<VV> Re: Import Carlisle Report

[Bill Elliott]

Retry...never saw this post...

Bill

-Original Message Text---
From: Bill Elliott
Date: Sun, 22 May 2005 13:29:05 -0400

So you ask why a report on an import car show NOT being marked off topic on VirtualVairs? Well, I'll tell 
you....

First, I drove up my Tatra 2/603 to the meet, it's first extended outing. (For those of you that are 
unfamiliar with it, it uses a rear-mounted aircooled hemi head V8 with a 4speed transaxle with a rear 
swing arm suspension) . http://fnader.com/images/Tatra/

With the exception of a strange grinding noise that the front disc brakes developed, it performed 
flawlessly and got a great deal of attention, with many folks remarking that had GM built a full-size 
Corvair, they were sure it would be similar in concept. (Many "wow, wouldn't Nader have had a field day 
with THIS car" comments as well! )

So then I'm walking along the quattros...and there at the end (parked just at the edge of spectator 
parking) is Tim Schwartz's beautiful Greenbrier which is getting more attention than the cars that are 
actually IN the show! (This is not the first time I've bumped into Tim at a non-Corvair show... he showed 
up with ANOTHER nice 95 at the National Microcar meet in Georgia a couple years ago...where his 
Corvair got high levels of attention as well!) And Al Lacki was with him, one of the first times I've met Al in 
person. Great to bump into Corvair guys at these types of shows! 

In my experience, the import cars guys really do recognize and appreciate the Corvair much more than 
your average American car fan.

Anyway, the REAL story is not about me, but my wife. Some of you may recall that out of the blue a few 
years ago Marianne decided she wanted a late model Corvair convertible (instead of a late model BMW 
convertible she had her eye on) despite the fact she'd never really spent much time driving my other 
Corvairs. Well, a similar thing happened again...

We're walking through the car corral (where I was meeting a friend of a friend to look at his Ginetta G20 
he had brought up from TN to sell... turns out I knew the guy myself as he was a Berkeley and Mini 
Cooper owner as well...really small world sometimes...) and we walk past one of the nicest VW Westies 
I've ever seen. It was an early model, low bumper '71 model that, except for a recent coat of paint and 
yellow bumpers, was nearly perfectly original in appearance. It bugged me that I knew this VW from 
somewhere, but couldn't place it.

My wife and stepdaughter have a big trip around the US planned for next summer... sort of a month of 
driving around the country together before Katherine heads off to college... and she'd been trying to 
figure out how to do it. Rent a car and stay at hotel? Drive our truck and tent camp, tow a small trailer 
with her '67 vert, etc. We had discussed an Ultravan (too big), a Greenbriar, etc... but nothing really hit 
her...until she saw this Westy.

Now she had not really considered something like a Westy because of the lack of power (especially in 
the old vans) and the fact she really didn't like the modern ones. But as we walk around this one, I open 
the engine compartment and IMMEDIATELY recognize where I knew it from... it's John Moody's Westy 
that he bought NEW in Germany, drove around Europe (including the '72 Munich Olympics), imported 
and drove here, then professionally converted to Corvair power/PG in the late 80's. I had no idea that 
John had sold it while I was living in the midwest (and it was camouflaged even more by the fact the guy 
had painted the bumpers bright yellow!)

Well, as the seller laid out the documentation John had provided, showed all of the redunant spares and 
manuals John had equipped the van with for reliable touring (John is the consummate engineer) , and 
knowing the performance and reliability that the Corvair drivetrain added to the VW, it became very clear 
to Marianne that this was EXACTLY what she wanted to use for her trip (and likely for more local family 
camping use as well). 

After a period of extended discussion between Marianne and Katherine via cell, extended discussions 
with the seller (a professional racing crew memeber), the recognization that he had really not modified 
anything John had done, but only worked on the cosmetics and had only put 4000 miles on it, the deal 
was done... with me _just_ outbidding a classic car dealer that also wanted it (the guy even gave me his 
card to let me know he'd sell it to me... at a profit of course....)

Anyway, the yellow bumpers have to go and the engine could use a bit of detailing, but I'm very excited 
about the new family member! And while I haven't spoken to John yet, I'll bet he'll be happy that the VW 
has returned to the Corvair "fold"...

http://fnader.com/images/VW_Westy/

Guess I'll need to buy some sandals and some tie-dye... ;-)

Bill Elliott
Urbana, MD
ps... did I mentioned I scored a premier Fall Carlisle swap space out of the deal as well?