News12

Kläre and Peter Rabe in car no 65 seen here at the Container Terminal in Hamburg just prior to placing their Mehari 4 x 4 into the container destination Australia.

Judging from these pictures (after having looked at them greatly enlarged) we were most impressed with the their car preparation.
The car itself looks absolutely immaculate.

(Click in picture for enlarged detail)

Click on picture for detailed enlargement

Chris has let us know that he has chosen to co-raid with 1996 Raider Karin Ahrens.
Chris (left) pictured with a friend Larry Rice.

Hi Steve,
Thanks for recording Karen as my co-driver, this was all Greg Batmans doing, I hope it works out ok.
A long time back, you asked me to give you some more details about ME. I have some time now while I wait on a fully reconned gearbox to arrive by air from Britain, it should have been lifted today – my existing gearbox is youkered.
Wow, now to me; I won't try to compress 56 mercurial years into a couple of lines, maybe the 2CV bit would be best.
After I finished work in 95, I decided to get netted & frankly found Web pages a bit boring. Then my friend & fellow club member Larry Rice got me started on the now defunct @2CVlist Steve Meyer kept up in Missouri.
Slowly, I got to thinking these 2CV people were having quite a lot of fun. Compared with the CX & D lists, there was much more fun, off topic rambling and things nothing to do at all with Cits were beaten to death.
Eventually, I felt getting one would be an idea. When Raid Auss started to become a reality, I discussed it further with Old Father Goose & we both felt the premium price for a 2CV was over the top. After doing the importation exercise I think everyone does, values seemed to fall between $5,500 & $14,000. So I had an excuse to justify purchase. I then tried to buy Steve Hills car, but he didn't seem to want to sell at that time. This lead me to buying a Red/White Dolly from Ralph (the one that had been in a fire). This left me a lot to do; the body has now been completely rebuilt, new spot welded floors, rails, firewall, toe board etc. & painted all over with POR paint. Somewhere along the project I came buy a 2CV Charlie wreck from Karratha & it seemed a good idea to use as many bits off it as possible & make my car into a Charlie as well. I wasn't too worried about originality, as frankly there is nothing much of the original car left, it has a new chassis as well. So thats how I've been spending the last 18 months, working on the car during the day & corresponding with 2CV list people, publicly & privately at night on all the little bits of help I have needed (they all gave great assistance).
Back to the Raid, I've done lots of bush driving in my days in the oil & gas fields were I worked as a Construction Engineer. But these were day jaunts, and a nice motel or plush quarters waited for me at days end. The cars used were always Holden utes with usually 8 ply tyres, for real rough trips we took a plane or chopper (they travel over the bumpsbetter).
I've belonged to ACE for gee, I suppose 10 years or so, did my penance as Treasurer for a year, drive a CX25 (loverly), had a BX (awful), have had a CX2400 for 15 years or so (partly rebuilt-just needs final spraying & upholstering). My Cit association with a clapped out GS started about 1982 when I needed dosh to build my current house.
I guess we'll catch up later, hope this is enough for you to grab something out of. As for pictures, am a bit camera shy at showing my car, it really is too good to take on a Raid, but its going, maybe the photo shouldn't appear, everyone will know I am nuts before even seeing me (me is on the left with der Grey car & Larry Rice is on the right).