Practical classic?

A VW enthusiast has gone to great lengths to recover the wreck of a particularly rare model. The VW, a 1957 Samba, had been pushed into a Swiss lake in 1974 when its previous owner became distressed at the vehicle's gearbox problems. However, the model, which features no less than 23 windows with eight in the roof alone, is one of the most sought after VW Campers and when one avid enthusiast heard of its existence, he hired a remote-controlled submersible to try to find it. After a search the submersible lo
February 22, 2012 Read time: 2 mins
A VW enthusiast has gone to great lengths to recover the wreck of a particularly rare model. The VW, a 1957 Samba, had been pushed into a Swiss lake in 1974 when its previous owner became distressed at the vehicle's gearbox problems. However, the model, which features no less than 23 windows with eight in the roof alone, is one of the most sought after VW Campers and when one avid enthusiast heard of its existence, he hired a remote-controlled submersible to try to find it. After a search the submersible located the VW lying at a depth of 15m and the man then hired a crane to retrieve the vehicle. It is now undergoing a full restoration. This is not a performance vehicle however and even when fully restored its diminutive flat four configuration engine will struggle to power the VW when laden up any steep inclines or to attain highway cruising speeds.

Related Content

  • Mega city transport in Mexico
    June 13, 2012
    Rapid urban growth is resulting in massive mega cities with major transport needs and Mexico City is one of the world’s largest – Mike Woof reports Mexico City is a vast, sprawling metropolis and one of the world’s largest cities, resulting in huge problems for its inhabitants, particularly with regard to infrastructure. Measuring population size is an inexact science for large cities as suburban areas can add to the figures considerably, especially in developing nations where unplanned expansion is as comm
    Read More
  • Hot car
    August 15, 2013
    A classic Lamborghini Miura SV sports car recently caught fire in London, while it was being driven. The owner managed to escape unharmed but by the time emergency services were able to attend the fire, the car had been completely burned out. As this extremely rare car is worth around £1 million, the insurance company is not likely to be happy about having to make a payout. The reason for the fire is unknown but the electrics of this 1971 model were never a strongpoint. Aerodynamically the Miura is also rep
    Read More
  • Work begins on Stockholm’s new bypass
    August 22, 2016
    The first tunnels are being excavated for the huge bypass tunnel in Sweden’s capital Stockholm – Adrian Greeman writes. After years of preparation and design, blasting and rock moving for Sweden's largest infrastructure project began south of the city this year. It sets in train a decade-long project that will create a new half-ring dual three-lane motorway for the city, 20km long. With most of it deep underground, it will also be one of Europe's largest ever road tunnels. The scheme is aimed at transformin
    Read More
  • The Lessons of the Genoa bridge collapse
    April 23, 2019
    The partial collapse of the Polcevera viaduct, better known as the Morandi Bridge, has prompted debate regarding the technical and administrative aspects of maintaining road infrastructures. We discussed it with the engineer Gabriele Camomilla, former Director of Research and Maintenance of the Società Autostrade, who coordinated the only major structural intervention performed on the bridge, carried out in the early 1990s
    Read More

Highlighted Content