AirMighty Megascene #06 - Summer 2011 by Niels Timmerman

3! Type ol VW’s very co f o y e ar s ! r m e e o iv issu th nn nd s 50 A ’ve fou de this

e si So, w ’s for in 3 e p y T

Issue 06 | Summer 2011 | AirMighty.com

Shows

> Bug Run, 50th anniversary of the Type34, Beach Wheels, Bugorama and many more... €14,50 | £12.95 | $21.95 | ¥2400

TOA Type3 Racer

2 Dutch Oldspeed Ovals

Jay Leno in a Beetle

1500 Notch built in USA for a Japanese Type3 racing fanatic

A duo of ultra clean Resto Cal’s fitted with period performance

Tonight Show host’s opinion on the new and old beetles

Italian Beach-Wheels Weekend

Bug Run, Sweden

The Shows 74 53 102 8

Sacramantoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Bugorama

132

50 Years Type 34 ...as far as the eye can see!

22 | Swedish Bug Run We checked out Sweden’s oldest running Volkswagen event.

53 | Jay Leno in Wolfsburg NBC’s The Tonight Show host visits VW’s birthplace for a test drive.

57 | The Beautiful Budel Show

Panscrapers Meeting #2

126 57

IKW Budel

Holland’s biggest Aircooled event.

74 | More Type3s at Wolfsburg Another one of the many Type 3 events that took place in 2011.

77 | Beach Wheels Italy Goofing around on the beach.

102 | Sacramento’s Bugorama Drag racing, swap meet and loads of cars in the show and shine.

126| Panscrapers Meeting #2 Close to Barcelona, the Panscrapers invited us for Paella, beers and VWs.

132| Type34 World Record The world’s largest ever razor edge gathering, we counted 153 of them!

...and more! Summer 2011 | AirMighty Megascene |

“STANDARD”‘47 Words: Kobus Cantraine Translation: Yves Maertens | Georg Otto Pictures: Jesse Williams

“The earlier the better!” That’s what Tim Hesse from Florida had in mind when he set out to buy a Split Window Beetle. He found what he was looking for in Hawaii, a 1947 Split! Early enough for you? It does the job spot-on, and proved to be the perfect base for one sick looking custom VW!

Summer 2011 | AirMighty Megascene |

Colombian Special ‘52 24A build Words: Burt Campbell Translation: Yves Maertens | Georg Otto Pictures: Burt Campbell

Part #01 - Ken King from Canada, who we all know as the builder and owner of the recently featured 1954 Sunroof Barndoor Kombi in AirMighty Megascene #03, is doing another crazy Barndoor project. It’s again a rare Sunroof but this time a 1952 Standard and we are going to follow this project during it’s build it the upcomming issues... so stay tuned for this beauty in the making! > 26

Build | ‘52 Sunroof Standard - Part 1

As soon as Ken received the Colombian Special

It was given a thorough inspection, note the “vents”

This is the only hole in the body that Ken liked

The bus came from Gerson, hence the green paint

he Colombian Special Part 1 of 4

“You’re going to do what!?!?” “I am driving her to the Octo event next June,” Ken confidently replied. It was a rainy day in June at the great vintage VW meet in Bad Camberg, Germany. Ken King was in his realm collecting hard to find Barndoor parts for his newly acquired 1952 Type 24A. He had just received this “Colombian Special” shipped from South America up to Canada from Gerson, the Funky Green Metal guy. Judging from the pictures, restoring this Bus looked like a lifetime project and certainly not for the faint of heart. However, with great passion and determination, Ken is always up for t he challenge.

Let’s back up a bit … Ken King is no stranger to the spotlight in the Barndoor world. His last project, a 54’ Type 25A graced the cover of AirMighty’s Autumn Issue (#3). It detailed the mindnumbing restoration of one of the rarest VW Buses in the world, finished just in time to premier it 2,500km’s away at the 2010 Classic in Los Angeles, California. While the 5,000km round trip in a Barndoor was an amazing feat in itself, the crazy part was that it only took him 8 months to complete the restoration. One that what would easily take most of us a lifetime! In this first of four series, we’ll follow right alongside Ken as he resurrects this Colombian Special back to life.

A bit of BD history… Just owning one of the 900 or so Barndoor’s (BD) known to exist in the world can certainly put you up a notch in the VW Bus world … but a 1952 type 24A Standard Microbus is the coolest of the cool. The typical Standard Microbus comes complete with a headliner, full interior panels, 3 passenger seats and two-tone paint. One of the rarest of the rare factory options for these mid-range passenger Buses was the factory “Golde” brand sliding sunroof. There are only 2 earlier BD Sunroof Buses and less than 20 non-deluxe Sunroof’s besides this one known to exist in the world (barndoor.dk registry) – and this particular 1952 featured here in AirMighty has claim to the second oldest! The cost of the sunroof option back then simply would have been huge in comparison to the base cost of a Microbus. It is puzzling why the original owner ordered it the way they did and why they didn’t just upgrade to the Samba model which already had a factory sunroof?

The Colombian Special This South American beauty was driven up until 2 years ago in Colombia. She was truly a Colombian Special - every conceivable repair and more was done to keep her on the road for the last 59 years. From the pictures, you can see every square inch of the body needs some tender lovin’ (and some Funky Green Metal) in one way or another - welded shut sunroof (!?), crazy riveted frame repairs, bent roof and countless hack welds. “I bought her from Gerson, after a visit to his facility in Bogota, Colombia in 2010. It’s had lots of years of hard miles put on her, and

Ken’s best friend for15 hours, his plasmacutter!

lots of “updating” and hundreds of repairs to the body and chassis.” The first order of business was to start with a solid foundation. Ken strategically decided to cut the body off the frame as there were just too many makeshift repairs done to keep everything together. Next up was to build a chassis jig with good friend Chris Murray. This precisely ensured frame alignment upon re-construction. However, at this point he became aware of a virtually unheard of problem … the rain gutters the whole way around, both inside and out, were very badly bent and beyond straightening. The solution … remove the roof!? Ken figured this was the only way to straighten out and get at those hard to reach places. Not much left to the old girl now! As you can tell from the pictures, restoring a Barndoor in this condition is no easy task and certainly not for everyone. While he jokes about the final color combination, we will all have to stay tuned to find out what’s in store for this Colombian Special. Stay tuned as he is one of the very few out there who will actually see this project through to the end. Get your next issue of AirMighty for exclusive photos and the inside scoop on Ken’s progress. Don’t forget to check out his thread “1952 24A build thread” on The Samba’s Barndoor section, or his website www.concept1.ca. Till next issue … ir waren sprachlos! “Du willst was machen?”, fragten wir sicherheitshalber noch mal nach. “Ich werde nächstes Jahr im Juni mit dem Bus zum OCTO-Treffen fahren”, kam Kens selbstbewusste Antwort

Summer 2011 | AirMighty Megascene |

Son ‘péril jaune’ est sorti de l’usine en 1959, ce qui en fait une des dernières 356A. Il ne voulait pas d’une voiture de course ou d’un rat look, et c’est pourquoi ses influences proviennent plutôt du Hot Rod. « Cela s’est fait naturellement » me raconte-t-il. « Je l’ai simplement droppée et posée sur 4 jantes Tecnomagnesio – apparemment le seul jeu en Grande-Bretagne. Les pneus sont des Avon normalement destinés aux voitures de course historiques. A l’arrière, j’ai dû monter des cales pour ne pas toucher les cornes d’amortisseurs. » Le reste de l’équipement se compose d’amortisseurs Bilstein, de barres anti-roulis gros diamètre et d’un maître cylindre double circuit surmonté d’un réservoir de 911 et d’un répartiteur. Les tambours sont ceux d’origine, polis et vernis. Pour faire avancer le tout, Steve fait confiance à un 1720cc de 912 équipé d’un allumage électronique, d’un échappement sport KW et d’un radiateur d’huile externe monté à l’avant. Les montées en régime sont bien aidées par la boite 741 et l’arbre à cames perfo, qui laisse le moteur respirer à plein

Fill me up, buttercup!

poumons au dessus de 4,500 trs/min. Le rapport poids/puissance est maintenant bien meilleur que sur une 356 d’origine. La suspension a été mise au point chez Carrera Performance à Horscham. « Les fusées proviennent d’une cox, et le réglage était parfait à une rondelle près. Comme elle pourrait un jour se retrouver plus basse, j’ai demandé à Paul de remonter le bac de batterie. On ne sait jamais. » La teinte jaune est en fait un brun sépia satin. L’intérieur et le compartiment moteur sont brun sépia mat. Le style de l’habitacle est pur cal-look avec une sellerie ‘fat biscuit’ réalisée par Chris Lyons de Trimming Tonic. Au sol, des tapis en caoutchouc ont remplacé la moquette. On retrouve également des harnais aviation, une radio d’origine et un ciel de toit fait maison. Les grilles de phares sont semblables aux modèles disponibles à l’époque mais sont des reproductions. « Impossible de les monter avec un verre de phare ! Aujourd’hui, on vend un modèle complet avec le verre déjà monté. » L’éclairage de plaque provient de quelque chose de spécial, mais Steve ne veut pas nous

If in doubt, personalise everything!

dire quoi. Il offre d’ailleurs un prix au premier qui trouvera… ! Steve importe et vend des combis VW et d’anciennes Porsche 912 et 911. Il a commencé avec les cox, et en est maintenant à sa cinquième 356. « J’ai toujours été fan de VW, et les 356 sont une évolution naturelle – elles sont belles et bien construites. Personne ne vous en voudra si vous conduisez une 356. Par contre, une 911 moderne roule comme une BMW, et la plupart des gens en ont une image négative. J’adore piloter la 356. Elle est agile, et peut tenir ses 180km/h sans problème et en toute sécurité. C’est une voiture pour les beaux jours et pour les vacances. » Il continue : « Je l’ai construite comme un Hot Rod. Probablement pas le meilleur investissement à long terme, mais qu’est ce que je m’amuse. » Quant à la grise, le jury est encore partagé sur le bien fondé de la suspension à air. Mais il n’y a pas à dire, elles forment un beau couple. Un peu comme la belle et la bête. l

This hottie is good for 120mph all day long!

‘It just came together,’ he says; ‘it wasn’t planned. It was lowered to suit the tecnomagnesio wheels - reputedly the only set in the country - and the Avon Historic Race tyres.’ He had to fit spacers on the back to clear the shock towers. The spec also includes Bilstein dampers, uprated anti-roll bars, dual-circuit brakes with early 911 reservoir, biased to the rear so he can adjust them when driving, and the original drums are polished and lacquered. Power comes from a re-worked 1,720cc 912 engine with electronic ignition, KW racing exhaust and an external oil cooler up front. Steve attributes its perky performance to a high-lift cam and its 741 gearbox, which enable it to sparkle from 4,500rpm, though power-to-weight is probably better than with its original 356 motor. Steve had the suspension set up at Carrera Performance in Horsham. ‘It’s got Beetle top spindles and it was only one shim out on the camber. It could go a lot lower, and that’s why I told Paul to raise the battery tray.’ Strictly speaking, its yellow hue is custom mixed satin yellow paint, the interior details and engine bay are sprayed Porsche sadistic matt brown. The Cal-look interior is trimmed in fat biscuit style created by Chris Lyons’ of Trimming Tonic, and instead of carpet the

cabin is floored with self-made lined rubber mats like used on a lightweight 1973 911RS. There are heavy-duty aircraft flight belts to keep you secure, an original radio, and homemade headlining. The grilles over the headlights were available for Speedsters back in the day though these are repro items. ‘You can’t fit them with a lens behind, though you can buy ones now with a lens,’ Steve tells me. The rear numberplate light is sourced from something special – he won’t say what, but offers a prize for readers if they can guess. Get guessing! Steve imports and sells VW Camper Vans and early Porsche 912s and 911s. A graduate from Beetles, this is his fifth 356. ‘I’ve been into VWs since I knew what a car looked like, and 356s seemed like a natural progression, lovely and well made. I don’t think anyone can be angry with you for driving a 356, whereas a modern 911’s like driving a BMW – people hate you. I love it every time I drive it. It’s fast - it will sit at 90-100mph and not go all over the place.’ It’s a car for high days and holidays. ‘I built it as a hot rod 356,’ he insists. Probably not the best move as a long-term investment, but he’s had his fair share of fun out of it. As for the greyling, the jury’s still out on that air suspension. But they do make a neat

couple out here in the fens. Lowlife in the lowlands. eute beobachten wir mal die Detektive. Die Type 2 Detectives, um genau zu sein. Ein Laden im englischen Cambridgeshire, bekannt für seine schicken luftgekühlten Volkswagen. Kopf des Ganzen ist Paul Medhurst, eine elfköpfige Mannschaft steht hinter ihm und zusammen bauen sie ShowFahrzeuge wie den weißen VW Brasilia, der in allen Gazetten zu sehen war und nun JK gehört, dem Front-Mann der Band Jamiroquai. In der Werkstatt finden sich ebenfalls unzählige Busse in allen möglichen Zuständen. Unsere Beute lauert jedoch vor dem Gebäude: zwei alte Porsche 356, die vor Coolness nur so triefen. Und triefen passt hier ganz gut, denn wir werden uns für den Fototermin in das sumpfigste gebiet England begeben, ins Moor der Isle of Ely, wo die Winde direkt von Sibirien herüber blasen. Beide Porsche sind untrennbar mit Steve Walker verbunden. Während der gelbe komplett seine Kreation ist, zeichnet er für den Zustand des grauen Wagens nicht verantwortlich, besaß ihn aber bis vor zwei Jahren. Seit dem veränderten die Type 2 Detectives den 356 nach Vorgaben des jetzigen Besitzers Jason McLean.

Summer 2011 | AirMighty Megascene |

ay Leno, US TV megastar and one of the world’s greatest car collectors, became one of the first people outside Volkswagen’s own team to drive the new Beetle during his visit to the VW headquarters at Wolfsburg.

Because of his filming commitments, Leno rarely travels outside the United States so he took a sneak peek at the new Beetle a week before the world media launch in Berlin. “To come to the place where a car is designed and developed tells you a lot about a car and the people who created it,” says Leno. “And Germany is the birthplace of the automobile. So it’s special to be here.” Before he got to see the new Beetle the classics connoisseur was given the keys to a 1938 version, one of the oldest drivable models in existence. This is the car that was found in Lithuania and carefully restored by the Grundmanns. (See AirMighty #04) Driving it was a revelation for the Hollywood talk show host. “It might have just 24.5 horsepower” he says, “but it’s nimble and a lot of fun and really does not feel 73 years old. From many angles it feels very contemporary.” Jay is fascinated by the history of technical developments in the auto industry, so he has a keen appreciation of the Volkswagen in its earliest form. Back to basics, just like a Ford Model-T, but with the Porsche design twist. From the top of the Car Towers, which houses over 300 new Volkswagens in the heart of VW’s Autostadt, Leno got his first glimpse of the new Beetle as the robotic

lift carried it to ground level. “That’s cool,” he says, peering down on it from 150 metres up. “It’s certainly a Beetle,” he adds upon closer inspection. “You can see the family resemblance. In fact, I think if they were designing the Beetle for the first time now it might end up looking this way.” The version Jay drove had a 2.0 turbocharged engine, putting out 200 horsepower. Ten times the power of the 1938 edition and with an engine only just over double the capacity. “It drives like you’d expect of a modern Volkswagen. Making a new Beetle like a 70-year old version wouldn’t sell. The world has moved on. Like other manufacturers who have made modern versions of old cars, the DNA is there, and for someone who wants a car that stands out on the road, the Beetle does that. It’s fun, well built, and fast too - I took one on the autobahn up to 220 km/h (130 mph). No classic Beetle I have driven goes like that! The Beetle is one of the most famous cars of all time, and it’s exciting that it’s still being made.” So, here you have Jay’s view on VW’s latest and its earliest creations. Next we’ll try to get his impressions on the Californian V-Dub scene in an upcoming issue of AirMighty Megascene. Stay tuned! ay Leno, US-TV-Star und einer der größten Autosammler der Welt, war eine der ersten Personen außerhalb des Volkswagen Konzerns, die den neuen Beetle bei einem Besuch am Hauptsitz von Volkswagen in Wolfsburg fahren durfte.

Aufgrund seiner Verpflichtungen beim Film verlässt Leno selten die USA, daher ließ man ihn eine Woche vor dem Medienstart in Berlin einen Blick auf den neuen Beetle erhaschen. „Wenn man an einen Ort kommt, an dem Autos entworfen und gebaut werden, erfährt man eine Menge ü ber ein Auto und die Leute, die es erschaffen haben”, sagte Leno. „Und Deutschland ist die Wiege des Automobils. Darum ist es etwas Besonderes hier zu sein.” Bevor er den neuen Beetle zu sehen bekam, gab man ihm die Schlüssel zu einem Käfer aus dem Jahr 1938, einem der ältesten noch fahrbereiten Modelle, die es gibt. Das ist der Wagen, der in Litauen gefunden und von den Grundmanns restauriert wurde (Siehe auch AirMighty 4). Ihn zu fahren war eine Offenbarung für den Talkmaster. “Er mag nur 24,5 Pferdestärken haben, aber er ist flink und macht eine Menge Spaß und fü hlt sich ü berhaupt nicht so an, als wäre er schon 73 Jahre alt. Aus vielen Blickwinkeln wirkt er sehr zeitgemäß.” Seinen ersten Blick auf den neuen Beetle warf Leno vom Dach der Autotü rme aus (die jeweils 300 neuen Volkswagen als Unterkunft dienen), während ein Roboterarm ihn ins Erdgeschoss absenkte. “Das ist richtig cool”, sagte er als er aus ü ber 150 Metern Höhe auf das Auto hinunterblickte. “Er ist ganz bestimmt ein Käfer”, fü gte er bei näherer Inspektion hinzu. “Man erkennt die Familienähnlichkeit. Tatsächlich glaube ich, dass er genau so

“To come to the place where a car is designed and developed tells you a lot about a car.”

Advertorial | Jay Leno & the Beetle

The resemblance to the original Beetle is striking! You can distinctly see the classic Beetle design shape.

Jay at the wheel of VW38 #02.

“I took one on the autobahn up to 220 km/h. No classic Beetle I have driven goes like that!” Says Jay.

aussehen wü rde, wenn man den Käfer heute zum ersten Mal entwerfen wü rde.”

de pouvoir tester la Beetle une semaine avant son lancement officiel à Berlin.

Die Version, die Jay gefahren ist, war mit einem 2-Liter-Turbomotor mit 200 PS ausgestattet. Das ist fast zehn Mal so viel wie beim Modell von 1938 und dabei hat der Motor nur etwas mehr als doppelt so viel Hubraum. “Er fährt sich, wie man es von einem modernen Volkswagen erwartet. Wü rde man ihn so bauen, wie die 70 Jahre alte Version, könnte man ihn nicht verkaufen. Die Welt hat sich weitergedreht. Wie bei anderen Herstellern, die moderne Versionen von alten Autos produzieren, sind die Anlagen vorhanden, und jemand, der ein Auto möchte, das auf der Straße auffällt, liegt beim Beetle genau richtig. Er macht Spaß, ist kräftig gebaut, er ist auch schnell. Ich habe ihn auf der Autobahn mit bis zu 220 km/h gefahren. Kein Beetle, den ich bisher gefahren habe, ging ab wie dieser hier!

« Visiter l’endroit où une voiture est conçue et développée, cela en dit beaucoup sur ses créateurs » raconte Leno. « L’Allemagne est le berceau de l’automobile – c’est vraiment spécial de se retrouver ici. » Pour rendre l’expérience plus intéressante, il s’est aussi vu remettre les clés d’un modèle de 1938, une des VW les plus anciennes au monde. C’est la voiture qui a été retrouvée en Lituanie et entièrement restaurée par les Grundmann (voir Airmighty n°04). La conduire fut une véritable révélation pour l’animateur hollywodien.

« Elle n’a peut être que 25cv, mais elle est plutôt agile et ne fait vraiment pas ses 73 ans. Elle est moderne à beaucoup de niveaux. » Jay possède une impressionnante collection de voitures anciennes, et il est très intéressé par tous les développements techniques qui ont jalonné l’industrie automobile au fil des années. Il a vraiment adoré la Volkswagen dans sa forme la plus primitive. ‘Back to basics’, comme une Ford T, mais avec une touche de Porsche en plus.

A cause de ses obligations télé, Leno voyage rarement en dehors des Etats-Unis. Du coup, les allemands lui ont fait l’honneur

Du haut des tours de verre qui abritent les quelques 300 Volkswagen d’Autostadt, Jay Leno peut finalement découvrir la nouvelle Beetle, déposée au sol par un ascenseur robotisé. « Très cool » se contente-t-il de dire, en observant la scène de 150 mètres de haut. « De plus près, c’est clairement

Der Beetle ist eines der berü hmtesten Autos aller Zeiten. Es ist sehr aufregend, dass er immer noch gebaut wird.” ay Leno, star de la télé US et un des plus grands collectionneurs de voitures au monde, est l’une des premières personnes en dehors des ingénieurs VW à avoir pu conduire la nouvelle Beetle durant sa visite à l’usine VW de Wolfsburg.

Inside the impressive car tower at Autostadt.

une coccinelle, on peut tout de suite voir la filiation. En fait, s’ils avaient dessiné la cox pour la première fois aujourd’hui, je pense qu’elle aurait ressemblé à cela. » La version essayée par Jay est une 2.0L turbo de 200 chevaux. 10 fois la puissance du modèle de 1938, avec un moteur à peine 2 fois plus gros. « Elle roule comme une VW moderne devrait rouler. D’ailleurs, ce ne serait pas très vendeur si elle se comportait comme un modèle de 70 ans… Le monde a évolué » rajoute-t-il avec le sourire. « Comme tous les constructeurs qui sortent une version moderne d’un de leurs anciens modèles, l’ADN originel est bien présent. Pour quelqu’un qui veut une voiture différente tout en étant contemporaine, la nouvelle Beetle est parfaite. Elle a une bonne bouille, elle est bien construite, et elle est rapide en plus – je l’ai emmenée sur l’autoroute à plus de 220km/h. Je n’ai jamais conduit de cox aussi rapide ! La coccinelle est une des voitures les plus célèbres de tous les temps, et je trouve ça super qu’elle soit encore construite. » Voici donc les impressions de Jay sur le tout premier et le tout dernier modèle Volkswagen. Nous essaierons de l’interroger sur la scène VW californienne dans un prochain numéro d’Airmighty. Affaire à suivre ! l

Summer 2011 | AirMighty Megascene |

TOATYPE3 Words: Kobus Cantraine Translation: Yves Maertens | Georg Otto Pictures: Ed Fox

Our 50th anniversary issue commemorating the Type3’s half a century of excellence wouldn’t be complete without a racecar. We needed something special - and when we heard about Shin’s latest build we immediately sent our Los Angeles based photographer Ed Fox to the Irwindale RaceWay to get us some sweet shots.

Summer 2011 | AirMighty Megascene |

ion heels off the ground act â&#x20AC;&#x153;Bullitâ&#x20AC;? getting some w

ent as just excell w h ac e b e h course on t The slalom

What a wonderful location, we will be there next summe r!

Show | Beach Wheels, Italy petite tempête de sable avait amené un beau cadeau aux participants, sous la forme de petites dunes parfaites pour s’envoyer en l’air ! Ce n’était peut être pas Glamis, mais il y avait de quoi s’amuser ! Conduire dans les dunes, c’est un peu comme manœuvrer un bateau de course dans les vagues – il faut faire attention aux surrégimes quand on décolle ! Apparemment, le son des stingers s’entendait à des kilomètres à la ronde, jusque dans le centre-ville. Il y avait également une piste de slalom, où de nombreux buggies affrontaient le chrono et les cônes oranges. Les 100.000 mètres carrés restants étaient entièrement dédiés à la glisse, au saut et à l’eau. Aucune règle, sauf le port du casque. Cette année, plusieurs bajas avaient fait le déplacement. Massimo avait apporté son Bugeye “Autozodiaco California”, un custom italien légendaire couvert de flammes et de chrome. On retrouvait aussi l’ovale vert agave de Marco et le rat’s oldschool de Manovra. Davide avait apporté son Manx orange metalflake chaussé en Firestone Wide Oval. Quant à Paolino, tradition oblige,

il ne conduisait pas son buggy avant midi – il casse toujours dès le matin ! Conduite agressive et abondance de chevaux sont souvent synonymes de boite cassée… L’année prochaine, il étrennera son nouveau sandrail – souhaitons lui bonne chance !

> Over 40 aircooled vehicles joined the fun on the Adriatic shore, Caorle beach was the place to be. <

La fin de journée arriva tellement vite qu’on avait l’impression de n’être resté que quelques dizaines de minutes. Pourtant, les bras et les corps étaient fatigués par les sauts, les vibrations et les contrebraquages. Nos yeux étaient rouges, mais nous avions l’impression d’être de vraies vedettes de cinéma. De vrais Steve McQueen ! Nous recommencerons sans hésiter l’année prochaine, et nous espérons y voir tous nos amis internationaux fans de VW Off Road. l

Partout sur la plage et dans l’eau (salée…), les Kyotes, Bounty Hunters et autres Deserters s’en donnaient à cœur joie (en Italie ils portent un nom différent mais soit…). Les photographes avaient du mal à garder leur appareil photo propre tellement le sable et la poussière volaient. Filippo, l’organisateur, nous confirmait : « Au Beach Wheels, la journée complète est placée sous le signe de l’action. Le seul moment de la journée où on s’arrête, c’est à midi pour déguster la pizza offerte par MKCI. » Le meeting n’est pas réservé uniquement aux buggies, et quelques cox s’étaient garées le long de la plage.

www.beachwheels.blogspot.com

A scene from back in the days, only Steve McQueen and Elvis seem to be missing?

Summer 2011 | AirMighty Megascene |

Best Engineered

V-8 Powered Type 3 back in 1993 back in 1993

We’re back in the groovy ‘60s, and Norm has an idea... what if you take a Squareback and cut the roof off, turn it into a pickup and then stick a V8 in the back? Sounds fantastic, chilling beside the campfire with a beer or some other intoxication in hand, “brainstorming” with your buddies… Words: Kobus Cantraine

Translation: Yves Maertens | Georg Otto

Pictures: Kobus Cantraine

ell, Norm Roberts didn’t kiss his dream goodbye, and 20 years later, in 1987, he bought a Type3 already configured as a pickup. Granted, it was a hatchet job and the way they’d closed the back section of the car was debatable: what you might call, if you were feeling charitable, a fibreglass ‘experiment’. But that didn’t bother Norm, and he set about hunting down a suitable V8 with matching gearbox. The result was a sacrificial Oldsmobile Toronado that would donate its engine and gearbox to the crazy project. After a clever bit of fabrication, everything worked out just perfectly; his Type3 pickup was now mid-engined - and extremely fast! Then a life- and a job-change took Norm to Southern California, where he hooked up with Roger Plante of ‘Concepts Rods and Customs’ in Buena Park. Norm knew what he wanted from Roger: ‘to completely re-make

the pickup section of my car in steel.’ And so Norm embarked on the second phase of customizing his beloved V8 Type3 pickup. First decision - suicide the doors. Then they shaved the handles and trim off the car and added the 1937 Ford headlights, plus countless other small mods. They ended up getting rid of all the fibreglass that had previously been holding the car together and used only steel and just a tiny bit of filler! After almost a year of hard graft, Norm was ready to design the paint scheme. The car became an instant hit! Right from its debut outing it won awards all over California, and in 1992 it was even featured on the cover of the famous HotVWs Magazine. But in 1995 Norm decided the sell the car, and it left California for Arkansas and he lost track of it. But though his pickup was gone, it was certainly not forgotten. And so the story continues...

“A couple years later, I heard it was back in Northern California. Then Scottsdale, Arizona. Then San Diego. Then finally in Oregon. It had appeared at least twice on eBay before my brother, Ben, found it again on eBay in 2004”, says Norm. And that was it. The bidding ended in Norm’s favour and he and his beloved were reunited! After a thorough cleanup, aided by his fiancée Lucinda, plus a mechanical overhaul and a change of wheels, he was cruisin’ in California once more, and it was fun in the sun for Norm all over again, after nine years of regret at having sold it. orm Roberts hatte seinen Vision nicht aufgegeben, als er 1987 nach 20 Jahren Träumerei einen 68er Typ 3 kaufte, der bereits zu einem gechoppten Pick-up umfunktioniert war. Natürlich war es kein toller Umbau und

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â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;66 Restored .WorkersVan Words: Kobus Cantraine | Erwin Stok Translation: Yves Maertens | Georg Otto Pictures: Erwin Stok

A dream of many VW nutters. To build a prize winning panel van and then use it. To drive it the way it was meant to be when they were new! How about a trip from Holland to the Austrian mountains? Erwin took his panel on a monster of a maiden voyage, 3400 Kilometers round trip!

Summer 2011 | AirMighty Megascene |

Bug-O-Rama 2011 Words: Kevin Maquoi Translation: Kobus Cantraine | Yves Maertens | Georg Otto Pictures: Kevin Maquoi

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Show | Bug-O-Rama 2011

Twice a year, the hottest, sunniest place in California is host to the USAâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s longest running Aircooled event. Held alongside the Sacramento Raceway, its sticky track attracts big racing names like Ron Fleming, Roger Crawford and Richie Webb. Plus thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s the huge Show-and-Shine and a well stocked swap meet. We sent our Belgian star reporter Kevin Maquoi on a mission! >

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Words: Kobus Cantraine Translation: Yves Maertens | Georg Otto Pictures: Niels Timmerman

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Panscrapers Since the rise of the Hoodride phenomenon about a decade ago, disciples worldwide have become cult leaders in their own region. Belgium has the RadikalBugz, Japan the New Image Club, and Spain… that’s Panscraper territory. Praise the Lowered - it’s more than a lifestyle: it’s a religion.

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ravel the main road between Calafell and Bellvei in the Baix Penedes region of Catalunya, and you’ll pass the Cantera Bar. Before its renaissance the area was an old stone quarry. It still retains the white stone cliffs, but the ground has since been planted up with grass and trees, and the result is a place of natural beauty where you can relax in the quiet country atmosphere. Till the motors rock up! But as locations go it was perfect for this years Panscrapers event! Carlos Casado - president of the Panscrapers club and our host for the weekend – and his friends all drove all their cool cars to the event ground on Friday. Since Carlos owns more than one aircooled VW it was quite tricky for him to get them all there. Spain is a very big country and some of the participants drove over 800km to participate in their “local” show. In fact aircooled cars came from all over the place. We saw cars from the UK, Belgium and Holland as well as Iberia! Jake Remfry didn’t think twice about

driving 1,715km each way to be at the show, and his T2A panel even took an award back home. With around 80 Volkswagens on display, the show had a very relaxed vibe, the DJ spinning all kinds of music out of his Baywindow bus. We ate well too; typical Spanish dishes were set out for us, and indeed all those staying on site. The pumps flowed with cold cervezas all three days. There was a great variety of machinery in evidence, and the lowest cars all belonged to Carlos himself. He had his ground-scraping hardcore slammed Low-Light Ghia with its Turbo engine project on display, and that drew a crowd all weekend. It’s slammed without the use of airbags or hydraulics. From time to time Carlos would fire up the Ghia, so an awesome display of sound and power would resonate through the old quarry. We’ve got more on Carlos’ cars on page 108! The world-famous Linde bus was there too, and this lucky vehicle

The Retortire.com company car, ‘55 Oval with Firestrone Wide Ovals in the back

Carlos’ Panscraping Low Light. He didn’t hesitate to fire it up, wicked sound!

The Notchback is fitted with lovely Cosmic wheels

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Yet another car from the Carlos Castado Collection

The famous Linde Bus new resides in Spain

Show | Panscrapers Meeting #2

And yes, another super slammed ground scraping low beetle...

The bus line-up was had agreat variety, from late Bay Westy to early Barndoors

Early standard ovals are quite rare, we love it

Shaved and Slammed, all the way from England

Panscrapers’ Service Truck, Slammed of course

Michiel & Jolanda all the way from NL “Wake Bus”

Stratus Silver Lowlight on ERCO rims looks tough

Another one on ERCO’s, Patina Splitwindow bug

now leads an easy life in the warm Spanish climate, owned by one of the Panscrapers. Another bus worth mentioning was the beautiful 1954 Panel Barndoor from Ferran Socias, and there were some lovely stock oval window bugs too. Next year we hope to go again, and this time we’d love to cruise down there with our own camper van. We’ll gather some people from Holland and other northern European haunts who’d want to cruise over there together and enjoy a blissed out weekend with the Panscrapers! How about it: want to join us? ie La Cantera Bar findet man an der Hauptstraße zwischen Calafell und Bellvei, zwei Orten im Landkreis Baix Penèdes in Katalonien, ziemlich genau in der Mitte zwischen Barcelona und Tarragona gelegen. Das Gelände auf dem die Bar steht, war einst ein Steinbruch und noch heute ist sie umgeben von weißen Felswänden. Ansonsten aber weist nichts mehr auf den ehemaligen Betrieb hin, denn Gras und Bäume bewachsen den ehemals sandigen Boden und sorgen so für einen ruhigen Ort auf dem Land, der zum Entspannen einlädt. Also der perfekte Platz für das diesjährige Panscrapers Event.

Bereits am Freitag brachten Carlos Casado, der Vorstand des Panscrapers Clubs und unser Gastgeber, sowie seine Freunde alle ihre luftgekühlten VW auf das Gelände der La Cantera. Und da

Carlos einige Wolfsburger besitzt, gestaltete sich die Überführung ziemlich langwierig. Erstaunt hat uns die Reisefreudigkeit der Spanier, denn teilweise legten die Teilnehmer 800 Kilometer und mehr zurück, um bei dieser lokalen Show dabei zu sein. Aber nicht nur Einheimische, auch Engländer, Belgier und Holländer fanden ihren Weg in den Osten Spaniens. Jake Remfry hatte keine Probleme mit seinen T2a Kastenwagen die 1715 Kilometer einfachen Weg zurückzulegen und bekam dafür verdientermaßen einen Pokal! Eine sehr entspannte Stimmung prägte das Event. Den ganzen Tag legte ein DJ in seinem T2 auf, herrliches spanisches Essen wurde aufgefahren und für alle, die nicht mehr fahren mussten, gab es frisch gezapftes Bier. Rund 80 Volkswagen luden zum Bestaunen ein, darunter unter anderem Carlos’ Low Light-Karmann mit TurboMotor - natürlich megatief. Ab und an ließ er ihn laufen, was in dem alten Steinbruch für ein tolles Klangerlebnis sorgte. Mehr über die Fahrzeuge des Panscrapers-Chefs könnt Ihr auf Seite 108 lesen. Der berühmteste Gast war aber wohl die legendäre “Linde”, gebaut von der Bugbox in Deutschland. Sie verbringt ein relaxtes Leben im sonnigen Spanien bei einem der Panscrapers. Außerdem ist uns noch der 54er Barndoor-Kastenwagen von Ferran Socias aufgefallen sowie einige originale Ovalis. 2012 würden wir gerne wiederkommen, dann allerdings mit unseren luftgekühlten Volkswagen. Einige Holländer und andere

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50 Years Type 34 Words: Carsten Klein Translation: Kobus Cantraine | Yves Maertens | Georg Otto Pictures: Niels Timmerman

50 years of the Razor Edge, the Karmann Ghia Type 34, was celebrated in a huge meet at Georgsmarienhütte/Osnabrück – setting a new world record for the biggest gathering of Type 34s ever! > round 400 cars from all over the world accepted an invitation from the three German Karmann Ghia clubs to come to Georgsmarienhütte and celebrate the Type 34’s half century. It turned out to be an extraordinary, memorable and unique event! The first 100 or so participants reached the event area on Thursday afternoon, swanning around under sunny skies, and by Friday a total of 115 Type 34s, 150 Type 14s and 1 Karmann Ghia TC were gathered on the site. The superb supporting programme included a swap-meet area, a parts market, a childrens’ entertainment zone, a tombola and - main

Orioile yellow mild custom from Switzerland

attraction - a series of lectures featuring some very special guests: 10 former Karmann employees were on the spot to answer each and every question thrown at them by a daunting audience of Karmann buffs! There were two remarkable lectures by Jörg Fischer and Lee Hedges, both listened to with deep respect. Each lecture was plumb full of info, fresh from days of working at the Karmann Ghia Type 34 coalface, providing authentic insight from bona-fide insiders. Not to be missed. One part of the venue was set aside to present a selection of eight Type 34s,

Jurgen Magdelyns’ won best Type34 (’67-’69)!

The Type34’s came from all over Europe; Germany, Belgium, The Netherlands, Switserland, UK, France etc.

Look at that variety of colors, the parking was simply packed, great sight!

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carefully chosen to illustrate the progressive refinement of the Razor Edge model’s styling from 1962 to ‘69. Another separate area was reserved for a feast of Type 34 convertibles: three original factory models, seven Lorenz convertible conversions and two self-made ‘verts. There was a fantastic array of machinery to look at on the showground; everything from early Type 14s dating back to 1955, right up to late cars from 1974. People brought originals, customized, restored and unrestored cars; the whole gamut of Karmann Ghia glories was in evidence.

Opposites; customized T34 or stock late ’69

Special show, one of each manufacturing year lined up next to each other

Show | 50 Years Type 34, Germany

Have you ever seen such a traffic jam? An amazing 8,5 Km line of Karmann Ghiaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s on their tour through the country side... What a an impressive sight!

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Words: Kobus Cantraine Translation: Yves Maertens | Georg Otto Pictures: Erwin Stok | Niels Timmerman

Two striking ovals, very similar in concept, both clean, mean and low, fitted with Oldspeed engines, Albert mirrors and roll-on Porsche wheels. Both emerged from the VW Wolfsburg plant in 1955, yet, fifty-five years on, these two Beetles are totally different. Built to a very high standard they differ in their details - but how many differences can you spot? 144

Dutch AirForce Striking Ovals

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