round-Up

Weekend News Round-Up is back, and a bit smaller than usual right now. VB has links to two interesting articles about Cairo. The Internet here seems to be getting better - Inshallah. So, VB will try to get a couple of Funkengroovin posts together this week.

Below, a photo of an electrical pole, near VB's apartment, on fire, the other night. She was sure that she was going to lose electricity (the electrical box across the street was popping), but the authorities were able to put it out before any major damage was done. As usual, a policeman crept up behind VB to say, "no pictures." Yeah, we all know how dangerous it could be if photos of an electrical pole on fire got out to the public.

ARTICLES OF INTEREST:
36 Hours in Cairo
Cairo is third world and first world, Islamic world and pharaonic world, a teeming city that jars all the senses, all at once.

IN CAIRO, HORDES OF STREET KIDS, BUT NO LONGER IGNORED
The Egyptian government and nonprofit groups are stepping up efforts to help street children.

For all you Funkengroovin Deadheads (VB knows, she said she wouldn't combine Funkengroovin with politics, but this isn't Funkengroovin Wednesday - it's the Weekend Round-Up, that's different):

Dead to hold concert for Obama
Three surviving members of the Grateful Dead - Mickey Hart, Phil Lesh and Bob Weir - will reunite at 7:30 p.m. Monday at the Warfield in San Francisco for "Deadheads for Obama," a concert to support Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama. Tickets for $35 sold out almost immediately after the show was announced on Friday afternoon, but those who missed out can view a live simulcast at www.iclips.net.

Puppy Lotus, encounters the feral cats. More on the cat situation later.

This Sucks!

The Internet is working so slow it's like watching paint dry. Ugh, this happened the same day VB arrived back in Cairo (yesterday.) VB will try to make amends ASAP, with a double header Funkengroovin Wednesday, if need be. For now, here's the lowdown:

Internet outage hits business from Cairo to Colombo

"CAIRO (AFP) — Damage to undersea Internet cables hit business across the Middle East and South Asia on Thursday, including the vital call centre industry, prompting appeals for people to limit their surfing.
Around 70 percent of Internet users in Egypt were affected when two submarine cables in the Mediterranean Sea were damaged on Wednesday, also rupturing connections thousands of kilometres (miles) away."


And, if that ain't bad enough, for those of you trying not to get foreclosed on, or calling a service center for help:

"In India, the Internet-dependent outsourcing industry was severely disrupted, with businesses saying it may take up to 15 days to return to normal.
"Information-technology companies, software companies and call centres that provide online services to the UK or the US East Coast are the worst affected," said Rajesh Chharia, president of the Internet Service Providers' Association of India.
India's 11 billion dollar outsourcing industry employs 700,000 people working for companies that deliver services ranging from answering customer queries to analysing equity markets for global clients."


I would love to add the video of Sen. Ted Stevens describing how the Internet is a series of tubes, but that's a total no go right now.

Again, THIS SUCKS!!!!!

I Voted Today

Vagabondblogger went up to the local Town Hall and voted by Absentee Ballot Today, even though she had to deal with the clerk with an attitude. It's horrible to interrupt the daydreams of a tax leech. Isn't it enough she gets to take off at 1:00 PM every Friday? VB and The Boss Man are paying for this. And believe VB, taxes around here are not cheap! But, it was more than worth the trouble - I made sure to hold my ballot up high, and turn it over several times to show her who I was voting for. Since it was well known that she was a Lieberman supporter, when I was for Lamont, it's a good guess she's a fan of Hill too.

FOR THIS MAN:

Democratic Primary

Vagabondblogger has been obsessed by the Democratic Primary Season this year (one reason why she's been so neglectful with her own blog.) She also loves the movie, Election, with Reese Witherspoon. So, for something fun and unusual, here's:

"Hillary's Inner Tracy Flick
Don't you just hate when some upstart comes along and threatens your best-laid plans? We were struck by how well one of Reese Witherspoon's monologues from the film Election fits the narrative of Campaign 2008."

Funkengroovin Wednesday - Moving A Van with Scenes From Alaska

Moving to and from Alaska is much like moving overseas. Everything has to be put on freighters. Sometimes things get blown off the freighters at sea, and get lost. Moving a car, is also, much like getting it towed. Photos below are of our move from Alaska to "outside" or "the Lower 48."


There were times and places in Alaska, where our Van would / could not go - the hillside (mountain) in winter. Equipped with studded snow tires we were able to suddenly stop on ice without skidding (like when a momma moose and her brood ran across our path), and trudge through "break-up." We did have one accident, when the driveway heaved up, and we had to gun the engine to get up the driveway over the ice. We popped the sun-roof off! Other than having the sliding door open suddenly on incredibly cold days, the Van worked out great. We took it on picnics, drives, bird watching at Potter Marsh, and whale watching at Beluga Point, Turnagain Arm at high tide.

Scenes from a move, and a life in Alaska.


Moving the Van:




Salmon spawning at Potter Marsh.


Hoarfrost:
The kids always get a kick out of emphasising the "hoar" in hoarfrost.


Moose in the front yard:


Camping at Portage Glacier: Our first dog, Shelby, is tied to the car for his own safety. He once ran away, on Christmas eve and disappeared for twelve hours. When we found him, he came out from behind a neighbor's house. We suspect he got stuck in deep snow, in the woods behind our house and spent the day digging himself out. We were grateful he didn't get kicked upside the head by an angry moose. Having found bear skat just outside the Van when we awoke, we decided to play it safe.

you aint going nowhere - Earl Scruggs & The Byrds


Next Tuesday afternoon Vagabondblogger returns to Cairo, arriving on Wednesday. A Funkengroovin post will probably be uploaded late. Sorry folks and sorry about being a bit late this week (trying to get her act together before the trip.)

Funkengroovin Wednesday - Vagabondblogger's Bug - Then

VB has been digitizing old photos. Here's photos of her 1965 VW Bug in perfect condition, back in 1996. As VB mentioned here, our Bug caught on fire. Even though it's been repaired it still needs much work. The top caught on fire, and has not been replaced; and the interior still looks like crap. So enjoy the photos of a lovely Bug, once in perfect condition. No subtitles today, and, as usual click on the photo for an enlarged view. Oh yeah, and check out the photos of VB's burnt out car at the link above. It'll make you cry. It just makes her crazy!




















NEWS: (Click on the link for the full article.)

European Bug In

"THE CONCEPT : The Original Bug-In saga started way back in 1968 on the American West Coast and it quickly grew into THE major VW event that lasted for 15 years... Today the Bug-In Name has a legendary status, and now for the first time ever this show concept lands on Belgian soil under the EUROPEAN BUG-IN flag! This event was conceived with the approval and support of Richard Kimball, one of the original Californian Bug-In Promotors."

VB wants one of these! It's a bit pricey though.
Green RVing: Growing Trend or Wishful Thinking

"DURANGO, CO (AP) - Imagine this plausible scene at any given Main Avenue intersection at the height of tourist season: A behemoth luxury motor home with a Suburban in tow sits next to a diminutive Toyota Prius, waiting for the light to turn. Westfalia photos courtesy of Verdier Canadian industrial designer Alexandre Verdier has designed an updated, super-green version of the Volkswagen Westfalia.

“ Such profligacy!!” the Prius driver seethes. “What part of ‘An Inconvenient Truth’ did you not understand?”

Canadian industrial designer Alexandre Verdier, an ardent devotee of the Volkswagen Westfalia camper buses, set about designing an update, super-green version 10 years ago.

On his Web site, www.verdier,ca, a video reels digital renderings of the sleek ergonomic camper set to funky world music. Imagine Herbie the Love Bug meets the Jetsons. It’s sure to make Westfalia’s cult following salivate.
Verdier said that when he approached Westfalia execs about his project, he got an enthusiastic thumbs up.

The first prototype will go on tour next summer, he said. The initial production run will be about 1,000 units, of which 150 already have sold (mostly to Californians, he said). They’re selling for about $89,000."

Verdier site here.

He Used the H Word

"DETROIT — When you are a Chinese auto designer, the idea of political correctness is different than if you are an auto magnate from Europe or North America.

At a conference across the street from the North American International Auto Show where he is showing several design ideas for electric cars, Guangming Li extolled Henry Ford’s Model T and Adolf Hitler’s Volkswagen Beetle as automotive icons that changed the world."


Volkswagen Beetle set to roll out in India

"The original 'people's car,' Volkswagen's Beetle, is all set to roll out on Indian roads as the company plans to bring it by the middle of this year, even as the Indian version 'Nano' from Tatas hogged the limelight since its unveiling at the Auto Expo in New Delhi."

Ecorrazzi Chats With KT Tunstall

"E: My favorite green activity is walking around my apartment naked in the summer, to cut down on my energy use and the AC bill. What is your favorite green tip/activity and why?

KT: I also love walking around my house naked. I also highly recommend sharing a bath, hitting yourself on the head with a ladle if you need to boil the kettle twice, and turning your heating down by 2 degrees.

E: What is your favorite tree, insect, and car?
KT: The Californian Redwood. The Bee. A vintage Porsche…or a souped up Brazilian copy of a 60’s split screen VW camper. But I don’t own a car or a camper van as it wouldn’t make sense."


ITV's new pairing of soap and satire is odd, yet better than you might expect


"At ITV, the furniture has been moved. The result of this not-very-exciting heaving and shoving is that News at Ten is back, and that Sunday-night episodes of Coronation Street and Emmerdale are to be shifted to Tuesdays and Fridays. If this all feels a bit back to the future, fear not: ITV's executives have also dashed out and bought a couple of trendy new modular sofas in the form of Moving Wallpaper and Echo Beach (Thursdays/Fridays, 9pm and 9.30pm). The first is a comedy set behind the scenes of a soap; the second is the soap itself, which is set in Cornwall and stars Jason Donovan, Martine McCutcheon and a VW camper van (of these, the van is by far the best performer)."


Ry Cooder - Crazy 'Bout An Automobile

Anniversary Day - In Spite Of Ourselves

No not VB's blog anniversary, but her anniversary with the Boss Man, January 12th! Just a bit of trivia: We were married by Father Stephanopoulos in Cleveland Heights, Ohio. Sound familiar? Father Stephanopoulos, is George Stephanopoulos' father (you know, like in real life.). Father Stephanopoulos told The Boss Man, "Even though your church (Catholic) recognizes this marriage (Greek Orthodox), she can divorce you, but you can never divorce her."


So - to us! (Not counting the years we lived "in sin" together.)

(I guess I'm gettin' the same present I got last year, too.)


John Prine and Iris DeMent - In Spite of Ourselves

Funkengroovin Wednesday - Confusion Reigns Supreme Revisited

One Thing Leads To Another


Remember this Bus?


And the blog about it:? Well, when Vagabondblogger isn't in Cairo, carousing around looking for VW's, she's in Connecticut reading. One of the new books she recently bought is, Volkswagens Of The World. Apparently some guy, Simon Glen, traveled the world photographing, and documenting a variety of Volkswagen cars and buses, and their derivatives (a little compulsive wouldn't you say?)

VB found a very similar looking Bus photo: "A 1978 Brazilian six-door Transporter Type 201 Microbus Luxo."

From there VB decided to do a more specific Internet search. Even though you can find anything you want on the web, when you're looking for something you don't know anything about, it's pretty much like looking for a needle in a haystack. So check out this Bus VB found at TheSamba.com. Very similar. It's a Brazilian six door transporter.

And, as in Cairo, when it comes to Brazilians, their VW's may not be what they seem to be. According to Malcolm Bobbitt, author of The Volkswagen Bus Book:

"...There was also a problem, in the materials sent from Germany did not always compliment production then current in Brazil. Thus, the situation often arose that vehicles that were seemingly representative of a particular era were adorned with fittings, such as doors and trim items, from previous models.

There were a number of anomolies concerning Brazilian-built Transporters in respect of styling arrangements being peculiar to other models. Hence, some Bay Window Microbuses were fitted with side and rear windows of a pattern similar to those seen on the Split-Screen Samba. Specific to Brazilian production was a water-cooled Bay Window diesel-engined model, complete with an external radiator fixed to the nose of the vehicle."

If that's not bad enough, according to Simon Glen (the dude who traveled the world):

"In 1975 its successor, although fitted with a single carburettor, 1600 twin port engine, and looking like a second generation Type 2 from the front, was really just a 1957 Type 2 with a second generation, one piece wind-screen, front panel, front doors, and dashboard fitted to the front. From the front doors back the body was still the first generation shell, which was how it remained in production until 1997! ...From 1976 the 1600 twin port engine was standard and there was a 'Luxo' model of the Microbus with a unique arrangement of doors on both sides....." (Photo below)

It's pretty obvious that the section between the two side doors was welded onto the bus, in the photo VB took at the Car Market. It's not a very good job either. That was never an issue. VB wanted to know where the hell these guys got this idea from? (Dangling, VB knows this.) So, she found out. And as odd as she and The Boss Man thought Cairene VW's were, apparently it's a worldwide phenomenon.


TheSamba.com got their photo from an old car site in Japan. This site has some amazing VW's and their uses. For those photos go here. VB's fave is Heidi Pizzaria, which you can get to by scrolling down. They've even installed a brick oven!






Check out the labels under the photos called "cut," which gives you inside views of the Buses. So, VB is adding these two pages as links, since they're totally awesome! This site will keep you busy for hours. Also, when you scroll down, and leave your pointer on one of the cartoons it will show you the actual machine. VB thinks she wants to start a traveling hookah / sheesha business now - discussions are in progress with the kinder.


For views of other rare Buses:
Dream bus for VW fanatic, has an article and photos about a restored 1953 Samba.


And things get stranger. Would you use a bus as a trailer? If so, take a look at DoubleDutch Bus. Unfortunately, their link "It's genetic" is only in Dutch, but you'll get the picture. They provide many photos, and some explanations in English, with a post of how the trailer came to be, but again, only in Dutch! Pictures abound, and if you're like VB, then a picture speaks a thousand words, and what else do you need, huh?



NEWS:

Conocophillips Corporate Archive -
William Stout, left, with a Scarab.
A Visionary’s Minivan Arrived Decades Too Soon

"Built by a pioneering aircraft designer in the 1930s, the Scarab was a milepost on a road not taken.

On a rainy day in 1936, Mr. Stout and his Scarab visited one of the new cottage-style Phillips gas stations, at Third Street and Keeler Avenue in Bartlesville, Okla., in the heart of the oil patch. A Phillips executive greeted him; in the background of a photo from that day, bystanders look skeptically at the vehicle shaped like a loaf of home-baked bread. The tall, mustachioed Mr. Stout is wearing an overcoat in the photo, and looks like a scientist from one of the “Thin Man” films of the era.

The Scarab’s layout is worth a second look for designers working to pack maximum utility into modern vehicles. It can be seen as the forerunner of the Volkswagen Microbus, the Renault Espace and other one-box designs.

By 1935 he was publicizing the Scarab, which took its name from the beetle held sacred by ancient Egyptians. Its layout was like that of the VW Beetle, however greatly stretched: engine in rear (a Ford V-8), housed under a vast curve of complex grillwork. Mr. Stout praised the car’s aluminum construction and hoped to build 100 a year. He courted Philip Wrigley, of the chewing gum empire; the tire magnate Harvey Firestone; and Willard Dow, of Dow Chemical."



Worried about cats crawling onto your engine to keep warm in the winter? Well then, don't go to New York City, where you will find Under the Hood, a Cozy Rat Retreat.
"It turns out that rats, of which New York City has an ample supply, love to cozy up inside car engines this time of year.

Ignition wires seem to be a particular favorite, he said.

Mr. Gruber, who often finds telltale chicken bones and candy wrappers, said he sees cars with the problem about twice a month; they have often been parked near Riverside Park.

Paul D. Curtis, an associate professor at Cornell University who specializes in wildlife management, said rodents in general tend to be attracted to plastic tubing and wires. “They do need to chew constantly to wear down their incisors,” he said, “and there’s something about the texture of the plastic that they really like.”

Another article, Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles: "60 Years VW Bulli - The Book" goes to print, (about the Bulli Anniversary bash in Hanover, which VB posted here,) is in the news again. Unfortunately, if you get on the sales website, You can't even find it, anymore. VB was able to locate it it in December, but mailings were not offered to U.S.A. residents. If anyone has a heads-up on where we U.S. citizens can purchase the book, or what's happened to it, please let VB know. She was hoping to get a copy, and is very disappointed by the lack of availability. VB just loves how the media announces this stuff, but doesn't follow up on ordering information. BTW, this is exact same article as before (you'd think the news media could come up with an updated version. What's it been - Close to one month?)

Great Site:
Ever wonder what movies and TV shows your favorite car has been in? Well, now there's a database available: Internet Movie Cars Database. You can search by make or do an advanced search by model. Surprising information including photo shots from the actual scenes.



Blink 182-First date (Check out the split-window featured in the video.)

Day Tripping

The Boss Man, Awesome Daughter, VB and the two doggies took a day trip to New Hampshire, in two cars - the Ford Pick-Up, and the Mini Cooper S, on Friday. Number One Son has been working up there since September and needed to switch cars, among other things. Don't ask why we took two cars!

One the way up we passed the Caspian Rug Gallery, which we visited on our return trip. It's a rustic, small carpet shop run by an Iranian man, Shahram (you can call him "Sean"), somewhere on Route 13, Brookline, New Hampshire. (See below) If you're in the area, you should stop by and buy a carpet. VB has too many carpets already and is not allowed to buy anymore. Boohoo....

Here's what we saw (the really important stuff.)

(As usual, click on photos to enlarge them.)


Decisions, decisions! (Isn't that what New Hampshire's all about these days?) Which way to go?



Thankfully, no decision needed. We get to take a pass on Purgatory - at least for now.



Purgatory Road might have been easier to maneuver through than this (below). Apparently, Number One Son is somewhere out in the boondocks of New Hampshire - something he neglected to tell us.




Due to his upcoming job duties, Number One Son needed the family TomTom to find his way around New Hampshire. The TomTom is great. VB never cared for GPS systems, since the one we received from a car rental company back in 2002 helped get us lost somewhere in western Connecticut. But the TomTom is worth the money, if you take a lot of trips, or need to go into back-country areas, or have the bad luck to always get lost. It's satellite based, and can correct your directions regardless of what you do to screw them up. It's also a hands-free for your phone, and The Boss Man even downloaded John Cleese's voice for his vocal directional instructions (not as funny as you'd think.)

The engine check light came on in the Audi, which Number One Son was driving around, so we decided to trade cars with him. He took the Ford Pick-Up as he has to tote around lots of materials, plus all the snacks we brought for him, and his co-workers. As luck would have it, VB's Mini was too small, and she's very reluctant to let it out of her sight. Covered with dirt and salt residue, in the photo, it's her favorite car. Below, three of the six cars we own. (Sorry but due to the sensitive nature of Number One Son's job, we had to wipe out the license plates. It's "top secret" don't you know.)




Below, scene from the garage window of the house where he was stationed on Friday. A moose was said to have been seen earlier in the day.





Fortunately, his work (12-14 hour days / 7 days a week) pretty much comes to an end Tuesday night, except for a few loose ends he will need to tie up later. Among other things we all hope for is to celebrate The New Year together - something we missed as a result of his intensive work schedule. We have several bottles of unopened champagne we're saving for a celebration (we might even open one up Tuesday night.)

Whatever your thoughts - keep them to yourself - or as Francis Urquhart said in, House of Cards: "You might well think that. I couldn't possibly comment."