australian vw beetle on the south pole (1963 Antarctica documentary)

Australian documentary of the shipment of the first volkswagen beetle to be used by a scientific team on Antarctica!

In 1962, ANARE (Australian National Antarctic Research Expedition) wanted an inexpensive form of motorised transport to complement the expensive Snotrack vehicles they were using at the Australian Mawson base. The 1963 the expedition leader, Ray McMahon, asked VW Australasia if they would supply a vehicle. At that time, VW Wolfsburg was encouraging publicity for VWs in Arctic conditions, and so VW Australasia thought the ANARE request would be an excellent opportunity to gain some publicity for the Australian built cars (Volkswagens were being manufactured in a factory in Melbourne, Victoria) in harsh conditions.

They supplied a 1962 Ruby Red beetle, with lots of spares, together with a movie camera and film (for the publicity of course).

This vehicle had the licence plate "Antarctica 1" and left Melbourne for the Antarctic on the supply ship Nella Dan - arriving at Mawson on 2 February 1963.

It proved a very useful vehicle. Being aircooled - it never froze, and could be started without assistance at temperatures as low as -38c, and driven in temperatures down to -52c. To compensate for poor battery performance at low temperatures, it was fitted with two 6 six volt batteries in series, with just the main starter cable using the second battery, so it started on 12 volts but ran on 6 volts (those who have had their 6 volt beetles converted to 12 volts know that the starter doesn't need converting - it copes very well with 12 volts).

Being tightly sealed once the doors were shut, it was very comfortable, and able to keep out the drifting snow which was so fine it could "find it's way through tack holes".

The wind was often so strong that the doors were "turned inside out" - slammed back against the front mug guards (fenders) - breaking the restraining rods and bending the door hinges, but these were easily straightened. The only major problem was cracking in the frame head (where the front torsion bars are attached to the floor pan) on the rough corrugated ice. The car had a number of visits to the workshops for re-welding this area. There are no roads of course - all driving was "cross country" on ice, snow and rough rock.

On return to Australia in 1964 it was sent on a promotional tour of Australian cities, and then entered in the BP Round Australia Rally -- which it won!

One of the 1963 expeditioners, who returned to Australia on the same ship as the car, managed to get a good look at it whilst it was touring Australia a few months later, and reported that the frame head area was factory new - no welds, even though VW insisted the car was untouched on it's return from the Antarctic!

See also:
http://www.vw-resource.com/antarctic.html

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[PAMAROSHOUSE]

the boat crashed in 1987

[Conniptions886]

Footage looks strangely familiar...

[Levibetz]

Interesting stuff! Should be noted that the tracked vehicle often shown with the beetle is also powered by an aircooled vw engine.

[Kbrusky15]

@TheRobug1970

It was taken back to Australia! And driven in a rally race, it was then retired and I think a private collector bought the car.

[TheRobug1970]

I would like to know what happened with that car afterwards also. It would make a great story for VW. It is enough to say - Beetle almighty ! ;)

[manolino1969]

In the world there are two types of vehicles: all the cars and the Volkswagen Beetle.

[Ryoukun16]

I wonder what happened to it afterwards..?

[Ryoukun16]

I wonder what happened to it afterwards..?