Fumagalli 13" 5-spoke

[kafer52]

The subject is not a typo. Back when I was in highschool in 1971 I purchased a set of 13 x 5" Fumagalli 5-spoke wheels from J.C. Whitney, using 6.00 x 13 front and wide B60-13 tires on the rear. In all my searching of the Web, I've never seen mention of these existing. I remember placing my J.C. Whitney order for a set of four at $9.98 ea and waiting about 8 months for delivery. When I finally received the wheels, the manufacture date stamped in the back was 6 months after my order date. I had added a thin chrome trim ring and lug nuts to go with the chrome center cap on my 1961 Turquoise Beetle sedan. The photo below is from a 1971 J.C. Whitney catalog I picked up for $5 on Ebay. I had to see if what I remembered about 13" Fumagallis was true or a dream. I figure I may be one of few folks still alive that knows these ever existed. Sure couldn't beat the Whitney prices back then.

I often wonder if I had one of only a handful that were ever sold. When I went off to college, my father sold the car, and a friend later told me sadly that he thought he saw my distinct wheel in a New Orleans junk yard. Now as I finish up my '52 Zwitter F.I. turbo restomod build, I have a set of the 15" Fumagallis front (4.5") and rear (7.0") to relive the nostalgia of my youth.

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November '52 Zwitter

[Stock Steve]

[kafer52]

Here are the only 2 photos ever taken of my Beetle. I was not much into photography, but loved that car. It had a Sun Super Tach I mounted on the dash, sort of psychedelic paisley headliner (my Mom and I installed), 8-track Player w/4 speakers, and a header system with dual mufflers that came out of the two normal body cutouts and pointed to each side. I also had dual small stinger pipes that could replace the mufflers and looked close to stock tips. It was sort of a poor highschool student's "Cal Look" before the term was coined.

I swapped the motor out one weekend with one from my friend's mom's '66 Beetle that was particularly fast. Did the swap Sat/Sun and gave him the car back plus $75 on Sunday evening. The one photo is slowing from 60mph into a turn at an autocross. I was the 8th member of the New Orleans Volkswagen Association (NOVA) and autocrossed at all the events. I was the youngest Club member at 16, and needed a notarized release from my parents to autocross. I remember another Club member that had a cool Beetle w/ a Porsche 356 engine. Another had a Berry Mini-T w/180hp Corvair turbo that I autocrossed once and beat the 45 year-old doctor owner. This all brings back many memories.

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November '52 Zwitter

[oprn]

Cool! Just look at that rear wheel tuck!
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We had the stone age, the bronze age, the industrial age and now we are in the age of mass deception and mind control for corporate profit. (The mass media age)

[kafer52]

[Stock Steve]