I spent the day with the new owner of my 712M showing him around the truck, answering questions and almost getting it stuck. Talk about a great team building exercise...getting a vehicle stuck that you just sold to a guy who flew in for the day just to learn all about it!
I offered to help him (Graham Downes, gdownes@blokhaus.com) get connected with other Pinzgauer owners in the San Diego. So, if you're in that part of the world and are willing to reach out to a new Pinz guy in your midsts, please drop Graham a line and welcome him to the fold.
I don't know if he has much off roading plans in mind but I suspect that will have something to do with how many of y'all are able to connect with him and inducing him to join you for any outings you have coming up.
David
Looking for next new (for me) toy
1974 712M - sold
1973 710M - sold
Hey! What are those round black things in the stream? Submerged Jeeps on their sides? Ah, ha, ha, ha...
Sorry, I couldn't resist. (And for any thin-skinned readers: Yes I can joke about Jeeps, because I've got a CJ5 right-side-up in my garage alongside the Pinz. I also tell Norwegian and blond jokes too.)
"ITAD" (Improvised traction assistance devices). It was just too slick through some water we happened upon so we needed to "enhance" the surface and we used those tires and some branches.
Looking for next new (for me) toy
1974 712M - sold
1973 710M - sold
I've heard from the new owner of the white 712 and he's thrilled with it. If any of y'all are in the neighborhood (San Diego), please drop him a line via his email addressed that I shared in one of the prior posts.
David
Looking for next new (for me) toy
1974 712M - sold
1973 710M - sold
I heard about it over the weekend. I only spent one day with him when he came to town to learn about the Pinzgauer but he was obviously an extremely accomplished and successful guy. Very intense and driven. Was probably tons of fun to hang out with. No wife, no kids so I'll be curious to learn was comes next for his employees, clients etc. A real shame, he was a neat guy for sure.
Looking for next new (for me) toy
1974 712M - sold
1973 710M - sold
It is very sad to hear about such things. I knew of this guy and I think I may have even applied to his firm when I was an Architect in San Diego
in the hospitality and medical field.
Any man who thinks he can be happy and prosperous by letting the government take care of him:
better take a closer look at the American Indian.---Henry Ford
Probably easier to paste here the PM i sent to you last week. I,ll post a few pics of the "girls" in the driveway later if I can figure out how... Just edited to add my follow up to You before we spoke on the phone....
Here it is-
"I hope this message finds you well. I wish it was through almost any other set of circumstances, but I've purchased your old Pinz from the trustee of Graham's estate. I received everything yesterday and feel compelled to pass along how much I appreciate the abundance of materials you included in the sale to him. The three ring binder is awesome, and the spares and bits you included will be very helpful. As a friend of Graham's, it's bittersweet at the moment, but soon, it will once again be full of Lacrosse players and boy scouts, with a south african flag in tribute to "Basher" (his nickname, earned on and off the rugby field) . Looking forward to getting the cobwebs cleared out and tuned up, as she's only been driven a couple of times since you sold it. just wanted you to know she's in good hands, and is currently in good company with my other 712.
Cheers,
Mike
(in response to David's question as to status of his firm? BLOCKHAUS)
Unfortunately, (and frankly, unbelievably) his firm is closing. it's a testament to his talent and skill set. upwards of 40 people are going to be out of work. I'm sure there are talented people he relied on there, but the personality and life blood of the firm was all Graham. He left everything to his long term, ex-girlfriend, who is also a major force in san diego as a restauranteur. There's so many projects he was involved in, and now they have to unwind them..., so senseless. And there's still scant information in the media of what actually happened, so I guess we have to wait for the trial of the ungrateful POS employee, actually a helper to a handyman on one of his buildings, who he graciously included on the guest list to his home that evening. On the positive side, I do intend to keep the Pinz full of kids, their stuff, and as much laughter and fun as legally possible.. My current pinz is drab OG, i drive it daily to work here in snooty la jolla, so I'm sure there are many people today thinking i've just had it painted and upgraded a bit…. can't tell you how many times I come out of my building to see people surrounding it, looking inside, etc. as the ferrari/lamborghini/bentley next to it goes un noticed..
Cheers David, and thank you for offering to answer any questions that may pop up. I truly appreciate it. see you over on the forums!
?
This just came through on my work inbox and I knew his name sounded familiar-
