Pure T34 Memories: Susan Filter's black-market "Hans" from Denmark

Susan Filter's father has owned their 1962 since new, something she thought was unique but never really understood how rare until she joined PureT34 looking for parts & information. In June 1962 he went to Denmark to visit his cousin that he had not seen since 1920. His family had taken him (9) to Denmark for the summer. His cousin Hilda, owned a bookstore in Svendborg on the lovely island of Funen. Susan's father wired Hilda money (as US Dollars were highly prized) ahead of his trip, as the T34 was discounted (black market price) if bought with US Dollars. And in order to save the 10% Danish tax on new cars, Hilda had to buy it in his name to avoid the tax. Another issue for Hilda was the social stigma of buying a German "Hitler Vogn", as Volkswagens were referred to at the time. It had not been many years since Hilda was active in the Danish underground during the German occupation of Denmark. In 1944 she had been arrested for her participation, sent to a concentration camp, but thankfully survived. All of this pressure & risk ... but for her American cousin she would do it.

In these photos taken in Denmark during her fathers trip, you can see Hilda preparing their picnic lunch, hot coffee, and a smorgesbord of Danish sandwiches on the flat rear deck of the my 1962 T34. Being on a lovely picnic in the park with a new sports car to celebrate their 42 year old reunion, they decided to give the T34 a name ... and Hans was born. After the picnic at Hilda's home she presented her cousin with a traditional hand-stitched pillow, decorated with their excursions in Europe during his visit. On the back was the T34s license plate number. Susan still keeps this pillow with fond memories of her father's trip to Denmark to get their T34. After her father's vacation he drove the T34 to a loading dock and had it shipped overseas to Seattle, Washington.

He drove it 4-5 years and then presented it to Susan's youngest sister Jeanie, how was doing graduate work at the University of Washington. When Jeanie took her first job in California, Hans made sure she arrived safely. When she went to get her California Drivers License at the DMV then driving examiner said she could only drive Hans if she could convert kilometers to miles (which she had practiced), since the T34s speedometer was in kilometers per hour. She passed the drivers test with ease. After 8 years the T34s engine gave-out in Medford, Oregon, on the way back from Seattle to Northern California. The new 1600cc engine was fitted with new (more powerful) dual carbs, so the engine bay metal was cut-out. One year later Jeanie returned Hans to her father and later he towed it out to his summer cabin in South Dakota. It was only driven during the summers and stored in the barn for the remainder of the year, so it was very well maintained. Her father was fond of saying "Never have to worry about antifreeze!"

Susan's father died in 1980 and she & her son Kevin drove up to Viborg, South Dakota to find Hans still parked in the barn where he was last put to bed for the winter. Kevin, only 16 years old, drove Hans all the way back home to Vernonia, Oregon and Hans gave us no problems. Susan used the T34 to commute 45 miles to work, traversing incredible roads & harsh weather conditions, and after two years of excellent performance & reliability she rewarded Hans with a fresh restoration. One sad year a driverless pick-up truck rolled down the driveway and hit Hans in the rear, smashing the bumper & denting the rear metalwork & decklid. She spent two years fighting with body shops until the work was done to her satisfaction, gaining a new paint job. After a small fire under the rear seat caused by the voltage regulator, she stopped driving Hans in 1986, and he spent another 9 years in the garage. In 1995 Susan contacted the T34 Registry to get advice on selling Hans, but was soon swept-up in the exclusivity of the T34 that she decided to fully restore Hans to his former glory and keep him.