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Contents
Take a look at what’s going on in the October 2017 issue of Ultra VW Ultra VW – e-mail: info@ultravw.co.uk
46
REGULARS 14 news Products, news and reviews...
79 classifieds Sell your VW or find a new ride with Ultra VW!
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Why not treat yourself to an annual subscription to Ultra VW magazine? Turn to page 28 for further info or sign up online at www.ultravw.co.uk
FEATURES 6 the gasser path Dave Galassi’s Pepco-supercharged Gasser!
22 #live2drive Malaysia to Germany – the ultimate roadtrip
30 re-evolution The transformation from ‘rat rod’ to ‘hot rod’!
46 superb sp2 Dokke Sahertian checks out this rare ride
58 outlaw nine-eleven This 911 is the stuff dreams are made of...
22 PLUS 74 vw toys
Bob Gilmore’s guide to VW collectibles
78 uk cal look archives Steve Payne closes his photo albums...
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EVENTS & GATHERINGS
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16 bug jam 31 All the action from Santa Pod Raceway...
54 european bug-in #7 Dokke Sahertian reports from Chimay
64 in luft land A California-based classic Porsche event
66 the marathon begins If you’re a Bus fan, you’ll love the OCTO meet
70 highly praised Stephan attends for the DKP cruise night
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THE GASSER Path
A variety of styles define our hobby, with vehicles often entering wellestablished categories – Cal Look, Resto Cal, custom, etc. Dave Galassi chose a rather unusual path, finding inspiration in the pioneering VW gassers of the ’60s. He applied the formula to his street-driven ’62 Ragtop, solely running period-correct parts, including a rare PEPCO supercharger! Words & Photos: Stephan Szantai
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O
ver the last decade or so, the Volkswagen scene has gained acceptance within the broader car hobby, as air-cooled VWs now mingle more easily with the V8 crowd. I clearly remember visiting a few So-Cal cruise nights a quarter of a century ago with my Oval and being ‘welcomed’ by signs stating in big letters: ‘No VWs and no Mini Trucks’. This attitude is seemingly something of the past; in fact, it appears that an increasing number of folks bounce from V8s to Vee Dubs and vice-versa, often owning an example (or more!) of each. One such individual happens to be the subject of our story.
Dave Galassi’s stable of vehicles includes several pieces of U.S. machinery, such as a restored 1931 Model A roadster, a rare ’47 Hudson pickup with modern underpinning, and an amazinglypreserved ’65 Chevrolet Nova wagon. But he’s also a true Volkswagen devotee, with two of his rides having graced the pages of HotVWs Magazine in the ’80s (a ’62 Notch and a ’59 Double Cab); he later completed another 2005 HotVWs feature car, a fuel-injected 2.1L Double Cab. This amazing ’61 Transporter hid numerous trick components, from the rack-and-pinion BMW steering to the Porsche 944 rear suspension and brakes.
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“The decklid is a nod to the outrageous custom cars built in the ’60s” Above: Dave’s Ragtop does not look out
of place parked in front of friend Dale Snoke’s ’64 Mercury Comet Below: The engine delivers 100BHP…
Not too shabby for a 1600 built with vintage components! Below right: Adapting the PEPCO blower
was no small feat, using several custom-made pieces Bottom right: The dual-throat Weber 45DCOE lost a barrel (!) thanks to the machining talent of Augie Delgado
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We should also mention that Dave was deeply involved in building good friend Russ Welch’s ’52 Split, one of the bestknown California Look Bugs in recent time, incidentally unveiled in UVW in November 2012. Russ sadly passed away in 2015 and bequeathed the Split Window to Dave who continues to care for it. Galassi also owns a ’73 Thing, a ’64 Beetle convertible and no less than three ’62 Sunroof Beetles – a 19,000 original mile car, a Cal Looker and the one you’ll read about in this article.
Our Southern California resident additionally hosts an annual event at his business called ‘The Internal Combustion Festival’, where those invited come to bench race, eat tacos and ice cream, and have some fun with their cars. The only rule is that you need to bring an interesting vehicle, hence you will see VWs mixing with hot rods, gassers, old Porsches, and even vintage front engine dragsters. Dave grew up in Pasadena, home to Blair’s Speed Shop, which opened just after
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“I’ve always admired the pioneers of the early VW gasser cars and what they built...” World War II. It built numerous recognized gassers and race cars. So, being both a V8 and VW buff has influenced him when building the ’62 Rag you see here. Oh sure, he likes traditional Cal Look Vee Dubs, too; but he decided on something different with that Bug… Part of his circle of friends is deeply involved with V8 gassers, created in the spirit of what you might have seen on the street and strip back in the ’60s. Think nose-high front suspension, headers poking through fender wells, It was a real blast following Dave’s ’62, its blown motor happily humming!
along with slicks or cheater slicks in the back. And so began his gasser-inspired VW project. Just in case you aren’t familiar with this distinctive and somewhat outrageous style, we purposefully photographed the white Beetle in company with one of the best-known V8 gassers on the West Coast, Dale Snoke’s equally-white ’64 Mercury Comet. Dale bought it as a fairly-low mileage (92,000 miles), rust free vehicle from the original owner. More
recently, his 10-second street/strip car participated in the 2012 Yokohama Hot Rod Custom Show, the same year as the Schley Brothers’ Lightning Bug II and Bill Schwimmer’s ’59 Ragtop from DKP. You might also know the Comet from seeing it in the UK at both Goodwood Revival and Santa Pod’s Dragstalgia in 2014! From what Dave managed to gather, his Beetle was purchased new in Germany and then shipped privately to the United States. He bought it in the ‘90s from the
Decades-old Cyclone header with a Glasspack muffler...
When was the last time you saw a velocity stack poking through an acrylic decklid?
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original owner as a nice survivor, still featuring a great interior and decent paint. Some might have seen the car as a perfect candidate for preservation or a bone-stock restoration; then again, Dave has also found an almost identical white ’62 Ragtop, which is in even better shape – that one will remain ‘as is’! Having visited the dragstrips of Irwindale and Orange County back in the day, he could have easily been tempted to morph his Beetle into a Cal Looker. Well, he didn’t, as he explains: ‘I’ve always admired the pioneers of the early VW gasser cars and what they built, with no support from Volkswagen; no aftermarket or highperformance parts to order, and only their creativity and innovation to work with. They learned by trial and error and didn’t have the luxury of the internet. The idea
Left: Artist Larry Fator did a fantastic job painting the logos, enhanced with gold leaf Middle: Dave had his friend Efrain Murillo build this tool to remove the New Old Stock centre caps! Right: Ancient Superior 500 steering wheel
is rarely seen in Volkswagens nowadays of building a gasser someone would have built in ‘66 or ‘67, without factory dual port heads and a host of other parts, really appealed to me. I had the magnesium wheels and tach. George had the blower and an old Carter carburettor from a ’65 Chevrolet Corvair Turbo, and we hatched a plan to turn the ’62 into a gasser.’ George Schmidt (another friend of Russ Welch’s who helped building the Split Window) was indeed instrumental in assembling and making the engine run
properly. He used a German single-relief case, retaining a displacement of 1584cc, thanks to a Berg 69mm crank and 85.5mm Cima pistons/cylinders. Some components came from the VW parts bin, such as the rods, rockers and heads, though the latter have been ported and polished by Chong Woo. Two factory crank pulleys were welded together to provide not only a second pulley for the blower, but a larger pulley than Pepco provided at the crank, so the supercharger would spin faster and boost a little more. Of course, a main talking point of this project car is the PEPCO supercharger… Several companies supplied Roots-style blowers that could be adapted to Vee Dub engines starting in the 1950s, such as Mag (Switzerland), Shorrock (UK) and possibly the most famous of them all,
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No, it isn’t lowered. This car’s style harks back to the gasser and pre-Cal Look era
Below: In the spirit of the old gassers,
Above: Sun tach is an unusual piece, having been made to work on 4-cylinder engines only
motorcycle headlights hide behind acrylic lenses
Below: Though the seat covers have been redone, the stock door panels are original!
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“Check out the American Racing Torque Thrust wheels, a rare 5Jx15 model with VW’s 5-bolt pattern, plus NOS centre caps” Judson (USA). But the system offered by Progressive Engine Products Company, a.k.a. PEPCO, predated most, having been first marketed in the early ’50s. ‘The PEPCO unit flows and works better than a Judson and is easy to work with’, said Dave. The unit found on Dave’s car is a later model, with a cool plate revealing a ‘Date of Overhaul’ of 23 May 1961. Another plate next to it mentions the name ‘Crofton
Marine Engine Co.’, a San Diego-based company that produced boats and a mini Jeep-style car called the Crofton Bug. It relied on the 4-cylinder engine of the Crosley – a short-lived U.S. car manufacturer – which could be hopped-up with… a PEPCO supercharger. Making the motor run properly on Dave’s Beetle was no small feat, as George had to fabricate the linkage and the
manifolds with single port end castings. The two friends tried unsuccessfully to get the finicky Carter carburettor to run well, before moving to Plan B: a 45mm Weber DCOE with one barrel machined off by another V8 gasser guru, Augie Delgado. Using an Engle VZ14 camshaft and an old school Bosch 010 distributor, the engine finally came to life; but it would take many more hours on the dyno of VW drag racing
Eelco vacuum gauge is a rare piece!
UVW
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legend Jim Behrens at the Dyno Shop to truly get this combination dialled in. Staying true to the ’60s theme of the vehicle, Dave added a few more period goodies, including a Racetrim oil sump and a Cyclone header. Fumes exit through a genuine Glasspack muffler (so called as its inners are packed with fibreglass), painted high-temperature blue as you might have seen on gassers back in the day. The 100 or so ponies travel through a Kennedy pressure plate and a Sachs clutch disc, before reaching a Dean Chisler-built transaxle. Based on a German case, it features short axles, stock gears, a 4.12 ring-and-pinion, in addition to a Super Diff. In keeping with the nose-high attitude of the V8 gassers, Dave refrained from lowering the suspension. The cherry chassis remains original and unrestored, simply relying on rebuilt drum brakes and stock shocks. Check out the American Racing Torque Thrust wheels, a rare 5Jx15 model with VW’s 5-bolt pattern, plus NOS centre caps. Dave happens to collect these magnesium rims, having a total of 12, along with over 20 genuine BRMs. The car runs Pirelli 155SR15 tires in front, complemented with 215/65-15 M&H Racemaster cheater slicks, which prove sticky enough to slightly lift the Beetle’s front wheels at local dragstrips. As a side note, American Racing offered two models of this same wheel, one for the left and the other for the right side of the vehicle, the difference being the thread of the centre cap or knock offs. (The idea was to avoid losing them while driving). The L87 Pearl White sprayed in 1962 still dresses the cockpit, though the exterior received a few coats of fresh paint. Remember how old VW gassers
such as the Inch Pincher and Lightning Bug used motorcycle headlights? By ‘Gas’ class rules, they had to still have headlights, but racers changed over to the smaller and lighter lamps to save weight. Well, Dave adopted that same setup, thanks to a local company specializing in aircraft windscreens, which made acrylic covers with the correct convex shape – lights are N.O.S. aftermarket motorcycle units. And he went a step further, asking them to make the one-off decklid… What a piece! It’s a nod to the outrageous custom cars built in the ’60s, created by masters such as Ed Roth. Held in place with three pins, it follows the shape of the stock ’62 lid, including the lips and stamping above the license plate area. Removing the bumpers contribute to the race car feel, as does the handlaid gold-leaf lettering by well-known artist Larry Fator, who also applied the Competition Engineering (CE) logos on the front quarter-panels. As a kid, Dave lived near this machine shop, which built the engine and transaxle of Bill Clarkson’s famous gasser Beetle called ‘Iguana’, and many other high- performance Porsches and VWs. CE was also where Jim Behrens (who dyno-tuned Dave’s engine) got his start in the industry. They additionally
made a few VW products, such as the crank pulley insert seen in our pictures. Finally, several vintage decals such as Blair’s Speed Shop, Cyclone Headers, Pete Millar’s Drag Cartoons (Pete Millar was a friend of Dave’s who read the magazines growing up) celebrate the ’60s highperformance scene. Amazingly, the vinyl door and side panels have been in the car since 1962; yet, the original seat covers had seen better days, hence the new outfit stitched by Dave Lumette who handled the headliner, too – David at Joe’s Auto Upholstery made the sunroof cover. The rest of the cockpit remains bone-stock, except for a rare Sun tachometer for 4-cylinder engines and a Superior 500 wheel mounted on a column equipped with a factory ignition lock. We also dig the Iskenderian clip (note old phone number) on the dash (above centre)... Our pilot finds it handy to attach his time slips, following his dragstrip runs. Dave is truly grateful for having good friends to help him on his unusual project, which has truly wowed the crowd since it hit the street. Besides the abovementioned folks, he would like to thank Steve Richards, Jim Ratto, Dale Snoke, as well as the members of the Valley Volks Klub founded in 1966. The group based in the San Gabriel Valley where Galassi has lived his whole life is not as active as decades ago, but a few members like to keep the memory of the club alive. Dave became good friends with several original members, which allowed him to get access to some great vintage VW pictures. But that’s a story for another time… Keep your eyes peeled for a piece about the subject soon! UVW
Dave is seen racing against Russell Welch’s ‘52 Split (on genuine BRMs!) at Irwindale in 2014
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News & Products News parts and goodies for your VW – Email info@ultravw.co.uk
From the top Narrowed beams for ’65> Beetles Welcome to the October 2017 issue of Ultra VW magazine
★★★★★★★★★★★
B
ug Jam, European Bug-In and more... yes, show season is in full effect, and we’re loving it! And, whilst the weather may have been pretty poor for some summer weekends so far, I’m sure things can only get brighter as the summer rolls on, so watch this space! If you’ve been a long term reader of Ultra VW, then you may well recognise the cover car this month, as it appeared on these pages back in 2006. However, it has undergone a serious change in style since then, and has been transformed from a radical, bare-metal rat-inspired ride into the show-quality hot rod it is today. Mark Bailey certainly knows how to take a project to the next level and, thanks to the hard work of Simon Emery at The Paintbox who handled the original build, the car has most certainly grown up to become one of the world’s finest Volksrods. So, turn to page 30 to check out the Re-Evolution of the Rat Catcher. In closing I’d like to say thanks to Steve Payne for all his hard work on the UK Cal Look files in recent years. This month is his last regular instalment from ‘back in the day’, but fear not... as I’m sure this won’t be the last time we hear from him...! PK info@ultravw.co.uk
Just Kampers have just launched an allnew, 4-inch narrowed front beam, designed specifically for post- ’65 (i.e. balljointequipped) Beetles. These top-quality beams are assembled in-house, and feature lasercut tubes and end plates (with increased shock travel), which are TIG-welded to ensure that they’re of the highest possible quality/fully MOT compliant. The beams are available in both left- and right-hand drive formats, and are precision-built to ensure a ‘hassle-free’ fit right out of the box.
The beams are powder-coated (black), hence they’ll stand the test of time, too! Both LHD (part # J39655) and RHD (part # J19227) beams are priced at £435. Further information can be found via www.justkampers.com or by calling the sales team on 0345 1204711
Wiper blades for the VW 181/182/Thing/Trekker
Paruzzi have stocked replacement wiper blades for the VW 181/Thing for many years, albeit only in a silver finish (#62405). However, Volkswagen also installed black and olive green (i.e. military-spec) wiper blades in the past, hence Paruzzi have now expanded their range to cover all options! The part number for black wipers (pair) is #62407, whilst olive green wipers can be ordered via part no. #62406. For further information and current pricing, log on to www.paruzzi.com or call direct on 00 31 (0)113 503555, and don’t forget to request a catalogue, too!
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GRILL’N’CHILL 15-17 SEPT ’17
www.ultravw.co.uk Ultra VW Kelsey Media Cudham Tithe Barn, Berrys Hill Cudham, Kent TN16 3AG EDITORIAL Editor: Paul Knight paul.knight@kelseymedia.co.uk Tel: +44 (0)1702 864465 USA features editor: Stephan Szantai – stsphoto@earthlink.net European features editor: Dokke Sahertian – dokkecreation@gmail.com Contributors: Gwynn Clark, Steve Payne, Mark Barton, Clare Tarbox, Robert Gilmore, Markus Stolky Archives: Keith Seume +44 (0)1208 871490 Editorial/photographic assistant ‘Jolly’ Jim Warner – jolly@ultravw.co.uk ADVERTISEMENT SALES Ad Sales: Charlotte Steadman Ad Sales Tel – 01732 448748 Ad Sales Email – charlotte.steadman@talkmediasales.co.uk Production: AT Graphics kelseycopy@atgraphicsuk.com 01733 362317 Production Team Leader: Melanie Cooper
What are you doing on the weekend of 15-17 September? Well, if you’re not already going, why not head down to the Hop Farm near Paddock Wood in Kent and join in the fun at the relaxed family VW meet, Grill-n-Chill? Grill-n-Chill has its roots in the VW scene, but offers a warm welcome to Rods,
Customs, Yanks, Classics – in fact anything interesting on wheels. Tickets on the gate are £5 (adult, single day) or £20 for a weekend camping ticket (discounts available if you pre-order etc) and you can find out all about the event and what to expect via www.grill-n-chill.co.uk
NEW TURBO FANS @ EVA RESTO Max Edwards at EVA Resto is producing his own take on the classic turbo fan style wheels. The custom machined centres are designed to work with most BBS split rims (RS, RM, RF etc) to fit any diameter or dish size. The custom-made fans are a simple fit and provide the popular race look for your ride.Each set are custom made, hence there is a 2-3 week lead time, but they are competitively priced and built specifically for your car. To find out more, or to place an order contact Max on 07528 548755
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You can download any issue via the app for just £3.99, and digital subscriptions are a great deal (and a great gift idea!) – oh, and check out the FREE specials, too! PC/Mac readers can also download the digital issue via www.pocketmags.com
MANAGEMENT Managing Director: Phil Weeden Chief Executive: Steve Wright Chairman: Steve Annetts Finance Director: Joyce Parker-Sarioglu Retail Distribution Manager: Eleanor Brown Publishing Operations Manager: Charlotte Whittaker Audience Development Manager: Andy Cotton Brand Marketing Managers: Rebecca Gibson, Debra Hagger and Nikolas Lovely Events Manager: Kat Chappell Subscriptions 13 issues of Ultra VW are published per annum UK annual subscription price: £54.60 Europe annual subscription price: £69.49 USA annual subscription price: £69.49 Rest of World annual subscription price: £75.99 Contact us UK subscription and back issue orderline: 01959 543747 Overseas subscription orderline: 0044 (0) 1959 543 747 Toll free USA subscription orderline: 1-888-777-0275 UK customer service team: 01959 543 747 Customer service email address: subs@kelsey.co.uk Customer service and subscription postal address: Ultra VW Customer Service Team Kelsey Publishing Ltd Cudham Tithe Barn Berry’s Hill , Cudham, Kent TN16 3AG United Kingdom Website Find current subscription offers at shop.kelsey.co.uk/uvw Buy back issues at shop.kelsey.co.uk/uvwback Already a subscriber? Manage your subscription online at shop.kelsey.co.uk/myaccount CLASSIFIEDS Tel: 0906 802 0279 (premium rate line, operated by Kelsey Publishing Ltd. Calls cost 65p per minute from a BT landline; other networks and mobiles may vary. Lines open Monday-Friday, 10am-4pm) cars@kelseyclassifieds.co.uk Kelsey Classifieds c/o Classified Central Media Ltd Unit 3, Block A, Kingfisher Heights, 2 Bramwell Way, Royal Docks,London E16 2GQ Fax: 020 7216 8557 DISTRIBUTION Seymour Distribution Ltd, 2 East Poultry Avenue, London, EC1A 9PT www.seymour.co.uk Tel: 020 7429 4000 PRINTING William Gibbons & Sons Ltd Kelsey Media 2017 © all rights reserved. Kelsey Media is a trading name of Kelsey Publishing Ltd. Reproduction in whole or in part is forbidden except with permission in writing from the publishers. Note to contributors: articles submitted for consideration by the editor must be the original work of the author and not previously published. Where photographs are included, which are not the property of the contributor, permission to reproduce them must have been obtained from the owner of the copyright. The editor cannot guarantee a personal response to all letters and emails received. The views expressed in the magazine are not necessarily those of the Editor or the Publisher. Kelsey Publishing Ltd accepts no liability for products and services offered by third parties. Kelsey Publishing Ltd uses a multi-layered privacy notice, giving you brief details about how we would like to use your personal information. For full details, visit www.kelsey.co.uk , or call 01959 543524. If you have any questions, please ask as submitting your details indicates your consent, until you choose otherwise, that we and our partners may contact you about products and services that will be of relevance to you via direct mail, phone, email or SMS. You can opt out at ANY time via email: data.controller@kelsey.co.uk or 01959 543524. Ultra VW is available for licensing worldwide. For more information, contact bruce@bruceawfordlicensing.com
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Words: Clare Tarbox; Santa Pod Photos: Clare Tarbox
T
he weather in 2017 has proved to be very much on-and-off, and there were certainly some abnormal weather patterns in the run up to Bug Jam this year. Sure, things were a little damp and there was some wind to contend with when erecting tents and awnings, but that never seems to put off the hardcore Bug Jam fans! The downside to the wet weather is that there was limited track action to enjoy. However, the track opened and the
21-23 July marked the date of the 31st Bug Jam event at Santa Pod Raceway... racers came out to play on both Friday and Saturday and, with a nicely prepared track to enjoy, those guys really made the most of the opportunity to smoke some rubber! The weather didn’t stop the fun at the Live Action Arena though, where Terry Grant performed some outstanding stunt driving while the monster trucks (Podzilla and Swamp Thing) crushed some cars. There was also a great BMX ramp display courtesy of the Cool Flo crew and their team of pro riders.
Later in the weekend the Black Current electricpowered drag car was destroyed when it rolled just past the gantry. Driver Sam was fine, however the same cannot be said for the car
This year saw the traditional show and shine event taking place on the Saturday (it’s traditionally held on the Sunday), which brought out some impressive machinery. Top honours were handed to Dave Forder for his faultless German Look Bug (bottom right on the facing page). The Main Stage on Friday featured some great bands such as Southchurch and Wham!Duran with (Reverend and the Makers headlining) while the Dance Zone showcased Clubland, which was a hit with
Max Edwards picked up the ‘Best Custom award’ with his ex-UVW featured ’78 Beetle (with fresh ‘apple computers livery!)
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Side by side Type 3 action is an uncommon sight here in the UK!
Best Split Bus was handed to Jason Webb’s ’62 13-window Deluxe the party crew. There was also the Retro Zone playing classic Motown tunes while Haven’t Stopped Dancing Yet! laid down some funky ’70s and ’80s tunes over in Fuelers Bar. The Kubricks opened the Main Stage on Saturday night (Ska/Reggae), while The All New Blues and Soul Revue, Blue Brothers tribute band, put on a great show later in the evening. The headline act this year was Ian Brodie and the Lightning Seeds, who belted out their greatest hits of the ’90s.
Steve Kay’s ’65 Bus was packed with goodies (and picked up a trophy!)
The legendary dance label, Ministry of Sound hosted the Dance Zone on Saturday night whilst over in the Retro Zone, Electronic ’90s, Daft Punk Tribute and The Acid Brothers relived the golden era of dance music at Bug Jam. And we can’t forget the silent disco over in Fuelers Bar, which proved to be a blast (and a little quirky to watch!). Sadly the weather turned grey on Sunday and, whilst there were rusty rides to check out (they were just gaining extra
patina!), the track was pretty much a wash out. However, there is some good news for those that kept hold of their tickets. In short, holders of Sunday-only tickets are entitled to a 100% credit (which covers Bug Jam 32 tickets), whilst Saturday ticket holders can pick up a 25% credit (full details at www.bugjam.co.uk). So, while it may have been a bit damp and windy, as you’ll see here, there was plenty of fun to be had at Santa Pod! See you there next year! UVW
Dave Forder’s German Looker was awarded the Best of Show trophy
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Richie Rich’s ’56 Oval picked up the best Cal-Look trophy This ’64 Bug featured Safari front and rear ’screens (plus pop-out side windows!)
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ws!)
Dave Wheatley’s race car is becoming a Santa Pod ’strip regular!
Paul Geary’s turbocharged wasserboxer street racer
Best Beetle was awarded to Lucy James and her ’66 VW Beetle ‘Boo’
Note accessory nose grille on this ’67 Ghia
Mark Swanson’s award-winning ’63 Notch
The legendary Santa Pod raceway dragstrip Bug Jam looks pretty crazy from this angle! Best off road went to Mark Richardson’s Baja
We haven’t seen the ex-Kustom Dubwerks ’67 Audi Super 90 in ages... we had a lot of fun cruising in this a few years back!
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Steve Mattravers VW T25 ran 16.00-sec @ 89mph and picked up a RWYB award
Rat-rides are a big part of Bug Jam and these were two of our favourites
Class B - James Hillyer’s Bay was another winner (Class B)
The Blues Brothers tribute act went down a storm! The off-road course was good and muddy this year!
Seaside Neil’s rad Oval on the Cool Flo stand
This 12-second Mk1 Golf belongs to Tom Parrott
Scott Oliver’s turbocharged Notch was lifting the wheels (and ran 11.99 @ 112mph)
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1 t r a p e v i r D 2 e v i L #
The amazing tale of a roadtrip from Malaysia to Hessisch Oldendorf in Germany...
The starting point was Garage KL – a unique urban project featuring car workshops and cafes, too!
Wat Rong Khun (White Temple of Chiang Rai, Tha made a great backdrop for a #Live2Drive phoiland) to!
The Chiang Kong border crossing to Laos was one of many ‘interesting’ border experiences...
Travelling through Thailand, the crew stopped off for fuel and a bite to eat at many ‘truck-stop 7-11s’...
I
n 2015, a team of Malaysian VW fans set off on an epic journey in a bunch of classic VWs. The plan was simple – to drive from Malaysia to Europe in order to participate in the Hessisch Oldendorf (HO17) event, a journey that would take around 6 months and would cover covering an estimated 27,000km. #Live2Drive started with Stephen Pang (’67 Split screen panel van), Terence Moses (’67 11-window Split), Cliften Nathaniel (’78 Bay Window) and Udhaya Kumar/Monica Xavier (’68 Beetle). The journey began on 15th March 2017, with the team departing from the southern tip of Malaysia (Johor Bahru) and heading for Thailand (then on to Laos, China, Mongolia, Russia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland and Germany!). This trip has been three years in the making as the team had to organise every aspect of the journey including, sponsors, press, social media, routes, finance, parts and the most important part of all, the preparation of the classic VWs (which would be tested to their limits...)
Crossing the Boten border (Laos) hea marked another milestone/chapter ofding into China this adventure
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“This trip has been three years in the making as the team had to organise every aspect of the journey...”
Saint Basil’s Cathedral in Red Square, Moscow made a great backdrop for this cool photo!
Where it all began The idea to drive to Hessisch Oldendorf started 3 years ago when Stephen saw a poster of HO13 during a tour of Terror Garage in Indonesia. Yanto and Michael at Terror Garage had asked Stephen to join them by flying to Germany to check out the 2017 Hessisch Oldendorf meeting, but Stephen had another idea. On the spur of the moment / upon seeing the poster, Stephen told them, ‘I’ll see you in HO17, even if I have to drive there!’. He then returned to Malaysia and invited Terence and Cliften over to talk things over as they had some extensive history (like 10 years and almost too many miles to count) in cross country road-trip planning. And so the whole adventure started to take shape...
Are you crazy to consider driving to Europe from Asia?! Some said that a trip of this scale in 50+ year-old VWs was madness, while others were truly inspired by this epic journey and wished them all well. The truth is that people have been driving classic VWs from Europe to Asia almost every year, hence they knew it could be done and just had to plan how best to tackle the journey.
Carburettor issues whilst travelling through the Yunnan Province of Southwest China...
Travelling through Honghe (Yunnan), the off in this ancient town for a spot of team stopped sight-seeing!
Whatever it takes The cost of the trip was enormous (especially when the guys considered that the exchange rate of Ringgit to Euro was 1 to 5 and that things would be way more expensive in Europe etc). The guys were dedicated though, and most had no option but to
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#Live2Drive
The crew stopped off at The Gr Wa ll Of China in Shanxi Province for this cooleat photo opportunity quit their jobs when the journey began, hence it was essential to start saving money and, sadly, selling off various VW projects etc to raise the necessary funds. The guys then spent 12 months knocking on doors of 20+ business with their sponsorship proposals and eventually Continental (tyres) and Volkswagen Classic Parts became the official sponsors. Even so, 95% of the trip was still self funded. Miles! Kilometre! Miles! As you’ll see in the photos (and will read in the text), there were challenges in pretty much every country. Remember, this trip was going to cover around 29,000km on every type of road, track and trail you can think of. Some days they would cover only 50km due to road conditions, weather or breakdowns, but other days they’d cover over 1000km / for 15hrs at a time, often just to catch up and get back on schedule! The Chinese Army, Genghis Khan and Siberia The northern route from Asia to Europe had always been an important choice for the team, purely because nobody in Asia had driven across it in a classic VW. Most family and friends feared they would have difficulties with red tape/permits etc in China, and also worried about them breaking down in some remote part of the Gobi Desert or even freezing without heaters in the unpredictable weather of Siberia... Well, they did ALL of that, and more! But hey, that’s all part of the adventure, right?
The Gobi Desert in Mongolia is not exactly the nicest place to break down in a classic VW...
Xi’an is the capital of the Shaanxi Province (Northwest China) and is the home of ‘The Terracotta Army’... Menu: Repair of the day On average, the team suffered one breakdown every two days. Yes, that meant that a large part of their schedule was consumed repairing one of the cars (sometimes two at a time..) 6 large boxes of spares were assembled prior to leaving Malaysia and, by the time they’d arrived at Hessisch Oldendorf, this had been reduced to just 2 boxes of parts! And these weren’t just small parts, they even included two complete spare engines ‘just in case’! Incidentally, both engines were used, and they also tackled 3 engine rebuilds on the journey, too. Now that’s what we call dedication! The best part is that none of us them were mechanics or had worked on a car before. However, Stephen told us that YouTube helps a lot in these times, and the guys are all pretty handy with a spanner after this mammoth roadtrip! One other point to note is that across the 10,000km drive from China to Siberia, they didn’t meet a single person that had worked on a classic VW, and very few people had even seen one before... yes, this was a pretty remote part of the world! Chaos At every border crossing it seemed there was some kind of confusion or issue. While some borders have simple checks, others were more extensive... but nothing quite prepared them for the border between China and Mongolia. The border was packed with hundreds of old Russian UAZ-469 jeeps, filled up to
Stephen and Kumar stopped in at this VW dealership in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia to snap this cool shot!
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The ultimate roadtrip... the brim with goods from China. Some vehicles were packed so tight that the driver’s chest was resting on the steering wheel as they drove! The vehicles were beat up, many without proper doors or even suspension, and almost all were driven very wildly as they seemed to be in a rush to deliver the goods across the border as quickly as possible. Many vehicles did not have proper brakes and would just roll up to another vehicle and hit it just to stop! The border check point had a few small tiny buildings and seemingly hundreds of people rushing to get their passports and paperwork stamped. In the midst of this chaos our guys were lucky to find a border guard that spoke English and was happy to help them with the confusing (and somewhat daunting) task of collecting the 4 stamps (from different offices) that were required for them to continue with their journey. Gan, (the border soldier) took the time to make sure they had everything they needed, and without his help, they would almost certainly have come to the end of the road, so to speak. In fact, Gan turned out to be a genuinely good guy, and even offered to put them up at his home, just a couple of miles from the border – a true hero for our weary travellers! ‘The Sandmen’ In the vast and beautiful Mongolian Gobi Desert, the team faced many challenges with the vehicles and spent a great amount of time repairing them. And, most of the time, it was eerily quiet, with only the occasional vehicle passing. On one occasion, Cliften was fixing his Bus when, out of nowhere, a guy showed up and, despite the fact that he spoke only Mongolian, he soon worked out what the problem was and began to help out. After a couple of hours, of not really getting anywhere, the friendly helper suddenly just stood up and walked off into the desert. The guys thought they were left stranded in the middle of nowhere and were soon beginning to worry. But then, about an hour after he’d left, the stranger returned... and with a few friends this time! Just like magic, they would appear from nowhere and disappear just as quickly, with the occasional muttering of a few Mongolian words. Eventually the guys realised that Mongolians live in very remote parts of the country and helping out whenever they can is an essential part of their survival in the desert.
Fear One night in Siberia, they decided to call it a night at a truck stop and, after dinner, headed off to prepare to sleep in their cars. Suddenly a vehicle stopped and four guys jumped out to look around the old VWs. It was clear that they had consumed a few drinks and, once they found out that the team had travelled from Malaysia, one of the guys took out a gun and offered it to Kumar to shoot into the sky, in celebration of the epic journey! Shocked, Kumar turned down the offer, but the owner of the gun proceed to fire four shots into the sky before telling him ‘I am the mafia around here and if you need any help, just call me’. Well, fortunately they didn’t need any help (!), but they’ll certainly remember that kind offer for years to come! The Headmaster Irkutsk was the first major town in Siberia that the guys stopped at in order to find some help with their vehicles. After a few calls, a friend of a Facebook acquaintance came to see if he could help. Within an hour they were taken to his friends place for repairs, while he took them to his sons vacant apartment and told them to stay there for the next few days. It was a kind offer, but he was very stern with his instructions and explained that it would take a week to source the parts to fix the cars, hence thy named him ‘the headmaster’, and did exactly what he said! Stephen told us, ‘Like school children, we were give instructions every day regarding where we should go, where to eat, what time we should wait for him and his wife to arrive etc. He was very protective of us during our stay and made sure we had everything we need. We left Irkutsk with fond memories of the headmaster and his wife!’. Minus-4 degrees Celsius Even though it was late-Spring in Siberia, the guys knew it would be cold... they didn’t realise just how cold it would be! In Malaysia the temperature is typically 32 degrees Celsius pretty much year round, hence none of the cars were equipped with heat exchangers (or any auxiliary heating system for that matter). The only option was to wear as many layers of clothing as possible while shivering in temperatures of minus 4 for up to 14 hours of driving per day. It took 30 days to cross Russia... a tough trip! To be continued next month....
This is the border between Mongolia and Russia... a daunting place to be in the middle of the night!
Lake Baikal is located in southern Siberia and was still semi-frozen in May 2017... UVW
Lake Baikal is the largest/deepest lake in the world and holds 20% of the worlds fresh water!
Time for some essential repairs at the VW centre in Novosibirsk (Russia’s third-largest city)
How cool is this shot of the #Live2Drive crew in the Malaysian Embassy in Russia?! October 2017 25
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It takes something pretty special to make it onto the pages of Ultra VW more than once – and it’s an incredibly exclusive club for those cars deemed worthy of hitting the cover twice...
Mark Bailey’s Rat Catcher is one such vehicle and, as you’ll soon learn, it has more than earned that honour. Ladies and Gentlemen, allow us to introduce the Re-Evolution of the Rat Catcher!
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I
still recall the conversation I had with Mark Bailey back in 2006 while Mike Key was photographing this car (albeit finished in bare metal) outside Keith Aberhart’s garage. I asked if Mark had plans to paint the car one day and he replied, ‘yes, but I’m going to have some fun with it first’. Well, more than a decade of fun was had before Mark revisited Simon Emery at The Paintbox to discuss the re-evolution of what is perhaps the UKs most innovative Volksrod ever. Mark first met Simon Emery way back
8
in 1989 when The Paintbox tackled the build of his first car, a lilac-painted UK ’looker. This car was later rebuilt (again, by The Paintbox) to become the Kabster – a carson-topped Bug, which picked up many show awards. In fact, Mark still owns the Kabster, too (and it still looks awesome today!). It was when Mark went to talk to Simon about possibly redoing the car for a third time that Simon suggested starting over with a fresh project. After all, the Kabster was a great looking car and, if Mark was going to sink some money into a
revamp, why not use that money to create a new car and have twice as much fun? And so The Rat Catcher was born. Initially, it was going to be based upon a ’59 Bug that Simon had sitting around, but that proved to be a little too far gone. The guys then picked up a ’51 Split Bug body, which was welded to a Type 3 chassis (yes, really!) from Owain Warlow and set about chopping it into sections. Shane Whitworth had been Simon’s loyal metal guy at The Paintbox for many years (and only left a few years ago to pursue
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a career in acting) and was instrumental in the build of this car, too. With Simon’s ideas and knowledge of traditional hotrodding and custom car assembly and Shane’s knack for sheet metal, the guys set about creating a car which, to the untrained eye, might appear to be a bare-metal rat rod, yet was actually a very complex hot-rod with many body modifications, which had been purposely left unpainted to show that there were no cheap tricks or layers of filler and paint. To cut a very long story short, the boot
floor was mocked up over a Bug chassis to set the desired height of the body. What I mean is, the body was then dropped over the chassis (channelled), which means that VW heater channels were fitted higher into the body than usual to visually lower the car over the chassis. This is no mean feat in itself, and has affected every other panel of the car in some way or another. Then there’s also a 2-inch roof chop – but you may have noticed that the front and rear windscreens are still stock sizes. This is because the front screen
was laid back and the rear section re-set into the roof, which retains perfect gutter lines (something that is lost on many other ’chopped cars). Of course, the doors also needed a huge amount of metalwork to make them fit the re-shaped apertures, and everything was finished to perfection in bare steel with only minimal leadloading, as you’d expect in a period-built hot rod. Suddenly you begin to understand why the car wasn’t painted first time round... it was to show not only the amount of work and modifications involved
This is how the car looked when it was featured back in June ’06
Above: Phil West took care of the chassis
Above: The 1679cc engine still ran fine...
Above: Overall level of detailing is superb
Above: Phil didn’t leave any part untouched
The roof has been chopped by 2-in, but both the front and rear windows remain factory-size/height... no mean feat! Above: The assembled chassis – awesome!
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“As you can see, the work is 100% faultless, as you’d expect from the best in the business” Above: Those four modified Austin Healey seats have now been painted and trimmed in red leather by Bernard Newbury
Below: The Mooneyes steering wheel is new, as are the auxillary gauges fitted in place of the original dual glove boxes
Above left: That’s a full woolcloth headliner and sunroof courtesy of Bernard Newbury Right: There are cool details everywhere including the shotgun cartridge caps over the door bolts and those neat heater outlet covers!
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Below: Neil Melliard of Prosign fame did the striping and lettering
but also to prove that no corners were cut, and that it was 100% steel with no filler! A 3-fold sunroof section was grafted in place and there were some pretty neat tricks such as the dummy Moon tank popping through the bonnet (as if it sat between the rails of a traditional hot rod). Even the inner wings were extended at the front and fitted with louvred panels to improve the overall aesthetics and as a tip of the hat to traditional rod styling, while the rear inner wings are smoothed and reshaped as if they followed the lines
Below: 1679cc engine is now fitted with Weber 36IDF carburettors
Moon tank actually stands out more on the black-painted version of this car!
of a chassis. With replica 1920s headlights from E&J and ’37 Ford rear lights plus a neat nerf bar up front, the car was looking good, hence the bare steel was covered with satin clear lacquer and rolled out on a set of modified Ford rims (measuring 17x3 up front and 16x7 out back (with 4.50in front and 7-in rear Firestone bias-ply tyres), which were painted in a copper hue. Inside, Mark and Simon discussed various options and ended up with a set of four bomber-style seats, which were based on modified Austin Healey units.
Left: Mooneyes accelerator pedal and aluminium indicator switch Right: Note the Porsche 356 brakes with Carrera-style air scoops in the backplates
The black paint certainly gives this car a leaner-looking profile – this is rolling art!
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On the road this thing looks insane... it literally stops traffic and drops jaws!
The seats (and the rest of the interior) were then trimmed in a pale green leather by Bernard Newbury and the car was ready to turn some heads and pick up trophies! The next decade saw Mark drive the car to EBI in Belgium on several occasions and attend some UK shows, too. He explained, ‘Of course, even with a coat of lacquer, I was aware that the British weather was not going to be kind to the car, hence as time went on, I decided it was time for my ‘once-a-decade’ trip to The Paintbox, to discuss painting the car and finishing off our long-term plan’. The first task was to separate the body from the chassis, which was tackled by Phil West. Phil knows a thing or two about detailing, hence was happy to reassemble the chassis while Simon worked on the body. In short, once the parts were cleaned, Simon painted them and handed them back to Phil, who carefully reassembled the rolling chassis
at his workshop. The original 1679cc engine was running fine, hence it was simply detailed and fitted with a fresh pair of Weber carburettors, then bolted to the 1500cc transmission. Up front, the Porsche 356 brakes were re-built and fitted to the
“it was time for my ‘once-a-decade’ trip to The Paintbox, to discuss painting the car...” beam, which is extended using a Bay Area Rods mounting kit. Simon told us, ‘Mark and I discussed various colour ideas including metalflake etc, but I think we had both known way back in 2005 that there was only one colour for this car – mile-deep black!’.
As you can see, the paint came out great, but there was, of course, plenty of work to do. Remember, when a car is bare metal, you don’t have to worry overly about the odd nick or about slamming the door too hard etc, hence there were plenty of small imperfections to correct, which added up to quite a list! And, as the car was now going to be ‘full-show’ standard, the guys decided to send a whole lot of previously painted parts (nerf bar, roll bar etc) off to be chromed (courtesy of RCJ Metal Finishers in Hoddesdon) to add that touch of class. And, whilst the pale green interior would probably have worked, the guys decided to go all-in and refresh everything. Therefore, a red interior was deemed to be the perfect partner for the black exterior, hence Bernard and Louis Newbury tackled the seats, carpets and door cards. Incidentally, this was around the time that Bernard Newbury retired, hence
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Above right: Hubcaps and off-white paint have transformed the appearance of those wild, Ford-based 3.5x17-in front wheels! the headliner and sunroof cover were completed by the new proprietor, Stuart Foster Pagani. As you can see, the work is 100% faultless, as you’d expect from the best in the business. Finally it was time to start buttoning things up and preparing the car for completion. With the body sitting pretty and the interior installed, Simon called in Adam at Down to Earth to rewire the entire car to show standards. Neil Melliard at Prosign had been involved already, having added the Rat Catcher logo behind the air vents, but popped back to add a few extra details such as the stripes on the front inner wing louvres and the pinstripe around the wheel rims – subtle touches that make all the difference. Speaking of the wheels, these have been repainted in an off-white hue and now feature hub caps to add a touch of class. The point being, every part of this car has been tweaked and upgraded to take it to the next level. After all, this is far more than just a repaint, it’s a complete style change and transformation from rat to rod. Since completion, Mark has exhibited the car a couple of times and has been amazed by the response. Even people that saw the
Above: This time round everything has been perfectly painted, plated or trimmed... the holy trinity of show-quality hot roddin’! car first time round have not realised it’s the same machine under the shiny new paint (and many have never seen the car before!), hence the transformation has clearly been a great success. We were certainly impressed, and are glad that a whole new generation of fans will get to see what it takes to put together a truly world-class hot rod. UVW Mark would like to thank:• Simon Emery and his great team (Steve, Phil and Jake) at www.thepaintbox.co.uk 01376 563859 • Bernie, Louis (and Stuart Foster Pagani) at Bernard Newbury Auto Interiors 07557 645655 • Neil Melliard at www.prosign1.co.uk for the superb pinstriping • RCJ Metal Finishers for the chrome work 01992 467931 • Adam at Down To Earth for the electrical work 07599 810982 • Phil West at Good Speed (for his superb spanner-work) • Alan White and the team at Grange Barn – a 13th-century, woodframed, monastic barn in Coggeshall, Essex – for allowing us to photograph on location (and for providing the local history lesson!)
“This is far more than just a repaint, it’s a complete style change and transformation from rat to rod”
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Specialists in VW Interior trimming and upholstery, fabricating, restoring and customising.
Bernard Newbury Auto Interiors Unit 7 Brick Barn, New Road Aldham CO6 3QT Email: mail@bernardnewbury.co.uk bernardnewburyautointeriors facebook.com/bernardnewbury Contact Stuart 07557645655
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www.ultravw.co.uk Mark Bailey’s ‘Rat Catcher’ Photo: Paul Knight
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SUPERB SP2 Words: Paul Knight Photos: Dokke Sahertian
R
obin Van Der Jeught is a 29 year old vehicle inspector from Bambrugge in Belgium and has been a VW fan all his adult life. He told us, ‘I’d watched my father work on various old Beetles, but it was when I bought my first VW, a ’66 Notchback, at the age of 16, that I really started to become really interested in
how these things worked’. Robin learnt a lot from the his time with the Type 3 hence, when he purchased his second VW, a ’56 Oval, he went on to restore it. Then, following his marriage to Liesbeth, Robin undertook a full restoration on a ’51 Beetle, followed by a ’64 Karmann cabriolet Bug. However, with the cabriolet complete,
Robin wasn’t sure what he wanted to do next. He commented, ‘I was talking with a friend at a show and he suggested that I should check out Brazilian-built VWs’. He continued, ‘This was the first time I’d seen an SP2 and I immediately fell in love, so I started to search through Brazilian websites for a suitable project’. Now, in case you haven’t heard, it’s notoriously
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What do you do when you’ve restored a few rare VWs but fancy something a little different for your next project?
tricky to buy a car from Brazil. Not only are there many scams to avoid, but the paperwork can be difficult, not to mention the logistics of shipping. The SP2 was exclusively manufactured by Volkswagen do Brazil as a replacement for the ageing and discontinued Karmann Ghia TC (see February 2016 issue of Ultra VW). A design
Robin Van Der Jeught found himself in this exact situation, and the answer was to purchase a rare, Brazilian-built SP2!
“The car was purchased in September of 2016 and was finally collected from the docks in December”
team led by Mr. Schiemann and supported by Rudolf Leiding (the CEO of Volkswagen Do Brazil) started work on ‘Project X’, which was to be the SP2. Incidentally, the title ‘SP2’ is reported in the motoring press of the time to stand for ‘Sem Potência’, a Portuguese nickname, which in English means without power’! However, this is a little harsh as it was actually one
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“A total of 10,205 were built before production was stopped after four years (in 1976)”
Above: Leather sports seats were very plush for a Brazilian-built Volkswagen Below: Passenger door card even includes a map reading light!
of the most powerful VWs built, producing 75hp thanks to a twin-carb, 1700cc Type 4 pancake motor. Of course, this wasn’t true (the car was actually named after ‘Sao Paulo’) however the nickname stuck, as this new 2-seater sports car looked like it should be out-gunning a Porsche. All we know is that we’d be proud to roll an SP2 as cool as this, and besides, in a car as rare as this, you need to drive slow to make sure everyone gets time to check it out! In case you were wondering, a total of 10,205 were built before production was stopped after four years (in 1976). A total of 670 were exported with 155 going to Nigeria and just one going to Portugal. After a while, Robin found what appeared to be the perfect vehicle. It was listed as ‘restored’, and was wearing
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“Inside the interior was in fairly decent shape, hence Robin simply cleaned the original leather seats (only 2) before refitting” black number plates (which is a good sign in Brazil, as that shows the vehicle to be more than 80% original, and therefore a classic car), hence Robin requested additional photos and info before striking up a deal and organising the shipping back to Belgium. This was in September of 2016 and the car was finally collected from the docks in December. Closer inspection of this 1973 SP2, which was built at the Santa Marina plant of Volkswagen do Brazil, revealed a few issues and it wasn’t long before Robin realised that ‘restored’ in Brazil might not mean the same as ‘restored’ in Europe... And so, with the help of his father and brother, Robin decided to strip the car down, repaint it properly and tackle some of the necessary repairs. Robin explained, ‘The biggest problem
wad finding the right parts as there are no aftermarket suppliers of SP2 parts, only used parts and the occasional NOS piece’. Fortunately, the floorpan and mechanical side of things is basically late Type 3, albeit with a Type 1 framehead and front beam. This meant that the rear drum brakes could be overhauled easily enough, and also that Robin could fit adjustable spring plates to the rear to adjust the altitude. Up front, an adjustable Type 1 beam was fitted along with fresh disc brakes. Not only does it sit better, but it also stops way better now, too. Robin next decided to replace the original 14-in steel rims with a set of restored 15-in Ronal alloys, which are fitted with 185/65 tyres all round. The period alloys suit the styling perfectly and fill the wheelarches better, too.
The body and paintwork was tackled by a local paintshop, and this involved repairing some damage to the nose and also fixing some damage on the sheet metal beneath the front bumper. The rear end of the body also needed some straightening (to make sure the tailgate would shut properly) and to fix some shoddy previous repairs. There were also some blisters and rust bubbles to tackle, but fortunately these caused no major issues for the bodyshop. Once complete, the car was painted in the original L1312 Verde Mystico, which looks period perfect on this sporty VW. Incidentally, the side trim was supplied either in red or black, and Robin was fortunate to find that it was in pretty good condition to start with (as replacements are almost impossible to
“Once complete, the car was painted in the original L1312 Verde Mystico”
We love the lowered stance of this awesome VW SP2
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The lower stance makes this already great car look like a killer ride!
Above: Ronal 15-in alloys look superb Above right: Rear seat area is carpetted Above far right: Spare wheel is the original Brazilian 14-in steel rim!
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Above: Twin Solex 32/34PDSIT carbs are fitted track down). One minor alteration from stock was the fact that Robin asked to have headlight frames painted in body colour (instead of silver), but this looks perfect to us (and most people would never notice, anyway!). The motor is a BL-code 1700cc Type 4 unit with twin Solex 32/34 PDSIT carburettors. His brother Andy helped to sort things out and to get it running perfectly, whilst also refurbishing the alternator, fitting electronic ignition and helping to fix the problematic wiring. Inside, the interior was in fairly decent shape, hence Robin simply cleaned the
Above: Pancake type 4 motor looks a lot like a Type 3 – Note alternator original leather seats (only 2) before refitting. The dashboard has cleaned up well and there’s now a retro-styled head unit (with USB connection) powering four JBL speakers. Incidentally, Robin wanted to fit rear seats so that he could take his children out, but on closer inspection it soon became clear that the space was just too small and there wasn’t enough legroom. Therefore, Robin is considering passing the car on to an owner who might be able to make more use of it, as he really wants a 4-seater. So, if you like what you see, drop us a line and we’ll put you in touch. UVW
“Robin asked to have the headlight frames painted in body colour”
Above: These headlight surrounds are usually painted silver... they look far better colour coded like this Below: Reverse light hangs under the bumper
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#7
EUROPEAN BUG-IN Words: Dokke Sahertian Photos: Clare Tarbox, Markus Stolky, Mark Barton, Dokke Sahertian
European Bug-In #7 was highly anticipated by hardcore VW and nostalgia fans across Europe. In fact, with visitors from the
H
eld over the weekend of June 30th - July 2nd at Chimay in Belgium, EBI promised to bring the unique mix of nostalgia, CaliforniaLook cars, drag racing and that ‘special something’ that only European VW events seem to deliver! And, whilst the cars and fans turned out in their droves, sadly the weather decided it didn’t want to play ball, with rain making the site pretty muddy, to say the least. Fortunately, there was some time for racing earlier on in the weekend... and if you are a fan of off-road action, then there was plenty of
Some people were loving the rain and mud at EBI!
USA, Japan and Malaysia (and many other overseas locations!), it’s fair to say this has become a truly global affair...
mud plugging to be had on that track! We have to mention the show and shine guys who braved the weather to display some
“Sure, a little sunshine always helps, but the rain didn’t stop the fun!” beautiful rides in less than ideal conditions. But the rain didn’t mean the show was a wash-out, far from it. With nostalgia cars and
Tomas Nielsen’s Split Bug took top honours
parts displayed under cover, perhaps these tents were even more popular than ever! And, of course there was a party tent to enjoy... I think the inclement weather actually brought people together, too, as everyone seemed to have a great time. Sure, a little sunshine always helps, but as you’ll see in these photos, the rain didn’t stop the hardcore fans from making the most of the weekend (even if some needed the help of a tractor to pull them out of the mud!). What can we say other than we’ll be back next time (and that we’ll try to book some sunshine, too!). UVW
Bastouil Chaix puts on quite a show with his drift-prepared Bug
Two rails head up the Gasser line-up... quite an impressive display, we’re sure you’ll agree!
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Rad rims on ratty rides!
Drag racers assemble at the far end of the track, then drive back to pits together
Laurent Challes owns this superb ’63 Cal-Looker
Colin Ware’s awesome ’67 Cal-Looker!
The legend that is Dyno Don!
This Old Speed ’51 Sunroof is stunning!
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Bullet holes, rusted out and smoking the tyres... that’s one crazy 23-window Deluxe Bus!
The Cal-look scene was represented by DAS VW Club
Just to prove there was some nice weather... Ron Fleming and Keith Seume watched some racing footage (in the VIP armchairs!)
Even Perry Watkins couldn’t dry the track with his jet-powered truck!
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Edwin Jesper’s Dannenhauer & Stauss replica is hand-made... And we love the wheels and baffled stinger-style exhaust!
Buzzin Bee is a flip-bodied car, which was built in Florida back in the ’70s
Yes, that’s a twin-engined rail – eight cylinders, four 48IDA Webers and a pair of Magnetos!
We really loved this rare Brazilian Type 3
Supercharged Barndoor with a roof tent...!
Fred Noebert’s louvered Bug is simply too cool!
This Baja looked straight out of the ’70s!
Trophy winners (note the rosette!) were parked up in the arena for all to see
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HOT-ROD
Nine-Eleven Words & Photos: Paul Knight
This 1968 911L has been gently modified in the style of a period club racer by renowned VW & Porsche guru, Richard King
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“The 911L was certified to compete in FIA Group 2 Touring Car races”
Above centre: car is currently fitted with a later 2.4-litre motor from a 911T Top right: That’s an original Porsche tool roll under the bonnet!
W
hen the 911S was launched in 1967, it was an instant hit. With some additional body trim but, more importantly, a tuned motor (which was developed by Paul Hensler and featured larger valves, wilder cam profiles and Weber carburettors) it was a great car for those looking for the perfect blend of road car and weekend racer. However, whilst the 911S was exactly what the US-market wanted, evertightening emissions regulations imposed by the EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) suddenly outlawed the 911S in
1968. It was still possible to purchase an S in Europe, but over in the States, the only solution was to opt for the 911L, which featured not only the extra trim, but also the uprated anti-roll bars and goodies that made the S such a contender. The key difference, however, was that the ‘hot’, free-revving 160hp motor was replaced with a de-tuned 130hp unit. The 911L was certified to compete in FIA Group 2 Touring Car races and meetings, which made it a popular car amongst club racers. There was also a factory-designed ‘Rally Kit’, which included goodies such as a rollbar, Koni dampers,
heavier anti-roll bars, lightweight floor mats, a lightweight front bumper, S-style gauges, Dunlop SP tyres, a heavier clutch and revised camshaft profiles (which pushed the power to 150hp. Oh, and there were also the superb Recaro seats included within that package, too! That package turned the regular 911L into a weekend contender, and this is just the kind of car that inspired the project you see here. This ’68 SWB 911L was located via a friend in Venice Beach and was a scruffylooking Bahama yellow car when Richard King picked it up. However, under the
Left: Steering wheel is a Momo Jacky Ickx model, which suits this project well Top right: Lightweight-style door cards add to the race feel
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This US-import 911L is lowered ever-so-slightly over a set of superbly-detailed steel wheels, which we think suit the car perfectly skin was a decent vehicle that had never been wrecked. There was, however, some metalwork to tackle in the shape of the front wings, the rear seat wells and some areas around the rear torsion bar housings. The vehicle also required outer sills, a new fuel tank support frame and the front suspension plate. The welding was tackled by Lionel’s Body Shop (which shared the same location as Richard’s business, Karmann Konnection at that point). Incidentally, there were a few custom touches applied prior to paint, which include the removal of the cutout for the stock exhaust (as the car is now
fitted with a twin-pipe system) and also the trim holes have been filled to clean up the body lines. The paintwork was tackled by Jay (a local painter) and the colour of choice is named Light Ivory – a popular choice amongst club racers of the era. The finishing touch was a pair of Porsche decals applied to the lower section of the body, which really suit the period styling. A lot of the chrome brightwork and most of the anodized parts were in good order, hence Ritchie was able to clean them up and refit them (using fresh rubber in most cases). Of course, it helps to have boxes of spare parts at your shop,
which is where he found a full set of gold letters and a 911L badge for the rear lid! Now it would have been easy to fit a set of restored Fuchs rims to this project, but Ritchie had other ideas. At the rear he opted for a pair of rare 6-in steels, while up front he assembled (welded) a pair of 5.5-in rims with the offset adjusted to suit the styling perfectly. Tyres are Blockley 185/70R15 all round and the periodlooking tread pattern is spot on for a car of this calibre. The finishing touch to this styling exercise was a mild lowering job, which really adds to the weekend track car appearance.
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“All in all, it’s a very simple formula, but one which works so very well”
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“it’s a very well executed exercise in restraint, and it literally oozes cool!”
Moving inside the car we find a mixture of original and replacement parts, which gives this car a comfortable feel – as if it’s a well-loved classic and not just another freshly restored car. You may have noticed that Ritchie opted for a pair of lightweight-style door cards with door pulls sourced from a Fiat (RS style!), and those Recaro Idealsitz S seats really look great, too. Incidentally, these may not be exactly the original style Recaro sports seats, which were an original option, but they are period perfect hence they work so well in this all-black interior. This leaves us with the engine, which is actually a later 2.4T motor. Ritchie pointed out that the 2.4s 130hp is the same power output as the original 2.0 911L, although there’s more torque thanks to the larger capacity, which makes it a pleasure to drive.
Running triple Weber carbs and fitted with a sports exhaust, this car sounds great out on the road – in fact, as I followed the car to the location of the photoshoot, I turned the radio off and opened the windows of my car so that I could enjoy the rasp of the 911! All in all it’s a very simple formula, but one which works so very well. That said, a lot of planning and careful detailing has gone into creating touches that you might not immediately notice (the lack of trim on the front bumper and sills, the custom steel wheels, the sporty exhaust and smoothed over rear corner... it’s a very well executed exercise in restraint, and it literally oozes cool! What can i say except that this little hot rod is the kind of thing many of us VW guys dream of driving one day... UVW www.karmannkonnection.com
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IN LUFT LAND
Fifteen52 Outlaw wheels are a hit with Porsche buffs, though we’ve seen them on VWs as well
California has a new favourite Porsche event: Luftgekühlt. Strange name, eh? As it means ‘air-cooled’ in German, Ultra VW had to check it out. It proved to be an unbelievable experience! Words & Photos: Stephan Szantai
L
Above: Headlight grilles, additional lights, bonnet with straps and a gas cap poking through… We love these Outlaw details!
uftgekühlt had humble beginnings, with the first edition taking place around Deus Ex Machina, a motorcycle store/ coffee shop (!) located in the trendy Venice Beach – Type 2 Detectives incidentally used the same site for their meet as seen in UVW’s January 2016 issue. The year was 2014 and only a dozen Porsches showed up. Since then, the get-together has grown by leaps and bounds, with Luftgekühlt #4 gathering 600 cars, all air-cooled and all pre-registered in less than 32 hours! We can thank two individuals for the event’s success: Porsche factory pilot Patrick Long and Designer/Creative Director Howie Idelson. The duo teamed-up to concoct an affair with a unique vibe, starting with a location that changes every year to insure the show remains ‘fresh’. The 2017 choice was an industrial vicinity featuring two restored WWII-era buildings (one welcomes a brewery), situated near the Pacific Ocean in the city of San Pedro, 25 miles south of L.A. Long and Idelson did a terrific job organizing the event, while taking advantage of one of the buildings in particular. Its aesthetics truly wowed the crowd, with old Pirelli advertisement dressing the walls of the wooden structure. The selection of vehicles displayed was astonishing, mixing rare production models with racers: 1951 Le Mans class-winner 356SL Gmünd, ’71 Monte Carlo Rally 914, ’71 East Africa Rally 911 etc. The Porsches exhibited outside the building also caught the attention of the public. Again, promoters did a superb job organizing the grounds, with areas devoted to specific themes: 356s, 912s, 914s, 911s (and Outlaw 911s)… It made for wonderful photo opportunities, including a trio of rare 1951 356 coupés. Even patina’d survivors had their own corner! With its great site, killer line-up of cars and amazing aesthetics, Luftgekühlt #4 proved to be a real crowd-pleaser. We can’t wait to return and revisit this event full of surprises! UVW
Above: Talk about history: Emory-restored 356SL Gmünd was campaigned in the legendary Le Mans’ 24-hour race in 1951
Above: Americans used only the ‘Porsche’ moniker for the 914 – however, in Europe it was better known as the ‘VW-Porsche’...
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We dig the simplicity of early Porsches, such as this circa 1955 coupé You can count on the Outlaw crowd to display some 911s painted in bright colours!
You don’t often see 356 Cabriolets equipped with a hardtop
Below: How do you prefer your 356... without or with the ‘U.S.-spec’ bumper bow?
An impressive line-up of Type 3s Below: Alloy wheels and extra lights bolted to nerf bars are a nice touch on this Outlaw 356
Resto Cal fans might appreciate this ‘Ragtop’ model, slammed and running Fuchs! Below: Patina’d rides had their own corner – and the visitors loved it!
Above: Porsche offered great colours in the 1960s for its 912s
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THE MARATHON BEGINS! Last June, several major Californian Vee Dub events took place during a 10-day period, starting with the OCTO Meet,
America’s best-known split-screen Type 2 happening. Follow us as we visit the first stopover of this unbelievable VW-oriented journey!
Words & Photos: Stephan Szantai
F
or over a quarter of a century, June has been a busy month for Volkswagen enthusiasts living in Southern California or visiting the region. Most activities revolved around the VW Classic – established in 1985 – up until a few years ago. The show grew to epic proportions and ultimately morphed into the ‘Classic Week’, as more events took place during the days preceding it. In 2013, the VW Classic gathered about 1,500 rides, making it the largest Vee Dub meet in the U.S. For a variety of reasons which would be too long to explain in this short space, the VW Classic found itself competing against another major get-together a year later: El Prado Show & Shine. Fast forward to 2017 and Southern California now offers two back-to-back weekends of Volkswagen fun. It consisted of the OCTO Meet and El Prado on 10-11 June,
followed by the DKP Cruise Night (seen elsewhere in this issue!) and the VW Classic on 16-17 June. With a few Open Houses, such as the one organized by Pierside Parts, visitors from all over the
“Fast forward to 2017 and Southern California now offers two back-toback weekends of Volkswagen fun” globe had plenty to enjoy in a short 10-day period! The marathon started with the OCTO Meet, created in 1998 by the Orange County Transporter Organization.
The club – solely devoted to Split Window Type 2s – coordinates three events every year, specifically in February, June and October, with the ‘pre-El Prado’ edition being the largest. The first participants lined up at sunrise (before 6:00 A.M.), though others arrived later as the morning stretched. With no ‘Show & Shine’ and therefore no trophy to wait for, Buses rotated in and out of the venue, though attendance reached its peak around 10:00 A.M. The June 2017 event drew about 250 Transporters, which seems to be a little lighter than in previous years. Damp weather did not help. Another explanation might be that El Prado’s site had already opened three days earlier (7 June); as a result, Bus owners were more likely to stay at this venue, either to hang out with their friends or to avoid losing their spots in the campground.
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Above: Colourful Kombi is best known for its appearance in the movie ‘Fast Times at Ridgemont High’
Above: Shortened several years ago, this single-cab truck has recently received a partial Barndoor roof with skylight windows!
Above: Ancient surfboards prove that swap meet sales are not only limited to VW parts/accessories Below: Bus-guru Eddy Collins (with the blue shirt) carried his goodies in his well-known High Roof
Buddy Hale recently put the finishing touches on this ’62 Samba, a fantastic restoration Large suicide door is a hint: This is a rare, small production 1950s Binz model
Below: This original paint Crew Cab (note Deluxe trim) runs late-model Porsche rims
There was a time when VW engines also served as water pumps for the fire services!
Above: Barndoor-era Single Cab is often seen cruising with the renowned German Folks Klub
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Above: We love this Porsche-liveried Single Cab that carries a motorised bicycle (with a John Player Special theme!) As has been the tradition since 2012, the OCTO Meet took over the parking lot of Veterans Memorial Stadium in Long Beach. Some swap meet vendors (who did not drive a VW) set up around the perimeter of the venue, while the other sellers unloaded parts in front of their Buses, in one of the three long rows devoted to them. Incidentally, the first row featured the pros of industry who came to display/trade their products, followed by a line-up of various rare/unique Type 2s. This included a ‘Feuerwehr’ (fire brigade) panel van and its VW-powered water pump, along with several Barndoors and a Single Cab equipped with a factory ladder. We should also mention a Kombi, which appeared in the cult 1982 movie ‘Fast Times at Ridgemont High’, starring a young Sean Penn – the vehicle
Above: Check out the snipped rear fender wells, fat tyres and that funky paint... this Bus looks like a 1970s hippy survivor!
has recently been redone exactly as it appeared in the film. Ultimately, the laidback vibe of the show makes it a favourite. Many
“Many participants simply come to enjoy the club’s raffles and to BBQ with friends, next to their Buses”
Charlie Hamill drove his truck with the SO-11 option, a ladder that swivels and extends 10-metres
participants simply come to enjoy the club’s raffles and to BBQ with friends, next to their Buses. After all, most owners will concur: It’s the perfect vehicle to bring at a VW show… Just fold up the table inside the cabin, sit on the bench – and have a cold one! UVW
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HIGHLY PRAISED Words & Photos: Stephan Szantai
Less than a week after the OCTO meet seen on page 66, Southern California hosted another popular gettogether: the Pre-VW Classic DKP Cruise Night. It took place in one of
C
hatting with friends in England and across the Channel, it appears that the concept of the VW cruise night has never really caught on in Europe. Oh, sure there are some exceptions, such as the DFL May Cruise Madness in Germany… But overall, they remain few and far between. Maybe the fact that European Volkswagen shows stretch over 2-3 days has something to do with it? Most events take place over one day in California; so, it would seem fitting to organize a get-together – or more – beforehand to keep the crowd entertained. Orange County has especially been a hotbed of cruise night activity, with the famous happening at Angelo’s Hamburgers in Anaheim coming to mind. It was huge in the mid-’80s, with hundreds of cars of all sorts invading State College Boulevard, until the cops decided they had enough of the craziness. Over three decades later, the law enforcers are more at ease with the not-sowild crowd – some of us have calmed down with age, you see… Within the Volkswagen hobby, one local cruise night has been the stuff of legend: the DKP Pre-Classic Cruise Night. The first
the oldest parts of Orange County, Garden Grove’s Historic Main Street. Quality prevailed once again at this event, which welcomed a handful of new, highly-praised project cars!
event happened in the late ’90s, taking over a restaurant called Dairy Queen, where it remained (almost every year) until 2014, although the place changed names to ultimately become Nick’s Burgers. Three years ago, Der Kleiner Panzers decided to move its meet after the closure of ‘Nick’s’. Rather than the parking lot of an eatery, the club took over the stretch of a street of Garden Grove, in Orange County. It is in one of the oldest parts of the city, specifically Main Street. Participants and visitors love it, as it offers shade, food and drink from several restaurants, in addition to various stores. With this year celebrating the 50th Anniversary of the ’67 Bug, both Der Kleiner Panzers and Der Kleiner Kampfwagens displayed this model predominantly within their ranks, close to the entrance of the street. One of them received the attention of both the public and DKP, which presents a trophy to their favourite ride every year. Indeed, the award went to DKK member Henry Mayeda and his Olive-Green ’67 sedan, a gorgeous car. Other noteworthy new Vee Dubs included a ’68 Bug unveiled by builder Buddy
Hale for his customer Gary Stell Jr., built in the spirit of the 1980s Cal Lookers. Porsche red colour, dechromed shell, one-piece window kit, dual mufflers and even Baby Tornado mirrors… It was all there, mimicking a Beetle that was owned by Gary’s dad over three decades ago. Buddy additionally displayed Tom Franklin’s ’62 23-window Samba, all stock (well, except for the Old Speed 40-horse engine) and amazingly restored - see a picture of it on Page 67. The Bus created quite a stir, as did a few other cars, some coming from faraway such as the red ’56 Rag belonging to Jeff Spearn of Oklahoma – you will see it in the second instalment of our show coverage. As the sun moved closer to the horizon, Main Street offered a great atmosphere, though a thick crowd stayed on site to see the vehicles slowly leave the premise. The bark of the Weber 48IDAs was music to our ear, while seeing a bunch of slammed rides nearly scraping the asphalt remained a spectacle in itself. Dang, the DKP Cruise Night is so much fun – and I’m proud to be part of the group organizing it. Can’t wait for the 20th edition of this staple of the Volkswagen scene! UVW
Main Street in Garden Grove remains a favourite venue for many Volkswagen buffs
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DKP’s shindig offered a fantastic vibe, and the late afternoon California light didn’t hurt either!
The black ’62 Bug of German Folks member Tom Enriquez leads a long row of Cal Look rides Below: Rare Vintage Air member Rick Litchie seen cruising in his 2.2L-powered ’56 Ragtop
Henry Mayeda of DKK club won DKP’s annual award, with his gorgeous 2276cc ’67 sedan (right) Below: The ex-James Harris ’65 Notch (see Aug 2015 UVW) still sees plenty of So-Cal driving
Below: As the evening drew to an end, the show continued with Vee Dubs leaving Main Street
Below: Chadd Townsend had one of the oldest VWs on hand, this crotch cooler-equipped, ’52 Split window Beetle!
Above: How’s this for something a little different? Steve Beecher’s BMW 700 looks killer with its IDA-fed 2.3L engine and genuine Empi wheels
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Sunroof Oval had a distinctive look with its bumpers unusually dressed in black
Scott Henry’s ’69 Notch shows less than 11,000 kilometres on the odometer!
Below: The talented Buddy Hale recently completed this pure ’80s-style Cal Look for Gary Stell Jr.
Above: These guys rocked! Outerware supplied the surf-themed tunes, appropriate for a VW event
Above: DKP-member, Allen Wiess had his mega-detailed 10-sec ’67 on show
Ultra VW unveiled Bud Bulmer’s Cal Look ’67 last October – a lovely car!
Nice group of Karmann Ghias, including a couple of rare pre-1960 models
Here is a cool way to cruise the showgrounds – miniSquareback was homemade
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SUNDAY 1 OCTOBER 2017 ST
SILVERSTONE CIRCUIT
: Includes sion, is m d A Show hirt -s T e v exclusi e id u G & Show
Book online at www.traxshows.co.uk. Advance tickets £25*, *Booking fee applies. FREE entry for TWO children aged 14 & under when accompanied by a paying adult, any additional children will be charged at £5 each. All attractions subject to change. Warning motorsport can be dangerous. Advance bookings close midnight Saturday 30th September.
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Robert Gilmore talks VW toys & models E-mail: vwtoys@ultravw.co.uk
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KKS ‘SLANT NOSE’ VOLKSWAGEN
ver the years, I have seen several of the expensive ‘Slant Nose’ Porsche automobiles, and then there was a ‘slant nose’ VW conversion kit from Australia.... Now, lets give due credit where credit is due! It looks like the Japanese may have developed the first ‘Slant Nose’ back in the early ’60s... well, in toy form that is! An exclusive this month is the KKS ‘Slant Nose’ Volkswagen model... who knows, perhaps this styling even inspired the Porsche designers...? (Or maybe not!) As mentioned above, this VW model creation dates back to the early ’60s. This example was recently picked for my collection and there was an original sales tag with a piece of string attached to the
bumper that reads “J. Hamilton, Alabama, December-1963”. And the original price? Just 39 cents! Wow, If only there was a dozen to buy back then... Now, as far as the description goes, the dark blue painted body (also found in a red colour), is made from a tin plate stamping with cut out windows. The rear section shows an Oval rear window with seven raised air louvres for the engine compartment and there are also raised dimples for the taillights (but no other VW characteristic lines such as the rear deck lid, etc). I’m not sure why the tooling was made in the 1960s for an Oval rear window when the big window VW had been in production for several years... but, looking at the body as a whole, I guess they were
not overly concerned about producing an accurate copy of the VW! The basic VW Beetle silhouette is there but the ‘Slant Nose’ appearance is due to the gross distortion of the front bonnet area. The front end does not have the characteristics of the VW lines – in fact, it’s one of the most distorted renditions I’ve seen. Even the button headlights are mounted low on the front wings, which certainly doesn’t look right. Incidentally, the scale is 1/25, which is roughly 6.5-in or 160mm in length. There are raised front and rear hood handles and also door lines stamped into the body along with quarter-light windows. Inside we find a simple, yellow tin-plate interior, while a tin molding strip finishes
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off the front windshield surround. The tin plate chassis is stamped ‘Made in Japan’ and is painted black – it features a friction motor with a siren resonator. Bulky tin plate bumpers are attached to the chassis, which mounts to the body via tin tabs. Rubber tyres with metal hubcaps finish off this tin plate Volkswagen. There is no manufacturer identification on the body itself and the diamond
with KKS insignia appears only on the original shipping carton. Just as a point of interest, this is the case with many VW models produced in Japan during the ’50s and ’60s. The only way to identify them is by a name or an insignia on the shipping carton, which is usually thrown away when the model is taken out of its carton and played with. The original shipping carton artwork
shows a front view of a red VW with a city scene in the background. The red VW appears somewhat dated with a straight bumper and no turn signals on the wings. The box artwork reads, ‘ VOLKSWAGEN – FRICTION MOTOR – Made In Japan - KKS’. OK, perhaps this is not the original ‘Slant Nose’ car, but this ugly duckling deserves a place in my collection. Good luck, and happy hunting! UVW
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UK CAL LOOKarchives
Words: Steve Payne Photos: Simon Emery (Paintbox), Steve Payne, Tony Phipps
As we bring these archives to a close (for now, at least...), it’s hard not to ‘think pink’ when reflecting on the late ’80s. Whether it be ‘Salmon’, ‘Baby’, ‘Magenta’ or ‘Fluro’, we were never far away from the pink hue back in the day! 1. Volksparts of Southend produced this ‘of-the-era’ hot pink catalogue back in 1987 2. Simple baby pink Karmann Ghia pictured at an early VW Action (pre- Bug jam years) 3. Stunning bubblegum pink squareback on Moon discs just screamed ‘So-Cal/Surf’ 4. A UK custom car builder of the time produced this dusty pink type 34 Razoredge ghia... only a very brave man would do this nowadays! 5. Steve Barrowman’s ‘fresh out’ 1970 Bug at Gary’s picnic, Santa Pod 6. Here’s Mr Barrowman applying new graphics to his ’looker in 1988. The finished item was stunning, and a credit to the newly-created business, The Paintbox 7. Mr B’s ’70 ended up with early panels and was re-registered to index AOT 448A... If seen about, please contact Ultra VW or Simon at The Paintbox... We’d love to see it!
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Paruzzi Classic VW Supplies More than 60.000 parts for your Classic Volkswagen To get monthly updates, go to www.paruzzi.com/newsletter and subscribe to our bimonthly e-mail newsletter! Keep up to date with all product announcements for your Classic Volkswagen.
# 62406
# 04851
Wiper blades for the VW Thing
Stock oil drain plug
We have wiper blades for the VW Thing available for many years now, only in silver color though, this was an original factory color. Volkswagen also installed black and olive green wiper blades, the latter was especially designed for military vehicles. These new wiper blades are exclusively available at Paruzzi.
This stock oil drain plug will fit the sump plate announced before in this Newsletter, the perfect alternative for the magnetic oil drain plug.
# 26851
# 02176
A-pillar for the Split Bus
EMPI EPC 34 carburetor
We have now new metal sheets available for a partial restoration or for a complete restoration including the hinge brackets. If the metal around the lower hinge is still fine but the bottom part is damaged then we have this 19 cm 3-part repair set available. If the metal from the hinge is also damaged then you can use the 25 cm complete bottom repair set including the hinge bracket.
The main advantage of the EMPI EPC 34 is that it has been build to be installed on air-cooled Volkswagen engines.
# 10650
# 04564
Turn signal lenses for the 1958-1963 Karmann Ghia
Tunnel drain valve
Clear lenses were only available for some countries, they are not allowed everywhere in the world, so make sure you check your local regulations. These turn signal lenses for the Karmann Ghia from 1958 (VIN 2 103 015) until 1963 (VIN 5 853 201) just arrived at Paruzzi, they are available in our webstore.
VW added a tunnel drain valve starting with the 1967 model to allow water to escape if one of the rubber seals would fail. Check it on a regular basis so you don’t end up with a rotten chassis.
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