Innholdsfortegnelse for May 2023 i dune buggies and hotVWs

In this Semaphore column, I have mentioned my beloved 1958 VW Beetle countless times. But I don’t think we talked about our company’s air-cooled hauler. You have probably seen it at VW shows in Southern California, on social networks, or in this magazine. It’s a 1962 Type 2 Panel Van. This Panel Van is quite rare. It’s a special order model called SO-1: Westfalia Mobile Shop. What is so unique about it? The vehicle was built as a Type 213: left-hand drive with left-side cargo doors (usually on the right-hand side on regular models). Then, after the assembly was completed in the Hannover factory, it was transported to the Westfalia plant to install a large sales flap door - a top-hinged opening serving flap - on the right side. Our…

When I was 23 years old, I moved from my little hometown to the city of Karlsruhe in the south-west of Germany, close to the French border. I didn’t know anybody there, so the first thing I did was to check classic car magazines and the one German VW mag we had at that time for addresses of VW clubs. I only found a Karmann Ghia club that had weekly meetings in restaurants. But at least something, enough to meet new people. But before I went there, I had some friends visiting my new place. They were car guys as well and so we checked out a car museum nearby. On our way back to my new apartment, rolling in a convoy of a grey Volvo Amazons, a red Type…

In this article, I’ll be talking about single-port versus dual-port 1600cc heads. I know there are many singleport diehards out there and if you’re one of them, don’t read this. This is my opinion and what I have learned over the years. First, we will talk about the single ports. They have one round intake port that feeds two cylinders. This hole/port is about the size of each intake port runner leading up from each valve. Not a big deal here unless you are looking for more flow than stock. There is nothing you really can do to open this up. With that said, a stock single-port head makes a little (and I mean a little) more bottom-end horsepower than a dual-port head. It is not noticeable unless it was…

I had packed it a few miles away and somewhat forgotten about it,” Steve says. “I knew one I day I would have the time and resources to build it correctly.” That day finally came more than 25 years after he bought the car! When he pulled the Ghia out of storage, he emptied it out and sent it to a local body shop for straightening and paint. “I chose a modern paint color rather than doing a custom match’ of an original VW color; in case the need arose for future painting.” The color is a 2015 Fiat 500 “Ye-Ye Green” (known as Verde Chiaro in the US), which is very close to VW’s 1949 Beetle L11 Pastel Green. After paint, the car was returned to Steve’s home shop,…

Building a Beetle-based Volksrod remains one of the most ambitious projects within the VW hobby. You cannot simply remove the fenders and hope to achieve the desired look, as the vehicle will look too stubby and ungraceful. You guessed it: those front wheels need to move forward, closer to the nose of the hood! And while a chopped top may not be a must, it will make the vehicle appear sleeker and more aggressive. Such alterations are certainly not for the faint of heart. Metal fabricator and custom car builder Micah Wolfe-Parsons followed the abovementioned guidelines, though she didn’t stop there. Her Volksrod features a ton of other modifications, involving terms rarely used within the VW scene such as channeling and sectioning. If this wasn’t enough, she also built her…

It doesn’t take too long after you dive into Buses when you hear about M-codes, and next comes SO-models. You probably haven’t even heard about KW-codes yet, but they definitely existed and figure into the picture. Today, we will discuss all of them and hopefully not make it even more confusing. First off, we have M-codes. Those are the two- or three-digit codes that can be found on the plate, on the bulkhead behind where the passenger sits in your Bus. Well, as long as your Bus was built after the fall of 1958 that is. The earlier Type 2s have M-codes also, just not a fancy plate that is easy to read. The easiest way to find the M-codes for earlier Buses is to order the birth certificate for…

In 1988 Jason Fields was looking for a job. He stopped at a shop in Vancouver, Washington called Auto Sport International and realized they specialized in Volkswagens. At the time, he thought he hated VWs, so he walked out and spent the rest of the day searching for employment with no luck. Jason decided to go back to Autosport, and asked to speak to the owner and convinced him to give him a job. Over the next eight years working at Auto Sport International, Jason found he loved Volkswagens and learned how to do every repair imaginable to a Beetle. He worked in their wrecking yard, paint shop, mechanical shop, and new parts showroom. Jason also spent time with Jerry Kreinbring, the owner, going to different properties where they would…

Throughout Volkswagen’s history, 1949 was a significant year. After WWII, the British Military Government saved and managed Volkswagenwerk in Wolfsburg, located in the British-occupied zone. When the company turned four years old after the war, it was turned over to the trusteeship of the German Federal Government. The prior year, Major Ivan Hirst placed the former Opel manager Heinrich Nordhoff as managing director/chief executive of Volkswagenwerk. So, 1949 was the first year for the firm – it became a 100% German company and was managed by Germans. Later in 1949, Volkswagen released some photos of the prototype vehicle that became the second icon of the company, the Transporter/Type 2, more commonly known as “Bus" in the U.S. We won’t talk about the whole history of the Type 2 here but,…

Our custom-made 80mm forged pistons were inspected, checked for balance, and the ring gaps checked in the Wolfsburg West customized cylinders. The cylinders start out as Pre-A 356 Porsche and are modified to fit the 36HP case. At this time, the piston pins were tested in the rod bushings to ensure a nice push-through fit. With a light coat of engine oil, the pin should push easily through the piston and rod bushing. Ours were well done. Before setting up our compression ratio, the cylinder head chambers were checked for their cc capacity. We calculated the proper deck clearance for our intended compression ratio of 7.5-to-l. The cylinder bases are the same diameter as those on a 40HP engine, so we had some Top Line shims available to set the…

When I first started drag racing, and by that I mean the I/Gas class in a VW, things were much different than today. I’ll start with the race car we had. No wheelie bars, as we used the stinger; in fact, there were many things we raced without! We had no “two step”, no rev control and no slipper clutch. Making the car leave was a process of tire pressure and the RPM by the driver’s right foot. The launch RPM was determined by revving in sync with the tree and the three yellow lights as there was no pro tree. There were other things we would do prior to making a pass in the car setup. We did have adjustable rear shocks and torsion adjusters but no raised torsion…

Readers of my column might remember me mentioning the quest for a birthday Beetle before. At one point, I had found a VW that I was quite confident was a car that rolled off the assembly line the same day I did. It turned out that it wasn’t, but it helped me hone my searching skills for one that would be. I was bom November 29th, 1966, which would have been squarely within the 1967 model year production. I’ve always loved the ’67 Beetle, as many do. Hie unique one-yearonly attributes and the magic blend of the old style with the larger engine and 12-volt electrics make for one of the best-driving VWs of the era. Nineteen sixty seven was a strong year for Beetle production, with over 900,000 of…

Carl Horst Hahn, who led the company to business success in the U.S. market, passed away on January 14,2023, at the age of 96 in Wolfsburg. Carl Hahn set the course for today’s Volkswagen company success. As Chairman of the Board of Management of Volkswagen AG and member of the supervisory board for numerous national and international companies, Carl Hahn was one of the most important European entrepreneurs, He had a lasting impact on the Volkswagen Group and its suppliers but also assumed long-term responsibility for the communities he lived in. Carl Horst Hahn was born on July l, 1926, in Chemnitz into a Catholic industrial family. His father was instrumental in the rise of DKW to become the largest motorcycle factory in the world and was one of the…

This fall event (with a chart topping 68 cars registered) hosted racers, friends, and family from California, Oregon, Washington, Nevada, Hawaii, and even had special appearances from Shane Constantinescu from Canada and Joe Koenig from New Jersey. It’s amazing to see just how much the reach has grown in the West Coast VW racing scene since the Fast4 Cartel started organizing events five years ago All the usual festivities were present at the Fall Brawl 4, including the famously delicious Kinney Cafeteria, the kids’ corner that Erin puts together, and the ever long table of raffle items. Temps hovered in the high 90s and low 100s most of the weekend, so kids and adults alike thoroughly enjoyed the shaved ice stand. Added fun for this October event was the “Trunk…

By the early 1970s, a number of companies had copied the Manx buggy created by Bruce Meyers in ’64. Yet a handful of enthusiasts showed a lot more imagination, with lines that clearly veered away from Bruce’s original design. One such vehicle was the Barris Fun Buggy, which graced hotVWs’ pages in November 1970. The innovative little tub came from the fertile brain of well-known custom car builder George Barris (1925-2015). George opened Barris Kustoms near Los Angeles after WWII, with his brother Samjoining in him in ’45. Sam had amazing skills as a craftsman, while George had the showmanship and savvy business skills. The duo went to create a series of highly regarded customized automobiles, including several Mercury coupes unveiled in a number of magazines starting in the early…