hty: irMig ali to all A s i e th 12! in C Insid trippin’ ws of 20 o d h a Ro ig VWs the b
Issue 11 | Autumn 2012 | AirMighty.com
Shows Serial Kombi’s French Bus meet! > Beach Wheels, Big Wednesday, Pat Swap, Yokohama HRCS #21 €14,95 | £12.95 | $23.95 | ¥2600
Patina Crew Cab Type2
The New MoonBug
Krugger Royale
Show winner without touching the raw original paint body!
A Nostalgia Drag Race Oval Made in Japan by Mooneyes!
Top bike builder Fred Krugger restores a rare Super Vee!
Up-To-Date
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There’s a lot going on in the scene, be sure to catch the latest news, events, forum and photos on our website: www.AirMighty.com
Vintage Autohaus Speedster
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Featured cars 88
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The new Moonbug
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Doca from Florida
Bad Temper II
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14 | Original paint crew cab How to get a show winner without spending any money on paint!? Combine luck and elbowgrease!
30 | A blast from the past Bad Temper II, a legend in 1986, ready to terrorize L.A.’s streets again.
48 | Aircooled Girl Power Girls Riding In The South! The all girl VW club from Florida.
73 | Super Vee by Kugger What you get when a Belgian pro show motorcycle builder gets the mission to restore a rare Super Vee.
88 | Lime gold eye candy Straight out of the Mooneyes garage Shige Suganuma’s new toy!
116 | GT-VA-356 Speedster What K-Rot had in mind became a reality, here’s GTVA Speedster #1!
142| Darth Vader in Spain Out of the Panscrapers Laboratory: Carlos’ re-styled ultra slammed Bug!
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73 GRITS Panscraping ’63
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152 64
Big Wednesday
The Shows 68 42
Bug-In #37
155 Familienfest 10
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24 | Californian surf fun! 10ft. Doug takes us on a giant road trip to all the VW shows in California. But Who’s Doug?
42 | 37th Californian Bug In! The original Bug In, stronger than ever at Irwindale Raceway.
Beach Wheels
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46 | Memorial Surf-Day Honoring the forgotten heroes with a day of Surfing in California.
47 | The VW Classic “The World’s Greatest VW Show” The not to missed event in So-Cal!
58 | Moon’s Japanese Show Off to Yokohama to visit the 21st Mooneyes Hot Rod & Custom Show featuring VW’s in action!
64 | Mid week beach fun!
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The Big Wednesday, Rich Kimbal’s annual Surf/VW get-together!
Hot Rod & Custom Show
68 | Pat & Bo$$’s First Swap A well packed new indoor Aircooled only Swap-Meet full of rare goodies!
102 | Beach Wheels 2012 Fun times on a sandy beach in Italy.
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110 | It’s a family affair... FamilienFest: Camping, raffle, BBQ, more good times in California...
Solvang Vintage Treffen
127| VW Jamboree reborn An old VW show that been given a second life by a new organisation.
133| The French Bus Show Serial Kombi’s Bus Meet in the lovely Burgundy region.
141| Vail Lake VW Gathering Trail driving and lake diving at Cali’s biggest privately owned lake.
152| Vintage Meet-Solvang! An real Vintage VW Treffen in SoCal.
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155| Doug Would Go! Doug’s very own end of the year Surf and VW chill out on the beach!
The French Bus Meeting
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God Damn’ Truck Bus! If you were to stumble upon an unmolested, solid, but scruffy looking, neglected split-screen crew-cab, what would you do? Would you go for a full restoration? New paint etc? Or, would you just clean it up and preserve the patina? Jody McClure took two years to make up his mind before he ended up turning the forgotten Crew-Cab into a show winner in just 30 days!
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Words: Kobus Cantraine Translation: Georg Otto | GaĂŤlle Remacle Pictures: Jesse Williams
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Cali Trippin’ 2012 Words: Doug Gaylord Translation: Yves Maertens | Georg Otto Pictures: Pete Stojkic
Let us introduce Mr. 10ft Doug, member of the Barndoor Mafia, BDM in California and owner of this beautiful ’55 Barndoor Samba in which he will take us on a road trip to all the shows he’s visited last season. California tripping, are you ready... > ’ve been into everything VW since my mid teens, and it all started in 1988 with my first car, a 1957 rag-top Beetle. In 1989 I drove cross-country to Los Angles in my 1960 23-window and I still own both cars today! I knew Southern California was the place to be, so I made my move in 1990 and have never looked back. There are two major attractions in my favorite State, besides obviously the weather, which are the surf and the VW scene. Historically, since the 1950s, California was a VW magnet. With a large influx of hippies during the 1960s, the numbers grew even bigger. Not having to deal with corrosion from harsh winters and salted roads, a lot of cars were preserved in their original state. It’s no surprise that a lot of VW enthusiasts live here and enjoy cruising the coast in their VWs. We have plenty of exciting annual events here in So-Cal and here are a few of my favorites …Cali Trippin’ 2012
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eit meinen Tagen als Teenager beschäftige ich mich mit allen Dingen, die mit alten VW zu tun haben. Richtig los ging es 1988 mit einem 57er Faltdach-Käfer. Schon 1989 durchquerte ich mit meinem zweiten VW, einem 1960er 23-Fenster Samba, die USA und fuhr bis Los Angeles. Beide Autos besitze ich übrigens heute noch! Ich wusste, dass Süd-Kalifornien meine Welt war und so zog ich 1990 um - bereut habe ich es nie! In meinem Lieblings-Staat gibt es zwei Attraktionen - natürlich abgesehen vom Wetter - als da wären Surfen und VWs. Bereits in den 1950ern war Kalifornien ein VW-Magnet. Der starke Zustrom an Hippies in den 1960ern machte es nicht schlechter. Dank der guten Witterungsverhältnisse sind viele Fahrzeuge in ihrem Originalzustand erhalten geblieben. Da wundert es nicht, dass viele VW-Enthusiasten hier leben und es genießen die Küste in ihren Volkswagen entlang zu cruisen. Es gibt eine ganze Menge sehenswerte Shows hier in Süd-Kalifornien und ich möchte Euch ein paar meiner Lieblingsveranstaltungen vorstellen… Cali Trippin’ 2012.
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Show | Cali Trippin’
Surf’s Up! 10ft Doug of course isn’t realy 10feet tall but quite tall at 2 meters
Have you seen this dashboard before? There’s a sunset shot in the Portfolio!
Doug’s trusty road trippin’ companion, his awesome 1955 Barndoor Samba
e suis passionné de VW depuis mon adolescence. Tout a commencé en 1988 avec l’achat de ma première cox, une découvrable de 1957. En 1989, j’ai traversé le pays au volant de mon 23 fenêtres de 1960 pour me rendre à Los Angeles – et je possède encore les deux voitures aujourd’hui ! Comme je voulais vivre en Californie du sud, j’ai décidé de déménager en 1990, et je ne le regrette vraiment pas – c’est mon état préféré. Il y a deux attractions principales en Californie (en plus du temps) : le surf et les VW. Depuis les années 50, les VW ont toujours pullulé ici. Avec un large influx de hippies dans les années 60, ce nombre n’a fait qu’augmenter avec le temps. Et comme il y fait toujours sec, les voitures ne rouillent pas. On comprend donc mieux pourquoi on en croise autant en train de cruiser le long des plages. La Californie est également le siège de nombreux meetings, donc laissez-moi vous donner un aperçu de mes préférés… Cali Trippin’ 2012
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It’s a sight like this that made Doug decide to move to California for ever...
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Words: Georg Otto Translation: Kobus Cantraine | Yves Maertens Pictures: Erwin Stok
In the mid 1980’s the Los Angeles VW scene was characterized by brightly colored Volkswagens that were themed with detailed logos and scripts. One of them was this very 1962 Beetle named “Bad Temper II” - a true survivor of the L.A. Street Racer era! 30
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GRITS
Girls Rollin’ In The South, or GRITS as they are more commonly referred to, is an all-girl VW forum/club which was started back in January of 2009 by some girls in the VW scene that got fed up with the boys having all the fun... > Words: Jesse Williams Pictures: Jesse Williams Translation: Georg Otto | Yves Maertens
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Yokohama Hot Rod Custom Show Words: Kobus Cantraine Translation: Georg Otto | Gaelle Remacle Pictures: Mike Ishiko
The 21st Annual Yokohama Hot Rod Custom Show was an incredible event! it was held on Sunday December 2nd 2012 at the Pacifico Yokohama Exhibition Hall in Yokohama, Japan, and this time the Volkswagens were the stars of the show! > he Kustom one-day show has consistently grown for the past 20 years to become the world’s largest gathering of its kind, having burgeoned inside the exhibition hall for the past several years, growing the number of entrants and spectators exponentially. Last year was no exception, and it exceeded all expectations, with over 15,000
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Bill Schwimmer in his Coral Red ‘59 DKP Beetle
spectators, of which over 500 made their way to Japan from abroad. The spotlight feature of the event was the “VW Air Cooled in Action” arena with over 80 customised VWs of all types gathered together. Another new segment was the Early Days Chopper Extravaganza, which
Corsairs club represented by “Rez” in the ‘29 Ford
The West Coast Ridaz 1954 Barndoor Kombi has been an inspiration to many...
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focused on ‘60s and ‘70s-style chopper motorcycles and that attracted 30 nostalgic bikes including a group from the southern island of Kyushu. This show would not be possible without the interest of the fans, the Kustom lifestyle adopters. Mooneyes’ goal is to entertain
Dale Snoke in “The Rocket” riding into the Pacifico
FLAT4 had a massive EMPI display, featuring the original Rail & Inch Pincher III
Show | Hot Rod Custom Show ’12
while perpetuating this car and bike culture that we all love so much. They succeeded again, and the day started with the always impressive “Ride-In” where the invited cars and bikes get driven into the Pacifico event hall, a moment you can only compare to gladiators entering an arena! Thousands of spectators cheer as the vehicles drive into the hall, the sound of their engines resonating all through the confined concrete exhibition building. The four cars and their special guests took turns to run down the main isle, one after another. Dale Snoke drove his 1964 Mercury B/FX “the ROCKET”. Gerson “Rez” Rivera, Corsairs CC member, and his 1929 Ford Roadster drove through next. The Lightning Bug, the chopped 1960 VW Type-1 and its legendary owners Paul and Mark Schley were followed by DKP member
“Going Bananas” and the legendary Gene Winfield
Bill Schwimmer and his famous coral red 1959 VW Ragtop. Last but not least was Wheels Unlimited’s 1953 Mercury “Gone Bananas” customized and driven by the legendary Gene Winfield. After the cars came the bikes, and once they’d all parked up the event was officially declared open!
> Mooneyes Hot Rod Custom Show in Japan is for sure one of the world’s largest indoor Kustom lifestyle events. < The show’s huge, so it’s hard to cover it all in just a day. So, pragmatic as ever, we started off with the VW section. Shige Suganuma had invited the Schley Bros and Bill Schwimmer with their cars, and the Schleys’ original Lightning Bug was displayed in front of
a giant blow-up image of Orange County International Raceway. This legendary vehicle was the star of many of the original Bug In’s, and the Japanese crowd loved it! The Custom VW Scene in the Land of the Rising Sun is not as big as it is in California, obviously, or in Europe, but the people, who are into it are really into it! Every year we’re blown away by crazy custom builds. This time we especially loved a Lowlight Ghia that featured an insane trad Low Rider paint job, and we later found out that it had taken the well-deserved Best of Aircooled in Action Trophy and the Super VW Magazine Pick. Another outstanding paint job worth mentioning was the freshly restored Inch Pincher III that was part of a great EMPI display, set up by Flat4.
“The Green Hornet” was built several years ago and still looks fresh today! An amazing Japanese Volksrod!
TOA’s Shin Mukai showed off his latest race car, a 1965 Pro Stock Fastback
“New Image” crotch cooler ragtop split window got the full “low down” style!
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THE PAT SWAP Words: Kobus Cantraine Translation: Gaëlle Remacle | Georg Otto Pictures: Kobus Cantraine
The First International Indoor Aircooled VW PAT-Swap turned out to be one of the best swap-meets we’ve seen in years! Pat and the Bo$$ managed to bring together traders from all over Europe who brought some very, very rare parts with them! > at’s shop at Nivelles, Belgium, is dedicated to Aircooled cars, and he’s been running it for well over ten years. They handle just about anything, from parts sales to full restorations, stock or high-performance conversions. They even have an in-house rolling road dyno. Together with Laurent Therssen - aka “the Bo$$” - they figured that the European VW scene could use a real Aircooled-only indoor swap-meet. Years ago there were several big swapmeets on the scene: Raoul’s VW hallen in Alken springs to mind, and that event saw
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traders and buyers come over from all over the world, including Japan. The dynamic Belgian duo decided that Pat’s premises would be an ideal venue to host the new event, and thus the “Pat Swap” was born. The 3,000 (???) square metre industrial building is a decent size but, easier said than done, this meant clearing out most of the cars, parts and tools that normally occupy Pat’s space. Fortunately one of the neighbouring buildings was for sale and totally empty, Pat knew the owner and was allowed to store everything in there for the
weekend. A good thing, because for the duration of the weekend his whole space would be packed with parts! Traders showed up from all over Europe responding to the Bo$$’s call, who’s no stranger to a good swap-meet. The amount of rare parts available was just amazing. If you were looking for an NOS Abarth exhaust for your Type3, it was there. If you were dreaming of rare wheels, there were loads - Original chromed EMPI Sprint Stars, Magnesium Mahle Gasburners or genuine 4.5” Fuchs. We even saw a NOS Boxed EMPI steering
Show | THE PAT SWAP 2012 wheel: when was the last time you saw one of those for sale anywhere in the world?! Besides the 40 or so traders who’d set up inside with their goodies spread out, there was also plenty of enticing stuff to be found outside the building. The whole industrial estate filled up with Aircooled cars and last-minute arrivals who unloaded their used Aircooled stuff on parking lots in the area like an urban car-boot sale. Somebody even showed up with an Oval window Beetle body, perfect to turn into a Gasser! Bo$$ and Pat’s first International Indoor VW Swapmeet worked perfectly. They even scheduled a great Rockabilly band for the Saturday evening and everybody went home happy, most with an empty wallet, but with a trunk full of rare goodies! The 2nd edition will be held in 2014, and we’ll let you know when here in AirMighty Megascene. This summer, on the Wednesday in between Hessisch Oldendorf and the European Bug In, Pat will host his traditional Open House BBQ, with some Pre EBI test runs on the dyno! Meanwhile, don’t hesitate to visit Pat’s impressive workshop anytime when you’re in Belgium: he’s located in Nivelles, just 30 minutes south of Brussels. ut über zehn Jahre führt Pat Deperne sein Geschäft schon, das sich haupt-
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Plenty of parts and some interesting cars for sale
sächlich luftgekühlten VW widmet. Erledigt wird dort alles, egal ob Teileverkauf, originale Restaurationen oder Hochleistungsumbauten, sogar ein Rollenprüfstand steht zur Verfügung. Zusammen mit seinem Freund Laurent Therssen, genannt Bo$$, hatte er sich überlegt einen Teilemarkt zu veranstalten, aber nicht draußen, sondern überdacht. Und zwar ausschließlich für luftgekühlte Teile. Vor Jahren gab es mehrere solcher Veranstaltungen - Raoul’s Hallen in Alken kommen einem da in den Kopf - bei denen Händler aus ganz Europa und sogar Japan angereist kamen. Das dynamische Duo entschloss sich dazu Pats Firmengelände als Austragungsort zu benutzen und so war der “Pat Swap” geboren. Die 3000 Quadratmeter von Pats Shop sahen die beiden als ausreichend für die geplante Veranstaltung an. Doch das war leichter gesagt, als getan, denn es musst ja alles raus, was sich normalerweise in den Hallen befand: Autos, Werkzeug, das ganze Lager! Zum Glück war eines der Nachbargebäude leer und stand zum Verkauf und Pat kannte den Besitzer… das Wochenende über durfte er alles dort einlagern! Ein guter Zug, denn Samstag und Sonntag sollte alles voll mit zum Verkauf stehenden Teilen sein. Bo$$, der kein Unbekannter auf Teilemärkten ist, rief und Händler aus ganz Europa kamen.
How about that an NOS bus nose from Brazil!
The big swap meet was split up into three different sections inside Pat’s huge Aircooled VW service shop
Rare parts heaven, 4 original EMPI steering wheels
What about some stuff to decorate your garage?
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expliquions que cette série hyper populaire a servi de tremplin pour de nombreuses légendes de la course automobile. Ces engins légers étaient équipés d’une mécanique simple, d’un Type 1 de 1200cc, et d’un train avant et de freins d’origine. En 1970 naît la Super Vee, l’évolution ultime de la monoplace VW.Comme vous allez le voir, sa mécanique n’a plus grand-chose à voir avec celle de son ancêtre. A l’époque, la technologie a déjà bien évolué et il n’y a plus beaucoup de points communs entre la Super Vee et l’ancienne Vee. Pour remplacer les type 1 à turbine ronde, des 1600cc Type 3 à turbine plate sont d’abord utilisés. Mais ceux-ci sont rapidement remplacés par des Type 4 plus puissants, disponibles sur les Porsche 914, VW411/412, et en option sur certains bus. Comme les règles mentionnent seulement l’obligation d’utiliser un moteur VW d’une cylindrée de 1600cc, de nombreux concurrents se tournent très vite vers une solution alternative, sous la forme de moteurs industriels, dont la cylindrée et les caractéristiques conviennent tout à fait à ce genre d’utilisation. Au fil des années, les règles évoluent encore. En 1974, les disques arrières remplacent les tambours, les jantes en 6x13 font place aux jantes de 8 pouces de large, et les ailerons apparaissent.
New lexan windshield and a pair of bullet mirrors
Notre sujet du jour est une Royale RP19/6, une de dix à avoir été produites en 1975 par la petite société anglaise. La spécialité des ateliers Royale, c’était la manufacture de voitures de type Formule, principalement des Formule Ford. Ils en ont d’ailleurs construits 700 au total entre 1968 et 1985, avant de fermer leurs portes. Leurs monoplaces étaient développées sur base d’un savoir-faire accumulé pendant plusieurs années, ce qui leur permettait d’être très compétitives. Le modèle présenté ici est une des versions les plus évoluées que vous risquez de rencontrer, et ce n’est pas une surprise si elle est restée tapie au fond d’une collection privée pendant de nombreuses années. Elle n’était pas très jolie à voir quand elle a débarqué dans les ateliers de Fred Krugger, mais pas de quoi effrayer celui qui transforme tout ce qu’il touche en show winner… Avec ses bon vieux outils et une bonne dose d’huile de coude, il est sûr de pouvoir redonner à la monoplace ses couleurs d’antan.
> At only 397KG this Super Vee must be a very, very quick and effective Formula race car! < Fred parcours l’album photo de la restauration et nous raconte : « Au total, il m’a fallu 6
« C’est fou le nombre de pièces VW utilisées sur ces voitures. Prenez les freins à disques par exemple, ce sont des éléments d’origine, mais complètement transformés. Ils ont été perforés pour gagner du poids, et pas avec une petite mèche… A première vue, la boite de vitesses à cardans parait tout à fait normale, si ce n’est pour sa position inversée. Mais à l’intérieur, il n’y a plus une seule pièce d’origine. Même la grille de sélection est différente : si vous deviez changer les vitesses en suivant le H traditionnel, vous feriez 1-2-4-3. Quand vous
We can only imagine how it would feel like to drive this race car! It must be very fast weighing only 397Kg!
The plaque stating that this is Royale RP19 #6, only 10 were built of this type!
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mois pour compléter le boulot, et même si j’ai eu quelques surprises en cours de route, cela s’est avéré relativement facile. Je n’ai même pas dû faire preuve de créativité – j’ai simplement tout remis à neuf en essayant de me rapprocher au maximum de l’origine. Mais bon, je vais vous avouer que je n’ai pas pu m’empêcher de perfectionner quelques détails… la Krugger Touch, quoi ! » Si cela vous dit, Fred partage ses albums photos sur Facebook… En plus de la finition extrême qu’il a appliqué à toutes les petites pièces du projet, il a aussi du recréer la quasi-totalité des panneaux en aluminium, construire le nouvel aileron arrière et réparer le nez, un peu ridé suite à choc avant.
Brand new! Krugger did an amazing job on the restoration of this Super Vee!
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’importe quel carburateur alors que les pilotes de formule Vee devaient se contenter d’un carburateur simple corps VW de 32mm. Il n’y avait pas de règles concernant les suspensions, et c’est là que des entreprises comme Royale faisaient la différence grâce à leur expérience accumulée en formule Ford – leurs châssis étaient à la pointe ! Sur les 738 voitures de course qu’ils ont construit, seulement 78 étaient des Super
Vee et 10 des RP19. Ce n’est donc pas une surprise si elles ont trouvé preneur partout dans le monde. Deux seulement sont restées en Grande-Bretagne, six ont été exportées aux Etats-Unis et deux ont été vendues à des pilotes allemands. Aujourd’hui, on en recense encore quatre dans le monde… L’exemplaire présenté ici a atterri en Belgique il y a une vingtaine d’années, et c’est le seul qui possède encore son moteur VW refroidi par air, tous les autres ayant été convertis pour accueillir un moteur 4 cylindres à eau de Golf (ou Rabbit comme elles étaient appelées aux USA). La série Super Vee a continué d’exister jusqu’au milieu des années 80, mais à partir de 1975 il était rare d’en croiser une encore équipée de son quatre à plat sur un circuit. Voici donc un des exemplaires les plus purs de la race, une Super Vee dans sa version la plus aboutie. l
Photos: Archive - Bé Uiterwijk Winkel
enchaînez les rapports, vous devez donc descendre en bas à droite pour trouver la troisième. » Fred passe des heures à nous expliquer les nombreux petits détails qu’il a découverts lors de la restauration. Pour le moteur, il a simplement dû vérifier que les organes internes étaient en bon état, ce qui était le cas. Au fil des années, le 1600cc a vu sa capacité augmenter pour atteindre 2.4L. Les rares Weber 48IDA qui équipaient le moteur à l’époque sont toujours présents. La formule Super Vee permettait d’utiliser n
This 1975 Royale Super Vee was developped in the UK and is representative of the ultimate evolution in Aircooled Formula racing!
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Mooneyes’ boss Shige Suganuma has always had a soft spot for Volkswagens, but his latest creation takes his Aircooled passion to a new level! May we present to you the one and only “MOONBUG”! Words: Kobus Cantraine Translation: Yves Maertens | Georg Otto Pictures: Mike Ishiko
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Baja Bugs, Beach, Buggies, Cruise Night, Elvis, Manx, MoonCafe, Party, Pizza, Steve McQueen, Venice… Italy! Enough key words to grab your attention? Welcome to the 3rd edition of the Beach Wheels event! > Words: Kobus Cantraine Translation: Georg Otto | Yves Maertens Pictures: Kobus Cantraine emember that video of Elvis Presley driving an orange Meyers Manx and getting some air in the dunes? Or how about “The Thomas Crown Affair” where Steve McQueen and Faye Dunaway drive the Corvair-powered Buggy flat-out on the beach… it’s the stuff dreams are made off. We went to Italy and saw that dreams are actually a reality there: at the Beach Wheels event the past is re-lived on an annual basis. It’s close to Venice on the Spiaggia di Levante beach of Caorle, where the city council allows the Italian Beetle club Maggiolino Käfer Club Italia to play on the state beach for a day. This in itself is something totally unique, since hardly any
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No this is not a Radio Controled toy! It’s a real car!
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European beaches are accessible to motorized vehicles, and environmental laws and noise restrictions imply you’d probably end up in jail in most places. Re-living the Thomas Crown Affair on your local beach? Well, face it; those days are over… though not, it seems, in northeast Italy! Over 100.000 square meters of sandy beach are the backdrop for this unique event, located right next to the colourful fishing town of Caorle. Legend has it the fishermen painted their houses bright colours so they could see their home from far out to sea. The team
“Gunther” the Italian built Baja Oval window Bug
Here’s Filippo, the man behind the Beach Wheels!
Show | Beachwheels #3, 2012
We published a full feature on this rare Deserter GT inside AirMighty Issue #10
Where else in Europe can you still drive on the beach and not get arrested!
Slalom track is gigantic and very fast! It’s so much fun! Strap on your helmet, sit down, hold on and shut up!
surrounding Filippo Giardini laid out a giant slalom course on the hard-packed sand, opened it to any Aircooled vehicle, then sectioned off a huge part of the dunes where purpose-built Beach Buggies and Baja Beetles could let rip in their natural environment. Levante beach is one of Italy’s widest, and at low tide it can stretch 300 meters from waves to shore, and legend has it Ernest Hemingway loved to dip his toes in. An Aircooled cruise night hosted by the newly-opened Jesolo Beach MOONCAFE kick-started the action, and on Sunday morning we ogled flying Buggies, drifting all over the beach all day long, topped with more Italian hospitality including a delicious lunchtime aperitif and free pizza: how about that for a good time? We can thoroughly recommend this event to any Buggy or Baja Bug owner, so make sure you don’t miss the next Beach Wheels in 2013, because you never know how long the opportunity to play on the beach at Caorle will last - and in any case you get to enjoy one of Italy’s finest beaches at a time of the year when it’s not crowded with tourists. rinnert Ihr Euch an das Video mit Elvis Presley, wie er einen orangefarbenen Meyers Manx durch die Dünen jagt und abhebt? Oder an den Film “Die Thomas Crown Affäre”, in dem Steve McQueen und Faye Dunaway in einem von einem CorvairMotor angetriebenen Buggy Vollgas über den Strand ballern… das ist das Zeug, aus dem Träume bestehen! Wir waren in Italien und haben gesehen, dass Träume dort tatsächlich wahr werden können, zumindest ein mal jährlich beim Beach Wheels Event. Es findet ganz in der Nähe Venedigs statt, am Spiaggia di Levante-Strand bei Caorle. Die Stadtväter erlauben dem Maggiolino Käfer Club Italia die Nutzung des Strands immerhin für einen Tag - was selten ist heutzutage. Kaum ein Strand in Europa darf noch von motorisierten Fahrzeugen befahren werden - Umweltauflagen und Lärmbekämpfung verhindern das wirkungsvoll. Bei Zuwiderhandlung würde man wahrscheinlich im Knast landen! Die Thomas Crown Affäre am eigenen Strand nachspielen fällt damit für die Mehrheit von uns aus - aber nicht in Italien! Über 100.000 Quadratmeter stehen für die Beach Wheels zur Verfügung, in Sichtweite des farbenfrohen Fischerorts Caorle. Dessen Häuser seien so bunt, damit die Fischer
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Buggies in all their shapes and forms showed up
ihr Dorf auch von weit draußen schon sehen könnten - erzählt man sich. Doch zurück zum Strand, auf dessen hartem Boden Filippo Giardini und seine Crew einen Slalom aufgebaut hatten, der für alle luftgekühlten VW offen war. Nur den echten Sandflöhen war der sandige, weiche Teil vorbehalten, auf dem sich vor allem Beach Buggies und Baja Käfer tummelten. Bis zu 300 Meter breit ist der Strand bei Ebbe und man sagt, Ernest Hemingway sei hier gerne spazieren gegangen. In der Nacht vor dem eigentlichen Treffen fand übrigens eine luftgekühlte Cruise Night bei dem neu eröffneten Mooncafe in Jesolo statt. Sonntags erwarteten uns dann jede Menge durch die Luft fliegende und auf Sand driftende Buggies, dazu gab es zum Mittagessen einen leckeren Aperitif sowie Pizza - kostenlos! Das ist italienische Gastfreundschaft! Wir können diese tolle Show wirklich jedem ans Herz legen, der einen Buggy oder Baja Käfer besitzt. Merkt euch den Termin für 2013 schon jetzt vor, denn wer weiß, wie lange es noch erlaubt sein wird, einen der schönsten Strände Italiens zu befahren. ous vous souvenez de cette vidéo d’Elvis en train de conduire un Meyers Manx orange et de faire des sauts dans les dunes ? Ou de ‘L’affaire Thomas Crown’, film dans lequel Steve McQueen et Faye Dunaway s’amusent sur une plage dans un Buggy à moteur Corvair… Le genre de truc que tout le monde rêve de faire. Et bien nous sommes allés en Italie, et nous avons constaté que ce genre de rêve, on peut le réaliser ici chaque année lors du ‘Beach Wheels’, un évènement organisé sur la ‘Spiaggia di Levante’ de Caorle, une plage située non loin de Venise. Les autorités de la ville permettent en effet au ‘Maggiolino Käfer Club Italia’ d’utiliser la plage publique une fois par an pour le plus grand bonheur des fans de VW italiens. Cela peut paraitre tout à fait normal pour nos lecteurs américains, mais c’est unique en Europe où la circulation des véhicules motorisés sur les plages est totalement interdite pour raisons environnementales. Essayez de jouer à Thomas Crown sur la plage la plus proche de chez vous et vous finirez très certainement en prison ! Ici, ce sont plus de 100.000 mètres carrés de plage qui sont accessibles, avec le petit village de pêcheur de Caorle en image de fond. La légende raconte que les pêcheurs ont peint leur maison de couleur vive pour pouvoir les apercevoir même loin en mer. Cette année,
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GTVA#1 Three Five Six Speedster Vintage Autohaus is not just the supplier of those French Slammer front beams that’ll instantly transform your stock Bus or Beetle into the coolest ride on the block, they are also the one-stop-shop in the South of France for entire full-on cool-car builds. The “GT-Vintage Autohaus” Speedster epitomises this!
Words: Kobus Cantraine | Zecoch Translation: Gaëlle Remacle | Georg Otto Pictures: Tom Wheatley
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Superb weather and great location in Burgundy
Keep you head cool: with an old Swamp Cooler!
Camping is what it’s about at the French Bus Meet
Serial Kombi, Full VW Shop & ClassicCarBodyRepair helped by the “CoxBrothers” Club got 800 VWs together!
A “Full of Gas” Party powered by the Italian DJ’s!
ry to imagine this: a tiny town with just 250 people living there, in the centre of the French Burgundy region, that gets invaded by 800 buses! Isn’t that what dreams are made of? Well, go ahead and pinch yourself: this is real! After the first edition, which drew a good 500 vehicles to Fley, the organisation added another day to the event, making it a three-day show, and that took place from 27th to 29th July 2012. Firms including Serial Kombi, Full VW Shop and Classic Car Body Repair teamed up with the Cox Brothers’ VW club and took their show to another level. BBT arrived with a line-up of buses driven down from Belgium and took along their giant inflatable Bus bounce house. Then there were pony rides for the kids, two live bands for the parents and a big fireworks display on the Saturday evening. 150 buses took part in the regional cruise, good for a 4km-long serpentine convoy of VW buses driving the sinuous
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roads of the Burgundian vineyards. What a sight to see! On the showground, a 4-hectare field, there was a trader village where you could find everything you’d need to restore your bus, provided you didn’t get distracted by the presence of Sabina Kelley who came over from Los Angeles specially for the event. A relaxed atmosphere pervaded the event, and the long lines of buses parked all over the place made you want to walk the whole site and check them out. The organisers’ main goal was to get as many bus owners together as possible, accompanied by their typical easy-going vibe: where families could get together and hang out with new and old friends who all share the same passion - the VW Bus! If you like the concept, great wines and typical French gastronomy, then make sure you don’t miss out on the next French Bus meet; it’s held only once every two years, and the next one is scheduled for 25th, 26th and 27th July 2014.
Show | The French VW Bus Meeting
Rare sliding door panel with Porsche service look
From Belgium, the VW Cafe! Cold beers on tap!
If you don’t have enough room in your camper
Part of the BBT convoy, Bob and Linda’s stock 1959 Westfalia with matching trailer and the BBT Laddertruck
tellt Euch vor, 800 Busse fallen in einem 250-Seelen-Dorf im französischen Burgund ein - wie wäre das? Verrückt? Vielleicht. Auf jeden Fall wahr! Nach der ersten Veranstaltung, die bereits 500 VW Transporter anlockte, erweiterte man die Show letztes Jahr auf drei Tage. Vom 27. bis 29. Juli 2012 fluteten die Busse regelrecht den kleinen Ort Fley. Der Cox Brothers VW Club tat sich dabei mit Serial Kombi, dem Full VW Shop und Classic Car Body Repair zusammen und gemeinsam verbesserten sie das Treffen noch mal deutlich. Aus Belgien reiste die BBT Crew mit einer Reihe von Bussen an und brachte sogar die berühmte T1-Hüpfburg mit. Für die Kinder gab es außerdem Pony-Reiten, alle Gäste konnten sich über zwei Live-Bands freuen und am Samstag Abend gab es ein Feuerwerk. An der Ausfahrt über die gewundenen Landstraßen des Burgund nahmen rund 150 Transporter teil, was einen etwa vier Kilometer langen Konvoi ergab! Ein unvergesslicher Anblick! Auf dem rund 40.000 Quadratmeter großen Treffengelände gab es diverse Händler-Stände, bei denen man alles bekam, um einen Bus zu restaurieren - vorausgesetzt man wurde nicht von Pin-up
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We always love a nice line up! Great for photos...
Model Sabina Kelly abgelenkt, die extra aus LA eingeflogen kam. Generell lag über der Veranstaltung eine entspannte Atmosphäre, die langen Reihen der alten Volkswagen luden dazu ein, sie sich in aller Ruhe anzuschauen. Das Hauptaugenmerk liegt hier auch tatsächlich auf dem gemütlichen Beisammensein der Besitzer mit ihren Familien und dem Treffen neuer und alter Bekannter. Zusammen teilen sie alle die Liebe zum VW Bus. Wenn Euch dieses Konzept gefällt, Ihr französischen Wein mögt und die Gastronomie unserer Nachbarn liebt, dann solltet Ihr sicher gehen, dass Ihr nicht die nächste Veranstaltung verpasst, die nur alle zwei Jahre stattfindet. Das nächste Mal also erst wieder vom 25. bis zum 27. Juli 2014.
> The French Bus Meet gathered almost 800 VW’s! We’re looking forward to the next edition in 2014! Will they hit 1000 Volkswagen Campers? < maginez que, le temps d’un week-end, un village bucolique de 250 habitants situé en plein cœur de la Bourgogne (France) soit envahi par près de 800 combis, le rêve non ? Et bien pincez parce
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The second French Bus Meet in Fley had this awesome “Type2 Only” camp site! Autumn 2012 | AirMighty Megascene |
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Carlos Casado, the Don Corleone of the Barcelonabased Panscrapers, has owned this Beetle for 16 years now, and he recently decided to give it a new look! This blacker-than-black, ultra-low Bug got us all excited: welcome to “Darth Vader”!
Words: Kobus Cantraine Translation: Georg Otto | Gaëlle Remacle Pictures: Jorge ‘Peqk’ Agudo
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