Innholdsfortegnelse for Summer 2023 i VolksWorld

“A friend of mine, Simon, had this Samba sat in his garage nearby…” A love of Buses came early to 47-year-old Dean Bunclark, owner of a renewable energy company from Rotherham. “I had a ’66 Bus when I was 18, but then life, marriage and buying houses happened and it was sold, along with the ’67 Beetle I owned at the time, too. “But when I had a family, I thought it would be a great way to make memories, so on a trip to Cornwall with my then wife and young kids, Jay (now 19) and Charlie (16), we hired one to see if it would work.” Needless to say, it did, and so the quest began to buy one of their own. The search didn’t take them far.…

’73 1303 SLEEPER What if Volkswagen had continued developing its beloved flat-four engine until today? Answers might come from looking at products offered by several other car manufacturers, starting with Porsche. Its 911 model began life with a relatively simple 130bhp flat-six motor in 1964, a powerplant that steadily evolved through the decades that followed into the incredibly complex 600+bhp unit that powers the latest 911 S Turbo. Alright, long-time readers will know that the back of a Beetle won’t readily accept a 911 engine, modern or not, due to its size, but that hasn’t stopped a bunch of technically inclined Volkswagen enthusiasts adapting an assortment of other boxer motors to the VW transmission over the years. These have ranged from the VW / Porsche air-cooled Type 4 to the…

The year was 1938, the newly formed town of Stadt des KdF-Wagens was starting to produce automobiles and the KdF Wagen, or Volkswagen as we know it today, was being toured around Germany and displayed at various events to encourage German citizens to participate in the new saving programme, taking the first steps on the journey towards purchasing one of the exciting new cars for themselves. Because of the popularity of the idea of the people’s car, German toy manufacturers started introducing their own KdF Wagens in miniature form. One of these firms was Märklin, already a well-known toy maker, having been established in 1859. It was known for its fine scale mechanical and electrical trains and diecast vehicles, produced at its manufacturing facility located in the town of Göppingen,…

TECHVW ENGINE CODES While we’d all like to believe (or at least hope) the engine in our VW is the original – the fabled ‘matching numbers’ description – the reality is the majority have probably been changed, or at least rebuilt, over the years. With even an early ’70s late model being half a century old now, the chance of finding a low mileage, unmolested car with all its original running gear becomes less likely with every passing year. So, when you go to look at a car for sale, or have to buy parts for your existing car, it’s important to know exactly what the engine is. All air-cooled VW engines had a designation number stamped into the case at the factory, just below the generator/ alternator pedestal. This…

EVENT - UTAH VW CLASSIC The annual Utah VW Classic weekend kicked off with a pre-show meet at Volkswagen SouthTowne, the local dealership. The open house packed the parking area and surrounding streets for several hours with people excited about the show the following day. Before dawn on the day of the show, Riverton’s City Park began to rumble with the sounds of air and water-cooled VW engines as they made their way onto the lush grass for the main event. Thankfully, show organisers, Utah Transporter Association, had reserved the entire park this year as, by the end of the day, it was nearly at capacity. This event always attracts a wide assortment of rides, but as a local Porsche rally coincided with the VW weekend, a number of them…

OLD SPEED ’52 CABRIOLET David Croquelois is not unfamiliar with a high-quality VW or two, having previously owned a cool Lowlight Ghia, which picked up awards at Le Bug Show and The VolksWorld Show in 2019. Prior to that, in 2017, he scooped another VolksWorld Top 20 award with a killer sunroof Split Bug, so when we saw his name on one of the entries for this year’s event we knew we were in for a treat. The story of this one goes back a lot further than either of those cars though. For the last 20 years, David has held the keys to one particular ride that has been his fabled ‘keeper’, a 1956 Karmann Cabriolet, with its mesmerising dash and delightfully small rear window. In spite of this…

OLD GOLD I don’t know what it says about my memory, but there’s a lot of things I struggle to recall these days, though number plates aren’t one of them. I can tell you instantly what the plate was on the Beetle my mum had when I was growing up for instance – PRO 420L – and on my first Beetle – SNG 573G. Okay, I don’t remember all the VWs I’ve owned over the years, but a certain car at this year’s VolksWorld Show brought memories flooding back. Again, my memory might let me down a bit here, but I think it was around 1998 / ’99 that Ivan and I spotted an advert for a 1970 1300 Beetle for sale. Ivan had taught me well about the tell…

’52 SINGLE CAB If you’re not an early Bus buffer, you might not know that, when Volkswagen launched the Type 2, you could only buy a Panel Van initially. The different models were only rolled out once the company had established there was demand for them, and put some money in the coffers to instigate their production. The Single Cab was the second model to arrive, introduced in August 1952, and the very earliest models, like Les Kovach’s version you see here, have some defining features that get the buffers excited. Smooth drop gates are just one of them. Different people get hot under the collar about all models of Volkswagens. How often have you heard people say they don’t like Beetles but love Buses, or vice versa? I’ve always…