Saturday, May 10, 2008

Cookie Coaches

Remember the Cookie Coach? Bolwell made a batch of them (funny word "batch" - sounds like they made a batch of cookies) for the "Cookie Coach Company". This was a franchise operation that had people buying these vans and access to daily baked cookies and they had to go around the streets flogging them. The idea finally disappeared up its own bum, just like Mr. Whippy vans, and the second-hand vans turned up in all sorts of places around the country mainly as promotional vehicles. The one in the first three photos is on Hamilton Island and the other one used to be a means of selling jewellery at Royal Shows.


Smiths Potato Chips have one and Pete Garvin sent me some photos of a couple that are used for home deliveries of Big Macs and owned by a Melbourne suburban McDonalds outlet. I once knew of a radio station that had one. Sportscar lovers say they are not real Bolwells but there is an oval shaped, brass coloured "Bolwell" badge on the front for all to see. The purists then say that they are still not Bolwells because they only built the body and not the chassis. These bodies were mounted on commercial versions of Suzuki or Daihatsu chassis. Anyway I think they are Bolwells and I've always wanted one. Pete calls them the Mark Nine-and-a-half. They appeared between the Mk.9 Ikara and the Mk.10 Nagari. I know of one languishing in a warehouse but I've never had the available funds to make them a decent offer. I did respond to an ad. for one in Unique Cars once. It turned out to be a pirate job. Ther's one for the original vs. replica debate.

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