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I’m trying to find a BCW assembly manual and would appreciate any help in
locating one. I’m also interested in any info on the Shweppes promo cars
BCW built. I had heard they built five hundred of them.
Hi Dick,
I have one of the BCW Schweppes cars ( 2nd owner from new). Really love the car although very unimpressed by the build quality – which is all sorted now as of last Winter.
I’ve heard the number of 50 Schweppes cars being built although I really can’t verify the number. Source of the info was the original owner who won it in a competition.
TTFN,
Roger
BCW never made 500 cars in total. They were only in business a few years, 1980-85
The Schweppe’s Giveaway cars were built from a fleet purchase of Chevette Scooters for donors. Although one was supposed to be given away in all 50 states and 50 cars were supposedly produced, my information was that less than 50 were actually built. Some remote states were not part of the Schweppe’s contest as a minimal amount of Schweppe’s products were marketed in them.
The car I just sold to Larry Murphy was the Schweppe’s car from Connecticut. These cars were given to the winners with a Certificate of Origin and it was up to the winner to get it titled in their particular state. I am not sure of the year of the promotion, but I think it was 1981 or 1982.
The Connecticut car was won by a very large person that could not fit in the car. Hence it sat unused. When he passed away, the car sat as part of his estate until relatives sold in 1998 to a buyer that titled it as a “1998 RECON” in Connecticut. He promptly sold it to a woman that put less than 1,500 miles on it when she donated it to Connecticut Public Broadcasting in 2003. It changed hands a few more times until I bought it in July 2004 in Willimantic, CT and towed it home to NJ.
Most of the BCW cars that were sold as kits were VW based. I have attempted several times to research “the numbers” through Pennsylvania archives, to no avail. Very minimal data is available. I was even going to travel to Arnold, PA where they were manufactured to see if the town had any data on BCW. However, after contacting the Chamber of Commerce, they had no information.
I think that maybe Jim Youngs of Kit Car Builder may be the guy that could really trace the history of not just the BCW cars, but all the TD Replica’s. However, that cost $$ and there is no market for new TD replica’s that would advertise in his magazine.
Good luck locating a build manual. These cars are not that complicated and usually a shop manual for the donor car’s mechancals is sufficient to maintain them.
British Coach Works is still registered as an “active” corporate entity.
From PA corporate records:
Business Name History
Name Name Type
BRITISH COACH WORKS LTD. Current Name
Fictitious Names – Domestic – Information
Entity Number: 2032995
Status: Active
Entity Creation Date: 12/24/1979 4:00:43 PM
State of Business.: PA
Principal Place of Business: NONE
ARNOLD PA 15068-0
Mailing Address: No Address
Owner Information
Owner(s) for: BRITISH COACH WORKS LTD.
Owners
Name: PERFECT PLASTICS INDUSTRIES, INC.
Mailing Address: [Address Not Available]==
Perfect Plastics Industries operated out of the same address:
Registered Office Address: BLDG 213
SCHREIBER INDUSTRIAL PARK
NEW KENSINGTON PA 15068-0
Westmoreland
Mailing Address: No Address
Officers
Name: JOHN FUSSENEGGER
Title: President
Address: C/O JOHN FUSSENEGGER 131 OLD MILL RD
PITTSBURGH PA 15238-02==
John Fussenegger is now running a company called Smoothline:
2562 RIDDLE RUN RD
TARENTUM, PA 15084-3907 (map)
Phone: (724) 274-6002
Web: http://www.smoothline.comI’ll email him to see if he wants to chat. His brother Gary was the frontman; father Charles (Combustion Engineering superintendent) died in 2006 at age 93.
edsnova40209.4979513889Ed, Thanks for the BCW info. It is interesting how much one can find out about another in the hi tech age. I checked out the link and they produce some really nice hardtops. Shame they don’t make one to fit our TDs although the side curtains actually bug me more than the soft top.Good info and let us know if you get any response.
Hi Dick
I have a BCW “Schwepes Special”, which I purchased last Year from a fellow in Virginia. The vehicle is in fair condition. Appears to have been neglected for some extended period of time, i.e. left out in the yard… Floor boards badly rusted, upholstery cracked, dash weathered, small dents in bumpers, and the usual oily deposition on engine associated with 25 years of just being used. After a tune-up the vehicle runs great! new shocks, new tires, new floor, new carpet,new door hinges on drivers door, new upholstery(and new cushions) she’s gradually coming back to life. I would have to agree with you on the poor quality of build, but we’re working on that… I looked at another chevette based BCW a couple of years ago which was even rougher for more money( looked like the previous owner used it for a daily driver — 60K plus miles). If you google Chevette Forum you will find a very active site with many chevette participants. I think the fellow who operates the site’s name is Rick Drake, Everett, Wa 800 247 2954, and has a used and new parts business. I’ve recieved responses sometimes in minutes after inquiry.
We’re here in NH, and patiently waiting for warmer weather. Neil Flaherty
Many thanks for all the info. I keep tinkering with “Penelope” and she’s
running pretty good.
Dick, I have a full assembly manual for the BCW VW kit. You still need? If so, private message me.
Here is the 1984 Pittsburgh Press article on Fussenegger & his BCW-52. Note he’d done 250 cars by then but “projected” another 150 sales for that year.
Ed, Thanks for the newspaper article.It’s interesting to hear how even women could put one together. Glad to see that you are putting your snowed in time to good use!Keep on digging,you get out soon!
Gaahh! 10-20 more inches coming. I’ve been calculating snow loads on the garage roof. I calculate that I need to get up tomorrow and shovel the roof, lest Bridget (and the boat) (and all the tools) (and a bunch of other stuff I’m forgetting about right now) be crushed.
Figure what’s up there weighs 18 pounds per cubic foot, and it’s two feet deep. Trusses are on 24-inches; the guy who did them was a well meaning but shortcut-taking type. I don’t think I’ve got more than a 30-lb rating up there. No sign of stress yet, but . . .
Ed,
Thanks for the kind offer for the manual, but I have the front-engined
model. Someone out there will need it eventually.
Hope you don’t get too snowed in. Where is global warming when you need
it?
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