dune buggies and hotVWs April 2023

Two Thousand Twenty Three marks Dune Buggies and hotVWs' 56th year of print publication. As a reminder, hotVWs Magazine has never stopped being printed and delivering magazines to our subscribers and newsstands periodically since 1967. The first edition was published in February 1967 as a Cycle World Magazine's special edition by Parkhurst Publishing Company. The name of the magazine was “Dune Buggies and hot VWs”. This early publication had a significant impact on the market. Back then, you could purchase a brand-new 1967 Beetle, Ghia, Bus, and Type 3 via any Volkswagen dealership. Bruce Meyers had also developed the Manx buggy a few years before, which had a massive impact on the off-road scene. EMPI was offering a variety of accessories/performance parts to dress up or soup up your Volkswagen.…

Being retired, we're fortunate to be able to escape the grip of Ol' Man Winter and head south where the vintage VWs are not just stored for the winter, they're being driven daily - and there's no better place than the aptly named Sunshine State. After attending Barrett-Jackson in Arizona three years ago, we decided to attend the even larger Mecum Auto Auction in Kissimmee, Florida this year. From humble beginnings in 2004 that took place beneath a single tent and reached just $4 million sales, the annual Mecum Kissimmee Auction is now the world's largest, taking over all 195 acres of Osceola Heritage Park during its 12-day run, and consigning 4,000 vehicles from 47 states - 3,180 of which sold for a record-breaking $234 million. That eclipsed last year's…

As I sit here in front of my computer, I'm thinking back at 2022 and how different it was. Because of many things, it was a year to remember and reflect in this column. For me, it began with thoughts of the coming race season both as a race director in the Triple Crown series and as a competitor in the Bugorama events. It was a year of political unrest, conflict and inflation just to name a few. That last part, inflation, made even going racing more expensive! Along with these, we had a continuing pandemic with new variants. All of this affected VW people and events. It was not our best year in the Cal Look scene. As a matter of fact, I remember when in my life a…

Under Pressure I have stock Nankang 5.60R15 tires on my 1966 Convertible with four new, stock shocks from Wolfsburg West. What is the correct tire pressure on this setup? 30 PSI results in a very rough ride. Thanks. Craig Coveil Upland, CA Craig, although the factory has recommended slightly different front tire pressures over the years, the average pressure that works best is around 18 pounds. This is because the light front end on these cars doesn't make a proper contact patch with the pavement with higher pressures. The ride can be quite rough as well, even with modern radial tires. Keep your rear pressure pretty much as you have it at 29 to 30 PSI for safe handling. Loud and Louder Hi Jon! Thanks for providing Tech Talk. It…

Buses like to go on road trips. In addition to carrying plenty of stuff, they traverse most any road that takes vehicle traffic. Plenty of folks have written about their road trips over the years. This month, we will take a look at some of those travel adventure books that are centered around Buses. In the early '5os, folks were driving their Buses all over the world in remote places. In 1953, some Swedes drove the most modern cars (at that time) from Sweden all the way down through Africa. It was a '51 23-window Deluxe powered by a 25hp engine and completely loaded with gear and people. They chronicled their travels in a book, which is titled “Mara Moja” by Lars-Henrik Ottoson. It is a good read with lots…

For quite a few years now, I have been making the annual trip to Scottsdale Arizona to attend the assorted classic car auctions. This is an attraction that has drawn me in for much of my conscious life since attending some of the very earliest Barrett Jackson auctions in the 1970s as a wee lad in the shadow of my father. The auctioneers' ramble and the smell of exhaust fumes satisfy something deep within my soul and, every time I go, I just love the experience. One of my longest known friends was also a kid following his father to these sales in the early days and we usually join up together to attend and have a good time. This year, one of my brothers came along as well, so…