Barndoor pick-up with treasure chest lid opening downwards?

[panel67]

I bought this postcard with artwork by Viktor Mundorff.

It shows an early panel and a smoothgate pick-up.
My eye was drawn to the treasure chest. The lid opens downwards??

Is that a mistake or ??

[TornadoRed06]

I guess I haven't seen any of this before...

Regarding your inquire, I think it most probably is... unless by that time some SonderAufbauProgramm was setup in a shaddy corner of the Wolfsburg factory. Maybe no one have noticed it because everyone was drooling with the visible smooth gates. Certainly, this one would get the Mmystery code in the VW Build Certificate...

Hey! thanks for sharing.

[sled]

impossible to know if it was done by VW (doubtful) but it wouldn't surprise me at if a skilled metalwork or coach building shop performed the modification early on.

in later years, Volkswagen offered a similar model from the factory

the "tieflader" (side loader)

as well as single cabs with slide out drawers

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drive your split.

[panel67]

I find it hard to believe it was a “mistake”.
Mundorff was a highly skilled artist who did (almost) all artwork for Volkswagen in the fifties.
If it was a mistake it is doubtfull VW would approve publication. No one at VW would have noticed??
I found a second postcard on the internet (not mine) with the same scene, about 5 (?) years later.
(If you put them side by side you can play the game “spot the X differences” 😃)
Here the pick-up has a lid opening upwards. 🤔
So. Maybe, just maybe, the very first barndoor smoothgate pick-up trucks (or just the “prototypes”) had a lid that opened downwards.......??

[j.pickens]

[mandraks]

i am pretty sure this is just artistic license. Probably never saw a single cab with the treasure chest door open until later, hence the "fix".

Also the panel with the cargo doors on the left, just drawn this way so you can see them....
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regards

Uli

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'53 3-Fold Oval, L35 Metallic Blue, looking for a narrow hatch panel

[djfordmanjack]

P.
The presentation of the single cab in the Sept. 1952 Auto Motor Sport Magazine has just a stock ( upper hinges) appearing treasure chest in place. I have never seen a low hinged treasure chest before in any factory pics or brochures.
My factory stamped 52 smoothgate photo prints ( hanging on the wall next to my desk) also just have the usual setup.
If you have ever owned a SC and loaded the cargo area, you have probably called out all the names I have, towards the stock design, it SUCKS. smashed forehead, ruined backbones and all. it is crap. the low hinge design featured in your ad would have been much better imho. would have made a great ramp or pedestal to slide heavy things in without ruining one's spine...just saying.
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Hotrods, Fords, Veedubs and Triumph Twins !

52 Barndoor DLX Coachbuild project
55 Wolfsburg panel project, og paint Taubenblau L31
62 Dickholmer, custom color Seeblau L360
63 1500 Notch, og paint Rubin Rot L456
67 1500 Käfer, og paint Lotus weiß L282 w/red interior

[finster]

most probably artistic licence and from working as an illustrator I know that the publications managers signing off the artwork wouldn't know what thay were looking at

just yesterday I saw a new book about dunkirk (from the german perspective) advertised. the cover photo of german soldiers is reversed and nobody spotted it before going to print!
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"we're here on Earth to fart around" kurt vonnegut

nothing lasts, nothing is finished, and nothing is perfect...