dune buggies and hotVWs August 2019

I've been a VW nut since the age of four. My uncle, who used to live with us, drove a ’73 or ’74 Beetle and I always enjoyed getting a ride and sitting behind the back seat, to hear the sound of the air-cooled flat4 engine and experience its soothing vibrations. And here is cool fact: my uncle is still driving a Beetle today, a nicely restored 1967 Convertible. I still clearly remember picking up my first Beetle, turning the ignition key, shifting the first gear, pushing the throttle pedal, engaging the clutch, and starting to roll down the road. That car was a ’75 Standard Beetle called 1200L. Since then, my automobile life has been filled full of joy, driving Bugs almost every day to go everywhere. So far,…

EMPI HPMX 44 Carbs I have a 1915cc street legal rail buggy with dual EMPI HPMX 44s. I might have a problem with the right side carb. The buggy runs great for a while; then the right side of the motor gets cold and runs terrible. I had the carbs rebuilt three times and re-jetted by a professional. Are there problems with the HPMX carbs? Should I throw them in the trash and start over with newer carbs? Several tech-oriented friends cannot figure it out either. Can anyone there give me some advice? The problem is intermittent. Thank you. Raymond Motil Massillon, OH Raymond, It’s almost impossible to diagnose poor running from a letter, but here goes. No, there is nothing inherently wrong with Empi’s HPMX kit over a Weber…

It’s hard to believe that it’s been 50 years since Max Yasgur’s Farm in the Catskills became, for one astounding weekend, the pilgrimage to Mecca known as Woodstock. It was on August 15th through 18th in the Summer of Love 1969, that 400,000 people descended on the dairy farm in Bethel, New York, to celebrate peace, love and universal acceptance, while listening to 32 of the most outstanding musical acts in history. In flipping through the hundreds of photos from the event, it’s amazing to see so many Volkswagens there – Bugs, Buses, Ghias, and Squarebacks – almost every photo includes one! This indeed was the carmaker-of-choice for the individualistic Woodstock Generation! One Bus in particular stands out from the rest. In 1968, Baltimore musician Bob Grimm asked his artist/muralist…

This week, I had a phone message from someone asking about a car that had sold off my website. I returned the call and left a message that it indeed had sold and then went on with my day. A couple days went by and the same caller had called again about the car, which struck me as a bit odd, but I entertained the conversation as I usually do as you never really know where it is going to lead, and every call is a potential customer, even those that call to pick your brain or ask simple questions. Quickly I realized that this call was one driven by the heart, not the wallet, and off we went on a wonderful trip down memory lane for the both of…

Volkswagen's tourist delivery program allowed you to buy a VW at your local dealership; then pick it up in Europe, take a vacation driving your own new car around the continent. Owners would consequently drive it to a VW dealership in one of many of the largest European cities, and Volkswagen would ship your car to your local VW dealership, where you would pick up your now “used new car”. This was really cool on many levels. These cars are all special order, many have special options, some different from anything regularly delivered to the USA. I am not sure when the program started. I have not seen any sales literature or internal dealership info before the 1960s. Buses got M-code plates starting in October 1958, so any German-built Buses…

As I am writing these lines, the 1st of May Show just closed its doors. Some might call the event “The indicator”; others dub it “The barometer of (VW) public opinion”. With 3,500 air-cooled VWs and 15,000 visitors, it is Germany’s biggest Volkswagen show. It helps gauging the vibe in the community. And the vibe is good. Business is booming, although the image of the automobile in general isn’t the best right now. Cars are blamed to be polluters, making people ill. New cars! But that rubs off on classic cars as well. Plus, the rules for obtaining an H (historic) license plate are getting stricter in Germany, while the government inspectors are getting increasingly nervous and reserved when it comes to accepting modifications on cars featuring an H plate.…