Innholdsfortegnelse for September 2018 i dune buggies and hotVWs

It was a fantastic week of VW events. During the first and second weekends of June, Southern California became once again the Universe’s greatest VW wonderland. It truly proves that So-Cal is still the Mecca of the air-cooled Volkswagen scene. The “beyond huge” ten consecutive days offered so many Vee Dub activities… In between the two weekends, we had FIVE major VW events, along with several open houses, cruises and BBQ hosted by local VW shops and clubs. The whole package attracted enthusiasts from all over the world – we are thrilled to see such huge crowds show their passion. The first weekend of June, on Saturday, Rare Vintage Air (RVA) VW club hosted the “Rare Vintage Air Volkswagen d’Elegance” at Old World Village, in Huntington Beach, California. Pre-registration sold…

Cal Look is dead! Well, it isn’t really, but only a small group of hardcore enthusiasts keep it alive in Germany. The majority of VW fans in the Fatherland prefer other styles at the moment. Slammed and patina’d Volkswagens for example. Will the love for these cars stay? I don’t think so. Every style has its highs and lows. German Style [aka “German Look” – Edit.] for example. It was very popular in Germany in the early ’90s. And rightly so, because similar looking Beetles and Type 3s raced in the Käfer Cup. This race series started within the frame of the DTM, the German Touring Car Championship, where companies like Mercedes, BMW and Alfa Romeo participated with works cars. These Käfer Cup cars were the role models. Motorsport always…

Volkswagen of America has announced that a 2019 Volkswagen Jetta will attempt a Southern California Timing Association’s BGC/G class record, at the famed Bonneville Salt Flats in Wendover, Utah (August 11-17, 2018). The Bonneville Jetta will be powered by a modified version of Volkswagen’s EA888 2.0-liter turbocharged and direct injection four-cylinder engine. Hoping to Beat 208.472 Built by Bonneville LSR specialists THR Manufacturing, based in Ventura, California, the Jetta previews the powertrain that will be used in the forthcoming Jetta GLI performance model. Volkswagen is hoping to beat the existing class record of 208.472 mph, showcasing both the potential performance that the EA888 engine can achieve with modifications, and the all-new Jetta’s exceptionally aerodynamic shape, which yields a drag coefficient of just 0.27. Changes For The Salt To run at…

Amazingly, the Classic Auto Show exhibits over 1,200 classic automobiles, laid out on two floors of a gigantic exhibition facility, L.A. Convention Center’s Kentia Hall. The number of participants was very impressive, while the rarity and quality of the vehicles left many visitors speechless. Cars put on display included rarely seen museum pieces from the pre-WWII era, such as British/French/Italian/German sports cars, creations by iconic builders, important models in the automobile history, special vehicles built for celebrities, and other unique cars displayed on the main alleyway of the show – the “Grand Boulevard”. Hundreds of classics from local car clubs represented the all-American productions and global auto brands you know (and some unknown, too), plus: Hot Rods, Lowriders, Japanese Classics, Vintage Off-roaders, and Women-built cars. Not many other shows offer…

“In late 2012, I was living in Seattle, and was diagnosed with throat cancer” Jeff, who now resides in Lake Havasu City, AZ, explains. “After receiving a royal dose of radiation and chemotherapy, I was clear, but going through that kind of treatment shuts down your regular life.” Just when things were getting back to normal, he had a relapse. “In August of 2015, I undertook a major 12-hour surgery to remove two tumors from the back of my tongue. Once I was out of the hospital, that’s where this Buggy story started. My Dad, Elmer and stepmom Linda thought [the Buggy restoration] would be a great project to keep me busy while I healed.” Jeff found the Buggy in Edgewood, Washington. “There were not a lot of options available…

The love of Volkswagen Beetles began in 1962 while stationed in the U.S. Air Force in Germany, when we purchased a 1951 Split Window with mechanical brakes. It was soon traded for a 1957 Ragtop that had a better braking system. We toured Europe in our 1957 while stationed in Germany and we have owned five other Beetles, before purchasing Miss Daisie in 2016. A partial restoration was done on a 1971 Super Beetle in 1984; but Miss Daisie is the only full body-off restoration that we have done. We were fortunate to be able to purchase the ’73 from a couple who had owned it for 10 years, and we bought the car with the intent of doing a full restoration. Almost all the tear-down and rebuild was accomplished…

Stock Bus wheels come in three different rim sizes with a few variations of them in the Split Window and Bay Window eras. This month we will talk about the rims and their evolution of size, shape and color and attachments. Barndoor Buses had 3.5Jx16 rims, which translates to 16 inch diameter rims that were 3.5 inches wide. They were manufactured by either Lemmerz or Kronprinz. According to the service literature and publicity photos, all Barndoor Buses came with chrome hubcaps with the center logos painted to match the lower body color on the Bus. Most period photos exhibit chrome caps, but there are also period pictures showing logo’d Barndoor Buses with painted hubcaps; so, it is possible that primer-delivered Buses came with painted caps. It is also possible that…

The Specialty Equipment Market Association, or SEMA, is well known for its large event, the SEMA Show, which is held annually during the first week of November in Las Vegas, Nevada. This custom car extravaganza, a non-public trade show, features accessories/performanceparts/detailing products for modern cars, trucks, hot rods, along with workshop equipment and tools. Visitors can also see all sorts of crazy, cool custom builds every year. The latest SEMA Show proved especially exciting for our VW community, as an air-cooled Volkswagen proudly became one of the highlights within the sea of custom vehicles, during the week. Major American audio brand Kicker displayed this stunning 1951 Split Window in their booth at the SEMA Show last year, to show their latest audio setup. Air-cooled VW fans from all over the…

As a traveling writer and photographer, I spend a lot of time crashing on couches of friends and family who live in the areas I tend to feature events and cars. So, for me, it’s always exciting when people I know move to areas that I do not normally travel. Recently, my parents retired to Lakeland, Florida, so a whole new spectrum of cars was opened up to me during my first visit. During my initial trip, I lucked out and stumbled across a VW show in Clearwater, FL. It was a great event, so during my return trip the following year, I brought my camera. Right from the git-go, I liked the show simply due to its setting. The Steak and Lube restaurant is a super cool building packed…

With today’s various brands of imported parts, it’s hard to find quality items that give predictable results. The stock Beetle fuel pump is no exception to this statement. There’s simply no more important item to reliable running than a constant and reliable fuel supply. Your Robert Bentley VW manual states that acceptable fuel pressure should be between 3 and 5 pounds. Too much pressure and you’ll blow past the needle and seat causing flooding. Too little and you run the risk of running out of fuel on a freeway run. Most tuners agree that between 3 and 3.5 pounds works best with stock Solex carbs. The same holds true for dual Solex Kadrons, and many single throat dual carb setups. For dual Webers and Dellortos (dual throat variety) you should…

Some would consider the Type 3 the “Red headed stepchild” of Volkswagen, and over the years it seemed these cars were either loved or hated among VW enthusiasts. I consider myself somewhat biased considering my first car was a 1965 Baltic Blue Squareback and, over the last 20 years, I’ve owned a half dozen other Type 3s. My current daily cruiser is a 1966 Fastback with super faded original VW blue paint lowered on some original EMPI Sprint Stars. So, yeah, I guess I fall into that “weird Type 3 guy” category. Whether you’re a lover or hater of the Type 3, it’s hard to deny that the collector’s market for these cars is on the rise. Also, with the parts becoming harder to source compared to the more common…

One of our favorite shows to attend on our east side of the Motor City has always been MIVE’s Motorstadt, now in its 15th year. Motorstadt offers a chance for both vintage and late model VW and Audi enthusiasts – as well as other Euro cars – to come together as one, giving equal respect to both air- and water-cooled alike. Motorstadt is a celebration of European autos hosted by the Michigan Volkswagen Enthusiasts, or MIVE for short. MIVE is an informal club of water-cooled VW owners bound by an online message board and Facebook page. They organize several barbecues and gatherings throughout the year, and proudly boast of having no membership fees. Being very performance minded, they also attend Sports Car Club of America (SCCA) races and open track…

As we roll though life and enjoy our passions, we don’t often think about the future. Oh sure, we might be looking forward to the next big VW event or dreaming about completing a project we’ve been working on, but the view ahead is normally a bit short sighted. For those of us with the collecting gene deep within our veins, we jump from event to another on the quest for that rare part or special bit of literature. Guys like me who have minimal internal restraint when it comes to cars eventually find ourselves short on space and long on projects to keep them all running. Of course this is all driven by our passion and there seems to be little joy in tempering that enthusiasm. I often say…

Volkswagen and the I.D. R Pikes Peak have made history at the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb. Romain Dumas (France) drove the 500kW/680PS I.D. R Pikes Peak, beating competitors who used conventional drivetrains. He not only broke the previous record for electric vehicles, but also Sébastien Loeb’s (France) all-time record by 16 seconds (2013). Dumas’ new record, 7 minutes 57.148 seconds, is now the fastest record ever in Pikes Peak’s history. Known as “The Race to the Clouds”, it covers 12.42 miles, involves 156 turns, climbs 4,720 feet from the start at Mile 7 on Pikes Peak Highway, then finishes at 14,110 feet, on grades averaging 7.2%. Pikes Peak International Hill Climb has been held 96 times since 1916. After several practice sessions, each contender only had one attempt for…

It was long overdue. Though part of the Volkswagen scene for over a half a century, not much has been written about the mighty Volks Chancellors, a club established in 1965. Oh sure, a few of their cars have appeared in our racing coverage over the years, since members have won their fair share of rounds. Some readers might also recall our piece about the group, back in the February ’75 issue, arguably the most famous HotVWs copy ever, as it introduced “The California Look” to the world. In fact, writer Tom Chambers subtitled the Chancellors’ article “Another Part of the California Look”. To find out more about the club’s history and current state of affairs, we sat down with two of their members, President Craig Robert and Secretary Reggie…

While attending Huntington Park High School, Ralph learned metal fabrication and began a life’s career. Currently, Ralph is a metal fabricator and supervisor at D-Mills in Riverside, California where he works with Computer Numerical Control (CNC) machines to design parts for the aerospace industry. Ralph also has a second career; he has competed in the Amateur Bodybuilding Association (ABA) and National Physique Committee (NPC). In 2004, he competed in Las Vegas, Nevada and was awarded Mr. USA in his age and weight category. In 2009, he was awarded Mr. California and most recently placed 3rd for 40 and over classification in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Ralph was inspired by Austrian-American actor, producer, activist and former California Governor, Arnold Schwarzenegger. This has led to a life filled with automotive restoration, bodybuilding and fitness…