Maximum Mini: Another Dutch Peel Viking reappears

You may remember the Peel Viking GT that was built by Dutchman Ben Konst back in 1966/1967. I was very eager to find that car back and my search was finally rewarded in February 2018. What was even better about the whole saga: Ben bought it back himself and so was reunited with his old car after almost 50 years (all about that here).

But this car registered '88-49-EP' notably wasn't the only Viking Ben imported to The Netherlands. There were at least two more and I have been digging into these for quite a while also. There were some rumours that one had ended up with a man in the south-west of The Netherlands but I was unable to locate it. One person who told me he knew more was Aad van Beekum. As a matter of fact Aad told me years ago he'd seen it and even made some pictures of it. Trouble was he couldn't find these anymore. I wasn't expecting much. So imagine my surprise when he dropped me a line earlier this week with some good news. He wrote: "After a lot of searching and thinking I found the photos on an old phone and hope you can use them."

The pictures show a rolling shell, left hand drive, that's been modified with wider wheel arches and sills. Was this car ever on the road? It seems unlikely. Apart from its bonnet the shell seems to be unpainted, primer only, while there's no glass and no holes for lights and a petrol tank. Apart from a few gauges there's no interior either. It does have a larger than usual cut-out for a rear screen, just like Ben's own car, which used a Fiat 850 Coupe's rear screen. Could it be the body shell sold by Ben to a customer in the late 1960s? (click here).

What's a real pity is that the thing has disappeared from its hiding now once more. Aad added: "Meanwhile the garage has been closed and emptied and I understand from the stories that the cars were moved to Belgium with an address unknown. Whether the owner had control over the cars I don't know. His daughter took the Mini Moke, which was there also, and she probably paid for the lease debt. I have tried to find out details but in vain."

And so the search is on. Belgian friends, keep your eyes out please!