Editorial

 Editorial

                                                                    18/February/2018

  Yes, there is a reason.

  I'll turn you back, a lot back, in 1979, where I started my life, with a serious, as it turned out, disadvantage. I chose as a tool for my job one of the most troublesome cars of all time! A "Practical" (as said). I thought, since it is "Pratico", (as it called especially in Greece), it has to be good! (Fiat 238, never reached the U.S.A. market).

 

                                                                        The 2wd era.

   In the first 20,000 km I did in a year, in a row, I encountered: a stuck parking brake, (upon pick-up), a snapped camshaft belt, (just at 5.000 km.), without valve train damage, (non interference engine), brakes that were pulling strongly on the left, explosion sounds from the cooling circuit, engine mounts which allowed the power generator to reach  the chassis and to saw it, broken front wheel bearings, cut pin of the transverse front multi leaf spoon,  blocked accelerator pedal when the steering wheel turned completely to the left,  while, in a strong braking, the rear end was half a meter in the air and burst down as soon as I left the brake. (Endo).


  Finally, when I had to open the triangular auxiliary loop from the driver's side to catch the keys I had forgotten in, at relatively low pressures, the plates that held the safety latch were opened, let me to pass my hand to grab  the keys and to put everything back into place as nothing, ever, happened. Sheet metal quality, plasticine!


  After that, I decided that I would have to replace this “Pratico”, which I had, unfortunately, chosen for my start , with something serious.

  At that time, the reputation of the best single-ton truck was shared between the Ford's Transit and the VW's Transporter t25, (t3).

 Of course, VW at that time, (1979), had, fundamentally, changed its own model, presenting a very impressive car, both visually and technically.

 And with a very important point of reference: the consumers target included the very demanding and rigorous market in the United States, (exclusively for the 9-seater Vanagon passenger car and the Westfalia camper, since the chicken tax was active for the closed trucks), a market in which never Ford presented the Transit, and where VW was already enjoying great appreciation with the T1 and the T2.

  I chose the Transporter with the independent suspension, the self-correction, (negative offset), characteristic for the front axle and auto compliance adjustment for the rear, (see the active safety archive), the steering wheel with rack and pinion, (unique for the truck category at the time), an excellent passive safety, (safer car with fewer deaths in the U.S.A. during the 80-90 years according to the  IIHS), the highest distinction until 2001 according to  the Swedish FOLKSAM, (see the passive safety archive), the  unique aerodynamics with the huge, albeit, invisible front spoiler, (see the "syncroventions" archive), the 50%-50% weight distribution, (present only in the very fast cars category), and the super high-tec engine,  air-cooled,  with hydraulic lifters,  with the no contacts Bosch electronic ignition, and without   any opportunity for the camshaft belt to snap, (aka Fiat 238), since it wasn’t there.

  Results? Very ugly again! Why? From a super concervative mood, the importer in Greece, introduced the car with the small 1.600 cc engine, and in the low compression version, (code CZ), with just 45, dying, horses.

  This engine has been a disgrace to VW! In it’s effort to move the 1,400 kgr. body combined with the 1,000 kgr. load, opened holes in his cylinder heads!

  After this problem has been resolved, (not easily at all), I decided to change the engine with a used, air cooled, boxer, 1.8 l, from the forgotten 412, (engine code AN), almost doubling the horsepower, (85 hp), which proved to be o.k., (almost).

  (One difficult point, with this engine, was the air intake, which did not match and I resorted to the solution of an autonomous heating with a WEBASTO heater).

                                                                  The Syncro era.

  In the 1986, V.A.G.,  presented, in collaboration with the leading in their field and well known in Greece from the army vehicles,  Steyr-Puch, the superb Syncro t3.

 I decided that I should have it, believing from the moment one, that, after decades, when everyone will be moving with the contemporary cars  of their time, I will always be on, (and off), the road with my Syncro.

 It seems that my statement was heard to the ears of the creator, (V.A.G.),  who gave me his blessing.

  When I ranked  to the army, (communications, 1987), after a busy day with the continuous ringing  of the telephone calls, the radio calls  and the telexes grinding sounds, a rhythmic "bam", "bam" sounded in my ears.

 Naturally, my family, all of whom I mentioned the strange phenomenon, said that this was due to the noise in the communications room, the pandemonium of the various machines.

  But I had a  different opinion: I was sure, that somewhere at the mythical, (for a Steyr fan), Graz of Austria,  my own Syncro was under construction. And this rhythmic, “bam” “bam” sound was   the sound of a manufacturing press robot. (See the relevant video:

).

  Proceeding in the 1993, I succeeded in acquiring my dream car, (used), when certain divine, (V.A.G.), signs confirmed the intuition I had when I was in the army, that, my own Syncro, was, actually, built in the year 1987.


View the divine signs:

1) The stamp of the date of manufacture located on the left “a” pilar: 1987, the year the “bam” “bam” sounded in my ears.

2) This particular car was originally intended to live in Greece. How do I mean it?  This Syncro was sold, though the American version of  a t3, "Vanagon",  at the Laconia.

 But not at the Greek Laconia of the Peloponnesus, the global, (may), know.

Instead, it was sold at the Laconia of the Canada:  http://travelingluck.com/North%20America/Canada/Nova%20Scotia/_6035686_Laconia.html#local_map

  I know this by finding, under the carpet, along with the coins that the original owner threw at the purchase,  his card.

  In a telephone conversation I had with him, expressed his admiration for the particular car and his regret that  separated from it for reasons beyond his will. (God V.A.G. who intended this Syncro for me.).

  A car forever  with the divine seal: V.A.G.!


  A syncronaut





P.S.:  You should avoid to make nasty comments, (“he is sick”, e.t.c., e.t.c.),  because you do not know anything about the doctor  with, (not one, neither two, nor three, four, or five, but), thirteen Syncro t3 ... And, as a doctor, he cannot be sick. I think so?


The Syncro Heresy