Random Picture Thread

Frosty flew one during the war I believe! (the bore war)

 

I think I've seen it before. There is also a blue one done up as a whale. And another one done up as a helicopter. Fun cars those micro cars are.

http://www.well.com/user/pk/waterfront/Ferry/ferry-pk-020604.htm

http://www.worldtrans.org/venus/venustransport.html

 

Depends on the model Kach. True story - in my younger days I came across a pair of elderly ladies in an Isetta-BMW bubble (see jpg) red faced and waving frantically to all who passed. They'd parked 'flush' to a wall in the supermarket car park - unfortunately nose to the wall. Their particular model of the Isetta lacked a reverse gear (enabling those in the UK to drive on a motorcyle licence) - and they couldn't open the door to get out.
It took three of us to push the bubble back enough for the ladies to alight. Apparently they'd been trapped for half an hour.

 

Fiat Multipla

I want you to know that it took 20 minutes of web searching to get these damn pictures!

Now to the rest of the story.

After my Papa died when I was 11 - Mom remarried and we moved to (for me any way) a major city - actually a town of maybe 25 or 30,000 back then. We moved into a 'less than desirable' section of town. To give a flavor of this section, 'entertainment' on a summer evening was sitting on the front steps listening and watching the kitty-corner neighbors fight out on their front porch. They were drunk and he was yellin' and cussin' as he chased her around the house. Weren't none of any body's business so the cops were never called. As you can tell that was way before spousal abuse laws and social nosiness.

At the tender age of 12 it didn't take long for me to fall into the clutches of some 'ruffians'. Petty trouble sorts of stuff. Never in too deep, just enough to get Mom and step dad to move again after a couple years to a suburban home where the 'ruffians' were more genteel.

We lived far enough north that is snowed with some regularity in winter. Near enough the coast that it was always wet, heavy snow. The kind that makes great snowmen, packs on the roads and soon turns to packed ice and of course, makes great snow balls.

It was a bit of an eclectic community in that in addition to the regular 1950's and 1960's Detroit iron, we had some folks actually driving 1950's vintage Renault Dauphin's, BMW Isetta's and this one - Fiat Multipla.

That less than desirable neighborhood had some hilly streets and we lived on one of those streets - a main thoroughfare. Cars would be squirrelly after/during a snowfall and especially if it was packed a bit by the afternoon go home traffic.

Before computers, a lad bent on mischief might go outside of an evening and throw snow balls at cars as they went up the hilly street. Most cars were speeding a bit so they had momentum to get to the top of the hill before starting down the other side. Snowballs thrown from between and behind the neighbor's Holly trees most often missed their targets. Ya gotta remember that the cars speed was a variable and I was throwing a variable weight and density projectile from (guessing) 60 to 75 feet. But every once in a while I'd connect and the driver would either 1) ignore the snowball hit and keep going up the hill or 2) slam on the brakes and jump out of the car to yell at and sometimes chase my delinquent self. But there was a 5' or 6' tall wall they had to scale and I was long gone through the various backyards and alleys before they could do much. Never caught was I.

One evening it was snowing heavily with maybe 4" to 6" already on the ground. A Fiat of this vintage slowly chugged up the hill. I say chugged, but maybe that was 15 or 20 MPH. The Defroster musta been on the fritz or not very strong because the drivers window was down and the guy's head was out looking to see where he was going. A most perfect throw and the snowball arced flawlessly to splat just above the driver's side headlight and just below the windshield. Brakes slammed and a slide sideways in the middle of the street and the guy was out of that Fiat like a lightening bolt! I can't remember ever running so fast and so far as to avoid that PO'd fella!

Amazing what memories a picture of an old car will bring back huh Bergy?

Leo

 

I rememebr that day!!

Now I know where to find ya, ya little tyke, I'm commin' to getcha now!!!

 

It's amzing how one person having so much fun can PO another. Running skills are more important than throwing when pelting cars with snowballs.

Next time try a Google "Images" search for pictures, it brought up 30,900 Multipla results in 0.15 seconds. This looks like a happy, cartoon car...

 

Yeah - that works IF you know what it was called. All I knew before last night that it was a flat fronted Fiat. Didn't know it was called a "Multipede"

But once I discovered its 'true' name - the images came easily.

Leo

 

I see what you mean. whatsitsname only got 211 hits, whatdoyoucallit got 53 and whatwasthatthingcalled got 0. No cars in the bunch.

 

Awww! Now you’ve got me all nostalgic with those old cars.

I found these in just two minutes by going to google, clicking on “images” and typing in the car name.

First was a car my dad had when I was just a little fella – the Standard Vanguard. Then he upgraded to the highly sporty (for the day) DKW 3=6. This was a three cylinder two stroke with one coil per cylinder. Great memories of that little bus. I learned to drive in it on my uncle’s farm when I was about 10.

OK somebody put on Dean Martins “Memories are made of this”

 

Talking about cars, here is the one I want

 

Handy if you get a flat tyre?!

 

Well, I guess you knw that the DS can be driven with three wheels?
It's wider in the front, and very light in the back.

 

Hey Knotty - in Australia we don't even need water. Views from the Henley-on-Todd Regatta at Alice Springs (1500 k from nearest ocean). It takes place every September.

 

Gotta make due with what ya got eh Berg? Looks like a hoot! Gotta keep hydrated too I imagine!!!