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Post by PICTUP on Feb 1, 2015 8:17:23 GMT -8
From thesamba.com VW Fact #921: A second VW 'Antarctica 2', replaced 'Antarctica 1' at Mawson in 1964. This second car, a 1964 model painted International Orange, spent 5 years in Antarctica. On its return, it spent a number of years in the early 1970's as a racecar in the Firestone Rallycross series at Catalina near Katoomba in the Blue Mountains, West of Sydney, driven by Chris Heyer and Ed Mulligan. This car survived until the early 1980's but was also sadly scrapped. And we worry about heat here. Russ might have some pics of the cars in this "VW Fact"….
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Post by Volktales on Feb 1, 2015 21:13:04 GMT -8
For those of you that don't know, Antarctica 1 was an Australian produced 1963 Beetle that was sent to the frozen continent as a promotional exercise by VW. The Beetle worked out very well and was extremely successful for advertising the quality of VW in Australia. The car remained in Antarctica with the Australian National Antarctic Research Expedition (ANARE) at Mawson for one year. Antarctica 1 then famously won a major rally in Australia, further promoting VW products in that country. Then it seemingly disappeared and has not been found since. An accurate replica has been produced and can be found easily on The Samba. Lots of historical pictures of Antarctica 1 exist, and are on the internet.
However information on the car that replaced it, is much harder to find. Don has already mentioned that Antarctica 2 arrived in 1964 and remained in service there for five years. Here it is on the arrival day...
Now here is some info you will not be able to find on the internet about Antarctica 2. Given that I loved VWs even as a kid, my favourite Auntie saved the Jan-Feb 1979 issue of Westworld magazine for me when I was ten years old. And here is what it contained....
Even though this was printed in a 1979 magazine, the pictures and events that happened likely took place around 1965. The VW still looks in decent shape in the pictures. By the end of five years in the extreme climate, it had taken quite a beating. Although I can't find the picture of what it looked like before leaving, the condition was very poor as the chains on all the tires had a habit of flying off and basically destroyed the original fenders and the running boards disappeared. As Don says, this car unfortunately no longer exists...
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Post by busaddict on Feb 2, 2015 17:11:46 GMT -8
Here's a nice short about the 1st Beetle:
Volkswagen Beetle at Mawson Station Antarctica (1963)
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Post by Volktales on Feb 2, 2015 21:35:09 GMT -8
That was quite enjoyable to see a brand new shiny VW. Imagine if they all still looked that good...
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Post by Barney Barndoor on May 12, 2023 16:10:06 GMT -8
That 1965 model Beetle is Antartica 3 it replaced Antartica 2 after it had engine trouble
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