Alaska Sweet Find - 1958 Goggomobil TS400 Coupe manual floor shift

[barbiealaska]

Hello everyone from alaska !!

I picked up a sweet find the other day up here in alaska, I think its a 1958 Goggomobil TS400 Coupe with maybe rare ? manual floor shifter. Once i got it home i did a little research and thought maybe this cute little car needs to go to someone that restores and preserves these little treasures. Not much up here in alaska for microcars and I am just a nurse. Can you experts give me some scoop and info on this jewel. It needs restoring but it is in pretty good shape.

Price/Value ? Ebay it ? I read on couple sites the manual shifter on floor was rare and maybe only 4 known ? I have lots of pic if needed (and a little box of knobs, loose parts, etc parts in a box i took out of car that not in pics) . thanks in advance

barbie

[Big Al]

Looks a full American specification car. That limits its market a bit but there might be collectors who would buy internationally. It would seem natural to sell it within America and Canada. There used to be a Goggo owner in Anchorage, cannot recall the name now.

As to manual gears, this is not rare worldwide. It might be for American cars as the coupe was often exported as top of the range with pre selector. Personally I prefer the manual but there is a split on this and I am not sure it will add anything to the value nor will it put folk off I suspect. The 400 is a mixed blessing as it is more powerful than a 300 but more expensive to restore and not as smooth nor as long lived as the smaller engine, Then most folks do not do a high mileage these days despite the fact a Goggo is more than capable of kicking above its weight.

Value, I really do not know. America has its own market and that is partly governed by its size and the cost of moving stuff around. I am out of touch with Goggo prices here as they seem to go for more than I wish to pay knowing the cost of the parts to restore them. A nice find though and looks like a very viable project.

[barbiealaska]

thanks for the reply ! i think its restorable, and I want it to go on a live a new life with folks that love goggomobils, so off to sell i go.......thanks again !! barbie

[marcus]

I cannot really add anything, but hope it goes to a new home and gets restored.

[Jonathan Poll]

What a nice find!

Unfortunatelly, floor shifter isn't rare at all, pre-select is rarer, but still not special.

Its a US model as Big Al said, because of the huge headlamps, and few other differences I guess.

Price? very hard to tell. Maybe 4000€?
That is what I think its worth in germany, but could be more where you are.

JP

[Oceanix]

Price? very hard to tell. Maybe 4000€?
That is what I think its worth in germany, but could be more where you are.

In Germany it is much less in that condition,
anywhere between 1000 - 2000 € depends on what is missing and if engine
can still be manually turned.
As stated the manual floor shift was standard here in Germany.

I guess in the US they have higher price levels...

[Jim Janecek]

You guys are not paying attention to where the car is currently located.
Get a map.

[Bob Purton]

I think you will find we are Jim.   X Russian territory?

[marcus]

As a boy I spent a few years in Washington DC when Dad was stationed there. We sometimes went to the Smithsonian Musuem, and I remember seeing in one cabinet the cheque which was paid to Russia for the purchase of Alaska

[Chris Thomas]

Marcus

How come the cheque is in the Smitsonian Institute Museum. Was it returned because it bounced?

Chris Thomas

[marcus]

Good one, Chris! Actually I think technically it is more like a Banker's Draft, Promissory Note or Monetary Order and was probably a "technicality" while a large shipment of gold went over there. It was displayed as the highest value note ever, but probably beaten massively by UK's payments for US help in both World Wars.

[Jim Janecek]

well, now it's on eBay:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/110872298615

good luck with that.

[Jonathan Poll]

Problem with Goggos is that there never worth much restored (apart from the transporter and carry all), so its probably best to buy one already restored.

[Big Al]

Marcus

How come the cheque is in the Smitsonian Institute Museum. Was it returned because it bounced?

Chris Thomas

No it was a U con.

[Big Al]

You guys are not paying attention to where the car is currently located.
Get a map.

What is so 'andy about the Andalusian Islands? They are a long way from anywhere and getting further away all the time, what with the cost of fuel and all. All part of Slarti Bardfast's join the dots to find the Pacific clue to plate tectonics.

Yes I fear Jim is correct. Unless there is a 'local' buyer the cost of shipping could equal or exceed the sale price of this car as while Alaska is part of the USA it is only on the same map because the scale is small! For years I thought Hawaii was in a large swimming pool near California (owned by Pearl Harbour who got totally bombed one night on a blind date with some Japanese - different lessons at school. If your ignorant at least make it interesting, its what made Britain Great you know. Standards are dropping).
Bit like the chump who was keen to go on the Nordkapp run on the basis it was about a 600 miles round trip. He had not twigged Scandinavia tends to be mapped in books at a differing scale to the rest of Europe! He went off the idea when it started to clock 1000's of miles - time, money, ability, err quickly buy a bigger car.

Hence suggestion of Anchorage contact as access to local Goggo owners would provide an easy sale. Goggo a silly car in Alaska? Not really they were made in Baveria. Not as good as a Mooscherschmitt of course. If snowbound break out several planks of wood and some Huskies. No not Gary ones before you say the H word. Down, I say down Boy!

EBay it is then, which of course is another clear option. Good luck.