One of the more popular old cars was the legendary VW Beetle. It's hard not to be a fan of the original 'People's Car', with it's unique and distinct silhouette and entertaining rear-engine drivetrain. One of my first automotive memories (and traumatisms) was when my father used my childhood swing set to hold up a Beetle he was repairing, which I mentioned in this previous story:
It turns out all of the old cars are hiding in Indonesia! It didn't take long after arriving in Jakarta to see my first old gem, a Peugeot 304. I wasn't able to get a clear picture, but thankfully there have been many others. A VW Thing, Peugeot 504, VW van, and 60's Mercedes sedan all stood out. I also noticed a few oddballs that many wouldn't notice, such as a 70's Toyota Corolla and a few more recent hatchbacks from Diahatsu, Mitsubishi, and Honda. One of the more popular old cars was the legendary VW Beetle. It's hard not to be a fan of the original 'People's Car', with it's unique and distinct silhouette and entertaining rear-engine drivetrain. One of my first automotive memories (and traumatisms) was when my father used my childhood swing set to hold up a Beetle he was repairing, which I mentioned in this previous story: The driver of this Beetle was sitting in it when I walked by, and was happy to let me take some pictures. He said that it belonged to his sister, and even checked the ownership papers to verify the year (1974). It had clearly been repainted at some point, but looked quite authentic otherwise. Even the few extra chrome touches on the exterior looked quite good. Seeing a Beetle always gets me excited, and reminds me of a red plastic Beetle I had as a kid. I think that many car fans have a Beetle memory. During the past week in Indonesia I have seen several 'Punch-Buggies', and while all are sporting modern paint, the bodies appear to be in great shape. With one more week to go, I'm optimistic that I will see a few more of these loveable old cars. Does anyone else have a Beetle story or pictures to share?
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It has been a slow automotive discovery month for me. Just when I thought that I might go the whole month of July without seeing something interesting, a few pictures landed in my email inbox. I didn't get to see the car in person, but even seeing the photos got me excited. A colleague had travelled to Germany on a business trip and stumbled across this lovely Citroen DS in a parking lot. Knowing how much I like old cars (I have a Citroen 2CV model on my desk!), he snapped a few pictures: Built between 1955 and 1975, over 1.4 million copies of the DS would be sold. The name is a play on words for 'Déesse;, which means 'Goddess' in French. Known for its revolutionary hydraulic suspension with adjustable ride height, the DS is often included in lists of the most beautiful and influential automotive designs of all time. It was a popular luxury car in France, with a 4-door sedan, 5-door wagon, and 2-door convertible being offered. It was best known as the Presidential car, as Charles de Gaulle was always driven around in one. The smooth, forgiving ride of the DS is legendary, but it also had many other modern features, such as inboard front brakes, hydraulic power for the suspension, brakes, clutch, transmission, and power steering, directional headlights, and the first use of mass-produced disc brakes. Many years ago in France I had the pleasure of working on a DS when a friend and co-worker was restoring one he had purchased. I recall spending a wonderful Saturday afternoon and evening (I believe we finished at 2am!) helping him change the famous green 'spheres' (the accumulators for the hydraulic pressure) and reinstall the directional headlight cables. Even if it was late when we finished, he insisted on taking it out for a test drive, and we had a fantastic romp through the nearby hills and curves as he showed off just how well the DS rode and handled. He even let me get behind the wheel, and while the dash-mounted shifter took some getting used to (there was no clutch pedal, but you had to manually shift), it really was an awesome experience.
Seeing these pictures was a nice reminder of a truly fascinating automotive legend that I hadn't thought of in a long time. I don't suspect I'll be seeing a real one anytime soon in China, but I'll take what I can get! If anyone has any photos of other great old cars I'm more than happy to receive them! They will tide me over until my next great automotive find. |
AuthorWelcome! My name is Paul, and I am an old-fashioned, low-pressure, low-buck car fan with lots of automotive stories to tell! Archives
February 2020
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