Tabla de contenidos para April 2021 en VolksWorld

It is with heavy heart, that I share the sad news of the passing of a great friend and well-known automotive photographer, Mike Key. Mike’s photography has appeared in countless magazines and books around the globe over the many years he spent travelling around the UK, Europe and beyond with his beloved wife, June. Mike and June worked harder than anyone else to ensure they ‘got the shot’, and I speak for every one of the hundreds of vehicle owners they worked with over the years when I say that not only was Mike the consummate professional but, as a couple, Mike and June were true charmers – the nicest folk in the business, bar none. “without Mike’s invaluable guidance, I wouldn’t be doing this job today” Having been a…

The right boots I have just received the March edition of VolksWorld and enjoyed reading the article about Mark Ward’s 1303S Karmann Cabriolet. I own a ’73 1303 Cab’ and am looking to purchase some Fuchs wheels and tyres, hence I wondered if you could let me know the exact tyre spec on the car as the stance is just right in my eyes. The feature says the car is fitted with 4.5-inch front and 5.5-inch rear wheels, but I’d love to know the tyre sizes (and brand, too). I'm loving the magazine again after a seven-year break from reading it, and I’m really looking forward to starting a new project with my Karmann Cabriolet. The theme I’m going for is ‘Denim Bug’, a kind of cross between a Marathon…

Some are born to build great cars, some achieve great cars, and others have great cars thrust upon them. If you’re a Shakespearean purist, then I’m sorry, but somehow it just works in this context. “It was a gamble, but for me it was a winner” Now would be the perfect time to introduce the owner of this classic 67 Cal Looker, John Leman, and drop him neatly into one of the aforementioned categories created by The Great Bard of Avon himself. As I’m the guy writing this particular piece, you think I could have gone a little easier on myself. The thing is, what John has done doesn’t have a category. It’s really a hybrid of all three. Confused? Let me explain. John was never in a position to…

Anyone who wandered onto the Just Kampers stand at the last VolksWorld Show will have clocked this Sealing Wax Red 11-window Split. To the casual admirer, it may have stood out due to its unusual (Canadian) Royal Mail livery, but to the Split Screen cognoscenti, it’s what’s going on inside that really gets the juices flowing. You see, when it comes to rare models, this former post van knocks your Barndoor Sambas into a cocked hat. Still not convinced? Take a look at the interior pics and you’ll notice there’s something a little out of the ordinary in the cab area – specifically the front bulkhead(s), or lack thereof. Then you notice there is no passenger seat, and the driver’s seat swivels. So yeah, forget about corner windows and Golde…

“for a while just about any small toy vehicle was called a Dinky Toy, whether it was one or not” I grew up in an era when Dinky Toys were very popular. Cars, trucks, military vehicles… the brand was so well known, for a while just about any small toy vehicle was called a Dinky Toy, whether it was one or not. These hugely popular diecast toy vehicles were produced by the Meccano Toy Company in England and sold under the Dinky Toys sub brand. As far as the history goes, Liverpudlian Frank Hornby, the man behind the Meccano Toy Company, designed and launched the original Dinky Toys series in 1933 and they were instantly popular. So much so that Hornby became a millionaire before the end of the decade.…

“a certain level of extreme in off-the-wall styling” If you’ve ever visited a major European event you’ll almost certainly have stumbled across Gianni Sanchez and the RadikalBugZ crew. If not, allow us to explain a little more about the RadikalBugZ ethos. Low – like really, really low – is a major part of the movement, as is a certain level of extreme in off-the-wall styling. We’re talking rusty Ovals with superchargers hanging out the boot, insane chopped and channelled Volks rods, crazy low Ghias and even the odd air-cooled K70 and T4. Literally anything goes with these guys. So, when Gianni announced he would be hosting the R.A.R.S. (RadikalBugZ Aircooled Rumble Show) #1 meet in September last year, just after the last lockdown was lifted, people immediately responded. Of course,…

CSP Master Introducing the sumptuous new CSP master catalogue, packed with 1,000 high quality products all developed and designed at CSP products HQ in Bargteheide, Germany. The 226-page, A4 catalogue contains everything from engine components and chassis parts through to body elements and electrical components. In addition to detailed product descriptions, every item has a QR code that can be scanned with your Smartphone and leads directly to the web shop so it's super easy to make purchases. How much? 10 euros (but that will be deducted from your next online order if you use the voucher code that comes with the catalogue) From: www.csp-shop.com / tel. +49 4532 23240 Bus style Want to smarten up your tatty door edge, or protect them from damage in the first place? Then…

You’ll find the owner of this 65-year-old Oval running around the servers of Instagram under the username Vegas Oval and, as such, I actually followed his account for a while before being asked to write about the car for VolksWorld. I mean, who doesn’t love Vegas, right? And, as far as an Oval goes, has there ever been a more beautiful looking Beetle? Not in my eyes. It was a combination I just couldn’t resist, and so hit follow. I imagine many of you will feel the same once you’ve finished reading this feature. The Oval bit I’m going to assume you got straight away from the pictures. The Vegas bit, however, requires a few more words of explanation. So let’s start with the ones you need to get the…

Hands up if you’ve ever been stood in the barn behind nitromethanefuelled Funny Cars or Top Fuellers at Santa Pod? Only readers of a certain age will recall that feeling, their eyes streaming, their throats irritated and that indescribable shudder through the body that only a nitro drag car at full chat can provide. Alas, the health and safety bods put paid to Santa Pod’s barn in 2007, meaning it is no longer possible to stand directly behind one of these insane machines as they let rip, but what they can’t take from us are the noises, smells, tyre smoke and chest-flattening shock that comes from watching the world’s fastest accelerating machines literally detonate off the line. So, imagine how that feeling is amplified when you’re in the car. 0-100mph…

Last month we left Bonneville in 1961, and we return to arguably the world’s most famous salt flats again in 1962, when Mel Ellis and Johannes ‘John’ Gosvig partnered again to find out how fast a 36bhp [30 horse to us Europeans] Okrasa motor could be made to go in a 1954 Beetle. To reduce internal drag, first, second and reverse gears were removed from the transaxle, which meant a push start was required at the start of the runs. They concluded (wrongly, as it turned out) that the reduced friction would offer the potential for a higher top speed. Numerous other ‘tuning’ techniques were tried, from cutting up an old clothes line pole found behind the motel to create four individual exhaust pipes (nobody knew about extractor exhaust systems…

Looking at Manuel ‘Manny’ Ramirez’s Coral Red ’57 Oval, with patina in spades, it’s hard to believe this was once a $500 backyard Baja Bug find. There’s been a bit of a resurgence of interest in old Baja Bugs of late, not least because they can be one of the few cheap ways left to get into early Bug ownership – at least if you live on the west coast or in the south western corner of the USA, but the tide may be turning. For many, like Manny, turning a hacked about car like this back into a full-bodied Bug is a no brainer, but with a growing following for ‘vintage’ Baja Bugs, and people now looking to restore them as they are, this may not be the case…

If you’re stuck at home due to lockdown restrictions, don’t forget that you can buy a single issue, or back issue, at the normal cover price, with free UK delivery (£1 additional charge for international postage) at shop.kelsey.co.uk/ issue/VWW UK customers can also save money by ordering three issues for just £9.99, including delivery, via the continuous credit offer available here: shop.kelsey.co.uk/ suboff er/cb2ovww For those who prefer their media digitally, you can buy three digital editions for only £7.99 ($9.99 in the United States). Incidentally, every print subscriber will be able to download the digital edition free for a limited period, too. Alternatively, if you’re looking for your local stockist of VolksWorld, simply type your postcode in here: tinyurl.com/ y26a38ul, then select VolksWorld from the pull-down menu, enter your…

Of all the Volkswagen drag cars, for me the one that stands head and shoulders above the rest is Gardena, California-based Warren Gunter’s Durachrome Bug. Okay, it’s no more a Volkswagen than a Sherman tank, but the same could be said of all Funny Cars. It’s the body shape that defines these cars, and Gunter’s Bug was one hell of a ride. Warren was still at college studying engineering when, together with his brother, Tim, they started building a 1923 Model T Ford hot rod. Originally destined to be a street car, regular trips to local drag strips, Lions and Irwindale, saw it morph into a B-class Fuel Altered, powered first by a small block Chevy, then a Hilborn-injected 427ci big block Chevy on nitro. Then running in A/FA, it…

It’s funny how this hobby means different things to people. Maybe drag racing is your thing, or Cal Look. Maybe you love slammed rides and stock doesn’t interest you at all. I hear statements from people all the time along these lines: “I only like Buses. I’m not really into Beetles.” Or the other way round. I know we’re all different, but I find some of these opinions pretty absurd. But thankfully, there are an equal number of us who are a bit more fluid when it comes to this Volkswagen hobby. I personally love stock, slammed, Cal Look, Old Speed, Bajas and Buses, regardless of year. Steve and Adele Woodbridge are equally open minded. Having owned a number of old VWs, the last being a simply stunning Capri Blue…

Readers of our sister magazine, Camper&Bus, may recognise our ratty 1972 Westy but, as I’m now art editor on VolksWorld, our progress on the Bus will continue here instead. As the current lockdown means we are stuck at home, it seemed the perfect opportunity to do some of the jobs on our Bay it has been all too easy to put off when we can get out and about in it. Front door overhaul Pop-top hinges and more sound deadening Buffi ng paintwork…