The Official Newsletter of the Volkswagen Club of Victoria Inc.

Volume 65 - Number 2 - October 2019

BAY WINDOW

KOMBI HISTORY

AUTOMATIC CAMPER LIFE WITH GOLDIEKOMBI TRAVELSBOX ON WHEELS

ODD BALL BAY WINDOW KOMBISAND MORE

Wagensville Deluxe October 2019 1

Wagensville News (Deluxe Edition) is the monthly newsletter of the Volkswagen Club of Victoria Inc. Correspondence, articles and items of news or items for sale are invited and should be sent to: VWCV Editor: GPO Box 1215 Melbourne, VIC 3001 or editor@vwclub.com.au

Disclaimer: All material in this newsletter represents the opinions of the author(s) and does not carry any endorsement by the Editor and Editor Assistant or Committee unless otherwise stated. Any material advertised for sale does not carry any endorsement by the Club and the onus is on the purchaser to ensure the purchased goods meet their requirements. Each VWCV Member is a volunteer carrying out club duties in their own leisure time. The Club has no paid officials, only enthusiasts dedicated in furthering the interests of the Club and its members. Therefore, please bear this in mind when contacting Club Committee Members.

VWCV EVENTS

OCTOBERVWCV General MeetingThursday 17th October 6.30pm - 10pm. The Austrian Club 76 - 90 Sheehan Road Heidelberg West.

Coffee Run Rocco & CoeSaturday 19th October 10am - 12noon. 1 Fennell St, Port Melbourne. VWCV casual monthly coffee run, third Saturday each month unless notified. All VWs welcome.

NOVEMBERCoffee Run Rocco & CoeSaturday 16th November 10am - 12noon. 1 Fennell St, Port Melbourne.

DAY OF THE VOLKSWAGEN 2019 Sunday 17th November. See Ad for details.

VWCV General Meeting Thursday 21st November 6.30pm - 10pm. The Austrian Club 76 - 90 Sheehan Road Heidelberg West.

DECEMBERVWCV Xmas PartySunday 8th December 11am Start. See Ad on back cover for details.

Coffee Run Rocco & CoeSaturday 21st December 10am - 12noon. 1 Fennell St, Port Melbourne.

VWCV GENERAL MEETINGSMelbourne Club meetings are held every third Thursday of every month at 8pm at the Austrian Club, 90 Sheehan Rd, Heidelberg West VIC 3081 unless advised of an alternative venue in the Club Newsletter.

Volkswagen Club of Victoria Committee 2019. Please contact the committee member that best suits your enquiry via email.

All mail correspondence should be sent to - Volkswagen Club of Victoria GPO Box 1215 Melbourne VIC 3001

OfficersPresident - Matthew Collis president@vwclub.com.au Vice President - Jocelyn Edeling vicepresident@vwclub.com.au Secretary - Andrew Mengyel secretary@vwclub.com.au Treasurer - Michael Cronin treasurer@vwclub.com.au

Ordinary Committee MembersEvents Coordinator - Jahnu Russell events@vwclub.com.au Membership Secretary - Willow Kerri Kai memberships@vwclub.com.au Club Permits and Registrations - Andrew Ermel chplates@vwclub.com.au Wagensville News Editor - editor@vwclub.com.au Content Coordinator - Chris Scane Webmaster - Jocelyn Edeling webmaster@vwclub.com.au

Assistants to the CommitteeConstitutional and Association Matters - John Stevens constitution@vwclub.com.au Technical Officer - John Goodison technical@vwclub.com.au Day of the Volkswagen Coordinator - Lloyd Davies dovw@vwclub.com.au Club Historian - Chris Scane historian@vwclub.com.au or 0417 593 573 Merchandise - merchandise@vwclub.com.au CH plates Please note - All CH plates applications, inquiries and questions to be sent to our CH officer - Andrew Ermel chplates@vwclub.com.au All Day of the Volkswagen inquiries please email dovw@vwclub.com.au

VWCV Membership FeesSingle Annual Full membership $60 Single 3 year Full Membership $155 Family Membership additional $20 per member/per year

VWCV membership also available on line: www.vwclub.com.au

CONTENTS

Another club year has begun. Our AGM was well attended by members who enjoyed the wonderful spread of finger food provided by the club and prepared by the great kitchen staff at the Austrian club. The night saw only two changes to our club committee with Jocelyn Edeling stepping up to take the roll of Vice President in her third year on the committee, and myself stepping into the presidents’ role in what is also to be my third year on the committee (previously being Membership Officer in my first year and Vice President last year). All other committee roles remain the same as last year.

I’d like to thank the committee members and assistants for their time and effort over the last 12 months and their continued efforts going into the next 12 months. It has been a pleasure working with and getting to know them all and they do it all for the love of Volkswagens and the people that drive them. Special thanks to Lloyd Davies for his leadership and guidance over the last 12 months. I would never have seen myself in a role like this but with the support of Lloyd and the other committee members I look forward to serving our wonderful club as President for the next 12 months.

I’ve said this before but I think it’s important for us all to remember our club is run by volunteers who put a lot of time into their roles. It’s important that we remember to thank them for their efforts (e.g. when we have our club permits stamped or memberships renewed). I’d also like to thank all the members that volunteered to help assist with the running of events over the last year. Events such as the Swap Meet, German Auto Show and Day of the Volkswagen could not be a succuss without you, and it is enthusiastic people like yourselves that make it such a pleasure to be part of our club.

Our club committee would love to hear from more members with ideas for events or offers of assistance, whether this be at a committee level or in the form of assistance at an event, so please don’t be shy. Any member is welcome to attend the committee meetings held on the first Thursday of the month, whether it is to raise an idea, offer assistance or just sit in and observe. I look forward to spending more time with the many great people I have met being part of this club and hope to meet many more of you at an event or meeting in the future.

“Keep on Dubbin”

PRESIDENT’S REPORTMatthew Collis VWCV President.

VICE PRESIDENT’S REPORTJocelyn Edeling VWCV Vice President.

For those of you who don’t know me, I’d like to take the time to introduce myself and tell you a bit about my Volkswagen story. I joined the club when I moved to Melbourne in 2015 but my love for Volkswagens started a long time before that. The first VW I can remember our family owning was a red bay window panel van, with black and yellow stripes down the side, which my mom would drive to motorcycle rallies and sell merchandise out of.

Although I now call Melbourne home, I am originally from Mzansi (South Africa) and have spent most of my life surrounded by Volkswagens (mostly because South Africa forgot to stop production of the Citi Golf, a variation of the MK1, until 2009). Growing up, everyone I knew loved vdubs (volksies as they called them back in the day), but no VW was loved quite as much as the Golf. So much so that my first VW was a White MK3 which my dad and stepmom gave me for my 21st birthday. It was old and tired, but I loved it all the same. In later years (after production of the MK1 had ended) the new VW to have was the Polo Vivo (a budget version of the normal Polo), and had it not been for the fact that it was the most hijacked car (that’s how you know it’s popular), I probably would have ended up with one of those too.

Luckily for me, as it turned out, my vdub journey had just begun and when I moved to Australia it got even better. Within a few months of moving I had hired a Kombi and travelled the Great Ocean Road, which reignited my passion for older vdubs. Back before I ever owned my first Golf, I would sit in our panel van in the driveway and pretend I was cruising along. Shortly after moving to Australia, I also attended my first ever Bus Stop (in a Mazda unfortunately) and ended up buying my first Kombi on the way home (a 1970 Lowlight Microbus Deluxe which I have been restoring ever since). In the meantime, I have had a few more Volkswagens come and go, including a few Type 3’s and Kombis which I will introduce at another time, but the current favourite is a 1979 bay window Kombi named Lucy. Lucy has taken me everywhere over the last few years (Bug In, Bus Stop, ReVOLKS, Valla / MacValla to name a few) and has never skipped a beat (although she is not a fan of early mornings).

What I love about being a part of the club is that it has given me the opportunity to meet so many great VW enthusiasts, many of whom I now consider close friends. There’s nothing quite like travelling along in a convoy of VW’s, and all the trips I’ve taken over the last few years would not have been the same without the company of other club members and their VW’s. Whilst I am relatively new to the club and have only been on the committee for two years, I am looking forward to getting to meet even more members and to attending many more great events. Our club would not be the same without all of the wonderful members we have, and I encourage each and every one of you to get involved where you can and to pass on any ideas for events that you may have.

3 GAS 2019 Report4 Automatic Camper Life with Goldie6 Kombi Travels8 Bay Window Kombi History10 Box on Wheels11 VWCV Oktoberfest Report12 Odd Ball Bay Window Kombies14 VWCV Historian’s Corner

Volkswagen Club of Victoria Wagensville Deluxe October 20192 3

What a wonderful Melbourne day we had For GAS 2019. With the great weather came 220 great cars all parked up in the beautiful DCA grounds. Many of these cars had not been seen at GAS previously. This year we were able to design and have available a limited edition GAS T-Shirt which was very popular on the day.

Organizing this show for the first time I had nightmares of bad weather and no one showing up. Luckily they didn’t come true. A lot of time and effort goes into organizing GAS before the day, and also on the day.

I take my hat off to the two gentleman that started GAS in 2016 Julien Langlet and Chris Jeffes. Julien said to me on the day that he had now passed the flame, I hope to keep that GAS flame burning bright into the future.

GASis a show that we as a club really enjoy as it brings all the German marque clubs together in support of a good cause Deaf Children Australia with well over $2000 dollars raised for them, thanks to the car clubs and people that came out for the day.

Very special thanks to the following volunteers and supporters whom without this day could not happen.

Andrew Ermel, Michael Cronin, Elaine Collis, Jocelyn Edeling, Willow Kai, Lloyd Davies, John Stevens, Daniel Scicluna, Dave Hennessy, Norm Mauger and Richard Graham.

And any other VWCV club members who pitched in on the day.

All Melbourne based German car club committees, members, and volunteers that assisted on the day.

The German Auto Show 2019 People’s choice winners were:BMW - 1974 silver 2002 Turbo Porsche - 1973 green 911s Targa Mercedes Benz - 1955 silver 300SL Gullwing Volkswagen - 1958 silver Karmann Ghia Other - 1967 Blue Audi Super 90 VWCV President’s choice - 1971 white NSU Ro80

“See you at GAS 2020”

By Matthew Collis VWCV President.

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MY KOMBI STORY

AUTOMATIC CAMPER LIFE WITH GOLDIEBy Matthew Collis.

As a bit of continuity from our members stories initiative from past years, the committee continues to ask all new members to tell us a short story about their Volkswagen and why it means so much to them. But this month we have a great story from our new President. This piece from Matthew tells how he has had a long association with and love for the Volkswagen bay Window Kombi. It is also a bit of an introduction for our new president. We have seen some great stories so far from our members, so if you can assist, get your story going now. It will give you a great feeling when you hit the send button and we know you have an interesting story to tell! - Thanks, CS

My Love for the Volkswagen Bay Window Kombi started when I was a kid, spotting Kombi campers on the road. How cool I thought they were. Although I never thought about owning one until many years later after I had restored a Beetle. Thinking now that the Beetle was done I’d like to restore a Kombi camper. About five years later I owned my first Kombi, a 1973 camper and another restoration had begun. My wife and I had always enjoyed camping, but going on a road trip and camping in the Kombi anywhere we chose to stop was the best adventure.

The ’73 had been fully resprayed and all mechanicals rebuilt with an upgrade to a twin carby 2Lt engine (originally 1700). It was a pleasure cruising along the freeway, sometimes even without a destination in mind, just out for a road trip. We had many trips around Victoria, and a couple to Adelaide and Sydney in the ’73. The ’73 even became my daily driver over my ’69 Beetle. Until one day the worst happened. While on my way to work I was involved in an accident (not my fault) and the ’73 was sent to Kombi heaven. Fortunately the motor was spared along with most parts that could be unbolted, but there was no saving the shell. In the long run this would turn out to be a blessing in disguise. As the ’73 had had some questionable repairs before I owned it and the paint and panel guy not removing rust 100% before I had it resprayed.

Moving forward I knew I wanted another Kombi but didn’t want to do another resto, so the search began for a Kombi that had been restored or ideally a Kombi that was original and well maintained. The search went on for almost 12 months before I found Gold (ie) at the end of the rainbow. A 1977 automatic 2L twin carb Sopru campmobile, with matching numbers on the engine block and fan housing. (most kombis that had an engine change over back in the day ended up with miss matched numbers).

Apart from a Fiamma awning she was 100% original and well maintained inside and out. Also coming from central Victoria she was pretty much rust free. It was almost to good to be true. After handing over the money and signing the papers I drove the two and half hours home, Goldie never missed a beat. All she needed was a new side mirror, battery and inner padding for the two front seats and she was all set to take Elaine and I on new adventures. A couple months later when Goldie’s birth certificate arrived from Germany I found that her engine number was the one Goldie

had left the Hanover factory with on 1st April 1977 having been built on 14th February ‘77, adding even more to her originality.

Yes Goldie has a 3 speed automatic transmission and I have never liked autos. I didn’t think autos where that common, but came across several while on the hunt for a Kombi. I thought if I do buy an auto I’ll use my parts from the ’73 to convert it to manual. Then after finding Goldie and her being so original I couldn’t convert her to manual and destroy that originality, and now I love the fact that she’s an auto that much that I wouldn’t want to go back to a manual.

Over the last 6 years Goldie has taken us on many adventures all over Victoria and several interstate and we are always looking forward to the next adventure wherever that may be, as it’s not always about the destination, it’s about traveling in a KOMBI.

KOMBI ON.

Volkswagen Club of ViCtoria

VWCV casual monthly coffee run, third Saturday each month unless notified. All VWs welcome.

Saturday 19th October 10am - 12noon 1 Fennell St. Port Melbourne.

MONTHLY COFFEE RUNROCCO & COE

Volkswagen Club of Victoria Wagensville Deluxe October 20196 7

As a bit of continuity from our members stories initiative from past years, the committee continues to ask all members to tell us a short story about their Volkswagen and why it means so much to them. But this month we have a great story from one of our VWCV stalwarts and Life members. Last time we had John in the pages of Wagensville News was November 2017 where John told us the story of his Mark 5 TDI Golf. This piece from John tells how he has had a long association with and love for the Volkswagen Bay Window Kombi. We have seen some great stories so far from our members, so if you can assist, get your story going now. It will give you a great feeling when you hit the send button and we know you have an interesting story to tell! – Thanks, CS

Before we purchased our first Kombi, 17 years ago, we did a lot of travelling in this wonderful country of ours. We are not big on overseas travel and prefer to explore what is on offer here. In those days our priority was to always get to our destination and then enjoy ourselves.

When we became owners of our 1975 Martini Olive Kombi, we named Foxy, all that seemed to change. We found that we really enjoyed the journey much more than simply getting to our destination and that has not changed one little bit. From the time that we left home the fun began and it simply has not stopped 17 years later.

The driving and front passenger seating position in a Kombi offers what we consider is a panoramic view of the road ahead. The driving position is like being in charge of a bus. Being a camper the fit-out, that is self-contained, offers us all that we need for

an extended adventure. As Volkswagen Australia said in their early 1970s advertising literature, a five-star motel on wheels.

To connect with like-minded people, we decided to join the VWCV and we have never looked back. We have had the pleasure of meeting and travelling with many wonderful people, many of whom are now lifelong friends and we have learnt much about VWs and Kombis over the ensuing years.

Club events such as the sixteen consecutive Kennett River Camp Outs, the two early Around Victoria Tours and heaps of multi day camping expeditions to many out of the way Victorian towns opened our eyes to the incredible fun that can be had when travelling in these wonderful vehicles. More often than not we are accompanied on these adventures by other club members in their beloved VWs.

We have had the very great pleasure of travelling around the magnificent and beautiful Tasmania on three occasions, and on each occasion seeing a different perspective of that wonderful island. Early in 2005, after a few years’ membership in the club, I started planning a three-week trip to central Australia and eighteen months later it all happened, twenty-three people in 15 VWs had a truly wonderful 6,000 km adventure. Wherever we stopped we turned heads and created an enormous level of interest from other travellers. So many wonderful places seen, experiences had, and times shared, it remains probably one of the most enjoyable, exciting and, possibly successful events I have ever organised.

Since then we have had the very good fortune to attend the last 7 Volkswagen Spectaculars in Nambucca Heads in northern New South Wales, Possibly the most challenging adventures in recent times have been with the Volkswagen Enthusiasts Club in South Australia. In 2015 I decided I would attend a trip along the Birdsville Track and on to Cameron’s Corner, where

three States meet. The incredible durability of our Kombi on these constantly deeply corrugated roads was truly remarkable. I was knackered after around 300 kms of travelling each day but not one VW bit fell off. A year later we tackled a similar run, with the same group to Maralinga in outback South Australia where the British and Australian governments conducted the nuclear testing program in the early 1950s. Again, Foxy and I had a great time over what were similar road conditions.

Next year I am already starting to plan several adventures. There is a possibility of attending the Nimbin Mardi Grass in April, the next Volkswagen Spectacular (now in Macksville, near Nambucca Heads) and, possibly, an extended trip to Tasmania in October. As I write this story, next weekend is the 2019 AFL Grand Final long three-day break. I am off to Wodonga, camping with four other VWCV members and their beloved Kombis.

There is always another VW adventure and Kombi life is very, very good.

MY KOMBI STORY

KOMBI TRAVELSBy John Stevens.

29th February - 1st March 2020A wonderful event at the picturesque Kennet River Holiday Park located 164 kms from Melbourne on the magnificent Great Ocean Road.

Book your cabin early as there are a limited number available. If camping on a powered or unpowered camping site you can book a site now as the club has arranged for the park to hold a large number of powered sites for this weekend. Book before the busy Christmas/New Year holiday period.

A very laid back two days with a great surf beach right across the road.

Kennet River Holiday Park 1300 664 417 “Tell them you are with the Volkswagen Club”.

More details in the new year and advised in the Club Newsletter, website and on Facebook.

KENNET RIVER VW CAMP OUT

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The significance of the Bay Window Kombi to Australians in the late 1960s and 1970s has received not enough recognition so it is very fitting that this icon of Volkswagen Transportation is the theme of the 2019 VWCV Day of the Volkswagen. Besides the fact that this vehicle moved Australia goods and provided an extremely useful platform for the Australian service industry; it’s the bay window Camper that stands out as the signature model that has a lot of appeal to many Volkswagen enthusiasts and especially those of my era because we grew up with them in our daily life. Hope you enjoy this look back on another great Volkswagen we all enjoy. - CS

TRIBUTE TO AN AUSTRALIAN AUTOMOTIVE ICONResearched by Chris Scane, VWCV Historian.

Following on from VW’s first commercial vehicle, the Bay Window Bus was introduced in late 1967 in Europe. Models before 1971 are often called the T2a (or “Early Bay”), while models after 1972 are called the T2b (or “Late Bay”). However, many refinements were added the original Bay and its top speed was increased to 80 mph. The origin and planning of the VW Transporter/Bus began in 1964 when Heinrich Nordhoff gave Gustav Mayer and the design team a tight set of deadlines to build a new Type 2. By January 1968, orders for the new Kombi had exceeded the entire year’s production schedule by 25,000 units!

This second-generation Type 2 lost its distinctive split front windshield, and was designed to be easier to produce using the advances in mechanised production, and was slightly larger and considerably heavier than its predecessor.

The 1970 model year saw more significant changes take place, the dashboard was no longer body coloured, and was now padded for all markets (previously it had been painted in everywhere except the US, who got padded dashes from the factory) and finished in black. The dashboard top was changed so it was level across its width, not raised at the steering wheel. Window winder handles and door release handles were now black plastic on all models except the Deluxe. In 1971 VW introduced a new engine, whilst still a 1600cc now featured dual intake ports on each cylinder head, power was increased to 50bhp, this upgrade coincided with the addition of new road wheels, behind which were disc brakes for the first time on a Type 2.

1972 saw VW fit the Type 4 engine in the Bay, the Type 4 was so called as it had originally been designed for the 411 and latterly the 412, VW’s attempt at an air-cooled family saloon or estate in the late 60’s and early 70’s. Whilst still an air-cooled flat 4; it was substantially different to the previous engine. In 1973 for the first time on a VW commercial vehicle, the option of an automatic gearbox was offered. Power figures were 65bhp for the manual gearbox and 61bhp for the automatic. In 1974, the T4 grew in capacity from 1700cc to 1800cc (67bhp), then once again in 1976 to 2000cc (69bhp). The T4 engine was to be used in quite a few other vehicles as well, including the Porsche 914, and the Porsche 912E models, as well as being used in the Bay’s successor, the T25, and being the basis for the waterboxer as featured in T25. 1971 also saw the front disc brakes, necessitating the move from wide 5 (5x205) wheel fitments to 5x112. Exterior wise the rear wheel arches had a larger lip to allow more clearance for the new wheels. Following the introduction of the Type 4 engine, the body of the bay was to undergo more changes, the engine cooling vents on the rear pillars grew in size to provide extra cooling for the new larger engines, the engine lid was changed featuring a squarer number plate aperture, and a new locking mechanism and handle.

1973 changes brought more body modifications, the front indicators were moved from just above the bumper, to next to the fresh air grille for the cab, a deformation panel was added behind the front bumper, allowing the bus to pass the US crash tests,

The earlier 36bhp engine was also slightly larger, having grown to 1600cc, but was a still a single port design at this time. The new bus had done away with the swing axle rear suspension of the Split and Beetle and reduction boxes previously used to raise ride height, and act as an extra gearbox.

As early as February 1968 VW had already started making changes on the Bay, the hazard warning light switch had changed, there was a firewall put in place between the fuel tank and the engine. In 1969 more changes were to take place, the cab doors were now lockable from inside via a small catch above the door release as opposed to the pins of the previous model. The external door handles were changed from a push-button type to a trigger type. There was also a small number of electrical and detail changes.

even though as a van it was not required to pass them. The VW roundel on the front panel shrunk in size, and was made of plastic, painted white on most models and chromed plastic on Deluxes. The “blade” type bumpers of the earlier buses had been replaced by the larger and squarer “Europa” type bumpers.

In 1974 VW refined the bus further, the Type 4 engine had been increased to 1800cc, the cab floor was redesigned, and the fuel filler was now flush mounted into the side of the van, rather than hidden behind a door as on previous versions. The painted finish on the dashboard was changed from a smooth finish to a rough finish. The sliding door handle was changed and now featured the lock in the door, as opposed to the handle. It was now possible to lock the door from the inside, but unlock if from outside, a system put in place by linking both internal and external locking mechanisms. For ease of access to the engine, VW introduced an inspection cover above the engine, in the form of a lifting luggage compartment floor.

1975 and 1976 saw relatively little in the way of changes for the bus, with only minor changes occurring, the previous stainless steel mirrors had been replaced by painted steel items on all but the Deluxe models. The Type 4 engined bus had a capacity increase from 1800-2000cc. In the last three years of production, VW were busy working on the T25 (the Bay’s successor) externally the engine lid hinges were changed to a more simple design, internally, mechanically and electrically the bus was largely unchanged. By late 1976, local assembly of the Transporter had ceased at the Clayton factory. Units were sold into 1977 alongside the fully imported units from Germany, for the Australian market. Sales in Australia continued until 1979 which ended our strong connection with new T2 Kombi, some units selling into 1980 when production in Germany ceased in July that year.

Reference information extracted from: • Volkswagen in Australia – The Forgotten Story (2004)

by Rod & Lloyd Davies – AF Publications• Volkswagen Model History (1999) Joachim Kuch – Hayes Publishing• The History of the VW Type 2 Bay Window Bus (T2) by VW Heritage

https://www.vwheritage.com/bay-history

BAY WINDOW KOMBI HISTORY

Volkswagen Club of Victoria Wagensville Deluxe October 201910 11

‘BOX ON WHEELS’ BOOK REVIEW & ‘VW CLASSIC’ MAGAZINEResearched by Chris Scane, Historian.

This is another first for this decade as we have not had a book review for a very long time, maybe this millennium in Wagensville News! The quality of this publication was so good it’s important to share a find like this one. There are so many interesting Type 2 Volkswagens contained in this publication it’s hard to decide which is the best ‘Box on Wheels’ so a little more research was required.

The publisher goes on to elaborate about this book ‘Though this be madness, yet there is method in it.’ The VW camper van has been a cult classic for decades and has a broad fan base all around the world. But Norbert Nettekoven is not interested in immaculately restored collector’s pieces, he is looking for the maddest and baddest, the funniest, nicest and strangest camper vans on the planet. From born-again rust bucket to lowered street racer, from stretch limo to steam punk: this collection of camper vans will blow your mind.’

One of the best features of ‘Box on Wheels’ is the fact this almost pocket book is divided up into various categories so choosing your preference is relatively easy! The other reason I probably have not seen this publication before is that the original book ‘Bullimania’ is in German and ‘Box on Wheels’ is the English language version. Another aspect of the book is that in most cases the Volkswagen can be further researched on the internet, which gave me the opportunity to find out more about some of these incredible Kombis!

Therefore with more research from this book and Google, another article was created - Odd Ball Bay Window Kombis. It really is amazing what creative genius, or maybe madness, can conjure up when it comes to Volkswagens. The publisher is the German firm, Delius Klasing, is a relatively new source to me of motoring literature. The Delius Klasing Verlag GmbH that he is a one of the leading special-interest publishers in Europe. The run by the fourth generation family-owned company publishes books, calendars, special interest magazines and electronic media in the main segments of water, cycling, sports and automotive.

This includes ‘VW Classic’ founded in 2010 and ‘Beetle Revue’ (2004) magazines.

The VW Classic magazine was bravely reported that ‘For the first time in the history of Volkswagens, the model generations no longer separate into air and water, in old and new; because for the first time we experience a rapidly growing enthusiasm for the water-cooled cars from Wolfsburg.

VWCV OKTOBERFEST 2019 WEEKENDA few members decided to make the most of the weekend and head to Geelong on the Friday evening/night and set up camp at the Riverglen holiday park. Not far from the Rheingold cellar restaurant where Saturday night’s dinner was to be held. We enjoyed a BBQ dinner and drinks while talking Volkswagens and trips to Germany amongst other things.

While Saturday morning seen a few more members arrive before a group of us headed out for a short cruise along the Bellarine highway to the Flying Brick Cider Co for lunch. I’ve never been much of a cider person but found theirs quite nice, only one of course as I had to drive back after lunch. After the nice lunch at the Flying Brick we travelled back towards Geelong stopping at the Amazing Mill Markets where some time was spent browsing the many stalls and some more club members meeting us there. Eventually stopping in the markets cafe for coffee and cake while showing off the bargains each of us had found.

Then it was back to the Riverglen holiday park for a couple hours rest before heading out for Oktoberfest celebrations. Many more members had arrived by the time we got back, which meant there was not much time for resting, and before I knew it, it was time to change and head back out. Forty members had pre booked for the night that was subsidised by the club and included an all you could eat three course meal of soups, roast meats, vegetable’s, salads and of course good old apple strudel for desert. Along with all the delicious food plenty of steins filled with great German beer and shots of tasty schnapps were consumed. The later led to plenty of bad singing and dancing late into the night.

The first generation of the Golf, the icon Scirocco, even the original Passat and Polo become cult objects. The separation into lovable vintage cars and affordable Youngtimer is passé. For these vehicles - the classic pool of the highest-volume car brand in Europe - there is now VW CLASSIC twice a year.’ The magazine then goes into its current features ‘The new VW CLASSIC has come a long way in coming! But the editors think the patience was worth

it. We not only accompanied the restoration of the unbelievable 51-samba find from 2017, but also a project by Volkswagen trainees: From a VW 1600 TL you formed a show piece that was presented to audiences at this year’s »Techno Classica« in Essen was completed. There is probably the last VW 39, which has found a new home in Hamburg, single pieces on Kübelwagen base from the post-war years in Austria. And we celebrate two birthdays: the legendary body shop Hebmüller was founded 70 years ago and the world-famous VW Veterans Meeting in Bad

Camberg looks back 40 years. VW CLASSIC is media partner of the anniversary event from 21 to 23 June 2019 and brings alongside fantastic vehicles also the internationally known artist Uli Hack in Hesse, who will create a work of art live in front of an audience at the meeting. For this reason, there will be a special issue of VW CLASSIC number 18 limited to 1,000 copies, which bears a work by Uli as the title page, directly

on site in Bad Camberg - or later in the DK online shop.’

There are more interesting books from this publisher and hopefully some more entertaining reviews can be produced for the ‘News’ into the future. If you would like to do more research yourself the publisher’s web site below can possibly give some more information or leads for your particular interests.

https://www.delius-klasing.de/box-on-wheels-english-11324?number=DK-11324

Volkswagen Club of Victoria Wagensville Deluxe October 201912 13

busses due to the tandem rear axles. She is powered by a 2332cc custom made air-cooled engine with a full flow oil cooler. She has brakes on all 6 wheels and tandem e-brakes to both rear axles. Interestingly Fiona has a length quoted as sufficient and doesn’t like bakers! For more info:

http://www.blackhillstourcompany.com/

Finally one of weirdest looking Bay Window Kombis that has been moulded into an art form would have to go this creation from Erwin Wurm. It is the creative side of this Austrian who interestingly was born in 1954 and has produced a Volkswagen that would turn many a heads if it was encountered on the street.

There are some things in life, that local and foreign people would designate as 100 % typical German. In the matter of food culture the famous German “Currywurst” (curry sausage) should be one of the top answers and the brand Volkswagen when it

ODD BALL BAY WINDOW KOMBIS Researched by Chris Scane, Historian.

You do not have to look too far when you want to discover something odd ball or awesome but when it comes to Kombis it seems there seems to be no limit to what VW enthusiasts can come up with! There are examples of pure art work and others where the owners have taken their fantasy to a new level. But come to think of it we are possibly are all odd balls, as my wife constantly reminds me, when it comes to the preservation and enjoyment of these amazing cars, being odd ball is not so bad! – CS

appearance of the Bus’ original body panels. The team even printed a vinyl image of the underside of the Bus to make it really look like it’s on its side. Bloch says the Bus is unsurprisingly top-heavy, but grippy and controllable on track. It’s truly a sight to behold, especially when it lifts up two inside wheels in cornering. See this van go sideways and get more info at:

https://www.wheels24.co.za/WildOnWheels/worlds-first-sideways-racing-vw-kombi-meet-the-trippy-tippy-hippy-van-20170728

Rather than an odd Bay Window Kombi this VW comes under the category of awesome Volkswagen! This Stretched VW Limousine located in Rapid City, South Dakota offers the many different tours, including winery and brewery tours, as well as tours through a local area called the Badlands. There is a a good reason why this Green Kombi is called Fiona, which named after Shrek’s wife, the Ogre’s animated Princess. The rest of the tale sounds like a fairy story!

Melina and Kevin from the Black Hills Tour Company found Fiona in Central Washington, where the stretch limo had been used as a mobile bakery. They pulled it from where it had sat for about 10 years outside, with holes in the ceiling and totally ransacked. Over the course of the project many friends helped, such as a surfboard shaper with the fibreglass work, Kevin’s girlfriend with the upholstery and a woodworker friend helped with the interior that Kevin designed.

Fiona takes some love to keep on the road, she is quite easy to drive and actually gets blown around on the road less than regular

To start off this story there is a Bay Window Kombi that certain drives differently to nearly all other Kombis – SIDEWAYS! To approach this a bit differently lets have the owner of this odd Kombi, Lemons legend Jeff Bloch, aka “Speedycop” and his gang of outlaws tell the story himself. “I keep meaning to attend the 24 Hours of Lemons (or LeMons). This real-life Wacky Races features a whole bunch of modded beaters that all started life as mass-produced, street-legal production cars. One year’s most notable entry had to be the Trippy Tippy Hippy Van, a crazy customized Volkswagen van. For that year’s race, we decided to show up with a van that drives on its side. We started out with a Volkswagen Type 2 Westfalia camper van, but obviously, there was no way to actually turn the drivetrain sideways. So how did we make it work? Simple – this ACTUAL Lemons racer was an old 1988 VW Rabbit Cabriolet, which we planned on sticking INSIDE the sideways camper van. Problem solved.”

Simply he found a rusty 1976 Westfalia Camper rotting away in a field in Tennessee, hollowed it out and put it on its side. Working with his build team, they cut out insides, roof, driver’s side, and much of the bottom of the van, they then flipped it on its side and welded it to the Rabbit, which kept all of its wheels pointing towards the ground. Ultimately, they had to recreate a number of missing sections of the van to complete the illusion. There is also a fake drivetrain on the bottom, which was done with Lexan sheets and 1-way vinyl decals, a technique they also used to provide visibility out of the front of the van.

The 24 Hours of LeMons rewards creativity in race-car building(for cars that cost no more than $500), and there’s no one more creative than racer Jeff Bloch. Bloch is famous for building race cars an upside-down Camaro, a helicopter, a Cessna, and a hot dog stand. This creation is called the Trippy Tippy Hippy Van, and as you can see, it’s a Volkswagen van tipped on its side. Actually, it’s a 1988 Volkswagen Rabbit chassis with a 1.8-liter 16-valve GTI engine with Bus body panels attached sideways. Bloch wanted to build a sideways race car, and this 1975 VW campervan, with its box-like shape, was the perfect vehicle to do it. For visibility, Bloch and his team used one-way vinyl mounted to various body parts that was see-through within the car, but maintained the

comes to automotive culture. In reply to the question of whether it is possible to erect a combined memorial for both, the answer would have been a simple “no” recently. Since March 2015, as an ingeniously succeeded symbiosis came out first, this has been changed.

The Austrian artist Erwin Wurm, who is known for his work that portrays manipulated images of things in everyday life, had the idea to combine both cult objects. His idea felt on sympathetic ears at the headquarters of Volkswagen in Wolfsburg and as he experienced difficulties during the realization of his idea, he immediately received support from several sides. The art museum of Wolfsburg was on hand, 17 trainees of the Audi-VW Group were allocated to work on the project and even in finding a suitable vehicle he got support. Retirees of the Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles division made a find in Greece and brought a VW T2b back to Wolfsburg. For its new intended use the whole interior was removed. New steel parts built the framework for the installation of a modern kitchen unit fitted with a deep fryer and a powerful cooker hood in the headliner. Externally the car body was supposed to look totally different compared to a traditional T2b to depict the homage also visually. Thick styrofoam parts were glued with putty and expanding foam on the tin bodywork to visualize a paunchy sausage on the VW. After repainting it in a colorful orange at the paint shop AutoVison in Salzgitter, everybody should have been delighted with the result. From March 22 until September 13 in 2015 the mutated VW T2b Baywindow was part of the exhibition “Erwin Wurm, Fichte” at the art museum of Wolfsburg.

The Currywurst Bus reappeared in Brooklyn, USA on the 9th June 2018. With the New York skyline behind them visitors to Brooklyn Bridge Park in New York delight in artist Erwin Wurm’s “Hot Dog Bus” serving free hot dogs to any and all. The Austrian artist’s modified vintage Volkswagen Microbus with its bulbous bright yellow form, redefines the dichotomy between commerce and sculpture, albeit serving free iconic New York street food. Just goes to show that Kombi Food Truck can travel a long way, even over water, interestingly from hot dogs in the US previously being a “Curry Bus” serving wursts in Europe!

https://www.auto-motor-und-sport.de/reise/vw-t2-bulli-kunstobjekt-currywurst-bus/

So hopefully that has given you a taste of the wonderful world of the Bay Window Kombi and the creativity of their owners. Maybe you have a nice bay window Kombi or Camper you would like to feature in Wagensville News, give the Editor or Historian a message and we can help you get it into print and share your story with all the other keen enthusiasts like yourself in our great club.

Volkswagen Club of Victoria Wagensville Deluxe October 201914 15

VWCV HISTORIAN’S CORNERChris Scane WVCW Historian.

In this year’s ‘Corner’ we again have some more interesting tales from our club newsletter, ‘Wagensville News’ and other Volkswagen publications of that time. This month’s focus is on a significant period of our history and using those issues of the ‘News’ to hopefully to give you another window from VWCV scene. This month we also look at 15 and 25 years ago and about the Day of the Volkswagen (see Part 2 & 3) from the era of the early 2000s and 1990s where the club was much smaller. I hope you enjoy these and please feel to contact me if you can help in developing the documentation our history.

October 2004Paul Kinsey was the Club President, Richard Graham was Vice President, Andrew Ermel was Secretary, Andrew Donelly was Treasurer, the Membership Secretary was Ross Woolley, Motorsport Rep was John Edsell and Dave Evans was Club Historian. The Editor of the ‘News’ was Matt Kinsey and the Social Secretary was Jen Litchfield.

It is very interesting looking back 15 years to see some familiar names putting in substantial efforts for a decade and beyond! This was a period where the club had emerged out of the dark 1990s to secure a better financial footing with less than two thirds of the membership we enjoy today. The major event approaching the Club was the Day of the Volkswagen at Yarra Glen Racecourse (see Part 2).

Another For Sale at the time was a 1976 Mark 1 3 Door Golf LS used as ‘Wheels 1976 Car of the Year’. Good Body (German) requires a replacement engine (Passat engine supplied), various new parts included in the car, used to drive very well. Just out of rego. Martini Olive colour. VIN 173060240. Price $500. Surely somebody must know what happened to such a famous Mark 1 Golf. Give us a bell if you know the answer to this intriguing question.

HISTORIANS CORNER - PART 22004 Day of the VolkswagenPaul Kinsey 2004 VWCV President - Chris Scane VWCV Historian.

Sometimes you find little gems in the archives and this report from Paul Kinsey is certainly one of the best. I had the pleasure of sitting next to Paul at this year’s AGM and I know the passion for our club is still there, very strong! It is very interesting to look at just 15 years ago and be amazed how we as a club managed to get all done. I remember this event well as I was one of the 17 members who signed up that day after attending many a DOTVW and not being financial for many years! The artwork for the DOTVW Logo is still impressive, even by today’s standards. I can now let Paul do the talking but slightly abridged. - CS

For the second year we held this event at the Yarra Valley Racing Club at Yarra Glen. We changed the layout this year following suggestions from last year. The swap sites were moved outside, many under the trees with plenty of shade. We had approximately 27 sites compared to 18 last year, which was a great result. We also added some more interesting displays under the covered area. We had our sponsors Camberwell VW and Shannon’s plus traders including some from interstate. Also Classic VW and Vintage Vee Dub from Sydney and KDF works from Tasmania. We must give special thanks to the Penrose Brothers Rod and Wayne for their sensational display of the Volkswagen Cabriolet and Drag car. It is of interest that this car is now for sale for $45,000!

A total of 137 entries were received with special thanks to Richard Graham and his team of judges. In addition to the cars entered in the show and shine we had approximately 600 plus keen VW enthusiasts pay entry to view our cars and we received 17 new club members on the day. The membership area was very well supported by Mercedes Wooley with the assistance of Kim Murray and other club members in attracting new members on the day.

The other big attraction in the membership area was the preview of the book ‘Volkswagen in Australia’ prepared by club member Rod Davies. This preview was really outstanding as it gave many

of us an insight into a book that we have been hearing about for the last year or so. It really lived up to our expectations. I’m sure Rod will be flooded with orders for Christmas. Our swap sites this year were in great demand. Thanks to Stuart Ermel for his coordination role. This year we provided our own catering with major organization by Cheryl Ermel and Ross Wooley with the support of many keen helpers throughout the day. Thanks for a job well done by all.

This year we had to call on help for the computer work, tallying and summarizing the judges results. We must thank Malcolm Thomson and Michael Cronin for their expertise and tremendous assistance in this role.

This year the organization committee consisted of Richard Graham and myself. We put a lot of effort into planning and budgeting for the event. We had forecast a profit of $5268 but we were happy when the final results were calculated showing we had made a profit of $5957. A very good result and will greatly assist our finances. Again on behalf of the Organizing committee I would like to to thank the club members who assisted on the day and Saturday. The list (of 44 volunteers) is long and I hope I have not missed anyone. Thanks a lot.

October 1990.Jon Edsell was the Club President, Bill Malkoutzis was Vice President and Kim Whittles was Secretary, a familiar group of long term members indeed! Cameron Stewart was the Editor and was always a character with the editorial responsibilities for the ‘News’ giving Andrew Novak a jab about ‘imparting wisdom to AN on editing’. (Andrew – do you remember what that

was about? – CS) The highlights of October that year were the preparations for VWCV Day of the Volkswagen at Dandenong, the All Makes Swap Meet at Footscray Market on 20th & 21st October, the Group 5 Motorkhana at Calder Raceway on the 21st

of that month and of that arrangements for the AGM on the 15th November at the Light Car Club in Queens Road.

The ‘News’ carried articles about VWCV members activities – an interesting article from Bill on his trip to California with much disappointment from the editor about Bill not supplying pictures of the Bikini Contest at a VW Show over there! Other articles in this edition included one on a recently restored Karmann Ghia and a Oettinger 2000E Kat Golf Synco. Advertisements included a VW Beetle Ute with a 1600 twin port Type 3 motor, 14 inch wheels and some spares. It had a ground up restoration 18 months prior and was finished in Monza Red with a new interior, tonneau cover, fiberglass guards & spoiler, Engineer’s Certificate and RWC for $5000.

Hope you all are enjoying our 65th year and will keenly look forward to seeing you all at the next VWCV event this year!

historian@vwclub.com.au

October 1994

Gary Collis was the Club President, Dave Evans was Vice President, Jason Stone was Secretary, Louise Hosie was Treasurer, Group 5 Rep was Mark Zellner and Point Score/Public Officer was Neville Dean. The committee had a usual full club program; Bowling was still big on the agenda too with regular events

at the Chadstone Bowl, nearly every third Saturday night of the month that year were the General meetings at the Anchor and Hope Tavern in Church St, Richmond. In the 1990s Motorsport still reigned in the club with first Sunday in October a good gathering of members at Bernd’s place for the Bathurst 1000. This was followed by 3 weekends of PIARC activities. Second weekend was go carts at Philip Island, third weekend PIARC G5 Motorkhana at Calder and the next weekend a G5 PIARC Sprint also at Calder. The next month saw Day of the Volkswagen on 6th followed by the AGM on the 17th followed by another two weekends of PIARC activities at Philip Island.

The contents of that month’s magazine included Press Releases on the V6 Golf, the first VW Jetta produced in China, VW Ecomatic Golf in Australia- supposedly ‘clean’ diesel and feature articles on the Beetle/Kombi. On the for sale page an interesting car was up for grabs! It was a 1957 Oval Window Beetle with a factory sunroof, very straight body, 36 hp motor, good interior, Michelin tyres, fine example, very good condition, unregistered $3100, contact Martin. I wonder if anyone knows where this car disappeared to please contact the Club Historian.

Volkswagen Club of Victoria16

vwclub.com.au

INFORMATION REQUIRED FOR PLACING A FOR SALE AD FOR ALL VEHICLES.PLEASE NOTE: ALL VEHICLE FOR SALE ADS must be accompanied by Registration Number and VIN Number. Advertisements for vehicles without these details WILL NOT be published. Advertisements will be limited to a period of two months only. If you wish to continue your advertisement beyond the initial two month period or your vehicle has been SOLD, please contact the Editor so the advertising space can be updated for NEW Ads.

Send your for sales and wanted ads to the WVCV Editor: VWCV Editor GPO Box 1215 Melbourne VIC 3001 or via email: editor@vwclub.com.au

FOR SALE 1974 Kombi Twin Cab Ute.Excellent condition. 2L engine. Had two cylinders re-built so engine hums. Interior and exterior in great condition.

VIN Number: 2642035815 Registration Number: 78103-H Price: $39,000.00 Contact: Alexandra/Amir Ansari T 0410 278 848 E Alexandamir@gmail.com

FOR SALE 1973 Kombi Camper.Original white paint, automatic transmission, working pop top roof, driven regularly on club plates, serviced by Australian VW Performance.

VIN Number: 2332200878 Registration Number: 21512-H Price: Negotiable Contact: Rebecca T 0488 666 191

HISTORIAN’S CORNER - PART 31994 Day of the Volkswagen Chris Scane VWCV Historian.

Sometimes you keep things for a good reason and although you are not sure at the time, surely it will be useful later. That’s what happened on Monday, 7th November 1994 when I opened the Herald Sun and spied Cliff Segman and his 1955 Beetle with other Beetles in the background at the 1994 DOTVW. Little did I know that I would be writing about this event 25 years later even though I was no there on the day!

The Day of the Volkswagen in 1994 was held on the 6th of November in the Yarra Bend Park conveniently located between Fairfield Hospital and Fairlea Womens Prison (neither which now exist) on Yarra Bend Rd. The day started at 9am for all entries, with cost per car $5 and swappers $10. Walk ins were $2 and children under 15 were free.

1994 Day of the Volkswagen merchandise consisted of T-shirts for $10, Beetle Key Rings (Plastic) $2, Beetle Key Rings (Metal) $5 and Stickers/Programs/40th Anniversary pens all $1. This was another part of Jason and Luise’s involvement.

They had 100 cars the year before and hoping for a good

turnout. Unfortunately the wind that day was described by the VWCV President, Gary Collis, as ‘certainly horrific’! But in spite of this and a certain Board of Works official (will have to find out more out about that issue) the event was called a success with costs covered for the day. The President in his final report also thanked Jason and Luise Stone for coordinating DOTVW that year, Jason was the Points Score Officer on the committee.

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SUNDAY 8TH DECEMBER - 11AM - UNIT 18, 10 MIRRA COURT BUNDOORAKOMBI KEG, BBQ & DRINKS PROVIDED - SANTA FOR THE KIDS - IDELMEN BLUES INSPRIED R&B