Innholdsfortegnelse for January 2024 i dune buggies and hotVWs

I just can't believe that the holiday season is already here, and the new year is just around the corner. As I write this column, it's the first week of November. I've just returned from the SEMA Show in Las Vegas, and daylight saving time is about to end in California. By the time you receive this copy of the magazine, we will already be in the midst of the holiday season. Are you ready for 2024? There are only a few weeks remaining in this year. The year 2023 was another unforgettable year in Dune Buggies and hotVWs magazine's history. Once again, we started seeing international friends here in the States following the pandemic. I also travelled more extensively this year, covering events in other States and overseas, including…

Do you think all books about VWs are already written? I don't think so. Even 20 years ago, people said that already, when I wrote my first book. The concept behind it occurred to me by accident. I had seen the spinoff from VolksWorld magazine, named “Keeping your legend alive”. It was a thicker magazine filled with the how-to-stories published in VolksWorld. I offered the idea to my publishing house – I was second editor at VW Speed magazine back then – but they refused. Several months later, I got a call from the publishing house, asking me if I could do a book incorporating the DIY articles we had published in our mag. I told them that we hadn't enough stories to fill a book plus we would need…

SEVENTEEN-INCH 3-FIFTY-6 ALLOY WHEEL Cip1-manufactured 3-Fifty-6 alloy wheel available in standard silver and mirror chrome finish – 17x7 – 18 lbs. 40mm ET. You can install a stock VW or Porsche hubcap (sold separately). For more information, www2.cip1.com. EMPI 90-AMP ALTERNATOR All new black 90-amp alternator features a new hi-tech armature and an internal voltage regulator, providing maximum charging power and running cooler than the dual fan models while using less horsepower to operate. The durable black finish is the perfect way to finish off your engine compartment. For more information, visit EMPI dealers or empius.com. BUILDER'S CHOICE ENGINE KITS – 105 HP 1776CC Designed for maximum power output on Regular Fuel. The Builders Choice Engine Kits are set up with the novice builder in mind. Easy to assemble with…

Morgan was born in Australia, and Volkswagens have been a part of his life since the beginning. His mother, Heather, purchased this righthand drive 1973 Squareback before he was born. He grew up in this very car. As Morgan got older, he would learn to drive in the Square, and discover the basics of air-cooled engine care and maintenance from his father. “But most of all, it's the memories of my mother Heather the car holds for me,” Morgan says. “Whenever I drive ‘Mutti’ (the German word for mother), it's the place I feel the closest to my mother.” Heather passed from cancer in 2001, and one of her requests was for her beloved Squareback to find a home with someone who would be interested in keeping it. “When I…

As the car show season winds down in the Midwest, one of the last blasts is the Greater Toledo Volkswagen Club's annual Bugfest, always held on the third Sunday in September. Now in its 32nd successful year, this is always a delightful show! One of the hallmarks of a good event is an excellent location. Two years ago, organizers made a great transition, to beautiful Oak Shade Grove Park, home of the German American Festival Society. The GAF Society began in 1966, to bring together all those of German and Swiss heritage. Their festival in August of that year was the first large-scale ethnic event in Toledo, and became a standard for all other heritage groups. They found Oak Shade Grove three years later, and the park has since grown…

My first exposure to Schulwagens was a well-known picture of 14 1956 Schulwagens lined up in front of the first headquarters of Volkswagen of America. The picture long intrigued me. Knowing that none of these Buses were known to exist, in early 2022, I decided to build a tribute car out of an early 1957 Kombi. I posted questions on thesamba.com and got responses showing some pictures of various Schulwagens from America, South Africa, and New Zealand. Fast forward to the summer of 2022, when my friend, “Beanie” Brian McCue, sent me some pictures of a few Barndoor Buses that he had bought from Bob Scofield in Ohio. One of them intrigued me greatly, being a highly optioned Kombi. It had “Safari” opening front windshields, six pop-out side windows, a…

Germany uses a license plate design that adheres to European Union standards, featuring a long horizontal format. Plates typically begin with one, two, or three letters representing the district where the car was registered, such as ‘H’ for Hannover, ‘OS’ for Osnabrück, or ‘WOB’ for Wolfsburg. Now, these first one, two or three letters generally reflect the size of the district (with some exceptions). As you might imagine, larger population areas would require more digits after the prefix for additional cars. Therefore, the largest German cities typically have a one-letter code (e.g., B=Berlin, M=Munich, K=Köln, F=Frankfurt, L=Leipzig, S=Stuttgart). Most other cities/ districts in Germany use two or three-letter codes. Additionally, historic vehicles (30 years or older) may have the ‘H’ suffix in the last digit to indicate their historic status.…

Last summer, team hotVWs traveled to the Nor Cal Dub Affair, a well-attended event held in the scenic town of San Juan Bautista. It drew a pack of nicely finished rides, with one in particular that kept on drawing us back – a turbocharged ‘61 Beetle with a ton of attitude. Belonging to Steve Mizzi, it reminded us of the VWs we used to admire back in the 1980s. You know, bright paint, Centerline wheels, tinted windows, and a cool custom interior. The fact that Steve began his Volkswagen journey in 1987 might explain his ride's overall vibe. “I was 14 when I purchased my first Bug, a yellow ‘70, for $800,” he remembers. “I made it look like a ‘65, after replacing the fenders, doors, hood, decklid and aprons.…

Although disc brakes hadn't quite caught on in American made cars, VW introduced air-cooled Type 1 and Type 3 customers to disc brake systems as early as 1965. Let's take a look at this most popular caliper format, and see what's available in disc brake upgrades. A quick check on the history of disc brakes will tell you that the earliest offerings weren't from VW. The Jensen Model 541 Deluxe had them in 1956. Citroën also introduced their customers to discs in 1955. In the USA, Cadillac offered them as an option in 1967, although they weren't standard equipment until the 1969 model year. VW started offering disc brakes on the Karmann Ghia in 1965, and on European Bug models as early as 1967. It's curious though that disc brakes…

In late July, I was speaking to the new owner of hotVWs Magazine, Tom Kinney, about Volkswagen events, and he asked if I had ever been to the Shaka VW meet. As you may already know, Tom was born and raised in Hawaii. I replied “no”. I've been to the Hawaiian Islands but never to that show. Tom said, “Oh, you gotta go!” So, I called up my longtime friend Rich Kimball who didn't need any urging to go to the Islands, and the planning began. The Shaka meeting is on Labor Day weekend and is held at Ala Moana Park, right next to the beach in Honolulu. When we arrived, Tom hooked us up with the president of the VW Club of Hawaii, Todd Matsumoto, who very kindly loaned…

As many of you know, I'm a bit of a barn find hunter. I have shared many of my finds with the hotVWs readers and even more on social media and YouTube, and as a result of that, people often contact me when they see something interesting. Truly, some of my best leads have come from random tips from strangers, and while I have at times felt like that gives me an unfair advantage over most folks out there that share the same passion, I'm certainly not angry about it. I am immensely thankful for the opportunities that come to me this way. I like to think that it's a karmic payback for all those years of just being a decent human and treating people right. Sharing the finds with…

The Volkswagen brand is giving its electric offensive an additional boost: by 2027, Europe's largest automotive manufacturer will launch 11 new all-electric models, offering the widest range of electric vehicles among all manufacturers. This range will encompass everything from a compact car priced at less than 25,000 euros to a family sedan. Additionally, in the future, there will be sporty and emotive GTI versions of selected models from the all-electric ID. family. The ID. GTI Concept show car, presented for the first time at the IAA Mobility in Munich, provides a concrete insight into how Volkswagen plans to carry the iconic GTI label into the electric future. Thomas Schäfer, CEO of Volkswagen Passenger Cars, says: “We have realigned Volkswagen over the course of recent months. Our actions are always focused…

You won't find anything like it anywhere else. The event hasn't been hosted since 2007 when Volkswagen Nutzfahrzeuge (Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles, or VWCV) celebrated the 60th anniversary of the Bus. I personally missed the event, which remains one of my biggest regrets in my VW life. When VWCV announced that they would host another VW Bus Festival in 2023, and invited us to be part of this historical happening, I knew I couldn't miss this one, as it would be a once-in-alifetime experience. For 15 years, the VW Bus community eagerly awaited news of another VW Bus Festival. Once VWCV posted about the festival on social media, the word quickly spread around the planet, and the anticipation for the event was immense. Before we begin, I'd like to mention something…

The vintage Bus show held at the Huntington Beach (HB) Pier has become a favorite event, not only for VW buffs but also for locals and visitors from all over the world. The organizer of this event, Don Ramsey from the Köwabunga Van Klan, is a native HB local and a lifelong Type 2 enthusiast. He began hosting unofficial (without permits or authorization from the city) Bus gatherings on HB's Main Street in the early morning, reserving all the parking spots. (He had to personally feed the parking meters). This unofficial event not only pleased tourists and visitors but also drew the attention of officials from the City of Huntington Beach. Subsequently, they reached out to Don, holding him responsible for the chaos. As a form of “reparation”, the city…

The late 1960s were incredible times for buggy owners, as numerous companies kept on creating diverse and occasionally groundbreaking rides. Our May 1969 cover proves the point, as it featured three very different models: the street rod-inspired Berry Mini-T (which we unveiled in Part 6 of our series), the wedge-shaped Scorpion LT, and the low-to-the-ground Bugetta – the subject of this month's article. The vehicle was the work of Jerry Eisert, a hot rodder who first became active on California's dry lakes where he would chase speed records. Yet history will remember him as a racecar builder, who left his mark on Indy cars as well as other series (such as Formula 5000) through his company, Eisert Racing Enterprises. Eisert's expertise led him to be involved in one of the…

This information is accurate as of November 7, 2023. Please check the event organizers’ websites for the latest updates. December 03, 2023 CVA's LAST HURRAH Location: Westbrook, CT Description: Sunday December 3, 2023 is the Connecticut Volkswagen Association's “Last Hurrah” at 401 Seaside Ave. Westbrook CT 06498. Are you crazy enough to go to a VW event in December? Weather permitting we will be gathering at the Westbrook Town Beach from noon to 3:pm for the last event of 2023. Afterwards we are all invited to participate in the Annual Westbrook “Tree Lighting Parade”. The parade starts at 4:pm sharp and circles around the town green. Volkswagen decorating is highly encouraged! There's plenty of food, entertainment, and activities on the green after the parade including wagon rides and a visit…