Indholdsfortegnelse for July 2025 i VolksWorld

When Darren Cooper bought this insanely rare, right-hand drive, 1967, twin sliding door Panel Van in 2013, it had already been restored and the level of detail would have been perfect for most people. But Darren isn’t most people, and he could see a few things that weren’t 100% correct. Rather than just rectify those, he took the bold decision to rip it apart and start afresh. It might not look wildly different now to the untrained eye, but allow us to present to you the completed, now 100% correct, version. It’s safe to say Darren is a serial VW fiddler. He had three Buses at The VolksWorld Show this year and admits he already has the next five years’ worth of projects waiting in the wings, and that’s on…

Classic buggy pipes Designed using SolidWorks CAD, the EMPI classic dune buggy exhaust features a reconfigured collector for improved ground clearance, reduced back pressure and a mellow sound. Mandrel bent 1.5-inch tubing with slip joints ensures trouble-free installation, while the polished 304SS or brushed 204SS finishes will stay looking good and provide years of reliable service. Each kit Includes heat risers, gaskets and mounting hardware, but please be aware that these exhausts are not compatible with heat exchangers. From: Contact your local EMPI dealer and quote p/no. 00-3381-0 (polished) or 00-3371-0 (brushed finish) for pricing Late model t-bars Sold as a pair, these UK-manufactured t-bars will fit either the front or rear on post-’67 Beetles with Euro-style bumpers (excluding 1302 and 1303 models), giving your late model Bug a bit…

Here at VolksWorld, we’re all about the stories that bring your awesome VWs back to life, and Michèle Maraninchi’s 1961 Karmann Ghia is one of those that pulls at even the toughest of heart strings. At 58, this Toulon-born, La Seyne-sur-Mer-based commercial assistant has been around VWs her whole life, thanks to her husband, Gilles’, life-long love of air-cooled cars. Together, they’ve turned a Swiss-imported wreck into this Pampas Green and white stunner that’s won awards and turned heads all across Europe. Let’s take a wander through Michèle’s journey, her hands-on approach, and the hard graft that put her dream Karmann Ghia back on the road. The couple have been married for 35 years and, rather touchingly, Michèle still describes her husband as “mon héros”, my hero. Clearly, he needs…

Clever minds have been improving and refining VW’s flat four boxer engine for a good 70 years now, but rarely has a modification been as progressive and ingenious as the Overfly engine from PS-Historacing in Germany. In contrast to the design of the Type 1 and Type 4 engine, the latter on which the Overfly motor is based, it has dual overhead camshafts. In that respect, it is more similar in design to a Porsche 911 powerplant. One of the advantages of this is considerably less moving mass in the valvetrain, offering better conditions for higher crank rpm and greater maximum power at a given mean effective pressure (MEP). Prototype stage Before we go further into the technical details, let’s take a look at the engine’s development process. Stephan Pfletschinger,…

The Volkswagen scene is made up of a vast range of genres and sub genres, most of which have developed since the 1960s. One of the better known milestones is the California Look, a moniker coined in 1975, making this year its 50th anniversary, as many of you will be aware. Numerous other trends have blossomed since, including German Look, Resto Cal, Old Speed and more. Taken separately, each of them has evolved in its own way. Bright and cheery pastel colours have fallen by the wayside within California Look, for instance, while Resto Cal fans have embraced performance engines and, more often than not, left the once obligatory roof racks hanging on the wall of their garages. Where some of the more hardcore enthusiasts remain adamant about specific details…

“…and I won’t tell you anything about it” The Riddler is the bonkers brainchild of Ray Ramsay, the man behind the slam at long-established Rayvern Hydraulics. Over the past 30 years, Ray has built some of the craziest cars, his creations gracing the front covers of no less than 153 magazines worldwide. They’ve not all been VWs, far from it, but it’s Ray’s seemingly boundless creativity and engineering ability that sees his small workshop, situated just outside Peterborough, turn out a steady succession of frame-laying jaw-droppers that never fail to start a conversation wherever they go. The story of this car begins in 2019, when I went to visit Ray to write an article for the Heritage Parts Centre blog. We like to champion our customers and shine a light…

When the Volkswagen Beetle, as we know it today, was introduced in 1938, the split rear window design was probably considered pretty neat looking, even if it was not entirely functional. Having driven a Split Window VW for a couple of years, I can tell you from experience that trying to see what’s behind you by looking out through those two small openings in the rear roof section is more of a guessing game than anything else. Over the years, Volkswagen made numerous improvements to the original design, starting with replacing the split rear window with the larger, oval-shaped window that came in March of 1953. It is questionable whether simply taking out the central division bar was much of an enhancement as it only increased visibility by two or…