Sunday, January 10, 2016

In 1963, the humble Volkswagen Beetle became the first production car to use the Antarctic for marketing publicity




Fitted with snow chains, the car could do everything from towing skiers, to driving glaciologists three or four kilometres on to the sea ice to test its thickness.

 Accounts of these excursions describe winds up to 100 mph, which more than once ‘turned the doors inside out, overriding the door check-rods and folding the doors against the front hub caps.’” Easily lifted out of deep drifts, the Bug “gave very good service with a minimum of worry to the mechanical section, who only had to service it and feed it petrol regularly.”

Upon its return to Australia after a year of service, Antarctica 1 went on to win the 1964 BP Rally after relatively minor repairs.

It was replaced by a similar 1964 VW named "Antarctica 2” and painted International Orange which served a much longer stretch, staying in the frozen wasteland until 1969.



http://petrolicious.com/polar-bug-when-the-volkswagen-beetle-conquered-antarctica
http://murdercycles.tumblr.com/image/135427581223





4 comments:

  1. Wonder if the little bug is still down there?

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    1. you just come here to look at the car porn, and not read the articles... now I have proof! The 3rd paragraph says it was returned to Australia, and was replaced with another bug. I didn't pay attention after that, but I believe it too came back to civilization

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    2. I'm completely cool with being your car porn of choice publisher by the way

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  2. Yes, you have proof. I outed myself this time. Damn. Oh well, mans got to have some fun.

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