…Jeremy Clarkson driving the world’s smallest production car, the Peel P50
And now for something completely differant…
Reply
The New Beetle
I have mixed feelings about the New Beetle. It beats the original Beetle hands down on just about everything, but soul.
The type One Beetle was very basic by todays standards. It was uncomfortable, noisy, had lousy ventilation and an odd shape but was a very popular entry level vehicle especially for young folk. Todays Beetle’s design may have been inspired by the original but is more round, The engine is in the front and not rear
Originally unveiled in 1994 as a Concept Car, and then released as a production vehicle in 1998, it has even been released as a Malibu Barbie Special Edition.
Place the original Beetle alongside the New Beetle and you will see that they are not that similar in design. Explore further and you will find that the New Beetle has the engine in the front and the boot at the back.
To me they are two totally different cars. So, I whilst I have no problem driving the New Beetle, it ain’ no Bug!
17 People in a Beetle
Cool Cars from way back when – Ford Cortina
Information courtesy of Wikipedia
The Ford Cortina is a mid-sized family car built by Ford of Britain in various guises from 1962 to 1982.
The Ford Cortina is a mid-sized family car built by Ford of Britain in various guises from 1962 to 1982.
The Cortina was Ford’s mass-market mid-sized car and sold extremely well, making it very common on British roads. It was also Britain’s best-selling car of the 1970s. It was eventually replaced in 1982 by the Ford Sierra. In other markets, particularly Asia and Australasia, it was replaced by the Mazda 626-based Ford Telstar, though Ford New Zealand did import British-made CKD kits of the Ford Sierra estate for local assembly from 1984.
The Cortina was produced in five generations (Mark I through to Mark V, although officially the last one was called the Cortina 80) from 1962 until 1982. From 1970 onward, it was almost identical to the German-market Ford Taunus (being built on the same platform) which was originally a different car model. This was part of a Ford attempt to unify its European operations. By 1976, when the revised Taunus was launched, the Cortina was identical. In fact, this new Taunus̵Cortina used the doors and some panels from the 1970 Taunus.
All variants of the Cortina sold over one million, with each successive model proving more popular than its predecessor. Such was its fame in the UK that the BBC Two documentary series Arena once devoted an edition to the car and its enthusiasts.
The model’s name was inspired by the name of the Italian ski resort Cortina d’Ampezzo, site of the 1956 Winter Olympics. As a publicity stunt, several Cortinas were driven down the bobsled run at the resort which was called Cortina Auto-Bobbing.
Beetle Clubs
First Some South African Clubs:
JHB Beetle Club
Beach Buggy Club SA
International
Volkswagen owners Club
Volkswagen Cabriolet Owners Club GB
List of UK Clubs
The Beetle on Face Book:
VW Beetle Club
THE CLASSIC VW BEETLE OWNERS CLUB!!!!!!!!!!
Big Boys Toys
I am torn between Audi and Porsche. I see myself in a topless silver Porsche 356, but I realise that I may end up with the more affordable Audi. Why these two car in particular? Audi because of it’s association with Volkswagen and because it ranks with the best Automotive Engineering. The 356 is an absolute classic based on the Beetle. It has style that a lot of modern sports cars simply do not have.
My best friend is heavily into Ferraris, he almost beat me up when I insulted Shumie. His recent cars were all red. Ferrari is a beautifull car but like all Italian cars, temperamental. So no it is not my first choice.
My love affair with Porsche is because of my Beetle. That little 1300 Beetle had more guts than then mamby pamby cars that are produced today. I drove it on some of the worst roads available in South Africa. It did not need much attention, it simply kept on going.
All the Volkswagens that I have owned and driven had one common feature, they did not understand slow. They have two speeds, fast and even faster. It is intoxicating.
So where does the Audi come. I cannot say how it is elsewhere in the world, but here in South Africa, you will find Volkswagen and Audi showrooms next door to each other. it is like you look at the cars on the showroom floor and saw “That is wast I am going to drive when I grow up”
Some other VW Beetle Blogs
The Beetle Blog
VW America: – Keep up to date on the 2012 Beetle
The Classic Beetle
Air cooled VW Beetle restoration, performance and maintenance
78 VW Beetle
Its a first for me owning a VW Beetle, so I thought I’d blog the journey…
Eric Shoemakers 1967 Beetle Restoration
Type 1 Beetle Blog
Renovation and use as seen and heard through the eyes and ears of Volkswagen Beetle Semi-Automatic 1969 owned by the current owner, and now by his son David since 1979
Other Cool Cars from way back when – Ford Capri
From Wikipedia
Ford Capri was a name used by the Ford Motor Company for three different automobile models. The Ford Consul Capri coupé was produced by Ford of Britain between 1961 and 1964. The Ford Capri coupé was produced by Ford of Europe from 1969 to 1986. The Ford/Mercury Capri convertible was produced by the Ford Motor Company of Australia from 1989 to 1994.
The Capri name was also used by Ford’s Lincoln-Mercury Division on six different models which did not bear the Ford name. The Lincoln Cosmopolitan Capri from 1950 to 1951; the Lincoln Capri from 1952 to 1959; the Mercury Comet Capri in 1966-1967; and three different generations of Mercury Capris from 1970 to 1994.
Guinness Book of World Records Most People Crammed into Old-Style Volkswagen Beetle (Bug)
When I was younger, these type of records were par for the course. How many people could you get in a Mini or a Telephone Box. Miss those crazy days!
Other Cool Cars from way back when – Ford Anglia
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Ford Anglia 1965 Ford Anglia coupe (North America)
Manufacturer Ford of Britain
Production 1939–1967
Assembly Dagenham, England
Halewood, England from 1963
Predecessor Ford 7Y
Successor Ford Escort
Class Subcompact
Layout FR layout
The Ford Anglia is a British car designed and manufactured by Ford in the United Kingdom. It is related to the Ford Prefect and the later Ford Popular. The Ford Anglia name was applied to four models of car between 1939 and 1967.
1,594,486 Anglias were produced, before it was replaced by the new Ford Escort.