Double Cab Syncro

1
Ken,
 
Hartmut wasn't computer literate either until Elke drew the line and made him get into it!
 
Hope he joins, because we probably have only one other double cab, Mark Boys with the Australian Safari 16". 
 
Was this 14" or 16"?
 
Les
 
----- Original Message -----
From: Ken
Sent: Saturday, November 22, 2008 11:44 AM
Subject: [Syncro_T3_Australia] Re: EUREKA! Trakka Wiring

Les, yes I did ... Tom Goddard. As I said, he "may". Trouble is he
isn't computer literate but his wife is, so may be a long shot. I'll
contact him privately anyway.

.

2
On Fri, Nov 21, 2008 at 4:53 PM, Les Harris <leslieharris@optushome.com.au> wrote:
Ken,
 
Hartmut wasn't computer literate either until Elke drew the line and made him get into it!
 
Hope he joins, because we probably have only one other double cab, Mark Boys with the Australian Safari 16". 
 
Was this 14" or 16"?
 
Les
 
 
Les,
 
There's so far only two Syncro 16's in Australia that I have been able to track. Yurick has one of them. If I had my
Syncro 16 Registry here I might be able to tell you who the other one belongs to. I believe the other fellow is on this
forum as well. I'm thinking Mark(?) something. My mind is a bit foggy about details right now but a third one was
coming to Perth last year. 
 
It seems the likelihood of of a 4th 16 coming to OZ is not very high especially a Doublecab. Less than half of the 300
16" Doublecabs are supposedly still on the road. Even the Germans are trying to keep thier hands on most that come
to market.
 
 
Cheers,
 
BenT 
 
3
Ben,
 
Yes, the second person you are trying to think of is Mark Boys. See attached pic. He lives on the east fringe of Melbourne.  Yurik (in Perth) is the other, of course.  These are the two Australian Safari vehicles. 
 
Now that I have had time to think, I have remembered that Hartmut Keihn has a red double cab Syncro; that has previously been on the home page.
 
Do you have any idea how many 16", both Transporter and Double Cab, were made in RH drive?
 
Les
 
 
----- Original Message -----
Sent: Saturday, November 22, 2008 2:57 PM
Subject: Re: [Syncro_T3_Australia] Double Cab Syncro



On Fri, Nov 21, 2008 at 4:53 PM, Les Harris <leslieharris@ optushome. com.au> wrote:
Ken,
 
Hartmut wasn't computer literate either until Elke drew the line and made him get into it!
 
Hope he joins, because we probably have only one other double cab, Mark Boys with the Australian Safari 16". 
 
Was this 14" or 16"?
 
Les
 
 
Les,
 
There's so far only two Syncro 16's in Australia that I have been able to track. Yurick has one of them. If I had my
Syncro 16 Registry here I might be able to tell you who the other one belongs to. I believe the other fellow is on this
forum as well. I'm thinking Mark(?) something. My mind is a bit foggy about details right now but a third one was
coming to Perth last year. 
 
It seems the likelihood of of a 4th 16 coming to OZ is not very high especially a Doublecab. Less than half of the 300
16" Doublecabs are supposedly still on the road. Even the Germans are trying to keep thier hands on most that come
to market.
 
 
Cheers,
 
BenT 
 

4
> Now that I have had time to think, I have remembered that Hartmut Keihn
> has a red double cab Syncro; that has previously been on the home page.

Hartmut has a TriStar 14"
5
Yes, I should have made that clear when I answered  Ben.  Sorry, Ben.  One 16" and one 14" on the list.   
 
Ken found one in his local area (not a list member) in the last day or so and undoubtedly another 14"
 
Les
 
----- Original Message -----
Sent: Saturday, November 22, 2008 3:30 PM
Subject: Re: Re: [Syncro_T3_Australia] Double Cab Syncro



> Now that I have had time to think, I have remembered that Hartmut Keihn
> has a red double cab Syncro; that has previously been on the home page.

Hartmut has a TriStar 14"

6
On Fri, Nov 21, 2008 at 8:36 PM, Les Harris <leslieharris@optushome.com.au> wrote:
Yes, I should have made that clear when I answered  Ben.  Sorry, Ben.  One 16" and one 14" on the list.   
 
Ken found one in his local area (not a list member) in the last day or so and undoubtedly another 14"
 
Les
 
Les,
 
To answer your question from the previous email, there were no Syncro 16's made in RHD. I'll double check with VW
fan archivist Christophe in Germany and vendor/Syncro fan Mike Plompen in Belgium. Pretty sure it's zero though. I can't
recall about Yurik and Mark Boy's 16's. I'm using someone else's laptop right now so none of my own files to refresh my
recollection (I learned that line from watching the OJ Simpson trials.) =)
 
There is another 16 in Perth (besides Yurik's) which was being converted to RHD last time I spoke with the owner. I did
mention this group to him if you will recall. Not sure if he ever got onboard. I'll keep checking.
 
IIRC the Tristars are a rare animal in thier own regard. If it's an original Tristar Syncro RHD, it is one of a very small handful.
I don't think you can even count the numbers in existence in one hand.
 
 
BenT
7
> To answer your question from the previous email, there were no Syncro
> 16's made in RHD.

The two Australia Safari syncros were factory 16" RHD.

From Simon Holloway;

Syncro 16� (Option M855) 2138 Produced
Of the above vehicles, some were heavy duty special�s fitted with 16� Wheels. These were not generally available as export models but used by the service section within Germany. No 16� Wheeled vehicles were exported to the UK or US. Many different options were available on these vehicles. Most had different gear ratio�s, even heavier duty suspension & uprated brakes

Only a handful (if that!) of Tristars were sold in the UK. Where are they all now?


Only one TriStar came to Australia.

Phill
8
Phill,
 
So is that Hartmut's TriStar?  Would have to be from what Holloway says.
 
Ben,
 
I presume that is excepting the two Australian Safari vehicles. 
 
If I have it correct, they were purpose built for the Safari by VAG.
 
Les
 
----- Original Message -----
Sent: Saturday, November 22, 2008 5:00 PM
Subject: Re: Re: Re: [Syncro_T3_Australia] Double Cab Syncro

>> To answer your question from the previous email, there were no Syncro
>> 16's made in
RHD.
>
> The two Australia Safari syncros were
factory 16" RHD.
>
> From Simon Holloway;
>
> Syncro
16" (Option M855) 2138 Produced
> Of the above vehicles, some were heavy
duty special's fitted with 16" Wheels. These were not generally available as export models but used by the service section within Germany. No 16" Wheeled vehicles were exported to the UK or US. Many different options were available on these vehicles. Most had different gear ratio's, even heavier duty suspension & uprated brakes
>
> Only a handful (if that!) of Tristars were
sold in the UK. Where are they all now?
>
>
> Only one
TriStar came to Australia.
>
> Phill
>
>
9
> So is that Hartmut's TriStar? Would have to be from what Holloway says.

Yes

>
> I presume that is excepting the two Australian Safari vehicles.
>
> If I have it correct, they were purpose built for the Safari by VAG.

No, just off the shelf ordered by TKM then taken to VW Motorsport for a bit of upgrading.


Phill
10
Phill,
 
Ah, more history.  Do you have any details of the upgrading?
 
Les
 
----- Original Message -----
Sent: Saturday, November 22, 2008 5:52 PM
Subject: Re: Re: Re: Re: [Syncro_T3_Australia] Double Cab Syncro



> So is that Hartmut's TriStar? Would have to be from what Holloway says.

Yes

>
> I presume that is excepting the two Australian Safari vehicles.
>
> If I have it correct, they were purpose built for the Safari by VAG.

No, just off the shelf ordered by TKM then taken to VW Motorsport for a bit of upgrading.

Phill

11
> Les Harris <leslieharris@optushome.com.au> wrote:
>
> Phill,
>
> Ah, more history. Do you have any details of the upgrading?
>
> Les

8 Bilstein shock absorbers per car.
Extra body protection
Seikl springs
Extra fuel tanks.
Engines were standard MV
12
Hi Les
Some info which I received in 2006 from Peter Seikel himself by email. He remembers both
vehicles well his words were 'the front spring and shock system we used very short, no
idea about spring rate' 'this car built at Steyr and my chief mechanic flow over to weld the
brackets in the chassis before painting I remember well. We used double shocks at rear,
one original (still fitted in) and one Bilstein additional. on my own double cab we built for
African rallies we had double shocks in front to at my car I'm pretty sure we used spring
rate 180kg/cm front and 140kg/cm rear.
He did say all documentation is gone.
Rear tyre carrier I think was done in Sydney.
And yes it is a original RHD 16'' dual cab code 248GCA
Bus man did send me some pics a while back of a 16'' dual cab RHD that was located in
germany I think so by what he has researched and had as stock he would know the details
there. There is bound to be more though?
Regards
Mark


--- In Syncro_T3_Australia@yahoogroups.com, "Les Harris" <leslieharris@...> wrote:
>
> Phill,
>
> Ah, more history. Do you have any details of the upgrading?
>
> Les
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: plander@...
> To: Syncro_T3_Australia@yahoogroups.com
> Sent: Saturday, November 22, 2008 5:52 PM
> Subject: Re: Re: Re: Re: [Syncro_T3_Australia] Double Cab Syncro
>
>
>
>
> > So is that Hartmut's TriStar? Would have to be from what Holloway says.
>
> Yes
>
> >
> > I presume that is excepting the two Australian Safari vehicles.
> >
> > If I have it correct, they were purpose built for the Safari by VAG.
>
> No, just off the shelf ordered by TKM then taken to VW Motorsport for a bit of
upgrading.
>
> Phill
>
13
Message
Finally we are on line and follow this debacle with great interest!!!!
Phil - you are absolutely right and we might add that one of the "upgrades" was :The underside of the Safari vehicles was not treated with anti-corrosion oil or similar to assist on track welding if something should go wrong which it did with Graham Lee';s vehicle.
 
I had Graham's Safari DC for 1 week on our farm at Comboyne with the option to buy it. As far as I can remember it also had a roll cage and four point harness installed.  4 Bilsteins were removed before the vehicle was sold and I installed these 4 Bilsteins in my Tristar and used them for approx. 10 years. They continue to do service now in Melbourne in  another VW.
Hartmut
 
 
-----Original Message-----
From: Syncro_T3_Australia@yahoogroups.com [mailto:Syncro_T3_Australia@yahoogroups.com] On Behalf Of plander@optusnet.com.au
Sent: Saturday, November 22, 2008 6:41 PM
To: Syncro_T3_Australia@yahoogroups.com
Subject: Re: [Syncro_T3_Australia] Double Cab Syncro



> Les Harris <leslieharris@ optushome. com.au> wrote:
>
> Phill,
>
> Ah, more history. Do you have any details of the upgrading?
>
> Les

8 Bilstein shock absorbers per car.
Extra body protection
Seikl springs
Extra fuel tanks.
Engines were standard MV

14
On Fri, Nov 21, 2008 at 10:00 PM, <plander@optusnet.com.au> wrote:
> To answer your question from the previous email, there were no Syncro
> 16's made in RHD.

The two Australia Safari syncros were factory 16" RHD.

From Simon Holloway;

Syncro 16" (Option M855) 2138 Produced
Of the above vehicles, some were heavy duty special's fitted with 16" Wheels. These were not generally available as export models but used by the service section within Germany. No 16" Wheeled vehicles were exported to the UK or US. Many different options were available on these vehicles. Most had different gear ratio's, even heavier duty suspension & uprated brakes

Only a handful (if that!) of Tristars were sold in the UK. Where are they all now?


Only one TriStar came to Australia.

Phill
 
 
Well, those two were technically not production vehicles. If we are going to be nitpicking, the 16" package is technically just an option package. There were no special badging or paintjobs. They just showed up on your M-code options. Which makes me wonder how accurate some of these production figures really. I'm seen some very convincing conversions done-up with real Syncro 16 parts. In fact at least one vendor here in the Republik of Kalifornya has taken to modifying Syncro 14 rear swingarms to the exact specification as the real 16 arms.
 
Want to know what happened to one of those rare RHD Tristar Syncros? There is fellow in San Francisco who imported one here and converted everything over to LHD. I heard he wasn't too happy that I said he may have ruined the collector value of the vehicle. I am equally guilty of a similar crime in my 16" Doublecab for changing things that weren't even broken for the sake of upgrading. Dimishing returns indeed. Maybe that fella had the right idea. He made the Tristar into a vehicle he was happy with. Likewise I am doing that to my Syncro. In the end, you only really need to please yourself.
 
 
Cheers,
BenT
15
On Fri, Nov 21, 2008 at 10:00 PM, <plander@optusnet.com.au> wrote:
 These were not generally available as export models but used by the service section within Germany. No 16" Wheeled vehicles were exported to the UK or US.
 
 
Again a technicality. Not "officially" imported by VW. Individuals imported them just as the mystery Syncro 16 in Perth.
It may be noteworthy that the later South African Syncros had the bigger CV's like the 16's.
 
 
BenT
16
Les,
 
I found the info on that Perth 16". It is owned by a fellow named Jon Hornsby. He said he has a
14" Caravelle GL. I assumed he means it is a Syncro since he used the term 14". Here's more
details about his Syncro 16. I don't think he minds sharing this info.
 
"... my 16"doka, prof converted to rhd
(the only syncro to be converted!) its got an audi 2.5 5cyl diesel
lump, (it might be 2.2??) its a "proper" south african conversion,
complete with 240v sump heater (useful in aus? NOT!) cant wait to
get it on the dunes here! ..."
 
I completely forgot that it was a Doublecab as well.
 
 
Cheers,
BenT
17
Hi Ben,

I seem to recall Christoophe Boltze had a website with many of the Brochures / Prospekte scanned, including some Australian material...

Do you have the URL for this if it is still up and running?

Regards
Mark. 
 
made in RHD. I'll double check with VW
fan archivist Christophe in Germany and vendor/Syncro fan Mike Plompen in Belgium. Pretty sure it's zero though. I can't

are losing pounds.

.


18
Mark,
 
Christohe's webpage is:
 
 
He used to have repair manuals in there too but VW's attorneys sent him a not so friendly note.
I just noticed that he makes a mention of this on his English language version:
 
Cheers,
 
BenT
 
 
On Sat, Nov 22, 2008 at 4:35 PM, Mark Kofahl <markkofahl@gmail.com> wrote:
Hi Ben,

I seem to recall Christoophe Boltze had a website with many of the Brochures / Prospekte scanned, including some Australian material...

Do you have the URL for this if it is still up and running?

Regards
Mark. 
 
made in RHD. I'll double check with VW
fan archivist Christophe in Germany and vendor/Syncro fan Mike Plompen in Belgium. Pretty sure it's zero though. I can't

are losing pounds.

.





--
BenT
19
>
> Well, those two were technically not production vehicles. If we are
going to be nitpicking, the 16" package is technically just an option
package. There were no special badging or paintjobs. They just showed
up on your M-code options. Which makes me wonder how accurate some of
these production figures
> BenT
>

I have just checked through my documentation and yes the 16" was not
classed as a seperate model, althought they had a different body to the
14". Yet the TriStar is classed as a seperate model and the body is no
different to any other dual cab. Same thing with the Caravelle CL & GL.

The syncro 16" club in Munich have most of their production figures
from Graz not Hanover, so they would be more accurate.

Phill
20
On Mon, Nov 24, 2008 at 2:11 PM, Phill <plander@optusnet.com.au> wrote:
>
> Well, those two were technically not production vehicles. If we are
going to be nitpicking, the 16" package is technically just an option
package. There were no special badging or paintjobs. They just showed
up on your M-code options. Which makes me wonder how accurate some of
these production figures
> BenT
>

I have just checked through my documentation and yes the 16" was not
classed as a seperate model, althought they had a different body to the
14". Yet the TriStar is classed as a seperate model and the body is no
different to any other dual cab. Same thing with the Caravelle CL & GL.

The syncro 16" club in Munich have most of their production figures
from Graz not Hanover, so they would be more accurate.

Phill
 
 
Phill,
 
 To confuse some folks even more, some Syncro 16's and 14's came with 4 doors like the Tristars.
 
 
BenT