Look what I found posted in the analogous BMW digest!!
Harvey
=====================

>From: tangen@nbserv2.dseg.ti.com (Eric Tangen)
Date: Wed, 6 Nov 96 16:54:47 CST
Subject: Re: E44 the ultimate minivan

>From: Terry Lee <tlee@atwc.teradyne.com>
>Date: Wed, 06 Nov 1996 09:48:57 -0800
>Subject: E44 the ultimate minivan
>
>What a shock to read about the rumored E44 minivan project in Bob Roemer's
>column in the November Roundel.
>....

A German minivan? Remember the first one, the VW microbus/transporter?
What a GREAT minivan. Seriously. For the time, it was great. Underpowered,
but great. In fact 'underpowered' is an understatement. But typical
German metalwork and interior quality. Check out a 24 window delux version 
with a sunroof sometime. This one had a vinyl sunroof that was HUGE along with
a row of oval skylights on the roof. Really cool.  

Know why it was never as popular as the VW beetle? Too expensive.
Wanna know why?

Seems the US had a little trade disagreement with the Germans regarding
poultry. US retailiated against German chicken 'protectionism' by
putting a huge tarriff on German light duty trucks - aka VW microbuses.
And VW transporter sales never recovered.

Fast forward 20+ years - lee i/o coka and Chrysler update/reinvent 
the concept of a van based on passenger car body and drivetrain.
But the Germans were there first.

>Why Zymol the outside when you've just had a food fight among a kids soccer
>team inside?

How do you say 'soccer mom' in German? 

Eric Tangen
not ashamed of VWs in his past

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