66 Fastback....

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Rich Oakley
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66 Fastback....

Post by Rich Oakley » 20th May 2006 - 10:28am

One owner from new until I bought it yesterday :) Most likely got an August '65 build date, so maybe the earliest RHD one around??

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Editor
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Fastback

Post by Editor » 22nd May 2006 - 12:33am

Nice to see the car again, and that it's still a tidy-looking one.

Mr S Edwards from Wareham used to own it - I've a photo taken many years ago of him with the car - March 1992 in fact.

Probably bought from Modern Light Cars in Holdenhurst Road, Bornemouth. The C-reg was from 1 Aug 1965 - that would probably be a 1966 model, chassis 316 xxxxxx. The lower the xxxxxx the nearer the first Fastback it would be. As a guide they were making around 35,000 a month.
I'm pretty sure the cars were available from Aug 1st, so VW must have made some of the new models before the end of July. They certainly batched RHD - the importers ordered a load at a time. They had about 30 miles on the clock new - driven over from Southampton to Bournemouth, I believe.

Our Variant was BLJ 659B - bought about a year earlier from M.L.C., but probably no longer in existence (nor is MLC!).

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Rich Oakley
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Post by Rich Oakley » 22nd May 2006 - 8:40am

Thanks for the excellent picture!

I purchased the car from Mr. Edwards (Stan). He is now approaching 90 years old and has not really used the car since about 1999. It came with all the handbooks/service books and every receipt since day one (including the bill of sale from MLC).
Speaking to Stan when I collected the car, he tells me that back in '65, he used to own a '62 Notchback. He took it in for a service at MLC in August '65 and he was shown the new 1600TL Fastback. He immediately made the decision to trade-in the Notch against a new Fastback. The chassis no is 018273, making it early, but not too early :) (Does a registry exist??)

It is in surprisingly good condition for an unrestored Type 3. It did have a respray and a pair of new front wings in '92, but other than that, it's had very little work done to it. I do need a good pair of heat exchangers and an exhaust if anyone can help out....
richardoakley1@btconnect.com
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Stan Edwards

Post by Editor » 23rd May 2006 - 9:55pm

Nice to hear Stan is still around. There aren't many of these one-owner cars still to be found, but there are a few, I'm sure.

I assume the date on my photo is just after the respray and wing replacement.

You can get a 'birth certificate' for it from VW - there's info on my home pages at www.hallvw.clara.co.uk/dating.htm if you want to know when it was built.

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Post by Rich Oakley » 19th June 2007 - 1:25pm

I've just found out that it was built on 1st September 1965. I wonder if it was part of the first batch of RHD ones?

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Post by Editor » 19th June 2007 - 1:36pm

I think the new VWs were usually in the showrooms at the beginning of August - but could be wrong. Not sure how I could cross-check that.
Certainly the importers would order a batch - there's no other explanation for finding out that of the 4 '71 Squarebacks I had at one time or another, that 3 of them were made on successive days!

Dave.

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Post by Rich Oakley » 19th June 2007 - 3:33pm

Editor wrote:I think the new VWs were usually in the showrooms at the beginning of August - but could be wrong. Not sure how I could cross-check that.
Certainly the importers would order a batch - there's no other explanation for finding out that of the 4 '71 Squarebacks I had at one time or another, that 3 of them were made on successive days!

Dave.
I'm pretty sure that would be right. It would make sense to have the new model on display the day it was released, so I'm sure a pre-production batch of RHD Fastbacks would have been made during July 1965.
Perhaps the dealers would then take orders from the 1st August and a batch of RHD cars produced when enough orders warranted it.

I have seen photos of Wolfsburg Beetle production in the 60s that clearly shows RHD cars being produced in batches.

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Post by Editor » 19th June 2007 - 3:42pm

Yes, that's how I understood they did things back then - these days they have a right mix of vehicles, different models, different specs, 2-door, 4-door, LHD and RHD, parts arrive at the final assembly as they are needed for that particular spec.

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Post by Rich Oakley » 28th June 2007 - 4:02pm

On the way back from Camberg...
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Post by Danny Lord » 28th June 2007 - 5:35pm

OMG :shock: was everyone OK? I had the same thing happen to me a few years ago in my '63, middle lane of M25 in the rain, very freightening experience.

Danny.
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Post by Editor » 28th June 2007 - 6:21pm

I had a side window do that in the garage when I tried to remove the channel - it literally exploded with bits flying everywhere. It's handy it didn't all fall onto your laps. Nasty thing to happen.

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Post by Rich Oakley » 17th July 2007 - 12:54pm

Danny Lord wrote:OMG :shock: was everyone OK? I had the same thing happen to me a few years ago in my '63, middle lane of M25 in the rain, very freightening experience.

Danny.
Danny- thanks for the windscreen. I have a replacement for you, but have to collect it next time I'm up in the Midlands.

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Post by Danny Lord » 17th July 2007 - 1:57pm

Danny- thanks for the windscreen. I have a replacement for you, but have to collect it next time I'm up in the Midlands.[/quote]

Anytime, Im in no rush for it back. See you at Peppercorn.

Danny.
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Post by DongKG » 24th July 2007 - 1:08pm

Your '66 Fasty looks great. I like the color too. :D By the way, was everyone okay after your windshield was hit?
'67 KG Cabrio; '70 Type 3; '71 1302s; '66 Shary 2 Type 3; '72 Type 2 Bay Window
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Rich Oakley
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Post by Rich Oakley » 9th March 2008 - 4:49pm

I've owned this car for nearly two years now and have only driven it about ten times. Took it for a spin the other day- it's fantastic!!

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Rich Oakley
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Re: 66 Fastback....

Post by Rich Oakley » 31st July 2011 - 10:20pm

I really should use this car more! I took it for an MOT a couple of weeks back and it has done 31 miles since the last MOT!
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Re: 66 Fastback....

Post by Editor » 1st August 2011 - 12:12am

That belonged to an elderly chap at Wareham - I called to see him when we were down there on holiday. I have a photo of it he gave me at the time somewhere. Lovely colour, lovely condition. Very proud owner.

They do survive quite well not being used much, but you should let it enjoy a few more trips to keep it really happy.
Dave.

Rich Oakley
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Re: 66 Fastback....

Post by Rich Oakley » 1st August 2011 - 7:44am

Editor wrote:That belonged to an elderly chap at Wareham - I called to see him when we were down there on holiday. I have a photo of it he gave me at the time somewhere. Lovely colour, lovely condition. Very proud owner.

They do survive quite well not being used much, but you should let it enjoy a few more trips to keep it really happy.
Dave- see top of the page.

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Re: 66 Fastback....

Post by Editor » 1st August 2011 - 11:27am

Just a memory test then! That's very reassuring.

I read as far back as the Camberg comment, and assumed it was this recent one!
Dave.

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Re: 66 Fastback....

Post by paulbugman » 2nd August 2011 - 5:57pm

cool thread and my old squareback blew the front window when went under a bridge near crawley years ago . may be it`s a common thing on these car`s ?

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Re: 66 Fastback....

Post by Editor » 2nd August 2011 - 11:00pm

They're very tough (toughened!) and you can bang them with your fist when installing, but the slightest trigger for the sudden 'crystallising' of the surface layers can be caused by a chip on the edge or a deep stone-chip. They don't crack in the normal way that a laminated screen does, but are not considered as safe in a crash, so are not usually supplied these days, unless second-hand.

I hesitate to say this but I've never had a windscreen shatter, and I think only one other in my immediate family has, but that went seemingly without any provocation.
Dave.

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Re: 66 Fastback....

Post by ozzy » 3rd August 2011 - 7:54am

[quote="Editor"] , but are not considered as safe in a crash,

quote]
what,like the rest of the car IS considered safe in a crash................lmao

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Re: 66 Fastback....

Post by Editor » 3rd August 2011 - 12:20pm

Safety is only relative, but it's less dangerous to hit a padded dashboard in a Type 3 than a metal one in a Beetle. When I think of the proximity of the windscreen and dash, the unlocked seat-backs and the lack of belts and mountings in the old Beetle when produced in '59, I shudder. Compare that with the Type 3 with its far superior passenger safety, built only a couple of years later, and the further improvements later in production.

When toughened (tempered) glass windscreens were being fitted, occupants could be flung onto the crazed screen and the head would punch through, leaving the edge to cut into their neck. The plastic layer in laminated screens held onto the shards and bulged with the head. It was a harder impact but more surviveable. That was before seat-belts were commonly fitted, and before the law said they must be worn.

Not really a laughing matter... A lot of work goes into improving primary and secondary safety in a car, though mostly for occupants. Unfortunately the least safe thing in a car is the driver. Very few road accidents are unavoidable in terms of the cause; it usually comes down to negligence on someone's part.

Have a safe journey!
Dave.

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ozzy
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Re: 66 Fastback....

Post by ozzy » 3rd August 2011 - 2:10pm

keep yer shirt on,was only having a larf

Rich Oakley
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Re: 66 Fastback....

Post by Rich Oakley » 23rd November 2014 - 5:44pm

Just found this pic I took in March 2013 when it had been snowing. A couple of days previous to this, we had had heavy snow in Sussex. The Fastback was the only car in my street able to climb the hill at the end of my road. I ended up ferrying stranded neighbours about whose cars couldn't cope with the conditions :D

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