Dietmar “During a routine inspection in the winter of 1980, it was found that at least one cylinder had barely any compression left. It would be better to exchange the engine. Optimistically thinking that we were now well equipped, we set out on our annual trip to St. Tropez over Easter, something around 1500km one way. We were no more than 50 km from the finish at the French seaside town that we love so much, when the gearbox dismantled itself! Fortunately there was a junction to a small town right by us, and we rolled up to Daniel Molinengo‘s workshop. The friendly mechanic immediately recognised the serious damage suffered by our bus and was able to help that day.”
Regina “Madame and Monsieur Molinengo, who were not much older than we were back then, will always be remembered for their incredible hospitality. Not only did they immediately book us a room at the local train station hotel, but they drove us there with all of our luggage and our slightly hysterical dog. I remember I had to quickly collect some cans of dog food. Over the aperitif, we discussed how to proceed.
Pretty quickly, a new gearbox was out of the question. We started to call workshops in Marseille and Toulon hoping to find a used-like-new gearbox … it would definitely take a week at the least to find. A week in this mini-town called Le Luc, cut off from the world with just a train station forming its centre. Containers in which Moroccan guest workers lived stood on the tracks of the station. They came to the hotel to eat in the mornings and evenings, spreading a North African exuberance. There was only Moroccan food on offer, but we were thrilled despite our vacation frustration. Everything was new to us! Unfortunately, I felt sick every evening after dinner which I could only blame on intriguing ingredients and the completely new-to-me spices. Gluttony on an exotic level. After four days of quiet life, just walking the dog in the sun and eating as much as we liked, we received some good news.
Read Old Timers, Bus Life Since ’76 and more stories like this in the latest issue of Advanture mag
In Marseille there was a suitable used gearbox for our bus. Molinengo fetched it and completed the install that same evening. The next morning we were sitting in good anticipation at breakfast when bad news arrived. On the way to the hotel, the “used-like-new” gearbox had also died! First horror, then the consolation that it could have been worse if it happened to us on the way to the coast, after leaving the hospitality of the Molinengo’s in Le Luc. Staying in a hotel with half board was too much for our vacation budget, and without our bus we were homeless. There was only one way out. A taxi was booked with the last francs in our purse. Bags and dog food were reloaded and off we went down the serpentine tracks to the coast, which felt like a journey through hell.
We rented a dank mobile home on a campsite just south of St Tropez, instead of enjoying nature in our Bulli under a pine forest. It took a little convincing, but my sister in Germany agreed to bring us a new gearbox. I think she wanted to come with her boyfriend anyway. All‘s well that ends well, and it worked! The installation went smoothly back in Daniel Molinengo‘s workshop, however the bill was a strong surprise! Only the final installation of the new gearbox had been calculated. The preparation of it, organisation and the trips to Marseille had mounted up. Back home in Worpswede after finally having had a vacation in the VW … we discovered that I was three months pregnant.”
Dietmar “Despite the new engine and transmission, our trust in the beautiful bus was massively disrupted. In addition, we were expecting our first child and now needed at least one more approved and safe seat. A friend recommended a Toyota workshop to us, where he saw a red HiAce campervan. The price was several thousand Deutschmark less than a new VW bus. So we decided on the Japanese build in early 1980 and were happy with it for over 8 years! The expansion was of course a bit more demanding because we soon needed two approved seats in the rear. The twin sliding doors were practical so that gas and water could be supplied from the driver‘s side. In good time before the birth of our daughter in ‘84, we had a Reimo high roof built and installed. Nice, uncomplicated trips now took us mainly to France, to Brittany in particular.”
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