Indholdsfortegnelse for February 2017 i VolksWorld

While trawling through some old photos on my hard drive the other day I noticed a picture of a Zwitter being offered for sale at Stonor in 2010. It was in primer and, while I can’t comment on the state of the underneath, it looked pretty solid on top. And the price? An entirely insignificant £5,000. You’d be lucky to find a similar car in that condition today for £20,000-£25,000 and indeed the mag’s Mike Pye tells me there were two similar examples advertised at Spa (pics only) for € 25,000. How the market’s changed! Now the jury’s still out as to whether rapidly rising values is a good thing or not. In truth, values of all classic cars have risen in recent years and, while some people have inevitably…

With the threat of some European cities banning carburettor-fuelled classic cars, and the emerging hybrid technology, some forward thinking VW enthusiasts are looking for the light at the end of the tunnel for air-cooled VWs. Like it or loathe it, electric power in some shape or form appears to be the way forward, but is it really feasible to convert your Beetle, or Bus / Karmann Ghia / Type 3 to run on battery power? And is it the right way to go to future-proof your VW? This type of conversion isn’t new, but there are now companies in the UK and the USA offering a made-to-measure kit that fits in the same location as the engine on the Beetle, and requires no modifications that mean the original petrol engine…

“I set out on the 870-mile journey back to Sydney, in a strange car I knew nothing about” It was the mid-’80s and I was searching for a sports car restoration project, but no ordinary classic, something special that would capture the imagination of the collector car devotees. And there it was, an advertisement in the October 1985 issue of Unique Carsmagazine. It was succinctly written: “Puma GT (1973) sports car”, together with a black and white photograph, and an Adelaide ’phone number. I busied myself researching a 1973 Puma, and found it was Volkswagen based, with an attractive GRP body, and factory assembled in Brazil. I had been involved in Formula Vee racing and therefore had fettled Ferdinand Porsche’s brilliant air-cooled flat four, along with its associated running gear.…

“If I wouldn’t fit it to one of my own VWs, I won’t stock it” For those of you who haven’t heard the story before, Just Kampers was founded back in September 1989 on Mark Reynolds’ 22st birthday as a vehicle restoration business. Mark had to wait until he was 21 before he could set up JK because he couldn’t get motor traders insurance before then. Over the last 27 years Mark Reynolds and his team have grown JK from a tiny garage working on Bays and Beetles to one of the biggest names in the UK VW scene, but they’ve managed to keep the ‘family feel’ within the company. When we arrived at JK HQ in Hampshire we were glad we drive a VW, as the whole bottom half…

“I ended up doing both sides twice” OWNER INFO NAME: Ian Cushway OCCUPATION: Editor CAR: ’68 Beetle, Audi A6 Avant, T5 Transporter WORK THIS MONTH: Sorting the rear end ride height I just couldn’t bear looking at the back end of my Beetle any longer so decided to set about lowering the rear suspension. I’d read how to do it, courtesy of an article written by regular contributor Mark Walker, published in July 2014, but I have to admit, I had a few reservations about doing it myself. I managed to get it done – but there were a few hiccups along the way and, to be honest, it wasn’t as straightforward as I’d hoped. It didn’t help that for some reason the rear wheels had a fair amount…

“During the summer there’s often three our four different VW gatherings in a single weekend” As a show promoter over the last three decades, the major change I’ve witnessed is the sheer number of VW events there are these days. Back in the late ‘80s and early ‘90s when the so-called ‘new wave’ events were launched there were maybe half a dozen events in a full season. This created an environment of anticipation. We all looked forward to – and savoured – every event, in the same way one might look forward to seeing a concert by one’s favourite band. Nowadays, shows are a bit like buses (public transport buses, rather than Splits or Bays) – if you miss one, you only have to wait until the following week and…

Stored since 1972, you can’t put a price on this kind of patina. But what do you do with a car like this? Mothball it again? Trailer it to shows and hope it never gets caught out in the rain in case all those layers of dust and flaky rust get washed off? Or do you spend £30,000 on a full-blown body off nut and bolt restoration? We’re not sure of the answer, but it’s fun mulling over the various possibilities. It appeared at a US show in the summer – read more on pages 52-56.…

“I was a bit worried about the long term effect the route would have on our relationship” Being brought up by a mechanic with a passion for classics, it’s no wonder my first car ended up being a Beetle. That said, it still came as a bit of a shock to my mother, especially when I announced I would be driving it the 200 miles home from Norwich the next day. I embarked on the journey with great excitement, loving every second of it. The difference in driving it compared to my instructor’s brand new Focus or my dad’s diesel Peugeot was something special and I was surprised to have people come up and compliment me on the car when filling up 10 miles down the road. However, it wasn’t…

“Pretty much all the cars I’ve owned, I’ve made a few alterations to take them further along their life’s journey” No one can argue that air-cooled VWs catch your eye when you’re out and about, but then there are some you really can’t fail to miss, even if you’re not a car fanatic at all, and Rob Turvey’s bright red and white ’68 Squareback is definitely one of those. Even at major shows, this is one of those cars that draws you in from a distance. You just need to take a closer look to satisfy your curiosity, if nothing else! “People of all ages come over to say how much they love the car. It’s quite staggering really,” Rob reports. Winning the People’s Choice trophy at Leeds VW Festival,…

“I could have easily blown all my pocket money in the swapmeet” While visiting family in Boston I thought I’d take the opportunity to experience an American show as it had been a few years since my last one. I got in touch with Stan Wohlfarth, owner of Stan’s Classic Service in Natick, near Boston (www.stanagon.com) who recommended I head on over to the Litchfield Bug-In, happening on 19 June in Harwinton, Connecticut. Stan said it was once a much larger show that had fallen off in recent years but thanks to the tireless efforts of the local clubs and the organising committee the 28th annual show was predicted to be the biggest in many years. Stan knows his VWs but he also knows his shows so I took his…

“standing back and looking at the bodyshell now, all the lows disappear” I’m not going to say it’s been an easy job. Projects like this really test your patience, sanity and bank balance. Our aim all along was to save a 1950 matching numbers car from being cut up and sold for parts, though there have been times when we have said that would have been the best option! Before we started, looking through rose-tinted glasses, we expected to spend around two days a week for around four months on the metalwork. In reality, we’ve spent four days of every week working on the car, and still have bits of the chassis to finish. But standing back and looking at the bodyshell now, all the lows disappear and a feeling…

New Show Website Find out what is going on at the VolksWorldShow and save money by buying tickets in advance. The website can be found at volksworldshows.com Show Cars Jon Moores, a man that has displayed a top quality show car in the past, is building a Splitty for the 2017 display. As we went to press it was about to go into the paint shop and we here at VolksWorldcannot wait to see the finished product. If you have or are building a show quality car that you are interested in displaying, please email some brief details and a couple of pics to amy.nicholls@kelsey.co.uk VolksWorld Magazine – 30th Anniversary John Covery gave us a call about his Dad’s buggy that was in issue 1 of VolksWorld. Looks like a…

“It made the Kübelwagen look like a Bentley” Nobody could ever describe Volkswagens of the air-cooled era as particularly luxurious. Business-like and utilitarian perhaps, even if possessed of a certain style and flair all of their own. However, when it comes to being really rudimentary, no VW out-Spartans the EA 489 Basistransporter. If you’re unfamiliar with the EA 489, you’re probably not alone – it’s one of the least well-known of Volkswagens. And if you’re further bewildered by the shape – well, what there is of it, for it looks like something you’d buy flatpacked from IKEA – then its story is worth telling. The Basistransporter was Volkswagen dipping a toe into the world of ultra-basic vehicles – only its 1940s Plattenwagen was more elementary. But this came along 30…

Being part of a clique sometimes has negative connotations, conjuring up images of elitism and segregation, but not Clique 53. This group of free-spirited, Midlands likely lads and lasses couldn’t be friendlier and more open if they tried. There’s none of the usual club politics, they don’t all huddle together around the campfire sniping at other people after a few beers because they really don’t need to. What they do is share good times, embrace enthusiasm and always, always have a good laugh together. If you attended this year’s VW Festival at Harewood House, just outside Leeds, then no doubt you’ll have witnessed their easy-going antics, and perhaps even chatted to this rag tag bunch of mates who were there showing off the diversity of their automotive tastes. If our…

There are three basic areas rebuilding a flat four VW engine falls into – crankcase, internal moving components and cylinder heads. Having assessed the parts from our 1600 twin-port engine in our December ’16 issue, we returned to The VW Engine Company to watch the lads assemble a new engine for Oliver’s ’67 Beetle. We’re not building a hot VW engine here as Oliver is relatively young and just wants a reliable, insurance-friendly motor in his car. However, having established that his 1500 Beetle had already been upgraded with 1600cc barrels and pistons and twin-port heads, after discussing it with Oliver, the chaps from Catford decided to further upgrade to 1641cc capacity for a few extra horsepower, whilst maintaining the reliability of an essentially stock engine. Whilst the original crank…

“Call me Mr. Obvious, but I’ve gone for Fuchs again!” OWNER INFO NAME James Peene JOB Contributor, writer CAR ’69 Bay Window, ’60 Beetle WORK THIS MONTH Faux history and wheel detailing I’m back on a Bus vibe this month, although truth be told, not a great deal has been happening on the surface. Behind the scenes, however, is an entirely different matter. It’s been a case of spend, spend, spend in the Peene household as I’ve been amassing parts for the Bay’s transformation. And by transformation, of course, I mean slamming and rimming. When I bought the Bus, and as you see it now, it was already lowered a smidge on some ball-joint dropped spindles. The beam isn’t narrowed and because I favour a skinnier look, I’ve bought…