Innehållsförteckning för August 2019 från VolksWorld

I had to smile while reading James Peene’s staff car sagas this month. And applaud him for attempting to defend his madcap decision to swap his pristine Porsche 912 for a rusty Beetle. Stuttgart’s finest in exchange for a decidedly down-at-the-heel Bug? Er, nuts isn’t it? Our regular contributor has evidently lost his marbles – and, if you don’t believe me, turn to pages 80-81 for confirmation. But actually, having read his piece, I am beginning to question whether his actions are frankly quite so mad as they first sound. In fact, I can see something in his reasoning that resonates. First, though, let’s get something straight. I am not denying the simple fact that an air-cooled Porsche, particularly a pre-impact bumper model, represents the Holy Grail for classic VW…

My Splittie has an interesting history and was originally used as a School Bus in New South Wales, Australia. And, incredibly, the school still exists. It’s a performing arts school for girls. I purchased the Bus in April 2017 in Wales – the previous owner had it for around a year and wasn’t really using it so I took it off him. The exterior has retained much of its original patina, including the sign writing, of course. In June 2017 I undertook a full engine rebuild as the original 1600cc was rather tired and leaking oil. The Bus is running a 1600cc engine with twin 40mm Kadron carburettors and I also fitted a CSP Python full stainless steel exhaust which has proved to be a great improvement. When it was…

You’ll probably recall Nige Fleet’s ’72 EMPI GTV Beetle from our October 2016 issue. The rebuild and restoration of that car, while managing to retain most of its originality, was nothing short of incredible and a true testament to all those involved. Nige still owns the GTV; after all he’s unlikely to come across another, but that hasn’t stopped him taking on another Beetle project with an equally fascinating history. The car in question is a genuine and very original 1972 1300 Beetle sold new by Cartune – and it too happens to be painted Texas Yellow, just like his GTV! “she paid the balance of £935 in cash and specified a number of accessories from the Cartune catalogue” In case you missed current Cartune owner Martin Lee’s piece about…

Having begun as a Saturday morning meet for a handful of likeminded VW enthusiasts, Jumpstart in Loughmore, County Tipperary has evolved into a unique event and the only street gathering in the country. If you’ve never been to Loughmore, let me explain. It’s a very small village between Templemore and Thurles. It’s off the main road and as such is not a busy throughway. The castle, the imposing stone mill, the riverside picnic area with the miniature cottage that was built for the ducks, the rows of cottages and beautifully maintained gardens as well the award winning Cottage Tea Rooms all combine to make this a go-to destination. Of course, no Irish town is complete without a pub and Loughmore has Stapleton’s Bar which made sure those who came on…

Out of all the bosses of Volkswagen, one name stands above all others – that of Heinz Heinrich Nordhoff. He led the company from 1948 until his death in 1968, and saw VW expand from basically a ruined factory churning out a single model to a German powerhouse sending its millions of vehicles across the globe. Nordhoff is generally acknowledged as Volkswagen’s first chief. Except that’s not really true. He wasn’t even its first post-war boss. Two people filled that role before him, one of whom was removed because of his Nazi past while the other found himself unceremoniously ousted after Norhoff’s arrival. The latter was Dr Hermann Münch and his tenure at the top lasted a very brief one and a half years. Nevertheless, he helped put the nascent…

June European Bug-in Date:28-30 June 2019 Location:Chimay racetrack, Belgium Contact:www.europeanbugin.com Quex ParkVW Show Date:28-30 June 2019 Location:Quex Park, Birchington, Kent CT7 OHR Contact:www.kentevents.org.uk July Aircooled Campout 19 Date:5-7 July 2019 Location:Fir Tree Farm Campsite, Warmington, Banbury OX17 1JL Contact:www.aircooledevents.com Volks Weald Date:12-14 July 2019 Location:Pensurst Place, Kent Contact:www.volksweald.co.uk Volkspower Date:12-14 July 2019 Location:Redcar Rugby Club TS10 3RW Contact:www.volkspower.co.uk Bug Jam 33 Date:26-28 July 2019 Location:Santa Pod Raceway Contact:www.bugjam.co.uk Old Friends Air-Cooled Only Show Date:28 July 2019 Location:Chippenham Rugby Club Contact:see Facebook site August Kent VWFestival Date:2-4 Aug 2019 Location:A2, near Dover (CT15 5AH) Contact:www.kentvwfestival.com Coffee, Cakes & Car – Harry Harpics Open Day Date:4 Aug 2019 Location:Ashingdon, Essex SS4 3LW Contact:www.harryharpics.com Tatton Park Date:4 Aug 2019 Location:Tatton Park, Knutsford, Cheshire Contact:www.vwnw.co.uk VW Festival Date:9-11 Aug 2019 Location:Harewood House, Leeds Contact:www.vwfestival.co.uk…

WICKED WIRBULATOR From:www.paruzzi.com Price: 47,90 Demand for authentic accessories is growing all the time and Paruzzi Classic VW Supplies is expanding its catalogue accordingly. The Wirbulator is one of its latest additions and is mounted on the decorative bonnet moulding and helps deflect snow and insects from hitting the windscreen. Remember, wipers from yesteryear were not very effective, so in order to keep the windscreen as clean as possible, the Wirbulator was installed. It looks cool, too. It fits Beetles with the wide chrome trim made until the 1966 model year. EASILY LEAD From: www.heritagepartscentre.com Price: from £35.95 Not every enthusiast wants to relocate their coil in the engine bay, but if you do the frustration of the cable not being long enough is all too familiar. Fortunately, help is on hand…

When I went to VolksWorld2016 I couldn’t believe how many great VW rides were there. The parking lot was a show in its own right! While at Sandown I came upon a German club displaying their German Looker cars; it was the first time I had ever seen a proper ‘German Look’ car as there really aren’t too many here in the States. I immediately decided that I needed to add one to my small collection and started searching for a suitable candidate. I eventually found one by looking online – it was a ’75 being sold in Knaresborough, North Yorkshire at a high end dealer. I made an offer, which was accepted, and did the deal. The car took 73 days in transit to get to me on a…

“the Freedom Camper wasn’t simply a home-grown rip-off of the Westfalia” The Daily Mash summed up the VW scene better than we ever could when they wrote: “The VW Camper creates the illusion of freedom.” We’d argue the use of the word ‘illusion’ is perhaps a little mean spirited, but anyone who’s travelled any great distance in a Split will agree they were right to add: “Apparently ‘freedom’ means travelling slowly in considerable discomfort while using sh*tloads of petrol.” And yet, has there been any other vehicle that encapsulates the spirit of freedom more than VW’s humble box on wheels? We think not. They’re the counter-culture pin-up girl for the tuned-in, dropout counter-culture generation, because when you have an old Bus in your life, you don’t need anything else. You’ve…

So you just bagged yourself a ‘Rust free’ project Bus and have decided to get stuck in yourself with the minor work necessary. Pulling up the front floor mat, however, reveals that the rust actually did come free with your new acquisition. Forty-plus years of people jumping in with wet feet means this is about the most common area on a Bus to rot out. Fear not though, here we are going to show you how to cut out the rot and fit a new panel in the correct manner. 01 Back to basics Take out the cab floor mat or carpet, followed by the front seats. The Bus we were working on had a lot of the glass removed already, but if your glass is in place protect it…

Just Kampers did it in 2017, and now – to commemorate the end of Beetle production – Volkswagen are following suit by entering two historic Beetles into the 2019 Mille Miglia. The event takes participants 1,000 miles (about 1,600km) from Brescia to Rome and back, and as Just Kampers found out when they successfully completed what's described as 'the most beautiful race in the world' in 2017, it is by no means a gentle drive. Volkswagen helped shape the history of the Mille Miglia in the 1950s. High-performance Beetles finished much higher up the standings than the more powerful opposition expected, thanks in no small part to their reliability. For example, Paul-Ernst Strähle surprised many with his Beetle dubbed 'Dapferle' in 1954. He fitted the 1948 production Beetle with parts…

Back in the April 2018 issue we featured an Okrasa-powered rally Oval which belonged to renowned VW enthusiast, Mark Reynolds. Mark and his son, Josh, took ‘Jack’ (the Oval) to Italy where they competed in the Mille Miglia rally and generally had a blast racing around in a period-tuned vintage VW. Fast forward to 2019 and Mark decided it was time for another rally, this time with his daughter, Megan, and initially picked the Gran Premio Nuvolari rally in Italy. However, they also thought it would be neat to take a fresh vehicle to do it in. And so Mark hit the Internet to see if there was anything interesting out there for sale. Last time round the Oval started with an Okrasa dual carb engine and spiralled from there…

Twenty-five-year-old Cal Russell works as a tree surgeon in Scotland although his family are located in Leicestershire, as is this Beetle. Fortunately, Cal has access to another vehicle (actually a slammed T4 Van, which was featured in our sister title, VWtlast month) for the long-distance drives, hence the Bug is what you might consider to be his weekend ride if you like. He explained, “A few years ago my father and I restored a 2000 Mexi-Bug, which actually required a lot more work than you’d imagine.” He continued, “The 1600cc fuel injected Bug went on to become my daily driver but after a while I decided I wanted a new project – something earlier, perhaps – hence I put it up for sale at Stanford Hall and, to my surprise,…

The Stanford Hall meet has been running since 1976, hence it’s just about as well established as any VW event can be. Organised by the Leicestershire and Warwickshire Volkswagen Owners’ Club, the event runs like a well-oiled machine, and has earned a reputation for being not only one of the biggest one-day VW gatherings in the UK, but also for including a huge trade area, arguably the best swap meet of the year and more club displays than any other event. And all for the bargain price of just £12 entry. Though for years it was a staunchly air-cooled concours event, the Stanford Hall organisers have moved with the times and now it’s not uncommon to find everything from Split Window Beetles to Mk2 Golfs, early Audis and even late…

Hang on. He’s swapped what for what? Yes, I know what you’re thinking, because I thought it myself after I’d done the deed, but I really did just sell my truly fabulous Porsche 912 and took a down at heel Swedish ’58 Beetle in part ex. They say inside every Beetle owner is a Porsche owner trying to get out, but as per usual I’ve gone right the other way. Everyone thinks I’m crazy, but as amazing as it was to own and drive there’s something about a Beetle I just never felt with the Porsche. Once it had been restored, it was also a bit too nice so I never really felt it was going to be a forever car. Oh, and I also wanted something I could work…