Anyone restoring Invacars?

[John Wakefield]

Just spotted an advert in Old Glory

70 Invacar lots of new parts came from 1970's Invacar factory £375 (Essex)

[Brian Catt]

Any Challenger engines there?????

[John Wakefield]

Seriously I think there are probably the Puch horizontally opposed engines. Same as in the Haflinger

[Rob]

Hope Colin reads this ad as I believe he has a not-too-secret fetish for Invacars! He certainly seems to like driving them!

[Colin Sparrow]

Seriously I think there are probably the Puch horizontally opposed engines. Same as in the Hafliger

The later Invercars had a Steyr Puch four-stroke flat twin. It was 500cc. The Halfinger did indeed have essentially the same engine, but it was a 650.

Shut up Rob!

[John Wakefield]

The later Invercars had a Steyr Puch four-stroke flat twin. It was 500cc. The Halfinger did indeed have essentially the same engine, but it was a 650.

Shut up Rob!

Was it not this connection with Steyr Puch that resulted in Greeves using their 170cc engine in the Pathfinder?

[John Wakefield]

I have managed to get in touch with the seller, all sold to Africa, they were Villiers engines

[Colin Sparrow]

Was it not this connection with Steyr Puch that resulted in Greeves using their 170cc engine in the Pathfinder?

I think that is a reasonable assumption John.

(By the way, I didn't edit your post - just pressed the wrong button)

[Brian Catt]

Just had a horrible vision of a Pathfinder with a 500 flat twin in it........
BTW, more than one Haflinger was modded with VW Beetle pistons (and possibly other bits) to make it a bit a bit more lively.

[Colin Sparrow]

Well done Brian, you're the first of us to spell HAFLINGER correctly!

(I managed to spell Invacar wrong as well, I see - it's an age thing...)

[Brian Catt]

Colin, after many years being rattled around inside a Haffy during the routemarking of the Welsh 2 Day Trials, I think Haflinger is engraved somewhere on my back! Absolutely brilliant little vehicles except for those who have to get in and out several hundred times a day and rub your "lower thigh" across the bodywork! Makes a change from burning your bits on a badly designed expansion chamber!
The Halfinger spelling is almost what Raymond Baxter used when seeing a Haffy being driven by members of the Army ISDT Team during a TV Army v London Car Club event. He said "He isn't Halflinging it about! That event was memorable for the appearance of the twin-engined Mini-Moke which deposited one of the Army Team out the side door.....OK no doors!....when the rear engine went flat out and the front ceased to function!

[Colin Sparrow]

Do you know, Brian, I saw that programme and remember that Raymond Baxter quote!

(Now there's a motor racing commentator who's never been bettered)

[Guest]

Do you know, Brian, I saw that programme and remember that Raymond Baxter quote!

(Now there's a motor racing commentator who's never been bettered)

I remember those annual events. Were part of Xmas to me. But what year was it? The snowy ones were the best.

Keith

[Brian Catt]

Keith, I'd put that about 1960-61. My book by Piet Olyslager about Cross-Country Cars shows a piture of a Moke with a number 8 on it, presumably from one of these events, with the date of 1960 ascribed to Army Trials with the Moke. Obviously the lack of ground clearance was a major problem, but the Australian Army adopted a version with bigger wheels for Patrol and Dog duties.
Haflingers were adopted by many Armies and even found use within our Navy onboard aircraft carriers. The Haflinger's big brother, the Pinzgauer, was a huge success, selling in big numbers, with production switching to the UK.

[John Wakefield]

A good example of the Hafligers ability http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RMYsf6w2wVo
& an official Steyr-Puch factory film http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rQZerV3AnYo