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Post by mikado-AKA-Shoknifeman on Oct 23, 2011 1:44:31 GMT -5
[glow=red,2,300]Part 5, Nordoff has a plan [/glow] In 1947, Heinz Nordoff sat in his "office", where he was now living, 24 hours a day (He planned to send for his family later)and began to plan his strategy for running a car company that had no owner, was situated in a bombed out factory, had no dealer network or parts inventory; not to mention, no money to buy the raw materials he needed to build the little car! He thought things out and decided to prioritize each problem, to begin with, he organised the workers in groups to build the car and others to repair the giant factory; he started plans to create a dealer network and to stock a parts inventory, but, with steel and other materials so difficult to find and expensive to buy in postwar Germany, he needed a new idea! Basically, the idea was to "trade" the car for materials needed; accountants calculated how much steel could be bought by selling one car, or how many rubber tires could be traded for a VW, etc... and with this novel method of obtaining raw materials, the factory began to rise from it's own ashes. Now, with these problems under control, Nordoff needed a sales strategy for the car, what he came up with, was genius: Set up a dealer/service network; supply them with a large parts stock, then deliver the cars; however, his most important strategy would be the car itself..... The first VW to be factory delivered to the USA... it didn't sell The strategy Nordoff had in mind was simplicity itself: One car model, make no major body changes (Yearly facelifts would not be a part of the VW); changes would only be made to improve the car from within. For instance, if the brakes needed larger pads, they were added, or, if customers asked for extra cooling, the vents would be redesigned, etc*. In other words, the same basic selling strategy that made the Ford Model-T the best selling car in history! (In 1972, the Beetle would topple the Model-T from that pedestal!) Near the end of his life, Nordoff would declare that this "one model" idea was the only decision he ever made, that he was truly proud of. *in the late 60s, a customer suggested that the engine cover should have more clearance from the bumper; the VW engine cover was indeed redesigned, in the way the customer wanted. The original engine cover In the late 50s, overiders were added to bumpers on US/Canadian models, and the engine cover barely cleared them. In the late 60s, the engine covers were made flatter, squarer and smaller, for more clearance
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Post by mikado-AKA-Shoknifeman on Nov 15, 2011 4:23:41 GMT -5
[glow=red,2,300]Part 6[/glow]VW Beetle changes 1950s (Here I will only list major changes made to the car, over the years) The VW.... a small, and efficient package, so good, it only needed mild improvement over more than 60 years: The original 1945 (Post war) VW Kafer , note the "nipple" hubcaps, split rear window and blue-black paint (Like Henry Ford, VW realised that black paint dries faster) also note the lack of chrome trim; also note that there are no conventional "turn signals", instead, you have "semaphores" that swing out from the B pillars, controlled by a large knob in the centre of the dash. Semaphore turn indicators: www.youtube.com/watch?v=7VFnDxRc_wU&feature=related1950: VW decides to begin wholesale exporting of the car and begins to "Dress it up", for the American market (The "American" version would be known as the "Limousine" in Europe and the "Deluxe" in Can/USA) most deluxes were built for export; even the interiors were different: Spartan "Standard" interior Dressed up "Deluxe" The next big change was 1952, when "Crotch cooler" vents were added to the front fender panels: this change would only last a year, to be replaced by vent windows 1953-54 New Oval rear window created by eliminating the bar seperating window panes, previously. Note "heart" shaped window over the former reflectors, now stoplights (Previously, the licence plate light doubled as a centre mounted stop light): 1955, cars have several new features , particularly to the dash; and to the front of the car, on export models. Notably gone are the Semaphores, replaced with gorgeous "bullet" turn signals; the dash is all new, featuring a large radio speaker and a glovebox with a cover, instead of the previous twin open bins. Perhaps the most interesting new feature (Export models only) are the large bumper "overiders" on all North American models: The Beetle would continue with more or less the same look through 1957 1958, the biggest change ever, up to that point, all glass areas are made larger, the rear window is rectangular for the first time and the dash is once again restyled to look more modern. the engine cover loses it's flowing "VW" curves, which now end in a flat design: The car's new design would go on until the mid sixties, with only a few minor changes next: changes 1960s
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Post by mikado-AKA-Shoknifeman on Nov 16, 2011 2:16:23 GMT -5
[glow=red,2,300]Changes 1960s[/glow] In 1960, the glass area was once again made larger and the door handles were changed from a pull lever type, to pushbutton and the steering wheel was dished for "safety" (The old '55 to '59 flat wheel remained on the Standard Bug) ; lap belt type seat belts were available, but, from personal experience, not very comfortable! (They were the type that you pulled tight , then clamped closed) in 1962, the car received some more updates the dash was restyled for a gas guage, previously, if the car began to sputter, you would assume you were running out of fuel, so, there was a small lever on the firewall which controlled a valve that opened a "reserve tank"; with just enough gas to (hopefully) get you to a gas station. (They used to be on every corner in those days) the biggest exterior change was new larger "all in one" tailights in 1963, the biggest exterior change was the elimination of the Wolfsburgh crest on the (front) trunk (A mistake, in my opinion), the badge did remain on the steering wheel, though. Crests 50s & 60s 1964 saw some major and minor changes as the glass area was once again enlarged, the seats made more comfortable. The engine cover is facelifted & licence plate light cover enlarged and flattened. Hubcaps still domed, but, flatter than previously 1965 saw only minor changes, the most noticable being the front turn indicators are now made of orange plastic as opposed to the former clear (with orange light bulbs). 1966 would be the last year of the classic "Bug eyed" Beetle, the word "VOLKSWAGEN" now in block lettering on the engine cover and the old 5 bolt "rim" wheels are replaced by smaller 1-piece 4 bolt wheels with cooling vents for better braking , hubcaps restyled to be nearly flat. wheels 5 and 4 bolt: 1967, the "modern" Beetle is born, well, almost... headlights are now 1-piece "sealed" units with a new bright bezel, the engine cover is redesigned , eliminating the last vestiges of the old VW indentations, for a cleaner look, also, the cover is made smaller to offer more bumper clearance; however, the bumpers are still the old style with overiders. This year would debut a new more powerful engine on Deluxe models; but the "bugs" weren't all worked out of this Bug, prompting some to call the 1967 "The b***tard year when the car was "half old and half new, and ALL bad"". 1968saw the birth of the TRUE modern Beetle with a new "lighter" looking design, bright trim is made thinner, the horn formerly behind a grill, beneath the headlights, is now fully hidden in the (front) trunk the bumpers are now a single curved "girder" type and the front turn signals are now larger and , to comply with the new American standard of "sidelighting",can now be seen from the sides. In the rear are some major changes, the engine cover on the Deluxe models, (with the larger engine), now has several louvers punched out, for better cooling; The old oval tailights are replaced with much larger "cathedral" units, visible from the sides; this basic Bug design would be used into the 70s... however, another Beetle would soon take it's place in the limelight. The most interesting new option was the VW auto-stick, as semi-automatic that worked without a clutch, but, you still had to change the gears by hand...my '72 Super Beetle had this feature, and I can safely say it wasn't a great idea.... shifts were much too slow and passing with this car was next to impossible! (Not surprizingly, the auto-stick was not a success.) 1969 saw no significant changes to the car Next up, Changes in the 1970s; the car's American swansong
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Post by mikado-AKA-Shoknifeman on Nov 19, 2011 5:46:22 GMT -5
Changes in the 1970s; the car's American swansongIn 1970 the 1300< Europe (or Standard Beetle in the US and Canada) was little changed, however, for the first time, VW sold another Beetle model side by side with the Type 1 (Nordoff had died recently and with him the "one model" policy) ; the new car was named the "(1302) SUPER BEETLE" ; a "new" Beetle with radical changes from the original: The ubiquitous "Torsion bar" front suspension was gone and replaced by a modern strut suspension, the rear suspension, now fully independant, was also a huge improvement over the former trailing arm version that caused so many inexperienced drivers to put the car in the ditch....backwards. The new car was more powerful, slightly longer, wider and had a new rounded "nose" and a new (front) lid on the trunk which flattened and widened the look of the old lid. (Whether you think the car looked better than the 1300 is strictly a matter of opinion!) All 1970 Beetle models now had cooling vents on the engine cover. 1970 Type one, Standard BeetleNew 1970 Super Beetle, note the new, longer, flatter nose The Super had a new MacPHerson Strut suspension:For 1971 and '72. the car was little changed, the engine cover now had several more vents for better cooling, highback seats and a nifty little hidden gascap, that was opened by a lever, hidden in the glove compartment. A 1972 Super Beetle, identical to my first car (incl the colour), I called the big white ball of a car, :"Killer Snowball"! In 1973, the Super acquired a new look, even further away from the old-style Standard; besides being even longer looking, the car acquired a new dashboard to go with the new curved windshield! (A first for the Beetle), amazingly, the Standard plodded on with the old face and dash. Also new for 1973 were new larger tailight lenses, without bezels, for the first time. Say what you want about the 73, in my opinion, it had the most beautiful tailights of any Beetle yet! (In fact, these tailights were never again redesigned and were on the last Beetle ever built (Mexico 2003)) 1973 Super: New dash: 1974, '75 Saw Beetle sales falling like a stone, small car lovers were now flocking to the much more modern Japanese cars from Datsun (now Nissan) and Toyota, so the company put out some "Special Editions"; the best remembered, likely, being the Gold painted "SunBug" in both convertible and sunroof versions; clad in special "sport wheels" (Basically the same wheel as the regular bugs, with black plastic caps covering the hub and bolt ends, instead of the classic VW chrome hubcaps)... 1974 would mark the beginning of the end, the MK1 Golf (Known here as the Rabbit) was introduced Worldwide and soon would replace the Beetle altogether! SunBug: In 1976, '77, the Super Beetle sedan was cancelled , however, the convertible model would still be made until 1979; if you wanted a VW with a solid roof, your only choice was the VW Standard model; the car which had started it all in the first place. However, with sales of the Golf/Rabbit climbing like a rocket (thanks at least in part to the so-called "energy crisis" of 1974); the little car was on it's last legs (At least in Canada and the USA). In 1978, the last German-built Beetle sedan came off the line; however, production would continue in South America for another 15 years , and in Mexico until 2003. The last Beetles for the North American market (Not counting Mexico) were several special white-painted convertibles , hand-built at the Karmann factory, as they had been since 1950; they were officially 1979 models , but, as some weren't delivered until after the new year, some people claimed to own 1980 verts. (The Karmann plant replaced production of the VW convertible with the new Rabbit/Golf Cabrio and the VW Ghia sportscar with the Sirocco) 1979 'Vert:2003, the very last Type 1 Beetle rolls off the line in Mexico; and is soon shipped to the Wolfsburgh museum in the big plant where it's ancestors were born. Just before his death, in 1951, Prof. Porshe visited the big VW factory at Wolfsburgh, where the little car he had put half his life's work into, was finally being made in huge numbers, on a fully automated line; he looked in awe at what unfolded in front of him and softly declared : " Yes, this is what I had envisioned!" END
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Post by mikado-AKA-Shoknifeman on Jan 8, 2012 1:21:53 GMT -5
[glow=red,2,300]Arguably the most famous car in the World, the 1966 Batmobile and it's origin.[/glow] The Car created for the 1966 to 69 Batman TV show by George Barris Customs actually began it's "life" more than a decade earlier, as a showcar called "Ford Futura" (A name that would be used as a model name on the humble Falcon a decade later); The car was built around 1954 as an "idea" car for Fords of the future (Hence the name*). Original Futura showcar & BatmobileIn 1956, the car was renamed "Lincoln Futura" after the styling (Somewhat subdued and without the bubble domes) was adapted to the new Lincoln bodies that year. 1956 Lincoln In 1957, the Lincoln looked even more like the Futura (In '58, Futura styling would be replaced on the Lincoln with some of the FUGLIEST styling in the mark's history!) '57 Lincoln Usually showcars of the 50s were destroyed after their time on the auto show circuit was over (For insurance reasons, mainly), however, the Futura was saved when it was leased to a movie studio and appeared in the 1959 movie 'It Started With A Kiss'; having been repainted in a deep shade of red. Not long afterwards, George Barris bought the car for $1 and it sat in his shop for some time; until Barris was given an assignment to build a Batmobile for the upcoming TV show. After an attempt to build a Batmobile from scratch on a Cadillac frame, Barris realised that he already owned the perfect Batmobile; and restyled the old show car for the job! Futura rotting away in early 60sbasically, he covered the old steel body shell with new pieces at the rear and tailfins, restyled the front end as a "Batface" and used red piping to cover the seams; thus the Batmobile was born, and it would prove to be a huge asset in making the 1966 Batman TV show, one of the greatest successes of the era. END
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Post by mikado-AKA-Shoknifeman on Jan 9, 2012 2:41:41 GMT -5
This is soooo weird.... the whole paragraph about the car being in the movie "Sealed with a Kiss" (Including the pic) has dissapeared from my screen, but, it's still there when I hit "Modify" (the post) ps. Go ahead and ramble on Naoko 1960; that's what forums are for
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Post by mikado-AKA-Shoknifeman on Jan 10, 2012 23:46:48 GMT -5
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Post by naoko1960 on Jan 11, 2012 10:36:50 GMT -5
Heres a cloan which you can tell is not to scale nor does it have of the correct features of the Futura.First besides the scale is wrong the car is built on a smaller frame car. Looks like fiber glass or plastic bumpers. The 1 real Futura concept car was to become the Batmobile ! www.youtube.com/watch?v=aTlgeLq_Kg0&feature=related
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Post by mikado-AKA-Shoknifeman on Jan 26, 2012 4:44:22 GMT -5
The miniature Ford Econoline is particularly impressive!
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Post by mikado-AKA-Shoknifeman on Jan 26, 2012 4:49:49 GMT -5
Traffic in Hamilton Ont ca. 1965, note the 2 '55 Chevys, the '54 Ford and 2 early 60s VW Sedans
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Post by mikado-AKA-Shoknifeman on Jan 26, 2012 5:06:34 GMT -5
Beautiful 1929 Chevrolet 2-door sedan I photographed some years ago in front of a local Realtor's office.... The office and car are now gone from the property, no idea where it is now.
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Post by mikado-AKA-Shoknifeman on Feb 1, 2012 4:10:53 GMT -5
The day my neighbour's chimney fell........on his carNote that it wasn't the entire chimney that fell, just a couple of feet at the top....and the TV antenna
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Post by Nuclear Seagull on Feb 1, 2012 6:25:05 GMT -5
That doesn't look good! How bad is the damage on his car?
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Post by mikado-AKA-Shoknifeman on Feb 4, 2012 1:26:19 GMT -5
That doesn't look good! How bad is the damage on his car? I think it was about $900.00 (A lot of money in the early 90s); but, it was the chimney that really was expensive. He sold this car several years ago; no idea if any other chimneys ever fell on it
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Post by mikado-AKA-Shoknifeman on Feb 4, 2012 1:32:13 GMT -5
1941 Dodge "Fargo" fire truckBack before Dodge trucks were "Ram Tough", they were known by the name "Fargo"; after the famous Wells-Fargo stagecoach line that helped open the American west. The name seemed a natural as it invoked both that "Cowboy" trucker persona and suggested a truck that would last many years (Fargo/Goes Far). In the early 60s, the name was phased out and replaced by Ram; but, you have to admit, this little art-deco firetruck is pretty Hot! (Pics by me)
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