Old cars that now look tremendous.

[WOM]

I really cannot believe De Sotos were ever even assembled here.

Wiki says they were for most of the 1950s, at a factory in Adelaide.

[Sits]

Wiki says they were for most of the 1950s, at a factory in Adelaide.

Well that’s a surprise. Perhaps that plant then began producing Valiants from the 60s.

[WOM]

From '62 onward, apparently.

[The Awesome Berbaslug!!!]

I'm getting a Milky Way ad earworm.

Hahahahaha. My thoughts exactly

[The Awesome Berbaslug!!!]

Were US built cars in Oz a thing? Or is it only enthusiasts?

On the 2CV rust question, I have ridden in one that had holes that allowed one to see the road surface from the passenger seat.

I had a similar experience in a fiat 127. You can tell we only introduced the nct (mot) in 2011

[Gangster Octopus]

I had a cousin whose partner had the bright idea of buying cars cheaply that were about to fail their MOT in the UK, and then sell them in Ireland. I fucked this up by wrecking the suspension of the first one on potholes by the Cliffs Of Mother...

[elguapo4]

In the 70s and 80s there was no real legislation on vehicle safety in Ireland. You could buy and sell virtually anything and take your chances. One of my schoolmates proudly showed me his first car. There was a plank of wood where the back seat was supposed to be, and the boot was no use because it had no floor. Otherwise it was fine.

[Third rate Leszno]

When I was in Alaska it looked like the 'anything goes' approach to roadworthiness was still in force there.

[Sits]

I'm getting a Milky Way ad earworm.

I’m annoyed I can’t get this reference. Or is it an Ireland thing, considering TAB knew what you meant?

[Amor de Cosmos]

Chrysler sold trucks with the De Soto marque in Australia (also the UK, but I don't remember seeing any.)

[Gangster Octopus]

No memory of De Soto.

[Sean of the Shed]

I’m annoyed I can’t get this reference. Or is it an Ireland thing, considering TAB knew what you meant?

The ad is from 1989. How long is it since you were shipped out to the colonies?

[The Awesome Berbaslug!!!]

I had a cousin whose partner had the bright idea of buying cars cheaply that were about to fail their MOT in the UK, and then sell them in Ireland. I fucked this up by wrecking the suspension of the first one on potholes by the Cliffs Of Mother...

Firstly, every single word of this sounds completely plausible. Secondly, I'm sure that everything was entirely above board, and all import duty was fully paid. we were such sticklers for detail in those matters at the time.

[Sits]

The ad is from 1989. How long is it since you were shipped out to the colonies?

Ah, yes that one. I was already doing grown up things in 89 so it’s not as etched in my memory as a 70s ad would be.

Chrysler sold trucks with the De Soto marque in Australia (also the UK, but I don't remember seeing any.)

Until yesterday De Soto was one of those marques like Hudson which I just associated with old American movies.

[WOM]

While out on a lark in the country today, we saw a woebegone van of indeterminate origin on a trailer on the lot of an auctioneer.

I've just spent an hour googling every combination of words I could muster to find that it was a 1958 Goggomobil Transporter.

Rare as fuck, and something I've never seen in the wild. Rear engine, sliding driver's doors, tiny tiny, with a g stamped on the front. What a treat to see. A complete rebuild, but it would make a glorious toy for the right mechanic.

[Amor de Cosmos]

Pre-auction or post-auction? Wouldya if you coulda?

[WOM]

'Pre' I'm pretty sure. Only 3800 ever made, so parts would be a nightmare. Maybe as an electric conversion or if I could fit a Smart car diesel. But, oh boy, is it cute.

[Sits]

Certainly is.

[Third rate Leszno]

I was aware of the Goggomobil Coupe having seen one in a museum somewhere but never knew they made a van - Wiki says "The Transporter was built largely at the request of the German Federal Postal Service, which procured more than 2,000 Transporters..."

[WOM]

I continue to be delighted by cars I never knew existed. And now I want one of these really badly...

This is a '90 / '91 VW Golf Country; 4x4, lift kit, skid plates, brush guard, tailgate tire, and 'safari rack' up top. Only 7735 were ever built, and I'm quite sure I've never seen on in the wild. But man, would I enjoy driving this. Or even a faithful reproduction without the 4x4.

[WOM]

Further to that, I just this week learned that most classic VW names were winds; Golf is Gulf Stream, Jetta is Jet Stream, Polo is Polar Wind, Passat is Trade Wind, and Scirocco was an actual wind name.

[Amor de Cosmos]

Hah! Now that I did not know. I occasionally wondered why VW named their cars after sports that required hitting balls with sticks

[ad hoc]

Further to that, I just this week learned that most classic VW names were winds; Golf is Gulf Stream, Jetta is Jet Stream, Polo is Polar Wind, Passat is Trade Wind, and Scirocco was an actual wind name.

What about rabbit?

[ursus arctos]

That was a North America only aberration

[hobbes]

Further to that, I just this week learned that most classic VW names were winds; Golf is Gulf Stream, Jetta is Jet Stream, Polo is Polar Wind, Passat is Trade Wind, and Scirocco was an actual wind name.

Don't forget senor Corrado.