Tabla de contenidos para October 2021 en VolksWorld

MARCH THE VOLKSWORLD SHOW Date: 19-20 March 2022 Location: Sandown Park Racecourse, Esher, Surrey KT10 9AJ Contact: www.volksworld.com MAY STANFORD HALL Date: 1 May Location: Stanford Hall, Lutterworth, Leicestershire LE17 6DH Contact: www.stanfordhallvw.com JUNE HESSISCH OLDENDORF (VINTAGE MEET) Date: 24-26 June Location: 31840 Hessisch Oldendorf, Germany Contact: www.uraltkaefer.de NB: Please be aware all dates and venues are subject to change, so always check the website and / or contact the organiser before leaving home.…

Volkswagen has always had a reputation for high-quality, imaginative advertising material and, unlike many of its rivals, carried that ethos through to its commercial vehicle range as well. While many other manufacturers relied on little more than single-colour handouts, VW went that extra mile to prove how versatile its products were. Some of the material featured artwork by Bernd Reuters, the gifted artist responsible for much of Volkswagen’s most memorable brochures, thanks to the use of stylish colour illustrations and high quality production techniques. In America, other un-named artists were used to produce colourful booklets featuring Transporters in a variety of company liveries. Here, we trace how Volkswagen Transporter promotion changed across the decades in what we now know were the golden years of vehicle advertising. “the golden years of…

“it was all previously unpublished material” The VolksWorld Vintage Specials used to be editions I really looked forward to. In the same way as I really looked forward to Stanford Hall every year. Though my heart is in modified cars, there’s something a bit special about a concours restoration, whatever type of car you are into. Even better, an unrestored original that has remained in pristine condition. I learnt early on in my life with Volkswagens that it’s much easier to modify a car than it is to properly restore one. Having the headlight rims of my first Beetle de-chromed and painted, for example, was a whole lot easier than sourcing the perfect set of parts to restore a pair of Oval headlights. Likewise, welding up a few trim holes…

“the new Type 34 model was expected to appeal to a wider audience” The sharply styled Type 34 Karmann Ghia, commonly known these days as the Razor Edge, was a massive departure for Volkswagen. When first shown at the 1961 Frankfurt Auto Show, alongside the new Type 3 range, it generated plenty of interest, yet was ultimately doomed, constantly overshadowed by its more conventional sibling, the Type 1-based Type 14 Ghia. The Type 3 range had reached the prototype stage by 1959, starting with a conventional saloon – what we all call the Notchback – and a rakish-looking coupé, which was destined to replace the existing Karmann Ghia. Or was it? There has been much debate over this, fuelled by the fact that, despite the imminent arrival of an all-new…

Remember to put the dates of 19-20 March 2022 in your diary now as that’s when we’ll next all be getting together at Sandown Park in Surrey for the long-awaited VolksWorld Show. Bookings made for the 2021 event, which we had no choice but to cancel due to Covid, will simply transfer to 2022 but, if anyone wishes to discuss a refund, please email volksworld.show@ kelsey.co.uk. Alternatively, you can telephone customer services on 01959 543730. Be sure to keep checking back as we’ll keep you updated with news and updates on the next running of the event, both here and at www.volksworld.com in the meantime. Pre-’58 decklids Sourcing a rust free 'w'-decklid for a pre-’58 Beetle is a difficult job these days and, should you manage to locate a genuine…

When Editor Paul sent me this feature and casually mentioned how much it can cost to restore a car of this calibre, my initial reaction was one of shock. Perhaps, though, that’s because I’m old enough to remember when a Beetle restoration didn’t cost much at all. Okay, so the term ‘restoration’ could probably only be loosely used on the majority of builds back then, but we were still putting cars back on the road for a couple of thousand quid, and that could include a paint job. Fast forward to 2021, though, and the cost and standard of workmanship have increased immeasurably. Where before you might have just wanted your car to get through its next MoT, now people’s expectations for metalwork alone have reached the point where any…

By and large, the automotive collecting world tends to gravitate towards well-appointed vehicles, the ones with higher spec interiors, more powerful engines and more options. Though engine choices are far more limited on classic VWs, based on supply and demand alone, a 23-window Deluxe Bus, or Samba, will command more money than a basic Kombi. Likewise, a factory ragtop or Cabriolet Beetle has a premium over a hard top. That lack of interest in entry-level VWs led to a lot of them ending up in scrapyards over the decades. In the 1980s, second hand car dealers didn’t want base model 1200s on their forecourts when they could have more appealing Deluxe, or Export as they were known in many countries, 1300s and 1500s. As a result, Volkswagen’s Standard models, of…

So, what type of VW enthusiast are you? Do you relish restoration work, but show only marginal interest in the vehicle once completed? Or do you become deeply attached to your ride, thoroughly enjoying outings behind the wheel, or just the pleasure of owning it, and categorically refusing to sell? Eddie Galvan, the owner of this Paprika Red Cabriolet, undoubtedly belongs to the second group of motorheads. The Redondo Beach, California resident is as deeply attached to his Beetle today as he was the day he first bought it, in 1991. Part of the reason being it was his very first car, purchased after saving funds for over two years, as he explains: “My love of Volkswagens started at a young age, as my father had a 1971 ‘Autostick’ sedan…

Phil Jarvis is no stranger to vintage VWs, but what makes him stand out is his eclectic taste in all kinds of VWs. If the name rings a bell, it’s probably because he’s the same Phil Jarvis that owns and races the 11-second Fire Bus. And also the same one that owns a string of superb Porsches, including the fabulous 356 Outlaw we featured in our March ’21 issue. As different as those cars may be, they’re all still a far cry from this vehicle, so we’ll let Phil explain how the Kübelwagen came to be added to his collection: “This Kübel was restored some years ago in Germany before being purchased and imported to the UK by a military collector in 2010. I spotted it for sale and decided…

Any restoration to this standard involves an insane amount of work. When you’re going this far, no stone can be left unturned, and originality is everything. You don’t just buy a one-size-fits-all set of stainless replacement bolts, for example. Oh no, every single original VW nut and bolt that could be saved was blasted and zinc plated before being re-fitted. It almost goes without saying the floorpan needed new ’pan halves, but it also required work inside the spine, which meant drilling out all the spot welds in the closing panel and re-attaching the choke and clutch cable conduits, as well as replacing the fuel line. Similarly, the heater channels were dismantled, blasted and prepped inside and new conduits fitted. There are also some pictures here of the new boot…

“I didn’t want to create just another 100-point perfect show car” This delightful 1958 Lowlight Ghia is just one of a collection of great cars belonging to Axel Struwe from Bielefeld in Germany. Axel has a penchant for early products off the Volkswagen and Karmann production lines and his enviable collection includes a very early Karmann Ghia coupé, a 1950 Split Window Beetle and an Oval-era Karmann Cabriolet. On top of this, he also has a magnificent stash of VW literature and collectables, including KdF and wartime-era posters, pictures, signs, factory tools and other desirable VW-related paraphernalia. As you can see from the pictures, his cars share his impressive garage and workshop space with his collectables, which makes for not only some truly beautiful photographs but a fantastic place to…

“during the post-WWII time period, Volkswagenwerk was also producing VWs in miniature” The KdF Wagen factory located in the Stadt des KdF Wagens was a prime target for allied forces during World War II, and was partially destroyed by bombs. After the war was over, though, the British Army took over the factory, which was at the time geographically located in the British Occupation Zone. The factory was brought back up to production capability with leadership provided by Major Ivan Hirst of the British Army. By the end of 1945, the struggling facility had produced more than 2,000 post-war VWs, most produced from spare parts that were left over in the factory. Some time after 1945, the company was re-named Volkswagenwerk GmbH by the British, who also officially changed the…