DESERT DUBS

The Desert Dubs VW Car Club was formed and incorporated in January 2021 around a backyard fire pit on a winter evening in Arizona. The goal was to create a club that united individuals interested in maintaining and customizing air-cooled VWs to attract prestige and respect within the VW community. The founding members were determined to build a club centered not just on the quality of the car, but on the quality of the members — and most importantly, focused on family and community.

The club has been focused on participating in local coffee and cars events, VW shows, car shows, parades, and charity events. They’ve hosted shows with a community focus, holding canned food and toy drives and photo sessions with Santa and the Easter Bunny. They’ve extended their presence by attending the Volks Jam by the Parker Dam, Let’s Talk Dubs in Vegas, and California Week. They were a host club for the 2022 Bug-o-Rama in Phoenix and the featured club at the 2023 Goodguys show in Scottsdale.

The club is also bringing some of the old school back: You can spot a Desert Dubs member (there are currently 13) by their hand-painted rear window. Each member works with legendary painter and pinstriper Efrain “Bugs” Gonzales ( @elbugsdidit ) to design colors specific to their car. In the spirit of car clubs of the past, all club members have a vintage-style mechanic’s jacket with the club’s logo across the back and the member’s name on the front.

Desert Dubs members can often be found helping others in the VW community get their cars back on the road. They truly believe in helping people learn how to maintain and repair their own vehicles, and their philosophy is, if you have some knowledge, share it!

The club’s mission statement: Desert Dubs is a club open to all air-cooled VW’s. The purpose of the club is to bring friends and families together with a common goal to preserve, restore, maintain, and customize members’ rides. They maintain a working relationship with neighboring clubs to help support the Arizona VW scene. They contribute to their local community through charities and goodwill events while fostering an environment for any and all to support.

When Desert Dubs roll in together to an event, they are almost a car show unto themselves. Members are:

 Andy H: ’58 pressed-bumper Single Cab Bus  Jason

P: ’55 Canadian Std. Oval-window Beetle  Jason K: ’60

Split-window Bus  Robert: ’56 Oval-window Beetle 

Matthew: ’69 Karmann Ghia  Brandon: ’62 convertible

Beetle (air ride)  Tony: ’61 Custom Beetle (raspberry red)

 Keith: ’63 Beetle (air ride)  Steven: ’64 Ragtop Beetle

 Chad: ’64 Beetle (air ride)  Philip: ’65 Beetle (Bahama Blue, white)  Chris: ’66 Beetle  Andy B: ’68 Beetle Follow or contact Desert Dubs: @desertdubs_az

Desert Dubs and Friends youtube.com/@DesertDubs desertdubs.com azdesertdubs@gmail.com

Want your club to be in the spotlight? Send a few high-rez images (5–10MB each) of your club members, a few of your more high-profile VWs, and a couple of paragraphs on how and why you got started to dan@vwtrendsmagazine.com.

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