Lorry shed's it's epic load.

[trigger]

Sorry, I've pinched this from RR but i thought it's to tragic not to share with you fellow shite'ers.

 

VW museum loses nine historic cars as carrier overturns

 

By Tabelo Timse

 

NINE irreplaceable historic cars, including the last Beetle built on the Volkswagen SA production line in 1978, were damaged beyond repair after a car carrier transporting them overturned while travelling from Cape Town to Port Elizabeth.

 

The VW and Audi vehicles were on their way back to VWSA‘s refurbished auto pavilion museum in Uitenhage.

 

Among them was a 2002 T3 microbus, the last of it kind to be built in Uitenhage, a 1958 Beetle, the 1978 Beetle, a 1979 Passat, a 1970 Audi 90, a 1973 Audi 100S, a 1975 Audi Coupe, and a 1959 Beetle.

 

VWSA communications general manager Bill Stephens said the accident happened on Tuesday morning near Albertinia as the cars were coming back from Cape Town where they had been part of a display during the VWSA 55th anniversary celebration. The cars had been displayed at the Groote Schuur Manor House where a celebratory dinner was held.

 

Stephens said the cars could not be replaced because each was unique in the history of VWSA, representing an exact milestone.

 

“This is the worst that could have happened because if they were new cars they could be replaced – we can‘t replace these cars. This is a great loss for us.â€Â

 

Stephens said VWSA was going to look for similar models and restore these when found.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[trigger]

Hold the horses, Just done some hunting on the web and it turns out this is old news, I've found a thread dated from 2006 with the same post write up.

 

http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewto ... ?p=1895817

[RedSparrow]

Real shame about the Audis.Oddly I have no sympathy for the Beetles...

[Dukestar25]

Very sad indeed I hope they can still find cars to restore as some of those (mk1 Passat and Audi Coupe for example) don't exist in huge numbers anywhere these days. The German Crappage scheme will undoubtedly seen a few of them off too...

[retrogeezer]

whenever it happened it's tragic.

[VWPowered]

shouda gone to specsaverstotally gutting that

[trigger]

whenever it happened it's tragic.

I know, The Audi's look like some monster truck has just drven over them all.

[Milford Cubicle]

I didn't realise they kept making T25 vans until 2002. Poor buggers.

[Electric Leyland]

That's made me cry salt tears.

[FredTransit]

Surely with something so rare there's no such thing at a total loss? Can't they be restored (again)? That's really sad!

[Mr Lobster]

VW museum loses nine historic cars as carrier overturns

Blimey! Looking at the damage to the cars, the driver must have rolled the transporter right over and back onto its wheels rather than just onto it's side!

[AXrescuer]

shouda gone to specsavers

Wrecksavers would have been a better bet!

[Conrad D. Conelrad]

How awful

Surely with something so rare there's no such thing at a total loss? Can't they be restored (again)? That's really sad!

If you restored any of those, it'd be a different car. I hope they don't scrap all of them, they're still historic, they just have a sad ending to their story.

[FredTransit]

Hadn't they already been restored though? So they were already not the cars that left the factory.

[Conrad D. Conelrad]

But the work they'd need - doesn't look like there's a single usuable panel on some of those.

[retrogeezer]

Plus the fact some have been left outside so even the interiors are ruined as well...

[254575]

im suprised these relics of 'old' SA are allowed to survive in these politically correct days. i sense a conspiracy!

[Cavcraft]

To be honest they're just (mostly mundane) cars, nobody is dead and I'm sure they'll find replacements.Yeah if they're historically interesting or whatever it's not quite the same but would there be such widespread coverage if a trailer load of Maestros and Renault 4s fell over?

[VWPowered]

would there be such widespread coverage if a trailer load of Maestros fell over?

of cause there would be, now where was it... any of them MG's

[Mr Lobster]

but would there be such widespread coverage if a trailer load of Maestros and Renault 4s fell over?

Well there would be uproar on here(and I'd be off to find where the wreckage was to pillage the parts)

[Cavcraft]

Right, let's do it. Next time the British Heritage Centre have a move round I propose we hijack the Leyland Roadtrain carrying all the cars, chuck a bit of diesel on a roundabout entry road and lie in wait with Harvey Frost equipped Mk1 Transits.

[Station]

Real shame about the Audis.Oddly I have no sympathy for the Beetles...

Quote from that forum!

I'm sure someone will come in and say "Audi's, who cares?" but the trouble is that every time something like this happens it just makes it that much harder for museums to justify letting the cars ever leave the safety of the museum.

Honestly believe there are too many Beetles to really be concerned. Probably the one of only 3 cars to have festivals for one single type of car.

[Milford Cubicle]

They didn't bank on autoshite existing.