Here's a little story from just before I headed off overseas in 1972....
At the time I had my latest and "newest" Beetle, the latest in a long line of VW Beetles I'd had. This one was just 5 years old, practically new...
I needed to sell the car before heading off. One night I picked up a hitchhiker, named Fred, as I recall. On the way he admired the Beetle and I managed to sell it to him right there and then as we drove along, on our way to Elder St, and dropped Fred off in Civic.
We agreed on the price -- $700. Only thing is, I said, that I need it for two more weeks till I head off o/s, did he mind if I kept it till then. Amazingly, Fred said fine, and we shook on the deal and the day he'd pick it up, a fortnight hence.
Now.... a week later was Mark Thomas' buck's party, somewhere out in Woden. It was in a concrete-floored club somewhere, with a bunch of guys, some kegs, and some pretty bad behaviour.
At about 1:00 am, Oz and I hopped in the Beetle to drive home to Elder St. Rotten drunk.... them's were the days....
We were fine on the way home.... almost. At the last turn into Elder St, I gunned the engine, we flew into the corner, way too fast and.... rolled her on her roof.
Amazingly Oz and I were both wearing seat belts. I remember the radio still playing, the wheels spinning and the popping and cracking of an engine cooling down.
I looked at Oz, from my upside-down position, and asked if he was Ok. "Fine", he said.
We got out and looked at the wrinkled wreck of the car.
A few minutes later, I'm not sure why, Little Pete and Rottie turned up, maybe they were shadowing us, or maybe just coming back to Elder St for a late night joint..
They got out and helped us push her back on her feet and Oz & I drove her back the last 100 yards to Elder St. She seemed fine, even if the roof was wrinkled and she had no windscreen.
Next day, I realized I no longer had a car to sell to Fred. I needed that $700.
What I did next still amazes me.
I went out the the wreckers in Fyshwick and bought a Beetle body. Trailered it back to Elder St and over the next week proceeded to take the body off the wrecked one and put the new body on.
Only thing is that the old body was that kind of light blue (above) and the new body was white (below).
Most things fitted fine, but there were a few bits that remained blue: some of the dashboard and the covers on the blinkers.
When Fred came around to pick up the car, the only thing he said was "I thought the car was blue".
"No mate", I said, "she was always white. Remember that it was night time you saw her. Always been white". I said, as I leaned on the bumper, to hide the blue on the blinkers....
He paid the money, I left Australia. Never to find out what he made of the odd bits of blue on an otherwise white car....
LATER: I have some photos somewhere, of this little bit of subterfuge, which I'll scan in, in due course.
Later: Here's one.....
LATER STILL, FROM SAL (30 Aug).
Nearly died laughing - started a coughing fit. Almost axphixiated. And I remember that -
Reminded me of my car story which will have to be validated by Ray - an FJ Holden race as I recall - down the old unfinished road to Woden - we had to take down the barriers - flat out - god knows what speed - not sure of passengers - Ray driving - not sure of other competitors - was one of my dates with Ray. Possibly my last date due to near death experience.
Will you ask Ray to detail it?
And tell me how to add to your following post so I am identified as me?
Fucking complicated this blogging.
EVEN LATERER (31 Aug)
Sal: language, language!
I changed the font and colour, just as you wanted.... I made it Arial, and the colour is "Purple". First you have to be in "edit" mode, which you've obviously done already, as you added the above para: just click the little "edit" pencil icon at the bottom of the post.
Get the Font from the icon "F" above. Change the colour by clicking the Icon above with "A" and then choose the colour you like: the one I chose is in the first row of colours second from the end...
BTW: The default Font is Times.
As to how to add a following post with your name, it should be in your name if you log in with your Google account (not Yahoo). You can try, that, it should work, but I can't be sure till you try.... I've checked in the settings and you are now identified as an "author", so it should be in your name...[later yet: I changed your status to "Admin", same as me; I guess that's the top-level authorship and it ought to ensure that you're going to be identified as the author of a post]
The Ray Story: yes, I can ask him about that....
PS: good to see you using Caps!
 |
| I had a Beetle just like this one, same year and colour, in 1972. The colour changed from this.... |
I needed to sell the car before heading off. One night I picked up a hitchhiker, named Fred, as I recall. On the way he admired the Beetle and I managed to sell it to him right there and then as we drove along, on our way to Elder St, and dropped Fred off in Civic.
We agreed on the price -- $700. Only thing is, I said, that I need it for two more weeks till I head off o/s, did he mind if I kept it till then. Amazingly, Fred said fine, and we shook on the deal and the day he'd pick it up, a fortnight hence.
Now.... a week later was Mark Thomas' buck's party, somewhere out in Woden. It was in a concrete-floored club somewhere, with a bunch of guys, some kegs, and some pretty bad behaviour.
At about 1:00 am, Oz and I hopped in the Beetle to drive home to Elder St. Rotten drunk.... them's were the days....
We were fine on the way home.... almost. At the last turn into Elder St, I gunned the engine, we flew into the corner, way too fast and.... rolled her on her roof.
Amazingly Oz and I were both wearing seat belts. I remember the radio still playing, the wheels spinning and the popping and cracking of an engine cooling down.
I looked at Oz, from my upside-down position, and asked if he was Ok. "Fine", he said.
We got out and looked at the wrinkled wreck of the car.
A few minutes later, I'm not sure why, Little Pete and Rottie turned up, maybe they were shadowing us, or maybe just coming back to Elder St for a late night joint..
They got out and helped us push her back on her feet and Oz & I drove her back the last 100 yards to Elder St. She seemed fine, even if the roof was wrinkled and she had no windscreen.
Next day, I realized I no longer had a car to sell to Fred. I needed that $700.
What I did next still amazes me.
I went out the the wreckers in Fyshwick and bought a Beetle body. Trailered it back to Elder St and over the next week proceeded to take the body off the wrecked one and put the new body on.
Only thing is that the old body was that kind of light blue (above) and the new body was white (below).
Most things fitted fine, but there were a few bits that remained blue: some of the dashboard and the covers on the blinkers.
When Fred came around to pick up the car, the only thing he said was "I thought the car was blue".
"No mate", I said, "she was always white. Remember that it was night time you saw her. Always been white". I said, as I leaned on the bumper, to hide the blue on the blinkers....
 |
| ..... to this colour, in a week... |
LATER: I have some photos somewhere, of this little bit of subterfuge, which I'll scan in, in due course.
Later: Here's one.....
 |
| The new body on the left, the wrinkled wreck on the right. The one in the middle is Oz's flowery Beetle. Beetlemania... |
LATER STILL, FROM SAL (30 Aug).
Nearly died laughing - started a coughing fit. Almost axphixiated. And I remember that -
Reminded me of my car story which will have to be validated by Ray - an FJ Holden race as I recall - down the old unfinished road to Woden - we had to take down the barriers - flat out - god knows what speed - not sure of passengers - Ray driving - not sure of other competitors - was one of my dates with Ray. Possibly my last date due to near death experience.
Will you ask Ray to detail it?
And tell me how to add to your following post so I am identified as me?
Fucking complicated this blogging.
EVEN LATERER (31 Aug)
Sal: language, language!
I changed the font and colour, just as you wanted.... I made it Arial, and the colour is "Purple". First you have to be in "edit" mode, which you've obviously done already, as you added the above para: just click the little "edit" pencil icon at the bottom of the post.
Get the Font from the icon "F" above. Change the colour by clicking the Icon above with "A" and then choose the colour you like: the one I chose is in the first row of colours second from the end...
BTW: The default Font is Times.
As to how to add a following post with your name, it should be in your name if you log in with your Google account (not Yahoo). You can try, that, it should work, but I can't be sure till you try.... I've checked in the settings and you are now identified as an "author", so it should be in your name...[later yet: I changed your status to "Admin", same as me; I guess that's the top-level authorship and it ought to ensure that you're going to be identified as the author of a post]
The Ray Story: yes, I can ask him about that....
PS: good to see you using Caps!
