Well, unfortunately not exclusively... Today it happened to me - for the first time ever! I took the Fastback for a spin in bright sunshine and as I usually allways fill up the tank before I park it in the garage, I didn't pay any attention to the gas gauge... Well, 20 kilometers later I ran out of fuel on a hill of a country road without a hard shoulder...
I just stopped and switched the hazard lights on, when the first car stopped right behind me - I didn't expected that. A very old lady - my guess is around 80 years old - offered help right away. She gave me a 4 km ride in her black Mercedes to the next gas station, so I could buy a gas can and some gas. The way back I had to walk in bright sunshine, which was o.k. About half the way back, another car stopped and the driver asked: "Hey, is this your vintage VW down the road?" Maybe the gas can in my hand was a clue to him... Yes, it is. So, hop on in, I will give you a ride back to your car! Wow, another super friendly guy who was willing to help. During the drive, the guy explained that the same thing happened to him last year on his vacation in France when his old baywindow bus also got stuck without fuel!
What can I say, about 30 mins. after the car stopped I could fill up the tank and was able to continue my journey. Not right away, as the weak battery wasn't able to turn the engine long enough to pump gas via the mechanical fuel pump into the empty Webers, so I switched into reverse and used gravity to roll down the hill backwards with an engaged clutch. It was a bumpy ride, but eventually, the Webers got enough "juice" to fire the engine up again!
A big thank you to both of my helpers - you collected good karma today! I will try to do so the next time, when I see somebody in need (- which I almost always do anyway)!
Also, I was super lucky that the car was still undamaged as the "parking spot" was less than ideal...
