Innholdsfortegnelse for October 2023 i VolksWorld

Every now and then, fate deposits you at a junction. Two polarised options are presented to you, with the certain knowledge that life will be different either way, depending which one you choose. It may be a wedding proposal, or casting a vote in a two-party system, or a mysterious character in retro-futurist sunglasses brandishing a red pill and a blue pill. All you know is the outcome of each will spirit you along a totally different trajectory. For Dave Bones, it was this Campervan. Specifically, it was being told by those in the know that “it wasn’t worth restoring.” For some people, that would be a disappointing but simple state of affairs. Okay, you’re the expert. If it’s not worth doing, don’t do it. And then walk away happy.…

’50 STANDARD SPLIT Only last month we were talking about how rare Standard Beetles are in the USA, Standard Splits more so than any others, and how unlikely it was that we should have had the opportunity to photograph two together. Yet here we are, the following month, looking at yet another Standard Split from America. Yeah, like Buses, huh? Chadly Johnson takes up the tale: I was talking with noted VW restorer, Paul Iozzio, when he mentioned he had just completed the body and paintwork on a rare Split Window Beetle, and would I be interested in seeing it. Paul teased me with some photos of the freshly painted body, enough to keep me intrigued while the car was being finished. Some time passed before I received news that…

Last known VWoA Schulwagen surfaces after 43 years In the early 1950s, Volkswagens and Porsches were among the vehicles imported to the U.S. by Austrian businessman Max Hoffman. However, Volkswagen decided to terminate its contract with Hoffman as sole importer and began groundwork on founding Volkswagen of America in 1954. Leadership in Wolfsburg wanted a dedicated U.S. organization to tap into the biggest car market in the world, but the company knew that in order to succeed they had to back up their sales organization with a parts and service network to support the customers after the sale. Through 1954, Volkswagen representatives Will Van De Kamp and Geoffrey Lange set up the dealer and distributor network. In 1955, they had Wolfsburg send their very first employees, three service tech trainers,…

Following a five-year absence, due to the Covid pandemic, the 3rd European Barndoor Gathering & Vintage VW Show, otherwise known as the Ben Pon Show, made a welcome return this year. After a year and a half of planning, the team welcomed visitors to the new site of ‘The Strip' in Enschede in The Netherlands, close to the German border, over the weekend of 19-21 May. Although the event officially began on the Friday, eager enthusiasts met earlier at the BBT premises in Belgium for a ‘Barndoor & Coffee’ meeting, where they had the opportunity to visit Bob Van Heyst’s private VW collection, before all setting off for the show together. There are few things cooler than an organised VW cruise, but when the vehicles in transit comprise largely Barndoor…

Though there have been a huge number of beach buggy manufacturers over the years (James Hale’s updated version of his 1999 Dune Buggy Handbook lists over 80 for starters), it’s pretty rare to come across one we’ve never seen before, but such was the situation when the pictures of this crazy creation landed on our desk. We needed to know more. In the mid-1960s, when the buggy phenomenon really exploded, its epicentre was California. Bruce Meyers led the charge, but even he could not possibly have imagined that his cheery fun car concept would spread in the way it did across the globe. Clearly, beach buggies are more suited to countries that have more sunshine than rain. Beaches, too. And a ready of supply of old Volkswagens to decapitate to…

FUNKY FARMOBIL Further information gathered from Mark Bird, with Chrysler factory illustrations collated by Hans Ensing There’s a definite trend in the VW scene these days towards shock value. If the shock comes covered with patina as well then that ups the social media likes exponentially. But slam all that over a set of rims and you’ve got the social media triumvirate, the ability to ‘break the internet’ if you will. So, when Sam Banck rolled into The Freddy Files at Ninove this year in his Farmobil, he did just that. ’Phones were pointed, feeds were fed and screens around the world were feverishly tapped. Others just stood and pointed, quite a few laughed and everyone looked around for clues as to what it actually was they were looking at.…

SHOW REPORT - RTTS '23 In 2012, the organisers announced Run To The Sun (RTTS) 13 would be their last event, labelling it ‘The Final Chapter’. In doing so, ending a 27-year reign as one of the best and most popular car and lifestyle events in the UK. It would be fair to say later events focussed more on the party than the cars, which led the organisers to have a long, hard think about how the event could be changed. However, some large hurdles were put in the way and for a while it seemed there was no way forward. RTTS ’23 was all about taking it back, putting the focus back on the cars and the culture that built up around the event in its early years. Community…

OLD GOLD Inspired by our trip down 1971 lane last month, I dug a little deeper into my delicious magazine stash, stopping the time machine this time at 1969. It’s one of my favourite years in the world of hot rodding and drag racing, a veritable zenith of magnesium wheels, chrome plating and kandy paint, with a strong whiff of nitro in the air. It also happens to fall slap bang in the middle of the beach buggy boom. Sure, Bruce Meyers built his first Manx buggies in ’64 / ’65, but the glory years of Meyers Manx production – and of the many copycat designs – were 1967 to 1971. So, in the Summer 1969 issue of 1001 Custom and Rod Ideas the editors thought it poignant to look…

’67 VOLKSROD The air-cooled Volkswagen scene can be sliced into a number of subgenres, from Cal Look to drag cars to beach buggies, Baja Bugs… the list goes on. One of the less frequently encountered groups remains Volksrods, which themselves can split into even further sub groups, should you be so inclined. Although people have been building Volksrods for decades now, you still rarely see such vehicles at shows. And if you do, they tend to stand apart from groups of the other more popular styles. You could come up with all sorts of reasons for this but, in my opinion, it boils down to three key facts. Firstly, most enthusiasts prefer a stock, or near-stock appearance to their VWs these days. Secondly, creating a Volksrod requires some much more…