411/412 pictures

[raygreenwood]

So....the sales method was to Sell the Finns on cars that were comfortable enough to drive to Sweden...and large enough to bring back the women? Ray

[Lars S]

Ray, you are quited close to the throuth, however the idea did not bring the 411 to a sales success, so something was wrong with it....

Lahti, what did the "-90" in the ad aim at, 90hp SAE or...?


/Lars S

[Lahti411]

VW 411 Variant-90 was the model name for the delivery van-version of the 411. All the vans, sold in Finland back in those days, had a speed limit of 90 km/h, hence the name. So, in other words, this is an advertisment for a 411 delivery van. The ad says: Comfortable as a passenger vehicle, spacious as a van. Even more room to load cute Swedish girls in as the space wasting rear seat was removed...

[raygreenwood]

Or...it could simply be that these cars were excellent for loading in boxes of bootleg swdish Pornographic magazines for re-sale in Finland....or shipment to the US.....
Wonder what the tag says on that box? My bet is that its either porn, liquor, or lingerie.....great car for hauling all of it!

Kind brings to mind the question of...what is the largest/heaviest thing you have ever carried in your variant?

Mine was a 440lb transformer for an ultraviolet curing unit. Drove it 50 miles to a plant to have it rewound. It was HUGE! Ray

[wshawn]

I bumped into an old guy in the local petrol station a while ago from what used to be Rhodesia many years ago, anyway, he came over for a look at the car and started to tell me of the trips that they used to make across the border to fill the front up with "contraband" (I didn't dare ask what).

When they used return through the checkpoint they never once got asked to open the front as that is where the guards thought the engine was!

I suppose the story could be twisted to the fact that it could have been dodgy porn but....

[Lars S]

The way the finnish guy holds the box indicates that it might be something wery special inside it...maybe an aid of some kind...possible an inflatible finnish woman sold as an assesorie to copy the swedish campaign?


/Lars S

[early411]

the symbols in the instrument are little different at 68 cars from the later ones.
The instruments are in my car, which was built on September/26/1968

[raygreenwood]

Oooooh....what are those two symbols?
Ray

[early411]

The two symbols are for oil pressure (b) and parking lights (d). It seems Volkswagen used this kind of symbols only in early cars. The instruction manual from january/69 shows the common symbols like later cars have.

[Rauno Koskinen]

Hello! This is my early one, imported here early december -68. There is 3 -69 models known in Finland, but this is the only one
in use/roadworthy condition.
Greetings, Rade.

[early411]

Hi Rade, very Nice Car. Do you have also the early style Symbols in the instrument?

Do you know this car? It was for sale in the middle of last year.



Greetings Lutz

[Rauno Koskinen]

Hello Lutz!

Thanks for the comment. The gauge symbols are later, "normal ones". One thing is interesting..doors inside are one colour-brown, many brochures show them them two colour, how about yours? Yes, i know this red car, i spoke with the owner last year. This is one of the three "early ones" here, situation or condition of the third one is unknown to me. Number of the chassis of this red car is somewhat smaller than mine (made earlier). The owner said, that he doesn´t have to sell the car, but if someone is seriously interesting he will sell it. I don´t know what the situation is today, maybe it is still there. What is the chassis number of your car, it´s made quite early?
I was just today replacing heatexchangers, old ones were quite bad and i was lucky to find new original ones for 100 euros earlier. Only three things made me work little extra- get the exhaust nuts open, get those metal exhaust sealings away and maybe the hardest part..find new 7 mm nuts, but that´s another story.
Is your car original or?

Gute nacht, Rade

[early411]

Hi Rade,
the VIN of my Car is 429005651. To now I did Not find an earlier VW 411. I have the twotone door Panels. The Upper Part is White (like the interior) the lower Part is Black. For my Car, I found the early Muffler Version. But it is Not installed yet. The matching damper is still missing.

You can find more pics in the Gallery of thesamba by Checking my username: kgarchivinusa

Gute Nacht Lutz

P.S. Whats your VIN?

[Rauno Koskinen]

Hello again!

My VIN is 429 013 249, i found an old e-mail to the owner of that red car, VIN is 429 012 784.
Now i am going to finish the heatexchanger job, let´s hear from you later, it´s an interesting topic.

Rade

[early411]

Hi Rade,

yes, you are right. The brochures show twotone door panels. Could you show a pictures of your panels?

This is my interior. I try to get the car back to stock.