Hayburner Digital, Issue 45.

Antony Bird, Dan Du Cros, James Peene, Ben & Jen Robertson, ThreeFiftySix, Kenneth Anno, Matt Balls, , Devo Chiedere Al, Tom Biuddle, Pete Marshall, Jonny Abbott, Indra Hernandi, Kustomfest & Rais Maulana, Robert “Rorky” O’Rourke, Chris Wilburn, Jole Coupland, Micheal Gross, Andrea Camilleri all in RSVP, Collin Miles, Craig Pearson, Joshua Smith, Marrion Taggart, Ryan Cox, Terrence Merde, Jonny Marriage, Nook_2m, Eric Deen, Tania & Russ, Chris Pruden, Travis Illicit, Lynne Kendall-Torey, Vic & Ed Skellett, Cazz Foster, Rikki James, Teresa & Georgina Iwasiuk, Trint Eastwood, Mark Hutchison, Rob Amos, Alex & Lou Leiserach, Mark Thurston & Wendy Clegg, Nell Baker, Nick Skinner, Sam Lindsay, Dan Morrissey, Stevo, Brian Galpin, Bryan Moody, Lew Savage, Amy Gordon, Nick Gatt, Craig Petty, Eric Arnold, Frederic Peeters, Pete, Cobbe, Toby Lee, Heiko & Liv, Lloyd Jackson, Tish & Jack, Ashley Gratton, Joni Makepeace, Cory Rider, Brett Elesmore, Graham Wells, Dave Mlynski, PJ Gibbons, Ian and Sophie at Es Autos, Joss Ashley, Elfin and Indie, Jess & Si Medlicott, Ali Du Cros, Giles Marchant, Steve Walker, Orb and Izzie, Kenneth Anno, Lee Skelton, Steve Gosling, Mark Reynolds, Josh Reynolds, Joe Halliday, Barbara Faux, Trevor Sharp, The Lovely Cheryl Dilley, Sally & Toby Walker, Helen & James Waller, Johnathan Kennedy, Jasper Tattersall, Gilbert, Drummer Matt, Danny Lord, Seaside Neil & Lyn, Jo Pro, Reg Baxter, Honor Auld, Bill Pollard, Chez Williams, Markus Hoffman, Ben and Mo Laughton, Alan Scott, Ben O’Brien, Gary Kennedy, The Carter Bros, Scott Mitchell, Ian Wheeler, Techno Hippy, Ben Foot, Mark & Odette Watts, Mark & Amanda, Rich Whitlock, Moe Moore, Maurice Klok, Jeffrey Van Duin, Angie Simmons, Stephan Spruyt, Lee Turner, Mike Coe, Grum & Leanne, Colleen McCullum, Steve Parsons, Claude Schaub, Brian Burrows, 10 Foot Doug, Will Faux, Randy & Vanessa Carlson, Barry Morrissey & Ewan McGregor.

And to everyone who has submitted, contributed and supported us, none of this could have been done without you. Thank you.

Butty’s Bits

SJ Bowles Coach Trim

65 Deluxe Sticker Blimp

Mad Matz

Paruzzi

FiftySix Deluxe Muddy Fields

MCJ

Es Autos

AircooledAuto Elec

Oil Can Stickers

Deluxe Resto

Retro Classic Clothing

Wonky Donkey

Emporium

VW Aircooled Works

Concept Poptops

Evil Bens

German Junkies

Aircooled Accessories

Outhaus

Growl & Grandeur

Rarebreed

Photography

Beetlelink

Border Restorations

Camper

Revamper

Midland Early Bay

Geek Shack

Peak Van Conversions

Rack Shack

OB1 Clothing

Johnson Autoworks

Rusty Lee

The VW Engine Company

Absolute VW

Joe Blow

Central England

Automotive

Autowares

Delilah’s Garage 87

SGS Aircooled

CohPro

Europl8

N2 Engineering

Kinky Mick

BusOK

94 Bruce

Rusty’s Garage

Empi US

Suffolk Autojumble

Adrian Flux

Dub Fab

VW Trends

JP Group Sign 79

Winner Winner

Comps

Rooftent Utopia

JF Bodyworks

Recoventry Ltd.

Alive & VDubbin

Funky VW NL

Kompressorhaus

R3 Garage

Robertson Restos

Autocraft

Bristol Volksfest

Doncaster VW Show

Dubs at the Castle

Ben Pon

RetroDub Suffolk

Bug Jam

VW Breakout

Stanford Hall VW Show

HIGH ROLLER OUTLAW

While there’s absolutely nothing wrong with slammed, narrowed and gnarly paint VWs, anyone who’s been doing it for as long as the T2D crew have will eventually find themselves casting around for something else to keep things fresh.

SQUARE BACK AGAIN

The driving force behind the legendary website busselecta.com, Rich is the chap responsible for performing the ultimate public service for anyone bored at work, unsure what wheels to fit next or just idly creating something for their dream garage.

There is no way you haven’t seen James’s replica 356 before. It’s one of the most “Instagrammed” (if that’s actually a word), and I would wager he has the biggest cache of trophies won in the shortest amount of time.

PROJECT ‘58 THE BEAUTIFUL NORTH

I think I’ll start where we left off, the last photo published of the bus showed a 99% welded shell sitting in the Deluxe Metalworks workshop.

PROJECT ‘49

I would have to walk past my project car every time I go to the toilet or fill the kettle as it sits underneath my office at Hayburner HQ, but not this time. This time it’s being welded four and a half hours away in Cumbria.

SUNBURNT LOBSTER

The affectionately and aptly namely “Sunburnt Lobster” you see across these pages is a 1976 2.7 Porsche 911S owned by Jack Nash, and was his pandemic purchase during the summer of 2020. It is exactly the kind of car that sparks conversation.

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The fact that the owner, Manchesterbased Pete Marshall, happens to be the drummer who for many years has worked with Paul Heaton and Jacqui Abbott is pure coincidence (sort of)

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COYOTE KILLER

This hunting lodge on wheels was discovered by Mike Wolfe on the TV show, American Pickers. For years, it had been sitting in the desert, collecting tumbleweeds and cactus spikes.

Little did I know back then what I was letting myself in for!

If I did, would I do it again?

To begin Konak roughly translates to ‘Bad Frog’. In Indonesia the guys call Beetles ‘Kodok’s’ instead.

The Beetle seemed to be a prime candidate for novelty amphibious conversions during the 50s/60s/70s for messing around and competing in races. This behaviour might have influenced the Inboard Marine Company to begin developing an aircooled VW-powered boat.

History seems to state that the people who bought into the KDF scheme lost everything, but this isn’t entirely accurate. A case was brought before the courts by a large number of Sparkarte holders in 1950, led by a scheme member named Karl Stolz.

Unlike beetles, Ghias and buses, the Volkswagen Type181 has always been seen as an unfamiliar member of the VW family, often being overlooked by other older military vehicles at the time.

Q: Worst moment during classic VW/ Porsche ownership?

A: The condition of the same T1 body after sandblasting – more holes than body.

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A range of courses DELIVERED FACE TO FACE & ONLINE to help you gain knowledge and confidence to look after your aircooled vehicle

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LEISURE BATTERY & ELECTRICS (NEW 1/2 DAY COURSE COMING SOON)

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If you’re a reader of a certain age, say a child of the ’80s, you most likely grew up lusting after BMXs, Daisy Duke and the Tamiya Monster Beetle. Not necessarily in that order, but each of those would have left an impression of some description, and Tamiya’s iconic RC big wheeler was something most either owned, desperately wanted Santa to drop down the chimney or you knew someone’s older brother who had one but wouldn’t let

you anywhere near it. True story. Fast forward more decades than many of us care to mention, and a lot of those impressionable kids are now in a position to afford a big boy’s (or girl’s) version of the legendary Baja. Even if Tamiya-style gigantic wheels and tyres remain the stuff of dreams, the chance to play with a grown-up version of their childhood fantasy (Daisy Duke aside) has become a reality, thanks to the chaps at Type Two Detectives (T2D).

While there’s absolutely nothing wrong with slammed, narrowed and gnarly paint VWs, anyone who’s been doing it for as long as the T2D crew have will eventually find themselves casting around for something else to keep things fresh.

Always an outfit keen on pushing things forward, T2D were one of the first UK specialists to fit Type 1 beams on Type 3s, at a time when no-one was really into Type 3s. Some of the coolest body-dropped buses in

the UK have rolled out of their Burwell HQ, and few had even heard of a Brasilia, never mind seen one, until the legendary Curb Snake broke cover.

Catching up with Mark Fulton, he revealed: “With so many customers’ cars passing through the workshop, Paul and I rarely get the opportunity to build anything for ourselves these days. We do, however, visit a number of car shows

outside of the regular VW scene and get inspired by what other people are building. We both really liked the retro styling being applied to classic Land Rovers and, checking those out at Goodwood, we thought it would be great to

build a VW in the same vein. You know? The same stuff we always do, but with a bit of a different take on it.

“I’ve always had a bit of thing for Bajas and knew of a

Beetle shell that had already been turned into one, so the stars were in alignment. The rest of the team were excited about working on something different, so we thought we’d build one and see where it went.

“The base car is a 1960 model that we bought from Tim Glover. I’d noticed it on a previous visit and just thought ‘I’d love that’. It had been sat at Tim’s for quite a while by the time we decided to buy it and, like they all do, it needed more work than originally anticipated.

“We replaced both floorpans and Tom Brewster did all the other metal work that needed sorting before it went to Spike’s for paint and bodywork. And you know what glass fibre kits are like. None of them ever really fit properly

so the bonnet, nose and rear wings were reshaped. The latter were also widened by about 2.5cm.”

The paint is a special mix of L240 VW Agave Green and that typical old Land Rover colour rather imaginatively called Sage Green. Now we’ve told you, you can spot the Landy in it can’t you? Mark adds: “People love it as it’s subtle and classic.”

While it’s true the overall look of the car is anything but subtle, there are lots of little details to drink in on closer inspection, like the T2D exhaust gasket badge on the front quarter and black cerakoted trim.

The front and rear lights are LED, like you needed telling anyway, but the

fronts are aftermarket Mini items. Naturally, going this far with the build, a completely new wiring loom was fitted to bring the electrics into the 21st century and a digital speedo has taken up residence in the dash.

Wheels, stance and tyres are what really define a Baja and in this instance the T2D crew totally nailed it. Wheels are EMPI items and measure in at 6 inches on the front and 8 inches on the back. They’re shod in 31 x 10.5 x 15 and 235 75 R15 tyres, courtesy of BF Goodrich, for anyone who might have missed the white lettering on the side walls.

Surprisingly, it’s the tyres that give the car its high-roller stance. Believe it or not, the front end, while totally rebuilt

like the rest of this car, is stock height. We’re probably all just so used to seeing everything slammed that this car looks insanely high compared to anything else currently doing the rounds.

Motivation comes via one of The VW Engine Company’s single carb 1776cc engines. It’s running a single Weber 40 and there’s an in your face and deliciously raspy bespoke off-road exhaust.

Inside, less is most definitely more. The decision was made to run with a minimal interior to best show off the quality of the build. Leather-faced Cobra seats are the perfect blend of form and function and along with the Cocoa mats they are pretty much the

only nod to comfort.

The go-left, go-right make it happener also has an EMPI connection, only this GTV tiller has a Flat-4 of Japan vibe. Ali dash knobs and a Vintage Speed shifter were the other choice additions, but customers looking for a similar vehicle can specify whatever they like.

Since completing this build, Mark and Paul have taken it to a number of shows, where it’s gone down a treat. Mark says: “We get no end of people coming onto our stand and saying how much they love Beetles and had one in their past, or as their first car.

These Baja builds appeal to someone looking for a bit of fun and this thing is a real giggle. It’s also a showcase for the sort of cars we can now build for a customer. Each one is bespoke built to order to the same exacting standards. All of the bodywork and floors are fully restored and treated to a top quality full bare metal respray in the customer’s colour of choice.

“We can build something as lairy or as

streetable as you want, with off-road exhausts, different wheels and tyre packages. The customer can basically have their own choice of engine, transmission and other mechanical aspects.

“Similarly, interiors can be built to spec. You can opt for just two seats in the front and roll cages or with seats

in the back and more luxuries, like DAB/Apple CarPlay if that’s what you prefer.

“We kept this one pretty sober, but you could really go mad and build a full Dakar style Baja. You can add one of our own roof racks and roof tent setups and we’ve even built a Tesla-powered electric version for a customer.

“Our website (www.type2detectives.

com) is a good starting point if you want to see more of what we can offer, and there’s a fun little video on our Instagram page (Instagram handle type2detectives) of us driving this one.” If you want to marvel at some nifty heel and toe footwork and discover where Paul finds his white Christmas trees, it’s definitely worth checking out if you haven’t already done so.

If you’re done with lowered, and if you’re looking for something different, a bespoke Baja really hits the mark.

WORDS BY NED FAUX PHOTOS BY PJ GIBBONS

I really do have a lot of ground to cover regarding this project. So much has happened over the past few months, not only for this bus but with Hayburner Magazine as a business in general. I can’t think of a more stressful period of my life, and with parts of this project taking longer than

expected, it landed the bus back at Hayburner HQ not only at the busiest time of the year but our busiest period in the last 11 years! With all this, Ewan has been chilled as always and has not rushed us at all. I do, however, feel that this project has taken far longer than expected

and felt I needed to put measures in place to speed up progress.

I think I’ll start where we left off. The last photo published of the bus showed a 99% welded shell sitting in the Deluxe Metalworks workshop. Since then, Lloyd set about finishing the body and very convincingly patina blending any bare metal and new panels and getting the bus ready to leave. I have to say I’m blown away with Lloyd’s work. Even though we went much further than I initially expected with the metalwork, now I see the finished product it’s apparent just how good this bus now is. For a patina outside resto inside the bus I really don’t think it could have been done any better. After a few videos of thanks exchanged between Ewan and Lloyd on the WhatsApp group, it was time to get the bus transported back to Hayburner HQ for the next phase.

Once the bus was back, I gave my good friend Steve Walker a call to come over so we could do a full inventory on what parts have been ordered and what still needed to be ordered to complete the project. After hours spent laying out hundreds of components, we made another list of what was still missing. This was quite alarming as to just how many parts there are on a simple Split Panel Van. After that, we set about doing a few little jobs just to get things moving – fitting seals and interior parts, and had Iain from Air-cooled Auto Elec to pull through the new wiring loom and get everything working electrically.

I also spent a couple of days with Hayburner staff member Dan Morrissey on the paintwork. Dan took on the mammoth task of wet flatting off the thick black paint covering the original signwriting. This is no simple task. It takes hours and hours of rubbing with fine wet and dry paper trying not to disturb the original paintwork underneath. It’s impossible not to lose any of the signwriting, so I set about going back to my old trade and touching in letters where they had deteriorated.

The next step was to work out what we were going to do about building this bus back up. The original plan was for Steve and me to build it back up completely at Hayburner HQ, but with the project taking so much longer than first expected and show season just around the corner, we

had to come up with a new plan. Luckily enough, I’d had lunch with Paul Medhurst from Type 2 Detectives a few days earlier, and he’d kindly offered his services. Although I was looking forward to getting stuck into building the bus back up with Steve, the thought of having a fully functional professional workshop with the right tools, staff and ramps to work off was just too tempting, against the thought of rolling around on the cold floor for the next few weeks while my other work piled up around me.

The decision was made to do a one-day build up over at T2D with Steve Walker, Paul Medhurst, Matt Balls, Ben Busby, Jared Robinson, Steve Allen, Kris Dubavin, Marc Fells, Connor Riches-Wooldridge and myself. PJ Gibbons, Dan Morrissey and Mark would be there taking photos and video. Paul came down a couple of weeks earlier and we stripped the front beam off and took it over to T2D with the gearbox, steering box, etc., to build up and test ahead of the build day. A couple of days earlier we loaded up Ewan’s bus with all the parts we had and had it taken down to T2D so Paul could tell me exactly what we’d forgotten to order; it wasn’t much, but there were a few bits missing. This turned my relaxing evening into frantically driving around picking up parts from friends.

Finally, the day we’d all been waiting for arrived and we were set for an early 7am start. This was OK for some, but for others like Steve and PJ who would be coming from the London area it was a big ask. The day began, of course, with T2D coffee and Paul pointing everyone in the right direction of what their roles would be. The main jobs were: reconditioned steering box and gear box; CSP disc brake conversion with servo; fuel tank; suspension with

T2D Billstein shocks; 1776 engine; plus everything it takes to connect the dots. I was genuinely surprised at how well everyone worked together, as 10 people all working on different aspects of one vehicle can become messy very quickly. For me to describe every job carried out in detail would fill this entire magazine, so I guess I’m going to have to let the photos do the talking (or check out the Hayburner TV Youtube channel for more).

After a full day’s graft, the bus was starting, driving, changing gear and stopping. I’m so grateful for T2D’s hospitality. I think Ewan enjoyed the Facetime and updates during the day. Working with these guys has been an absolute pleasure, turning a project that was becoming a something of a burden into a really enjoyable time.

Now the bus is back at Hayburner HQ, we can stand back and take in just how much work was achieved in only

one day and the impressive standard of everything. This bus really is coming together. On my still to do list are passenger side signwriting, diesel heater, fit door cards and interior, modify exhaust, and fit door locks and seals. It’s only a few days’ work but with the mag going to print in a couple of days, Ninove at the weekend and Volksworld the next, I’m really up against it. I’ve spoken with Ewan, letting him know it’s going to be a couple of weeks yet, and he’s been once again extremely cool.

WORDS BY JAMES PEENE PHOTOS BY SI MEDLICOTT

cover and bent the beam brackets. I thought the manhole was inches out of the ground, but when I stopped and looked it was only raised a few millimetres.

“Years of driving it so low had worn everything away. I took the car back to Puppy and they carried out one of their Type 1 beam conversions. This was in the early days for such things and it was only the second Type 1 conversion they’d done at the time.

“Then in 2001, while in Ninove, the bracket holding the shift rod inside the tunnel broke. I cable tied the bottom of the shift rod to the shifter and had an incredibly sloppy gear change, but it got me home. I’d always wanted to separate the body from the ’pan and restore the underside properly but leave the body original, and this finally gave me the impetus to do it.

“It was much harder to find parts for Type 3s back then, but I sourced some new pan sections and Tim at Roadhouse Retro

fitted them, along with tackling a bit of sill work and repairs to the inner arches.”

It was a this point that life just got in the way and the car ended up being off the road for the next 11 years. Rich laughs when he says: “Everyone gave me loads of grief and constantly asked when it was going to be done, and the truth is a week or so of work would probably have seen it back on the road. But I didn’t have the time or confidence to get it finished and driving until last

summer when I decided I finally had to get it finished and just enjoy driving it.

“It had been on stock steels, then Rocket EMPI 5s, but my dream wheel has always been original EMPI Sprints. As luck would have it, I found a set of 4.5-inch down in Cornwall. I loved the original paint as they tied in perfectly with the rest of the car’s overall look. However, I’d always wanted a staggered set and when Ned and Scotty set up their air-cooled wheel group on Facebook,

Adam Rushton contacted me and said he wanted to buy them. I didn’t want sell them all, but he had a full set of 5.5-inch Sprints and the paint match was perfect to my set, so we swapped two for two and we both ended up with a staggered set. The only problem with that is I’d fitted a temporary Beetle gearbox with long axles so the rears wouldn’t fit. I really didn’t fancy going back over work I’d already done and changing it again, but one afternoon my mate Seb came round and we pulled it out together and just cracked

on. I need to say a massive thanks to Seb as that was such a massive help.

“The car also needed a lot of tweaking here and there. The gearbox was cleaned up before being reinstalled. It now has a good strong 1600cc engine as the 1500cc it came with was tired.

“Everything has really developed since this car was originally done. Parts are easier to come by and I bought a new ball joint front end from T2D, disc to disc. I’m toying

with the idea of an air beam, but that’s a long way off and it does drive nicely as it is. I gave a friend a lift and it’s so smooth that he didn’t even notice it had been lowered.”

As it’s an Australian model, there are loads of little details separating it from the rest of the herd that get the Type 3 buffs hot under the collar. Being Bahama Blue, even the colour on a Square is unusual thanks to the Australian factory going its own sweet way with the colour charts.

Chris goes on to say: “It has the odd old repair here and there but it’s probably 85% original paint. The character is just so nice and tells a real story. I particularly love the wear on the driver’s door. You can imagine some guy in Australia, cruising around with his arm out of the window.

“I actually thought the roof was white when I originally got the car. The paint had oxidized that badly, but I cut and buffed it and that brought it back around.

“Australian cars are a mix of S and N spec, hence things like no overriders and painted, rather than chrome reflectors. The seat fabric also has printed rather than woven covers, but the driver’s seat was shagged in mine. Fortunately, I tracked down a replacement seat from a car that was only 300 chassis numbers away from this car. It’s actually a passenger seat, so there are two passenger ones up front if you look closely.

“The material had also come away on the door cards, so I used as much of the original as I could and reboarded it. I had to

replace the vinyl bottom sections but I foolishly lost all of the carpets when I moved units.

“As you’d expect, the OG dashtop was knackered, but I picked up a replacement in 2005. How rare a find is that? An uncracked right-hand drive dashtop? The steering wheel is Grant from Moon with a billet horn push. The rim has weathered in perfectly.” Pretty much like everything on this car, it’s cock on, both inside and out. We’d go as far to say that if you were given free rein to design a killer Type 3 of your own on a super-useful website, this is exactly what you’d select.

Finally, Chris would like to say: “Thanks to Mike, Carl, Geoff (I still owe you for the gearbox) and Ben for all their help the along the way and Tim for the welding. But a special thanks really has to go to Seb for always popping round when needed and helping massively with the final push to get it back on the road.”

Rusty Restorations

BUS & BUGFEST Ireland

14th 15th 16th July 2023

VW aircooled event & full weekend of camping, show, music, bar, food stalls, tea & coffees & trade stands for the first time in Ireland.

I would like to invite all VW clubs to participate for the weekend, feel free to bring your banners etc and let your club colours fly! Please pm me if you’re interested so I have an idea of numbers. There will be a huge swap meet over the weekend. Please bring any parts you would like to sell, pm me for slot availability.

Early bird & family tickets will be on sale on the website from July 2022. Early bird tickets will be limited so keep an eye out on social media for the link to the website in the coming weeks. Tickets and weekend passes also available at the gate.

All aircooled VWs are welcome, we’d love to see your campers, beetles, barndoors karmanns, fastbacks, squarebacks notchbacks etc in one location in the centre of Ireland.

If you have a project you’d like to display on the weekend, please pm me for details.

Full recovery and mechanic services will be available for any struggleing aircooled vw’s over the weekendyou have no excuse now to not take out your aircooled vehicle !

The event will be held in the Kilbeggan, Co. Westmeath (N91 W6HV).The event will be fully insured. Amenities onsite will include; ample parking for day visitors, camping area, toilets, security, emergency services and much more! - Facebook PM @Mossey Conlon

From the mid-1930s and before the beginning of WWII the Nazi Party had begun taking over Germany’s entire political system. As Adolph Hitler rose to power, he was determined to bring Germany up to the level of what he thought of as what the United States and other advanced economies had accomplished.

At the time, ideas were being bounced around to improve the quality of life of the German population. One of the first schemes was put in place because few people in Germany owned radios, so Hitler’s minister, Joseph Goebbels, introduced the Volksempfänger (People’s Receiver), a cheap and cheerful little wireless – short-wave

WORDS BY NED FAUX

so listeners couldn’t tune into foreign broadcasts. This was a win-win for the Nazi Party, giving people an exciting new gadget and also a mainline to feed propaganda into the ears of the German population. Fridges were also

a luxury item, so the Nazi government introduced the Volkskühlschrank (People’s Refrigerator). Soon many other products had similar names and similar intentions.

Another big project to improve the country was the birth of the Autobahn. Whether this was put in place to benefit the people or because his aggressive military campaigns would need a viable and established road system to move war materials is debatable.

Spinning the news that the roads were being built to generate jobs and

spur national growth, an aggressive road-building campaign under Reichsautobahnen supervision began. The roads were the first high-speed limited-access roads in the world at the time, with the first completed being used for Grand Prix race car testing – Grand Prix being one of Hitler’s favourite pastimes.

With these new lifelines benefiting Nazi products and all-new road systems going up all over the country, the development and mass production of an affordable German vehicle made perfect sense: “just like the brilliant example of car ownership we see in America”, as Hitler said in 1936.

At the time, even the British had six times more cars relative to population. This was partly because German public transport was second to none. Germans mostly felt no need for cars. And had they wanted cars, they couldn’t have afforded them.

It was the Nazi Party’s job to convince the population that a privately owned automobile was just what every household needed and, more importantly, was easy to afford.

The vehicle was to be known as the “Strength through Joy Car” (Kraft durch Freude-Wagen, or KdF-Wagen). It was to be a car designed to hold four people, able to attain 100 kilometres per hour (66 mph) on reasonably level paved ground (which also happened to be the operational speed of Hitler’s new Reichsautobahn). It had to sell for less than 1000 Reichsmark (RM) (about $140 at the time). Costs were

kept low by being built by forced labour, primarily from eastern Europe.

In order to get consumers to pay for the car in advance of its projected delivery, another scheme was conjured up, with a colourful advertising campaign seen in magazines, on posters and through the Volksempfänger (radios) they’d been sold. A savings system was adopted in which approved buyers purchased a KdF-Wagen Sparkarte

(savings card) from their local Deutsche Arbeitsfront (DAF, German Labour Front) KdF representative for 1 RM (40 US cents). Once the buyer had the KdF-Wagen Sparkarte, he or she was obligated to buy stamps every week to paste on the card. KdF cars could not be ordered and paid for in cash by civilians. Only companies could pay with cash, using the “one easy payment plan”.

In 1938 citizens could register to buy the new car. The cost

of a sedan was 990 RM, plus any fees for special addons, insurance or transportation. To buy a car, the German citizen would make payments in advance, for which he would receive savings stamps in either red or green colour. Each green stamp denoted 5 RM paid. The stamps were printed in sheets of 50.

In theory, once the buyer had paid the full price and their registration number was reached, they would receive

the car. Unfortunately for the buyers, with the start of WWII, the factory was converted to war production in 1939, and those few buyers who had taken delivery of a car had their cars confiscated in exchange for a voucher promising replacement after the war. Many subscribers kept paying until 1945, believing in final victory and not wanting to lose the money they had invested in the programme so far.

History seems to state that the people who bought into the KDF scheme lost everything, but this isn’t entirely accurate. A case was brought before the courts by a large number of Sparkarte holders in 1950, led by a scheme member named Karl Stolz. He argued that it was not the fault of the original scheme members that they had not received a car and had lost their invested funds at the end of the war. He believed that it was now the problem of the Volkswagen Company and that they had a moral obligation to return the money that the scheme members had already paid or offer a discount on the price of a new car. Volkswagen stated that this was impossible. Their company had no connection whatsoever to the old KdF organization and would not be held morally or legally responsible for the conduct of the KdF and the way the scheme members had been treated.

In the first case the judge rejected the claim of the scheme members, stating that the whole

thing was an exercise in Nazi propaganda. The claim was then referred to a higher court. This court did not completely reverse the decision of the lower court but felt that Volkswagen might be considered a partner to the original scheme. Because of this vague interpretation, Volkswagen requested a clarification as to what it was felt its position should be. After a case review it was decided that Volkswagen were guilty under the terms of the original case and ordered to pay costs. After four more years of procedure and appeal, the case went before the German Supreme Court in 1954 and more evidence was presented.

Judgement was made that although Volkswagen the post-war company was not a partner of the original KdF organisation, it was a “responsible party” and therefore they could be sued by the original scheme members. However, on further appeal the courts overturned this ruling in 1955. Volkswagen, obviously sick of the publicity of the case, offered savers a payment of 250 DM cash or a discount of 500 DM as credit on a new Beetle. However, they rejected this offer and took their case back to the Supreme Court.

The case finally ended in 1961. The Supreme Court judged that Volkswagen was a responsible party in law and should make reparations to the original scheme members who had been paying towards a car they never received. Cash payments should be made depending on the number of stamps the members had paid for on their Sparkarte and in line with the revalued Deutsche Mark as opposed to the old Reichsmark. Savers would get between 25 and 50 DM in cash or a credit of between 150 and 600 DM on the price of a new car. As the payments filtered out, it took between 1961 and 1970 before the last payments were made to claimants. In the end Volkswagen honoured over 120,000 KdF savings contracts for surviving scheme members. Over half of these opted to purchase a new car. The total eventual cost of the scheme to Volkswagen was in excess of 34 million DM, in either cash or credits. This equates to an average of 284 DM per claimant.

Own a set of these stamps or looking to find a set to buy? Tread very carefully. Due to the unique nature of these stamps and the attractive design, they are unfortunately a very popular target for forgery. In fact there are ten times more fakes out there than the real thing. Genuine copies can be distinguished by a very tiny, faint “DAF” watermark.

WORDS BY STEVE WALKER PHOTOS BY TOM BIDDLE

with let downs and setbacks. Uncannily the same sort of journey that befell the ’67, and when a local VW specialist proved to be anything but, it kick-started a level of handson involvement that continues to this day, one which Pete describes as therapeutic, and a perfect release from life’s ups and downs.

The day job and its peripheral commitments pretty much scuppered attending the usual VW shows. In ten years Pete managed to visit Tatton Park once and the local club

very rarely. As a consequence he had many musician acquaintances but very few VW ones, although quality does trump quantity and local legend Andy Hill has certainly made up for a lack of numbers over the years. It may be starting to sound like a tale of woe, but far from it. The ’67 was used for Pete and Lucy’s wedding, and when a first child was looming was “sensibly” sold to a good friend who had always fancied it.

If you are a car nut it doesn’t take much to test your resolve, and it wasn’t long before

Pete popped the question about staying sensible. The response was encouraging and he bought a cheap eBay bargain 912 (those were the days!), the idea being to have a tinker, some fun and maybe make a few quid. Andy Hill knew his way around them, and this car also led to Pete Hanson, a genuine VW-trained old school mechanic in Hayward, who was a massive influence and incredible teacher, encouraging a hands-on approach to mechanically recommissioning the 912. Sadly Pete Hanson passed away last summer, but his influence and shared skillset

remain instrumental to this day.

The 912’s inaugural drive ended up with the side being re-profiled by a lorry, leading to a forced renovation which left any ideas of earning a few quid floundering by the wayside, but did result in a great looking car, and one which was soon sold on with the help of Andy – some cash and a lovely original Fontana Grey ’67 Beetle sealing the deal. That was 10 years ago and Pete still owns the grey car as well as a Late Bay Westfalia he renovated during lockdown which is definitely a well-loved and well-used family friend.

So that’s the back story up to date, and all was well in the Marshall household (Lada aside) as far as classic purchases go. In fact, the Fontana Grey car is so nice, so original and ultra-reliable, there wasn’t any need to look further afield. Well, you know how it goes, a late night, unattended open laptop, and before too long you are looking at things you shouldn’t …

In Pete’s case his interwebbing last September led to the Swedish auction site Bilweb, and the car you see before you. The Java Green right-hand drive Cabrio looked really good, a ’67 as well, so aside from being very familiar with that model year himself, the car had all the new range-topping features Cabriolets shared with the new 1500 Tin Top. Revised gearbox, disk brakes with a fancy new dual master cylinder, new 4-stud wheel fitment, flat hub caps, 2-speed wipers and 12 volts of electricity to power them. Revised interior door handles, switchgear, external door handles, deck lid and valence, a rear anti roll bar system, narrow body and running board trims, unique rear bumper arrangement to clear the new deck lid, and a host of other features which make any ’67, especially the Cabriolet, a highly prized asset throughout the world. Interest spiked, he ran the details past Andy Hill and the joint consensus was that it did indeed look to be an amazingly original and sound car – just right for Pete who by now was firmly a stock anorak thanks primarily to the virtues of the grey car. There were, however, a couple of issues – primarily the car being in Sweden, the auction being subject to a reserve, and the fact that he didn’t really have anywhere to put it – but you know how this goes too, heart over head.

The auction failed to reach a pre-set reserve. I suppose rhd didn’t help, but it allowed Pete and Andy to book a 50 quid flight and go to see the car in person.

What they found was a genuine four-owner car with a celebrity past, as rust free as you could hope for and, apart from a bit of paint here and there and a tad of carpet wear, as original as the day it left the factory – well, with a little time and a period woodrim Speedwell wheel added to the mix. It badly needed a service but a cursory scoot around ended with Andy saying if Pete didn’t buy it he would! Obviously Pete did, but the boys wisely chose to fly home rather than drive, and have Kingstown Shipping handle the car’s return to the UK.

Now I am used to buying VWs from the US, usually with 400 previous owners, none of whom ever bothered with records or bothered to keep any if they did, so it’s amazing to know the Cabrio’s history to a t. It was built at the Karmann factory in Osnabruck, Germany on 26th December 1966 (67 model year of course) and was purchased in London by the famous actor Stewart Granger for his daughter Lindsay on 23rd February 1967. The second owner Terence Hook bought the car a year and a half later on 3rd July 1968, and five years

later it changed hands again on 18th April 1973 when a Swedish lad studying in Bournemouth became the third owner. Christer Martin Hoije eventually returned to Sweden in 1977, and kept the car for another 20 years until Hans Levinsson from Malmo bought it in 1997, from whom Pete purchased the car last October.

With the car inbound, Pete remembered reading old articles and features in Volksworld, specifically about a ’67 Java Green rhd Cabrio presented in all its glory by Staffordshire-based namesake and all round good guy Jonny Abbott – aka JAVA VW. While his go-to guys and friends at Garage 87 in Manchester are more than capable of resurrecting the Cabrio, the Java Green link and undeniable expertise and in-depth knowledge of these earlier Kabs led to Pete picking up the phone and having a chat with Mr JAVA. It was a good chat, as not only is Jonny a fan of the band, but he agreed to take a look and also offered to house the car, as Pete hadn’t managed to find anywhere to actually put it when it arrived in the UK.

About six weeks ago, Jonny and Pete decided to get the car on a ramp. They have since given the car a thorough inspection, changing ancient fuel lines and a couple of brake lines, while marvelling at the

way the car has survived. We think the early, possibly dealer Ziebart treatment has been instrumental in its remarkable condition. Today, factory-applied cavity waxes and rust prevention are part of the assembly processes, but back in the 60s and 70s you were limited to ordering an underbody coating from VW, or instructing a dealer, independent garage or even undertaking a home DIY cavity treatment from names like Dinotrol, Ziebart or Waxoyl. All three are still in business today if you fancy some future proofing and can be trusted to drill a few holes unsupervised.

There was a tiny area on the rear of one sill strengthener that the boys decided would benefit from a bit of fresh metal, but that’s it! A little paint to tidy the strengtheners, a refurb of the original wheels to tidy them up, a replacement running board and a good deal of cleaning and refitting of the original seals, carpets and

all those bits and pieces that once you start just seem to add up. Pete has been making the trip south once a week as rehearsals, etc. allow, and after four denied attempts belligerently stuck with the task of persuading the DVLA to reinstate the car’s original registration number. I am happy to say he has just received confirmation – NMM69E rides again! So the DVLA can actually do the decent thing; who knew?! I suppose the next step is to try and work out the actual mileage, but sadly the original speedo was swapped for a KMH one back in ’77 when it ventured north to Sweden. The boys think condition-wise it has to be between 20 and 50,000 miles, but if the day job allows, hopefully it will be at a VW show or two, so maybe you can check it out and see what you think. I think it has to be a miniscule amount, but more to the point I think what kind of student looks after a car that well? I couldn’t

figures for the ’67 model year are listed as 7597 units, or 7583 – a discrepancy I can’t work out – but US import numbers appear to be 6349, leaving a humble 1248 units for the rest of the world to fight over. This would* suggest a very limited number allocated for RHD UK orders.

*I say “would” with a degree of scepticism, and I also found figures which suggest a few ’67 Cabrios were registered in der Fatherland that year too – 1692 of the things to be precise. So that does not compute. I’ll let Ned do some number digging. He likes that sort of thing and I have to wrap this up. Suffice to say it was a rare car when it was

made.

Specification lovers, this bit is for you: Motor, stock. Gearbox, stock. Wheels and tyres, stock. Body modifications, none. Suspension modifications, none. You get the idea, but in all seriousness, try and recall seeing a period car that hasn’t been restored or modified over the years; it’s pretty difficult.

Friends, family and thankyous, this bit is for you:

Pete would like to thank Lucy for understanding his car problem and allowing him to indulge in these worthy pursuits; the

late Pete Hanson for all his teaching and inspiration; Chris and the guys at Garage 87 for being good mates and offering help when he gets stuck; Alex at Wolfsburg Restos for the parts; Jonny JAVA for his generosity, friendship, and doing the bits that needed the JAVA touch; and of course Andy Hill for getting him into this mess in the first place!

Finally, we would like to thank Pete for possibly the best quote we will hear for a while:

“A 912 for my 30th, I got a Lada for my 40th. Some say it should be the other way round.”

I’m looking around the workshop at the moment and it must be said that we have a lot of things in bits. Every shelf or trolley seems to contain something that has been dismantled and that is waiting for parts or some sort of attention. It’s been really busy with the usual comings and goings and it has been good to get a few stuck jobs out. It always seems to be the way that a job comes in which should only take a few days and ends up taking a few weeks. It can’t be helped as most of the time no-one really knows how long a job will take until the problem has been properly explored by taking whatever it is to bits and finding the issue. I keep thinking to myself that I need more space, but what I really need to do is get through more work and clear my shelves so I can take more in, and thus the cycle starts over again. We have recently added a sandblasting cabinet to the array of workshop equipment – something I have

WORDS BY CHEZ WILLIAMS

always wanted and knew would come in handy. We did end up making it ourselves out of two broken cabinets which we acquired and having some glass windows cut from a place down the road. A new gun and nozzles came from the internet and we were donated a set of gloves and some media to try. I have to say it works very well and I wish I’d got one years ago.

Over my last few write-ups for Hayburner I have mentioned that we have seen a few small supercharger conversions come through our doors. One was an orange Baja which we got to run well after changing several items in the carburettor; the other is a beautiful Bay Window which came into us as a non-runner, belonging to Nick Smith. The compression test came back with very poor results, so we removed the engine and tore it down to its component parts. We had the case line bored and the crank ground and ordered new bearings for the bottom

end. We also installed an Engle 110 cam and new forged barrels and pistons; I like to use forged when the engine is forced induction even though it’s a 1600. One of the heads had dropped its valve seat so we also fitted a new pair of heads – a complete rebuild all shiny and new.

Having got the Baja to run well, I ordered similar emulsion tubes and jets and also carried out a conversion for the throttle jet which made it more aggressive to help with snap throttle response. By the time you have hit the throttle, the fuel has over a metre to travel before it gets to the furthest head. That is a long way, so it’s quite a balancing act between having good throttle response and some fuel economy. I have just taken Nick out in the bus for the first time and we ran out of fuel just as we rolled onto the petrol station forecourt. After filling it up, the bus fired up and we had a great drive

around. It really is fun to drive and has stacks of torque from low in the rev range. It put a smile on our faces from the power and the great sound. I have no idea how many miles per gallon we are getting but I don’t think it’s many. It may even be single figures, but that’s the offset of having a supercharger and the extra power. I do think that fuel injection would help a lot with this issue, as the injectors would be in the manifold really close to the head and only give the amount of fuel required instead of the extra fuel needed to make this system work. Snap throttle response would be brilliant and fuel economy should be up by quite a bit; also it would reduce the amount of throttle pumping to get it fired up from cold.

One of the things I wrote about was how to deal with the ignition timing in the best way for this setup. There is a rule of thumb which I have used for a long time and which has always served me well: retard the ignition timing one degree for every one PSI of boost pressure. There are various ways of dealing with this problem and some are better than others. Fuel injection with a proper ECU would be a good solution, but as we are on carbs and a distributor this is not an option. The second option is to adjust the maximum advance from the standard distributor by adjusting the mechanical advance stop so it physically can’t advance more than required. As it’s a new engine and I want to be on the safe side, I think 18 degrees of full advance is probably what’s required. The solution Nick went with in the end was a programmable 123 Ignition purchased

from Jim Merrin (vwjim.co.uk), which I have to say I’m very impressed with. The 123 has Bluetooth capability to an app on any smartphone or tablet. The app allows you to make your own advance curve and has a table for vacuum advance which also gives the option of boost retard. It did take a while and a few calls to Jim to get my head around the tables as the units of measurement are not the same as the ones I tend to be familiar with, but after a few conversions it does all make sense. The feature I most love about the app is the dashboard that it provides. You get a rev counter and speedometer (GPS), a temperature gauge and battery level, and it also displays the degrees of ignition timing at any given time. I really like this bit of kit and can see myself getting one to play with.

While I’m giving updates on previous things I’ve written about, I can’t ignore the aeroplane engine that has been sitting in the corner of my engine-building room waiting for parts from America. Well, a few boxes of parts have finally arrived. This is quite an old engine which is being dragged into the modern world with an upgrade to give it more power. We are taking it out from 90.5 to 94mm, which will give it more capacity, along with some alterations in compression and cam shaft choice. The heads are twin spark, as redundancy is a big thing when you are up in the sky and a cylinder going down at 10,000 feet would not be an ideal situation. The previous configuration of this engine did not have a starter motor other than spinning the propeller by hand. This time we have a starter motor and alternator

built into the flywheel, so if it were to cut out at least there is a chance of starting it again and it helps to limit the possibility of losing a finger or two if you are not quick enough turning the propeller – a dangerous game that I don’t fancy playing.

And to finish my ramblings, I have had two early engines arrive at the workshop. One is a 25hp from Adam Vaughn’s Zwitter and the other is a 30hp from Glen Lucas’s 1956 Oval Window Beetle. Both engines are in boxes of bits with too many of some things and not enough of others, but that’s how things go sometimes. We have trawled through and started to order parts for both engines; it’s early stages at the moment, so fingers crossed we can get what we need. I would love to use Adam’s early 25hp heads, as so far they look serviceable with the exception of something I had not come across before: one of the heads has steel inserts where the spark plugs screw in; they are quite big inserts with a big top hat with crinkly edges. I have read up and this is not uncommon with early heads. The other head is missing both of these inserts. I’m on the hunt for them, as is Adam, but no luck as yet. They are an odd bit of engineering and would definitely be a challenge to recreate. If anyone has any heads with these in that are broken, we are looking for a pair. I’m not looking forward to trying to remove them, so I could get them remanufactured. Do keep an eye out and let me know if there are any about.

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WORDS BY ANTONY BIRD PHOTOS BY CALLI FARAWAY

Make: Volkswagen Karmann Ghia

Model: Type 34 1600L

Registration: XNN 675H

Known as: Razoredge

Year: Late 1969 and one of the last produced

First registered: 01-09-1969

Engine size: 1584CC

Chassis number: 349073281

Date of purchase: 11-05-2014

No of former keepers: 17 A few interesting facts:

– Flagship of all VW models

– First VW to reach the speed of 100mph/160km

– During production was the most expensive VW model manufactured

– More expensive and luxurious than Porche’s 356 model; you could also

buy two VW Beetles for the price of 1 VW T34.

– 42,505 built over eight years from 1961–1969

– Particularly rare model VW with only 3000 surviving worldwide

– There are only 171 T34s in the UK

– XNN675H is one of only 22 UK 1969 T34s worldwide

Since my ownership, the car has received a full nut and bolt restoration/ resto-modification over a five-year period, as parts required to complete the build were so rare and expensive. Such modifications include upgrades to the steering, suspension, running gear and electrics, finished with paintwork in a one-off custom Magnetic Grey metallic and mile deep Piano Black detail carried out by SVR who are without question the best in business.

Little did I know back then what I was letting myself in for!

If I did, would I do it again?

There comes a point when buying a car like this where after driving it around for a year or two you’re faced with the decision of whether it’s time to sell it on as it is and get back what you paid for it or crazily commit to restoring it and go all in.

If you’re brave or stupid enough like I was to take on the latter, make sure you’re prepared, mentally and financially, as once the costs start coming in you will question what on earth you have done and whether it

was the right decision! The bills will start to come in thick and fast but that’s the price you pay when you fall in love with a Type34. There’s no question that you have to keep on going regardless of the cost. Certainly a man who knew better than I did quickly pointed out very early on in my project that it’s important to have the end vision in mind at all times. It’s what kept me going.

I must admit that at the time I wasn’t prepared. I was just a fella who simply fell in love with a car that I didn’t really appreciate the rarity of – not just a T34 but a UK RHD T34 – and having never owned a classic VW before maybe I was daft to buy it. It was certainly in

worse condition than I had prepared myself for. To restore a rare beauty like the Razoredge Karmann Ghia will probably scare the most experienced of VW enthusiasts and veterans, so my advice to anyone thinking of doing this is to prepare yourself because there will be a point where the reality of what you’ve committed yourself to will scare you.

I’m not gonna lie. There were many times when I ran out of

money, many times into the resto, and for the most part it seemed to be one step forward and two steps back. Parts were hard to source and good parts demanded high prices, but when someone has a part that you need you just have to dig deep and keep on going and now I’m so pleased I did. Luckily, anyone taking on a T34 project now will find there are many great repro fabricators and many of the hard-to-find items are now readily available aftermarket.

The end result to me is an absolute thing of motoring beauty and to be the owner of this unbelievable car I know I’m one lucky person, although I’m still not prepared for the attention it gets every time I’m out and about. It’s definitely like having celebrity status and I’m not one for all the attention.

So … looking back, would I do it again? My wife would say

“don’t you dare”, but each time I take off the cover I stand there and look at it for a while. It makes me smile and I think to myself, “F**k yeah I would”.

How much did it cost me to build? I have never added it up. I’m more than happy with the result and that’s what’s important. I’m also a little bit scared to … it’s aaaaalot!

Now running:

Engine – 1584CC (1600L) Standard fully stripped and rebuilt with twin 34 ICT carbs

Gearbox – Type 1 1979 “Super Flyer”

81.8 MPH @3500 RPM

Brakes – All updated Willwood

4-piston, X-drilled disk brakes all round Shift lever – Gene Berg 12” angle geared

Wheels – OEM 16”x6 and 16x7 polished and painted Porsche Fuchs Tyres – 185x50R16 N-607+ and 165x40R NS-20

Suspension – Type 3 1956-74 T1-T3

Deluxe Swing Axle Air Ride Kit Beam Dusl Viair 380C 2” dropped spring plates, Air Lift 3P air pressure based digital management upgrade Exhaust – CSP Python stainless steel Type 3 – 38mm

Interior – kept simple and cool, black vinyl seats and door cards, Black Alcantara headliner, dash pad, parcel shelf and door trims

Carpet set – Custom cut grey with black trim

Massive thanks go to: Andy Finch and his amazing team at Spikes Vintage Restorations for their professionalism, jaw-dropping work,

FIND UPCOMING VOLKSWAGEN SHOWS EUROPE-WIDE.

If you would like us to promote your Volkswagen event, please enter for free on www.bUGbUs.nEt’s show calendar. Also on bUGbUs.nEt you will find the latest show entries from around Europe.

12th | Suffolk Dubrs Spring Autojumble

Trinity Park Ipswich | www.suffolkbugrs.co.uk

12th | TBC – Freddyfiles

Ninove | www.freddyfiles2020.com

18th – 19th | VolksWorld Show

Sandown Park, Surrey |www.classicsworld.co.uk

25th | Classic Car Auktion Toffen

Toffen | www.oldtimergalerie.ch

26th | Aircooled en Fête

Strée | www.moteurenfete-televie.be

26th | GianPaolo Padovan

Bassano del Grappa | www.maggiolinibassanesi.it

21st – 23rd | Alive & Kickin

Haughley Park, Suffolk | www.aliveandvdubbin.co.uk

23rd | Topdag Erembodegem

Erembodegeml | www.vwluchtpompers.be

29th | I Maggiolini Tutti Matti

Novagli | www.imaggiolinituttimatti.it

30th | Klassikertreffen in Seelze

Hannover/Seelze | www.vwfg.de

30th | Stanford Hall 2023

Stanford Hall | www.stanfordhallvw.com

30th–01st | VW Käfer-Treffen

Eggenburg | www.arboe-eggenburg.webador.at

1st | Maikaefer-Treffen

Messe Parkplatz West | maikaefertreffen.de

01st | Kevertreffen @ Hoeilaart

Hoeilaart | www.kevertref-hoeilaart.be

05th–07th | Bulli-Days

Vöhl-Herzhausen | www.bulli-days.de

05th–07th | Beetle at the Beach

Veldhoven | see bUGbUs.nEt

05th – 07th | Vanwest

Taunton Racecourse | www.vanwest.co.uk

06th – Bug Run Picknick

Gärdet | www.bugrun.com

18th–20th | Berghof VW Bus Treffen

St. Urban | see bUGbUs.nEt

19th – 20th | VW Breakout

Santapod | www.santapod.co.uk

19th–21st | Molsheim Cox Show

Molsheim | www.facebook.com/CoxShow

20th – 21st | Keverdag

Brunssum | www.keverclub.nl/meetings

20th – 21st | Barndoor Gathering

Enschede | www.benpon.nl

20th–21st | Klassik am Hangar

Schotten-Götzen | see bUGbUs.nEt

25th – 29th | Pfingst VW-BUS Treffen

Ihringen am Kaiserstuhl | www.vwbusclubbern.ch

26th–28th | International VW meeting

Rovinj | www.facebook.com/vwbubaklubzagreb

26th – 28th | Bugaloo

Tornaco | www.bugaloo.it

26th – 29th | Internationales Buggy Treffen

Rothenthurm | www.buggy-club-schweiz.ch

27th–28th | Aircooled VW Meeting

Classic Remise Düsseldorf | see bUGbUs.nEt

27th | RTTS – Run To The Sun

Cornwall | www.facebook.com/RunToTheSunRTTS/

28th | Ath Cox Show

Parking de la sucrerie Ath | see bUGbUs.nEt

28th | PTRLBRTHR

Wielsbeke | facebook.com/petrolbrothersbe

03rd–04th | Aircooled Emmental

Emmental Arena Schüpbach | www.aircooled-emmental.ch

08th – 11th | Alive & V-Dubbin Festival

Haughley Park, Suffolk | www.aliveandvdubbin.co.uk

08th–11th | Int. Oberweserbullitreffen

Camp.Weisse Hütte | Oberweserbull.jimdofree.com

09th–10th | Big Bug Run Fun

Mantorp Park Raceway | www.bugrun.com

09th – 11th | Bockhorner Oldtimermarkt

Bockhorn | www.bockhorner-oldtimermarkt.de

09th – 11th | Käfertreffen in Wörth/Donau

Wörth | www.kaeferfreunde-bayerwald.de

09th – 11th | Bristol Volksfest 30

Bristol, BS48 3RN | www.bristolvolksfest.co.uk

09th – 11th | Just Kampers Weekender

Odiham, Hampshire | www.justkampers.com

10th | Crazy Meeting

Champs Elysées de Saint Quentin | See bUGbUs.nEt

10th | CAR ’N‘ BAR

Eghezée | www.air-watercooled.com

10th–11th | VW Castle Party

Château de Grillemont | see bUGbUs.nEt

10th – 11th | Rhön meets Bullis

Ostheim vor der Rhön | www.rhoenmeetsbullis.de

11th | Meeting air-watercooled

Eghezée | air-watercooled.com

15th – 18th | Midsummer Bulli Festival

Ostsee Insel Fehmarn | www.midsummerfestival.de

16th – 18th | IKW Wanroij

Mierlo | www.ikwwanroij.nl

17th – 18th | Lavenham Int. Vintage VW

Lavenham | www.vintage-volkswagens-lavenham.co.uk

17th–18th | Aircooled with Attitude

Le Creusot | www.aircooledwithattitude.com

18th | Classics at the Clubhouse

Sandford Springs Hotel | classicsattheclubhouse.com

23rd – 25th | Meeting VW Bourg d’Oisans

Le Bourg d’Oisans | see bUGbUs.nEt

23th – 25th | VW Bus Festival

Hannover | www.vw-bus-festival-2023.de

30th – 02nd | Kronenbus L’Evil Air Fest

Leyviller | www.facebook.com/kronenbus

07th – 09th | International VW Staggia

Staggia Senese | www.legendaryvwmeeting.it

08th – 09th | Meeting du Cox avenue

Les Riceys | See bUGbUs.nEt

14th – 16th | Dub Odyssey

Wentworth Woodhouse | www.dubodyssey.com

14th – 16th | Volks Weald

Penshurst Place, TN11 8DG | volksweald.co.uk

21st – 23rd | Bug Jam

Santapod, NN29 7XA | www.bugjam.co.uk

28th – 30th | Friesländer-Luftboxer

Jaderennbahn Hooksiel | see bUGbUs.nEt

04th | Bug Run Classic

Malmby Fairground | bugrun.com

04th – 06th | Kent VW Festival

Dover, CT15 5AH | www.kentvwfestival.com

04th – 06th | Mittsommer VW BUS Treffen

Niederbipp Flühlisboden | www.vwbusclubbern.ch

06th | Tatton Park VW Show

Tatton Park | www.tattonparkvwshow.com

10th – 13th | Let’s bug together

Lesce | www.lets-bug-together.com

11th – 13th | Berliner VW Bus Festival

XXL Location Jüterbog | www.vwbus-treffen-berlin.de

10th – 13th | VW Whitenoise Festival

Norfolk Showground, Norwich | www.vwwhitenoise.com

18th – 20th | Le Bug Show

Spa Francorchamps | www.vwbugshow.be

18th–20th | Bulli Treffen ZH Unterland

Rorbas | bullitreffen-zh.ch

18th–20th | Onze jaarlijkse LKC meeting

Diepenbeek | www.limburgsekeverclub.be

18th–20th | Vdub at the Pub

Wimborne | www.vdubatthepub.com

18th – 20th | Viva Skeg Vegas

Revesby Lincolnshire | www.vivaskegvegasvw.co.uk

30th – 03rd | Bulli Summer Festival

Auesee | www.bullisummerfestival.de

01st – 03rd | VW Action

Santapod, NN29 7XA | www.vwaction.co.uk

01st–3rd | Int. Ionian VolksFest

Sami Kefalonia | See bUGbUs.nEt

15th – 17th | Grill n Chill

Hop Farm, TN12 6PY | facebook.com/GrillnChillKent

15th – 17th | Doncaster VW Show

Doncaster DN2 4LT | facebook.com/doncastervwfest

16th – 17th | AirMighty Show 2023

Hangar 11, Enschede | www.airmightyshow.com

22nd – 24th | Retro Dub Suffolk

Ipswich, IP3 8uH| www.retrodub-suffolk.co.uk

More shows on www.bUGbUs.nEt

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If you would like us to promote your Volkswagen event, please enterfor free on www.bUGbUs.nEt’s show calendar.

WORDS AND PHOTOS BY CALLI FARAWAY

Coyotes can detect high-pitched animal noises from far distances, which the ranchers would mimic. They then used a spotlight made from an old coffee tin and a red filter. This prevented the coyotes from seeing the light and enabled the ranchers to kill up to ten of the animals on a typical night.

When Mr Wolfe found this hound-huntin’ wagon, the chassis was rock solid and the front cab wore its original interior. After its resurrection by Rich Ewald at J-3 Restorations in Tennessee, Mike signed the dash and it returned to Texas. Afterwards, the bus moved to California, where the new owner painted the interior white and drew some debatably artistic sharpie doodles. In spite of attempts to remove the

drawings, the Californian sun has permanently tattooed this part of the bus’s journey.

Taking a big step away from his show-quality Bay Window, Simon adopted the battered bus in March 2021. “Shiny paint causes stress” sums up nine years of using and

restoring the ’76 Bay. Most will know the fear of car doors and shopping trolleys damaging precious paintwork. Now, ironically, no-one parks near this battle-ready classic. Seeing it for the first time, Simon recognized the bus from the TV show and was captivated. Its Mad Max attitude and large back wheels suited his taste for anything left or right of the

mainstream. It would also be his first Splitscreen, which always seemed so out of reach when he was younger. The choice to buy the bus was somewhat of an impulse, as Simon had to make a quick decision. “Opportunities come along, and some you’ve just got to grab.”

When the bus arrived in the UK, the brakes were atrocious and the cab floor was one stomp away from being just

right for Fred Flintstone. In addition to many missing parts, some questionable wiring and several “get me home” repairs needed fixing. For reasons still unknown, a year’s worth of dog biscuits was also found stashed in the cab air box. The bus has since received all the care needed to make it a well-running off-road machine that isn’t afraid of a rugged 30% incline – a daunting drive I experienced myself! Impressive handling helped this 57-year-old bus to conquer

the unforgiving, muddy hills, making for a very fun drive.

Today, the bus retains the aggressive personality and fearlessness that it picked up from the Texan desert. Simon intends to preserve its rustic

charm while improving the comfort inside to suit life on both the hunting range and camping grounds. While the odd purist grumbles, many are eager to see the famous vehicle with its unusual story and uniquely functional qualities.

Simon howled with confidence that the Coyote Killer would be a keeper. He thanks his wife for encouraging him to adopt such a wild motor. He also thanks his friends for helping with the bus’s repairs, despite their teasing about his TV show fame.

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WORDS BY VIC FAUX PHOTOS BY KENNETH ANNO

Firstly, let us introduce you to four French friends who go by the name of FLC Club (“Flan à La Cantine”) – strange, we know, but not the most unconventional thing ever to be included among Hayburner’s pages. Starting at a school canteen many, many years ago after missing the day’s cut-off for flan dessert, the four protested “we want flan in the canteen” and the group of course formed, uniting all those who love flan. Now, decades later, many have joined the club, which has evolved into a VW enthusiast bunch of like-minded people, and Stéphane Leuwers, the founder, has let us feature his very trick Type 181.

Unlike Beetles, Ghias and buses, the Volkswagen Type 181 has always been seen as a less familiar member of the VW family, often being overlooked among other older military vehicles of the time. Initially it was a utility vehicle with certain characteristics taken from its predecessor, the Type82 Kubelwagen. First developed for the needs of the German army,

Volkswagen quickly realised that the 181 was fun yet very practical, and they saw the potential of a civilian version for any VW enthusiast who wanted something a little different.

Marketed as “The Trekker” here in the UK and “The Safari” in South America, probably the most popular nickname was established in the USA, where current trends such as fourdoor convertibles, dune buggies and sand rails were soaring, and seeing its production spread quickly from 1968 to 1979, “The Thing” was born.

Technically, the 181 is mounted on Beetle-type chassis with wide floors, similar to the one two decades before. With this the first phase of the Type 181 used the reduction boxes like the Type2 Split, while the Beetle 1302/1303 rear axle was fitted to phase 2 from 1973.

“The FLC Touch” – Stéphane was no newcomer to VW

ownership, having owned an award-winning Kombi Split Panel Van and, you may have seen at the drag strip, the well-known Type 1 drag car named Berserk. However, his Type 181 adventure began when Stéphane set his eyes on a May 1976 Thing around a decade ago. He had a clear vision of what he wanted to do with it straight from the initial purchase.

The first task was to strip the entire body and start the mindnumbing job of sanding, which we all know is relentless and looks like you’re taking one step back instead of forward. Stéphane then swapped out the two complete rocker panels for new ones and

repaired the four counter wings. To simplify the lines, the large rear cooling scoops were replaced with simple versions. At the same time, the dashboard was completely smoothed out to create a cleaner look to the overall appearance of the interior.

For the practical and mechanical side, Stéphane made the rear apron removable, ensuring ease of access to the engine. The body is completely repaired at multiple points where there was slight perforating corrosion and the four widened wings are made of fibreglass. Surprisingly, the chassis, on the other hand, was very clean, and only required a change of the two jacking points.

Stéphane did the body lift, which raised the body by 6cm.

In terms of manufacturing and welding, the project took shape by the bending of the 6-point cage; the bumpers were formed in the same tube. The tubes are painted in black epoxy, while the preparation and painting of the body was expertly carried out by Nostalgia Cars Bodywork in Belgium. The shade that was chosen is a reminder of California, the colour “Ice Blue” from the Mini shade guide which was, of course, expertly applied. The interior is the same colour but with a slightly grainy finish, apart from the smoothed dashboard which is a nod to the style of the Type 1.

The work continues with the adaptation of a Peugeot 205 rack, and electric steering from a Renault Clio 2. A nice mix of parts from different origins is mated to the original steering column. The brake circuit has been revised from top to bottom – from the pipes to the callipers and drums. The gasoline circuit suffers the same fate, with an outlet connection to supply the system Eberspaecher which offers additional heating, which was slightly revised and added in the front trunk. The original electrical harness, leaving much to be desired, has also been completely changed.

The suspension remains fairly classic, with the original reinforced

front axle of the 181, but with CSP adjusters to increase it and gain a little more ride height. The IRS box is a T2 type CU unit. This was revised by Christophe Besset of Four Speed, then mounted on the chassis via a non-rigid kit. With the big tyres and the beautiful Fuel Off-Road Revolver rims in 8x16”, the rear gearing finally corresponded to an 8x35 box with original wheels.

The original 1600 block gives way to a big 2276cc assembled by his friend Tony with all the good performance parts.

As for the rest of the 181, the CSP stainless steel exhaust is reminiscent of the two separate mufflers without a heater box fitted to the car originally. To complete the “adventurer” look, all exterior parts are painted black: the exterior mirrors, door handles, as well as the windscreen wipers

and the nose VW badge.

The headlights have KC with protective grilles, and the cover plate guard installed on the front bumper has the same black finish. The original Spartan interior is not entirely devoid of accessories. Stéphane goes a long way in his choices to match as much as possible on the interior and exterior. It’s all in the details! Here, the GT Performance steering wheel, pedals, Black Mamba gear lever and homemade double handbrake levers approach the same style and finish as the rims. It’s a strong look! The two Nürburgring BF-Torino bucket seats are fitted with black Sparco harnesses, while the bench seat made from scratch matches the same material as the seats by RG Sellerie in Lille. This seat can also be folded down to access the battery and a storage box. In addition to all the buttons and switches under the dashboard, Stéphane installed supports for three Auto Meter Sport-Comp 66 mm dials, with the specially requested black finish. The floors are covered with rubber floor mats.

Stéphane also made lockable trunk covers for the inside of the doors.

The 181 won over many enthusiasts for the first time at the Nostalgia Cars Open House, after a major project patiently spread over seven years. Stéphane is extremely proud; he has managed to stand out with an extraordinary 181, with an exemplary finish and restoration.

All this work was rewarded in particular with a “Best Off-Road” at EBI 8, and a Top 20 at the Bug Show in Spa, Belgium. Here at Hayburner, we are not surprised.

The four French friends have come a long way since waiting for their flans all those years ago and we are glad for their transition of enthusiasm.

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WORDS AND PHOTOS BY PJ GIBBONS

so he did the absolutely logical thing when 6576 miles away from home: he bought it blind. He knew it would require a bit of work to get it to a standard he was happy with, so he enlisted the help of Richard Maxwell from the Speedster and Spyder Club (www.speedstersandspyders.org.uk) to help with the build, and Richard took care of all the amazing alloy work inside the car. On inspection, James noticed the body had been attached to the sub-chassis incorrectly. The first job was to split the body, and fabricate a new sub-frame which instantly allowed the fibreglass body to fit correctly

while at the same time giving additional strength to the car. The pan was in great shape albeit previously having been painted in blue Hammerite. We all know that if you intend to build a show-stopping car, that stuff is definitely not the one, so the pan was stripped and painted in Raptor. James enlisted Max Edwards at EVA Resto (www. aircooledairride.com) to take care of the ride height. Max has become the go-to for air ride and custom products for air-cooled cars. His portfolio speaks for itself. James opted for the EvaResto premium front air suspension kit,

with 2” narrowed beam, and Zenith Air Shocks and premium rear suspension kit, custom made to allow full bolt-on fitment with no interference with the fibreglass body tub or sub-chassis, Airlift 2b-6 bags, gas charged shocks. This is all fed via the Airlift manual 4-way setup, Viair 444c compressor mounted up front, with aluminium 4-gal tank mounted behind the roll cage. The air ride is operated via a custom-made controller and gauge mount. All four corners are then hooked up to meaty Willwood disk brakes.

The majority of the interior was trimmed while the car was in its first guise, by Steve at SJ Bowles in Dorset. James says: “A lot of my inspiration came from prestige car styling and Singer Porsche designs. Steve absolutely understood my brief.”

Wherever you look on this car you will notice beautiful, almost curated, subtle custom touches – whether it’s the engraved VDO fuel sender, drilled brackets or dimple die’d heater channel covers with polished copper rivets, the list goes on and on. The tan suede and leather trim combo along with the diamond stitching and eyeleting runs through the whole car, from under the bonnet to the engine bay fire wall covers; it truly is a work of art. You can tell

James spent hours deliberating over the colour palettes chosen for this interior, as while there are varied materials used they all complement each other perfectly. This is testament to an eye for design elements and the time and effort spent making everything just right. The wood rim Moto Lita quick release wheel and the two-tone laminated shift knob on the Vintage Speed Black Mamba shifter even tie in to the fabric colour palette. The Classic Instruments

gauges were imported from the USA and look so at home on the dash with the billet knob surrounds and Breitling rally stopwatch set. There is so much going on in here that we think it would spoil it if we mentioned absolutely everything. Check the photos and see what you can spot. One last interior item we have to mention is the front seats. While at first glance they look like off-the-peg racing buckets, they are actually custom-made bomber seats, again detailed to high heaven with polished copper rivets. The seats did give the guys a bit of a headscratching moment when it came to mounting. This was soon overcome by using a set of NOS Westland Lynx Helicopter seat runners. “The initial

plan was to paint the runners as the rest of the car is so refined, but when the factory signing off marks were spotted we decided to keep them as is” – a great talking point.

The body was in need of a fair bit of attention. This was tackled by Scott at Specialist Paintworks in Dorset (www. specialistpaintworks.com). With the body all sorted and a fresh Gelcoat, the car was initially finished in 2020 in raw Gelcoat with a black viper stripe, door number roundels and race livery, initially sitting on sitting on Magnus Walker Fifteen52s. I have to say I loved this look, and when James announced in 2021 that Specialist Paintworks were changing the colour,

I wondered where it was going. The answer was above and beyond, with so much more to come. In June 2021 the new colour change was released on James’s Instagram and, true to form, James worked with Scott and took his time getting the right shade of green, eventually settling for a custom mix that complements the tan/polished metal interior really well. This paintwork totally transformed the car, so much so that it made the car look like a totally fresh build. It somehow made the interior look brand new, which really says something when it was such a standout part of the original build. No surprise then that in 2022 it stormed the air-cooled show circuit!

We mentioned this car was ever evolving, so once the body colour changed the obvious next step was wheel choice. You will know by now that James does not do style by half, so a unique one-of-a-kind set of stunning Gekrenzert 3-piece directional 16” Billet wheels were added, the gold centres tying in with all the painted elements in the engine bay, etc.

All show no go? Of course bloody not!

The 3.88 swing axle Pro Street gearbox is coupled up to a fully detailed 181HP, 2276CC monster, with SuperFlow heads, 44X37.5MM, 1.4 rockers, SLR XR310 cam and SLR lifters. Mahle piston kit, straight cut gears, CB Magnaspark ignition kit. 44IDFs with CB’s update kit. Bergmann shroud kit. All forged chromoly, lightened flywheel, balanced, small sump, full flow oiling. Built by Herbert Performance in Reno USA. Harmonies are supplied through a sweet Vintage Speed Sebring exhaust.

We have no doubt this car will just continue evolving, and we can not wait to see the next part of the journey for the Outlaw Racers 356.

James would like to thank: Cool Flo, Honest Jon, Karmann Konnection, Richard Maxwell, Specialist Paintworks, Steve Bowles Trimmers, Max at EVA Resto, Autofinesse, Hayburner Magazine and most of all Harley, Alfie & Pig for putting up with him attending all those shows.

I’ve been thinking about why I find it so difficult to write about this project. I think it might be because not having the car in front of me makes me feel somewhat detached from it, almost like it’s not really happening. Under normal circumstances, I would have to walk past my project car every time I go to the toilet or fill the kettle as it sits underneath my office at Hayburner HQ, but not this time. This time it’s being welded four and a half hours away in Cumbria. I’ve been getting regular progress updates from Irv, but it’s not quite the same as having it nag at me every time I walk past it. Because of this I’m looking forward to getting the bare shell/pan back here.

WORDS BY NED FAUX

People keep asking me: “So, the ’49? Should we expect to see it at Lavenham or Skeg?” I’m sorry to disappoint you, but even with the body 90% done there’s still so much to do and I’m looking at this car as my “white whale”. I’m not sure that white whale is quite the right terminology, as Moby Dick was never actually caught, and after destroying

Ahab and his crew it’s not really clear whether he survives or not. To clarify, I don’t think I’ll let this car destroy me and I do intend to see it through. It’s more the obsessive pursuit of getting this car right and finding it hard to believe I even own it yet let alone being able to finish it. I’d say this one is going to take years rather than months. Money, parts

availability and time are all factors.

I’m trying to work out where we are up to. I guess it’s best to start by re-publishing the last photograph from Issue 44. It shows the shell sitting on the pan with an alarming amount of metal cut out of it. The passenger side front

quarter panel was salvageable and had been repaired, but the driver’s side was replaced with an original ’49 body cut. The flat panel, tank surround and under dash panel were all removed, straightened and repaired. Unfortunately the front apron had been badly damaged and was rotten so it was replaced with a new Autocraft panel. Other than that

it’s just the heater channels left to modify, as the correct style weren’t available and rather than hold the entire project up we thought it would be better to fit generic channels and graft in the correct sections later.

At the rear, the bumper mounts and rear valance were missing when I got my hands on the project. Again panels from Autocraft were ordered. I’d sent my engine lid over to Lloyd at Deluxe Metal Work for repair as part of a converted deal we’d done, which might explain the Cabrio

deck lid Irv has been using for mocking up. As for the floor pan, it’s pretty much there with only a repair to do on the frame head where someone has hacked into it, I imagine to gain access to the cable braking system.

I really wanted to get down to Irv’s before this mag was finished to take a look for myself and take a few photos, but like always I’ve run out of time. I do need to make sure I get down there shortly because there are a few important

decisions to make regarding how this shell is going to be finished. The more complete the car becomes, the more tempting it is to go “full resto” with it, but I don’t think I want to do that. I’d very much like the car to have zero filler. I know the zero body filler thing is a rather new expectation when it comes to restoration and everything has a skim, but I think I want this one to keep its lighter rust pitting and smaller dents. I have my

reasons … Firstly, every component I’ve bought for the car is a used part. I’ve restored many parts myself but at the same time many are in original used condition. If I’m entirely honest I’ve struggled to afford the parts I’ve bought anyway and the thought of finding NOS to suit a restored car terrifies me. Secondly, these cars really weren’t built all that nicely in the first place. Remember, we are talking about only three and a half

years of rebuilding in Germany after WWII and conditions/standards still weren’t great. Wolfsburg was still under the British Military Government and much of the production plant was being repaired. So restoring this car and making it better than new doesn’t have much appeal to me. Thirdly, if it’s a shiny show winner I’ll never use it. And fourthly it’s my car to do whatever I like with.

So I’m going with the shell being fully welded and beaten back into the best shape possible. I’m going to leave the pitting and little dents and give it a coat of the correct paint without the normal prep work. I guess this would also leave it being a very easy job if I ever won the lottery and decided to go down the full resto route. Unlikely, as I don’t play the lottery.

The other predicament is running gear. I’m still undecided if I should go full stock 25hp, cable brakes and crash gear box, or slightly pokier 30hp vintage speed style Okrasa, or maybe supercharged, hydraulic braking system and synchromesh gear box. I think for now I will just think on it. I’m in no rush.

As always, I want to say a huge thank you to everyone who has ever subscribed, advertised, supported, contributed, put a sticker on their car or represented us with a T-shirt. We are lucky to have you. As long as you enjoy reading, we will keep writing it. Thank you all for being a part of it.

Ned