Date:         Fri, 12 Jun 1998 08:20:00 +0200
Reply-To:     Calle Fallberg <calle.fallberg@SWIPNET.SE>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <Vanagon@vanagon.com>
From:         Calle Fallberg <calle.fallberg@SWIPNET.SE>
Subject:      Driveability
Comments: To: Vanagon@VANAGON.COM
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=iso-8859-1

Hi there Vanagonners!
I was looking through my collection of old Automotive litterature the
other day when at one page I stumbled over the Chevy Corvair!
Yes, that very same car that Ralph "unsafe at any speed" Nader got his
fame and fortune out of!
Which brought a lot of questions to my mind:
Wasnīt that car drawn by an idiot that thought that rear engine & rear
wheel drive was a good idea?
And isnīt there a familiar sound to that concept, must have been copied
from somewhere else...
Yes I know, It`s those Porches, - compleatly unpredictable, will never
sell!
Well they have been sold for some 50 years now and are rated as a really
safe and entertaining car to drive.
AHA, there it is, the Mr Naderīs of this world donīt want us to have
fun!
I mean, I get the same rush out of driving my Vanagon at 50mph down the
graveled back roads here as I got out of the souped up Volvo 142 that I
used to have (even though I do not travel as fast) : ( .
But itīs not half as scary as driving the front engined ,front wheel
drive Saab the same roads at the same speed !
The Saabīs are  concidered to be safe cars to drive, and I agree, Itīs
totally predictable going straight forward on paved road.
And no fun at all!
But when it gets slippery I prefere to have trh rear end sliding around
to loosing grip of the frint wheels- no steering!
(BTW,isnīt driving the fwd pretty much as going in reverse with the rwd
,rear engine, the same stupid weight distribution!)

Hmmmm....
Alloy wheels, Koni/KYB shocks, cut off coilsprings, swaybar
reinforcement, TURBO, some bodychop, and I made a real killer out of the
Vanagon!
No donīt worry, Iīm really happy with the Van as it is but sometimes
your thoughts  fly away a little bit......
Happy weekend...
Calle, -88 Vanagon etc.
Mullhyttan Sweden

BTW: I followed some pic. links and found endless rows of Vanagons from
some US- meeting :-)
You guys are really something out of the ordinary!
Whish I could be there with ya!! :->