Ever thought your fellow campers weird ?

Hey!!! A Bond Bug!!!

Almost bought one once - drove it a bit, very sensitive steering, regret not buying it.
Were they imported into Oz?

Mike Harding

Like the Reliant Mike NO they were not imported here, the only 3 wheeler in Oz that I know of was the Messerschmitt KR-200 with the single wheel at the rear as it was less likely to tip as did the realiant

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Messerschmitt_KR200

pages.zoom.co.uk/elvis/regal.html

"How do you know that he wasn't right?"
Perhaps because one definition of a mental disorder is acting or reacting innapropriately to a particular social setting.

"Perhaps you are the weird one but haven't realised it." This is either
a) an attempt to stir the possum
b) an attempt to cover your own weird behaviour or
c) Hardly profound, but an acceptable attempt to respond to the post.

Ah... but the Messerschmitt's had a major problem Doug - they had no reverse gear which, in the 1950/60s in the UK meant they could be driven on a motorcycle licence.

All well and good you say, however: consider the poor chap who arrives home and drives his new Messerschmitt into the garage, parking close to the rear wall of the garage in order to leave maximum space. Trouble is... Messerschmitt's had a single front opening door! Consequence was the poor devil couldn't open the door to get out and couldn't reverse away from the wall! Don't know if it ever really happened but it's a nice story :)

Mike Harding

Sorry Mike - it was the Isettas and Heinkels/Trojans that had the opening front door, and they had reverse gears..
The Messerschmitt had a reversable starter motor which allowed the engine (2-stroke) to be started backwards for reversing and I fairly sure they had an opening top like 'plane cockpit.

Cheers
Julian

Sorry Footloose, I forgot to put the 8-) on the message to show I was only stirring!

Mike H - unfortunately the Bug in the picture isn't mine, like you I wanted one (a 700ES) but never bought one and have always regreted it. At the time they came out I was too young and poor so had to stick with my grandmother's 1939 Ford Prefect.

>The Messerschmitt had a reversable starter motor which allowed
>the engine (2-stroke) to be started backwards for reversing

Did it really!? No reason why you couldn't do that with a 2 stroke and it would probably still have complied with the "motorcycle" law of no reverse gear.

>and I fairly sure they had an opening top like 'plane cockpit.

You're taking me back 36 years but I think you're right - a friend of mine owned one when we were at Tech. and if I struggle to remember I think the top did raise rather than an opening front door.

If the others had reverse gear it would have reduced their selling ability because they would have required a car rather than a motorcycle licence?

Perhaps I'm just getting old but I do miss the sheer _character_ of such vehicles :)

Mike Harding

PS. For those babies amongst you... we're talking about "Bubble Cars" :)

Isn't technology wonderful. New readers to this string are probably wondering why we are all going on about Bond Bugs when the vehicle in question is clearly a Chieftain Tank. The 'door' opened upwards and I know that they had several reverse gears when supplied to certain countries. 8-)

Hi All,
The Messerschmitt was so low and narrow that you could not see it if it was correctly parked behind you, particularly at night

I know because I backed an old Vanguard van over one years ago. (shows how old I am).

Fortunately no-one was in it.

Disco

Mike
Also the BMW came in 3 and 4 wheelers, I have put some photo's on my website , 3 little ones that the younger ones probably never heard of

Site Link

Doug

Doug

Your pic is on Main North Road out of Adelaide near Bunnings. Parafield? Don't know Adelaide all that well but have driven past the plane a few times

Cheers

Willem
No mate it's at an entrance to Acherfield Airfield. Qld. down the side street behind the BP Truck stop off Boundary Rd, They also have a operational Hawker Sea Fury in that Shed ,the power of that thing is awesome with the 2,480hp Bristol Centaurus two-row 18 cylinder air-cooled radial engine, I was at the BP about 4 years ago and the Pilot was giving it a workout , doing complete loops , you should have heard that Motor.



Doug

A Vanguard! A bloody Vanguard!

Well! We know you could not possibly still have you own teeth.

I remember them, but then I remember lots of tstuff from when I was three years of age. LOL.

Ian

Doug

Yeah, I have seen that one at Archerfield too. Could've sworn tho.......lol

The Messerschmitt was actually built around the fighter plane cockpit.

The question of driving a three-wheeler on a motorcycle licence was always vexed.
Local "rozzers" were unclear on it. I drove my Isetta on a learner car licence for a year with no problem. And yes bubble cars were difficult to see behind you apparently because on my first outing in mine after completely respraying it (orange and purple with spray cans!) some bugger crunched it while it was parked. I also rolled it in a car park, while showing off its maneouverability, when the nearside front wheel dropped into a deep pot hole. I just got out and flipped it back over and drove off embarrassed. ( I was 17 then)

Julian

Gramps. Not to denigrate or cast dispersions on those who have no doubt worked their insides out organizing things, nor those who will drive zillions of corregations to be there, but you could be right !
I suspect that a major reason for the gathering might be to provide stories for EO posts for some time to come :))

Footy,

Given the attendee list, the material to come from such a congregation promises to entertain for quite some time.

ps pi$$ed off as all get out that I can't make it and really stir a few possums :)))))

Gramps, relief from all going that I can't make it :)

To think I only made arrangements to go as I believed I could peer out the window at you Foo like.

John, dear me. How uncouth. Just make sure that the wind isn't whispering "right back at ya , buddy " :)))))

Hahahahahahahaha you two are incorrigible

You two? Which two? I thought I was the sane one.

Everyone in this asylum is sane :))))))

And I thought it was just you and I ? I still have my suspicions about you :))))))))))))

Yes, I can see the constant smiling faces indicating the level of sanity.. }:-))))))

Be back in a minute, just going out to the shed to pack the axe and the chainsaw.

Role playing can be healthy, but can also make others nervous.
I sometimes annoy the heck out of others when I'm playing the role of Footy :))

To tree or not to tree
Is that the question ?
Alack poor Yorrick, I knew all of him well.
All the world's a stage, especially Fraser Island ?

hehehehh

Getting naked on Fraser Island does seem to have become a tradition for British travellers. I wonder if these were the first...

Then again, maybe it's just getting naked anywhere in Aus that they're into -reference Coogee & Bondi beaches

I used to go to Fraser almost every weekend and never saw any naked tourists...oh I lie...there were two swedish girls that the cops had to caution but decided just to "keep an eye on em".

Or the 18 stone nudist woman doing somersaults done a sandblow on Fraser, I still have nightmares. :)