Indholdsfortegnelse for November 2018 i VolksWorld

I’ve sold the Beetle. It’s a long story but suffice to say it’s gone to a French enthusiast who fell in love with it and, despite its perfect imperfections, promised to lavish time and affection on it. I was sad to see it go, but at the same time relieved that it’s gone to a good home and to someone who I know will be all too eager to take it to the next level. I had owned it for a total of two years, four months and 10 days. It provided me with some great memories, apart from at the very start when I was convinced I’d been scammed. Remember? I’d seen it for sale in Portugal, paid up front online, and waited an agonising three weeks for it…

SHOW CARS REQUIRED We always pride ourselves on having the very best show cars from around the globe atVolksWorldand this year we have already had some great vehicles apply! Let us know now if you are planning to have a car or Bus ready to be unveiled at VolksWorld2019. It could even be a potential Top 20 Winner, but either way we want to hear from you. If you are interested in displaying your car or Bus, please email some brief details and a couple of pictures toian.cushway@kelseymedia.co. ukor paul.knight@kelseymedia.co.uk KIDS ZONE At TheVolksWorldShow we strive ensure there’s something for everyone, which is exactly why we always have a Kids’ Zone for the little ones to enjoy. The Kids’ Zone is a safe place for…

There are usually strong memories associated with your first car; Mark Williams’ was a factory stock, white 1971 Beetle 1200. That’s the one you see here, so obviously some changes have taken place. “I was 17 and still doing my A Levels when I bought it in 1994 for £300 from the father of my school friend Patrick,” recalls Mark. “It had sat in their garage for ages. My cousin read VolksWorldso that got me wanting a Beetle – they were still cheap cars back then. There were still a few Bugs and Bay Window campers in the school car park and loads around the streets of Ely where I lived.” A further influence was one of Patrick’s neighbours. “Paul Medhurst lived opposite Patrick and was running his company –…

“early Bug-Ins helped spread the gospel, starting in 1968” It all started in 1965, when a group of youngsters decided to share their passion for Volkswagens by forming a club, which they called Volks Chancellors. VWs were truly everywhere in Southern California at the time, including in the city where most members lived, Compton. Amazingly, 53 years on, the team’s still a key part of California’s thriving air-cooled scene, which prompted VolksWorld to pay them a little visit. The meeting place? A park in the heart of Compton, which not only has historical ties with the club, as affiliates met there during the group’s early days, but also because it already served as backdrop to a well-known article published by HotVWs back in February 1975. Quite fitting, we thought. Three…

Having attended VW shows the world over since 1990, in my opinion, after 2018’s Le Bug Show (AKA Spa) it’s now the best VW show in the world. I first went in 2005 and thereafter would always combine it with a family summer holiday to France; Spa was a big detour from my usual West Coast holiday haunt, but the atmosphere and quality of cars was always worth the extra mileage. Having not attended since 2015 for personal reasons, I’d decided that 2018 was going to happen, one way or another. I’d been helping a buddy of mine, Martin, work on his 1970 Bay on and off all winter, with the goal being to drive it to Spa (he last took it in 2006). Due to a catalogue of events,…

November Slough Swapmeet Date:4 Nov 2018 Location:Bracknell Leisure Centre RG12 9SE Contact: www.sloughswapmeet.co.uk December Santa Cruise Date: 2 Dec 2018 Location:convoy from Shoreham to Tadworth Contact: www.vwheritage.com 2019 January VolksWorld Spares Day Date: 27 Jan 2019 Location: South of England Event Centre, Haywards Heath RH17 6TH Contact: www.volksworldshows.com March The VolksWorld Show Date: 23-24 March 2019 Location: Sandown Park, Esher, Surrey Contact: www.volksworldshows.com Run a show? Why not tell us about it? email VolksWorld.ed@kelsey.co.uk…

“I averaged 10 to 20 hours a week, which satisfied my mechanical desires” When Huntington Beach resident Ritch Wright retired from his job at a large aerospace company in 2010, he decided to get busy with a car project, though at first he remained uncertain about the model of choice, as he explains: “A lifetime of working in offices with primarily intellectual tasks led to a desire for mechanical work and exercise of the physical side. Around the same time, I bought a ’60 VW Bus for a friend who lives in Germany and drove it for a couple of weeks before shipping it to him. It attracted so much attention, I realised I’d found the ideal candidate for my endeavour.” An internet ad led to the purchase of a…

Back in the mid-1950s there was a huge appetite for open topped two-seaters, especially in the States. The Americans simply couldn’t get enough of them. And it was something that didn’t go unnoticed by Volkswagen, which is why Ghia’s Luigi Segre hurriedly penned a design for coachbuilders Karmann to make a new, sportier version of the Beetle in 1955. The thing is, the Karmann Ghia was a bit too heavy to be particularly ‘sporty’, and it was also pretty expensive. “Weighing 200lb less than a Beetle, inevitably it was quicker” That left a window of opportunity which small companies specialising in fibreglass bodies, able to be bolted atop a Bug floorpan, were quick to exploit. One such company was California-based Alken with its spectacularly beautiful D-2, designed by Bill Pierson,…

Been to Chimay? It’s every two years, so grab a pen and scribble down the 2019 dates – 28-29-30 June – so you don’t miss it. Take it from us, the short drive through France to the Belgian town and its historic racetrack venue is well worth it, not least because it’s got to be one of the friendliest meets of the season. In fact, that’s where we met Marc Van Espen, the owner of this Polar Silver ’57 Beetle. Marc and a group of friends were pitched up in the camping area and, on spotting his stunning Oval, we had to go over for a closer look. Now, before we start we need to explain that Marc is possibly one of the most deferential owners we’ve met. Talk about…

The lower front panel and inner/outer valances on a Split Bus are often seen as a scary area to repair. Okay, let’s be honest, it’s pretty involved, but with the help of some good quality repair panels this guide will show you the steps involved to make this area as good as new again. Ten years ago, I wouldn’t have dreamed of even considering buying a Split Screen Bus with a rotten lower front, rusty sills or even cut wheel arches for that matter. At that point in time, there was always another Bus around the corner that didn’t need any major repair work for not much money. As the supply of affordable truly rust-free Buses continues to dwindle though, what used to be considered too much work starts to…

The automobile club ÖAMTC (similar to our RAC in UK) in Horn, Lower Austria, myself, and fellow Beetle expert Arnold Jungwirth, helped organise a special event to mark the Beetle’s 80th anniversary at the vintage car show in Tulln, Austria. And we were chuffed with the turnout! In Austria, the Beetle topped the sales charts from 1954 to mid-1974 uninterrupted, in which time 485,000 cars were sold. There are still about 13,500 Beetles on the road – and it’s safe to assume there’s a considerable amount more in garages and barns waiting to be restored. In fact, I estimate that there could be as many as 25,000 examples still in Austria – or roughly five percent of all surviving Beetles. That might not sound much, but compared to Germany that’s…

“Looking for all the world like the evil cousin of a Baja Bug, the Kommandeurwagen was a bulky-tyred Beetle with bigger wings and raised ground clearance” Although the Beetle was pretty good off-road – hence the TV advert showing how snowplough drivers got to their snowploughs – all of its rough ‘n’ tumble capabilities came from just two-wheel drive. Having power to the back wheels, with the weight of the engine over them, meant that mud, snow, gravel and other loose or rough terrain could be coped with quite competently. Maybe that’s why Volkswagen never really explored all-wheel drive on the Beetle, even though it dabbled with it for the Type 2 Bay (five prototypes were produced) before coming up with the Syncro 4x4 for the third generation Type 2…

“Just 3500 of these cars were produced, based on the recently released 1303S” There have been a number of special editions of the Beetle over the years, and we have all probably seen, if not owned, our special favourite (mine being the World Champion or ‘Marathon’ in its very smart metallic light blue livery). One Beetle edition that wasn’t seen officially in Britain, however, was the ‘Schwarz und Gelber Renner’ (Black and Yellow Racer). Released for the German market in January 1973 under Sales Campaign S714, it featured VW’s established pattern for ‘edition’ cars, by using a special paint colour and distinguishing accessories or trim. Just 3500 of these cars were produced, based on the recently released 1303S with 1600cc, 50bhp engine. The one non-standard mechanical feature was the 5.5J…