Innholdsfortegnelse for July 2022 i dune buggies and hotVWs

As of April 2022, our company OCI Media has reached its fifth anniversary, after taking over Dune Buggies and hotVWs Magazine’s operation. I just can’t get over how time flies. We have produced 63 issues since 2017. Of course, this is still a tiny part of the 55 years and 616 issues in the magazine’s history, but we are very proud to deliver our publication to both subscribers and newsstands without interruption. We want to thank you all for your strong support and encouragement. We would have never met this challenge and achieved such a benchmark without you. I am grateful for the fantastic support from our loyal subscribers and readers, our very special advertisers, our team, our talented contributors, and my dear family and friends. You kept us inspired,…

Widen the Fan Shroud When using a stroker crank, wouldn’t you also need to widen the fan shroud? Tim Howell Texarkana, TX Yes, you are correct! You can build a “standard-width” stroker up to around 78mm by using the “B-type” pistons with shorter dimensions, but when you go longer than this, the engine gets wider. This is especially true when you consider the use of cylinder spacers and longer connecting rods. When folks started using the 36HP fan shrouds for a cooler look, they noted that there was a gap between the cylinder covers and the shroud. The fix for this was to either drop a spacer in there, or modify the cylinder covers by bending and welding the tin. Tim, let me tell you that this has been a…

hotVWs was invited to the pre-show camp with the event organizers. We were on-hand Wednesday evening with a handful of the New Mexico Bus Club and friends at the site, to help prepare the grounds for the upcoming meet. Shawn Fellner of the NMBC says: “It’s been my dream to find a place like this close to the balloon field. I searched for many years, and thanks to Neil and the Alameda Little League we have a great new venue!” All the proceeds from the event support the local Little League Baseball organization. Before the end of the evening, we were treated by a flyby of the International Space Station! Even astronauts want in on the action. Thursday morning, everyone was up early to witness the daily launching of the…

400 MEMBERS AND 1000+ VWS SPREAD GLOBALLY “Southern California’s VW scene supposedly has more vintage Volkswagens than anywhere else in the world, but there was no vintage (stock) VW only club. So, I just wanted to have something we could hang out with friends who share the same passion for vintage VWs,” president of the club Frank Espinoza explained. And so he started the RVA club nine years ago. The RVA club originally started opening its membership to 1960 and earlier VW owners. It quickly gained a presence in the VW scene, with famous VW artist Tim Leventry designing the RVA logo. Then, a few years later, the RVA club extended eligibility to 1963 and earlier models. The membership count has increased rapidly since with nearly 400 members from 25…

Top 20 Erik Black/ 1966 Bus Jr Lopes/ 1965 Bus Noah Ross/ 2003 GTI Brett Carlsen/ 1966 Bug Ryan Rutledge/ 1956 Bus Sam Spangler/ 1967 SO/ 42 Kevin Williams/ 1963 Single Cab Charles Clayton/ 1967 Dune Buggy Ric Birks/ 1959 Extended Single Cab-1965 904 Carrera Steve Bateson/ 2017 Golf Alltrack Scot Maxwell/ 1954 “Singlecamp” Orlando Kartel/ 1986 Vanagon Juan Rea/ 1956 Bug Terry Boren/ 1956 Bug Todd West/ 1960 Bug Brian Hull/ 1957 Bug Jordan Sonntag/ 1971 Westfalia Jay Fichialos/ 1961 Porsche 356 Replica Morgan Ingmire/ 1973 Squareback Ivan Utrera/ 1984 Puma Sponsor Choice trophies Chad Tone/ 2016 Beetle Dune Halen Hubbard/ 1970 Bus DJ Heaton/ 1958 Bug Fernando Orlandini/ 1989 Fox Wagon Club Choice Mike McNeil (Mayor’s Choice)/ McNeil Collection (9 VWs) Helder Martins/ 1989 Fox Rodney Cox/ 1959…

With the introduction of the Modified Compact class in NHRA racing’s Modified Eliminator for 1973, many VW racers welcomed the additional class that seemed perfect for the air-cooled VW Bug or Fastback. That was until, they read the rule book’s fine print. Unlike the gas classes (H-Gas and I-Gas for example), Modified Compact not only had to run a pound-per-cubic weight break, but also, they had to make sure their VW had 45% weight on the front two tires and 55% weight on the rear two tires. Sound easy enough? Think again. Knowing that VWs were rear-engined, and had a greater amount of weight on the rear, NHRA made entering this class a challenge in anyone’s book. Now in the case of Darrell Vittone’s 1967 sunroof sedan, he planned to…

This information is accurate as of MAY 8th, 2022. Please check the event organizers’ websites for the latest updates. JUNE 3, 2022 DKP Pre-Classic Cruise Night Location: Downtown Garden Grove’s Main Street, Garden Grove, CA Description: the event starts at 4:00 p.m. with Main street GG blocked-off and packed with VWs. Plenty of great food vendors, band and more. Visit Website: http://www.dkpcarclub.com June 4, 2022 Buggin The Dragon Organization : East Tennessee Air Cooled VW Location: Townsend, TN Description: Once again, Air-cooled VWs will attack the Dragon, starting off in Townsend, TN. 318 Curves in 11 miles - Designated US129, the road is bordered by the Great Smoky Mountains and the Cherokee National Forest. It is considered “The Destination ‘’ for thousands of motorcycle and sports car fans throughout the…

In the post-Barndoor years, Westfalia production really got going. From here on out, Westfalia would have multiple types of camper kits and options available within those kits. A person could buy a regular Deluxe Export model off their dealership floor; then whatever was the normal kit arrived via a regular dealer order. Or the customer could special order something and get a bit creative. Westfalia was a coachbuilder that was used to building things to customer’s specs. For instance: If you wanted a different kit, or your camper kit installed into a different model, or add to or take away parts of the kit, or choose your own color. In the mid ‘50s, there were not many color choices for Buses. Sure, there were special paint versions, but those were…

Thanks to their elegant style and distinctive design, Volkswagen Hebmüller convertibles have been highly sought after by collectors for decades. Only 696 ended up being produced and the Hebmüller Registry lists a little over 150 of these still existing today, hence owning one remains quite a feat. Karl Schuler belongs to these happy few. Furthermore, his example turns out to be one of the nicest in the United States. Several books and magazine articles have been devoted to the car’s history, so we won’t delve on the subject extensively. But just in case you know little about the “Heb”, here is some key information… During the years that followed the Second War, Volkswagen went to work on two models; one assembled by the Karmann factory (AKA Type 15), the other…

KARMANN PRODUCED ONLY ABOUT 4000 KABRIOLETTS IN ‘54 Now retired, Kimbel Ritch worked as a supervisor for Southern California Edison – and electricity supply company – for 31 years and served 12 years in the US Army. His life is fulfilled today thanks to a wonderful and supportive wife, Patricia, two children (plus grandkids), and seven vintage Volkswagens. He is a hardcore vintage enthusiast and member of the Rare Vintage Air club, acting as an international VW ambassador. Kimbel got hooked on Volkswagens thanks to his dad and brother – he was the youngest child in the family. Dad had a 1956 Convertible Beetle, and his brother three more Volkswagens: two Lowlight Karmann Ghias and a ’55 European-specs Beetle. When he turned 16 in 1969, he bought his first VW…

WRAP YOUR HEAD AROUND THE RARITY OF THIS CAR! Sometimes it’s really hard to wrap your head around the rarity of a car, and the 1944 Beetle you see before you is an excellent example. Take a moment to really absorb the fact that this Beetle was actually manufactured during World War II, and then used in the war effort. So not only was the ’44 assembled during a time when virtually no cars were being manufactured, it managed to survive the war, and beyond. Today, only four of these war-era 1944 KdF Type 60 Beetles are known to survive, and this is the only example of a running and driving car. Pretty amazing and humbling to spend time around such a special Volkswagen. Mac Jones is an avid collector…

We met in Sweden at the West Coast Bugmeet in Ängelholm, Sweden. When we approached them about the Beetle, they had just had two vehicles voted as “Top 10 Most Outstanding” cars of the show. Ironically, they had both one of the most original cars, the 1951 Split window Beetle, and one of the most outrageously customized ones, a custom 1969 rat rod with front windshields resembling those on a Split Window Bus. We asked if we could photograph the ‘51 somewhere nearby. At first, the Lindblads were hesitant because they were unable to drive the car due to Sweden’s very, very low alcohol limit for driving, and being at a VW campout, they had each both had a drink. At that point, Keith Steinick, owner of CSP (Custom Speed…

The conception of the Volkswagen had begun in Germany in 1933, when Der Führer announced at the Berlin Auto Show the importance of transportation in the form of a small, economical car. He stated that the living standard of a nation was judged by the total length of its good autobahns (freeways). Also, a good autobahn was important only in that it could be the avenue for a dependable, yet inexpensive car that could be owned by any German citizen. Between 1933 and 1938, Dr. Porsche had developed, built and tested several series of the People’s Car and the production series was the VW Type 38. A suitable location for the production factory was decided upon in northern Germany. On May 26, 1938, the Cornerstone Ceremony for the location of…

“Hebmüller 14-00296” is the first of two Type 14A VW “Hebs” that were owned and restored by me, Pete Banholzer of Fairfax, Virginia, USA. Feature chassis number 1-0126 870, it was rolled off from Hebmüller’s factory on December 13, 1949. It was sold through MAHAG VW of Munich, Germany. I bought Heb #296 in July 1965 from Raymond J. Van Giesen who shipped her back from his US Army post in Germany. Heb #296 was the first of six Hebs owned by Ray, and it was previously driven in Europe by his wife Susan. I picked up the bright red Hebmüller from Ray’s army buddy “Colonel” Eri Richardson near the port of Baltimore, Md., and he boasted that Ray had sold the Heb in order to buy Susan an even…

Many vintage Volkswagen enthusiasts will agree that we are not only interested in the car itself but also often fascinated by everything about the VW brand. Besides owning, driving, and wrenching on their vintage ride, some folks are addicted to toys, accessories, Volkswagens in movies, historical facts, and even some weird stuff nobody understands but VW people. If you love the history of the Volkswagen brand, reading period documents such as original brochures, manuals, books, and timeworn magazines is a great way to learn about these old cars. I have been hunting copies of Gute Fahrt (a German VW magazine since 1950) and Foreign Car Guide (a U.S. magazine published between 1956 and ’72). These two publications offer incredible VW articles and even greater advertisements, which allow you to discover…

Festivities began Friday evening as Volkswagen SouthTowne, the local dealership, hosted an Open House and meet & greet event. This get-together continues to grow each year, as the front parking lot and the street were packed with both vintage and water-cooled rides. SouthTowne even had a few classic rides on display in their showroom. The main event is Saturday, and we were on scene as the Utah Transporter Association arrived at Riverton’s City Hall Park for final setup. At the same time, Mother Nature decided to make an appearance, and it began raining. A steady rain would continue through the setup stage, and persist for the next few hours. Only a handful of show attendees arrived, but it was clear the weather was keeping people at home for now. Finally,…