The Official Newsletter of the Volkswagen Club of Victoria Inc.Volume 65 - Number 8 - May 2020

vwclub.com.au

KARMANN GHIAVW LIFE IN ISOLATION - VINTAGE BITS - MEMBERS STORIES

VWCV EVENTS

UPCOMING EVENTS Inlight of the current situation with the Covid-19 virus and the limits on non-essential gatherings and self isolation, we regret to inform you that all upcoming VWCV meetings and events will be cancelled for the foreseeable future until the situation improves.

Club PermitsIn the interim (and until such time as it is deemed reasonably safe to resume club events) we ask that you follow the below guidelines for club permits:

New PermitIf you require a new permit or have any questions (other than those which are answered in the club permit guidelines), please contact our club permit officers on chplates@vwclub.com.au and they will be able to assist you.

Permit renewalRenewals will be done via post only for now, please follow the process outlined in the guidelines re posting renewals for signing.

We apologise for any inconvenience this may cause and assure you that club life will return to normal once the situation has improved. We appreciate your understanding.

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

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.

Hello Dubbers,

Hope you are all keeping well and safe. I would have thought I’d have a lot to report on with events such as The Kombi Club Bus Stop, VITS, cruises and club meetings that would have taken place over the last month. Unfortunately, as you all know, all of these events have had to be postponed or cancelled due to the current situation. This is extremely disappointing as the VITS weekend is one the weekends I look forward to the most on the VW calendar. Last year this time, myself and a few fellow club members completed a 3000km trip taking in Bus Stop (Mallacoota), Bug In and VITS (Albury/Wodonga), which was one of the most memorable and enjoyable road trips I have ever done. Another big event which has had to be postponed is the Volkswagen Spectacular (Valla/McValla) which has been postponed to 2021 (further details are available on their Facebook page and website).

PRESIDENT’S REPORTMatthew Collis VWCV President On a brighter note, I am happy to see that the Volkswagen

community spirit still lives on, as many of you have been buying and selling parts through Facebook and working on those project cars. I myself obtained a new Type 3 Squareback which I look forward to bringing to a cruise/event as soon as restrictions are lifted. The club and I have been asked about whether events have been organised for after the restrictions have been lifted. Whilst there are currently no events planned (due to the fact that we do not know when restrictions will be lifted), we have discussed a number of event ideas and will set specific dates once restrictions have been lifted and things start to return to some form of normality. We will ensure that we get all info out via Facebook and email for these events as soon as practicable.

Please remember that membership renewals are currently being processed online or via mail only and that CH Permit renewals are only being done via mail. If you would like to obtain a new CH Permit, we ask that you contact our Permit Offer, Andrew Ermel, via email chplates@vwclub.com.au and he will advise you on how to proceed. I look forward to seeing you all once we return to some form of normality.

Until then keep on Dubbin’ in isolation.

VW LIFE IN ISOLATIONKEEPING MEMBERS IN CONTACT WHEN YOU CAN’T GO OUT!

VWCV communication is our best tool to us all informed and entertained effectively through Wagensville News and VWCV Facebook page and to some extent our web site. This is where you come in. The editorial team has worked hard to produce high quality electronic versions of the ‘News’ supplemented with the printed Deluxe. As a new initiative we are looking for feedback from the membership on how they shaping up to the current circumstances from maybe working on their Volkswagens or just giving their pride and joy a good clean. That will be the basis of ‘VW Life in Isolation” that we will endeavour to get this feature into each edition of Wagensville News this year. The first responder was Bill Rewell with his story about his Beetle – Pearl, gardening and his Beetle collection. Paul & Ali Evans are new members and also responded quickly. They provided us with a great story about Kombi parties in their backyard – yes, it does happen in Melbourne! - CS.

If you would like to submit an article please forward them along with some photos to one of the following email address: historian@vwclub.com.au or editor@vwclub.com.au

VW LIFE IN ISOLATION - KEEPING MEMBERS IN CONTACT WHEN YOU CAN’T GO OUT!

BILL AND SUE REWELLI thought you might like to see some photos of some work done at my house during isolation. We are doing some maintenance work on the house and garden, but of course I can work on my model Beetle collection and other bits on Pearl during the winter months.

Both Sue and I are over 70 now and I have trouble coping with retiring from my jobs, COVID19 and staying home makes it a lot worse. I think I must have at least 150 model beetles by now. My favourite is the brown porcelain one, bottom left in the glass cabinet; we found it in Tallinn in Estonia when on a cruise of the Baltic. Tallinn was our favourite city on the cruise. Sue also has a collection of butterfly things in the house. Yes, I have all the Herbie movies, but have added Footloose, someone who new I had Pearl just said “Get It”, watch the movie to see why!!

Those large trees in front of the house are original indigenous gums, the planning permit to build required them to be kept, we would have never removed them anyway. There is a root barrier between them and the house and we have them pruned every few years. Every now and then a branch drops with no damage although when we had them trimmed a month or two ago the tree guys dropped a branch through the bedroom window!!

The gates you can see were recently made and installed by a friend of ours, a refugee from Iran who spent years in refugee and detention camps before finally being able to stay in Australia. He insisted on making them for us at very reasonable cost. He also made the VW logo with the man holding it on the glass cabinet.

PAUL & ALI EVANSWhile we are in lock down we decided to have a ZOOM dinner party with two other couples and just for a laugh we had ours in our Kombi’s.

Our Kombi’s are Redmond which is white on red - 77 - 2.0Lt camper, which I put on the road just before Xmas so my daughter and her fiancé could drive it on a trip to Tassie with us in our other camper- Milton the Monster which is a wattle yellow - 75 2.0Lt Camper and our son and his girl came back from Canada to join us on the road trip and drove our tin top Camper – Jules which is a 1990 T3 – white on blue -auto with Subbie motor. Which just left poor old Gromet, being a green 73 tin top - 2.0Lt and destined to be a smart looking cruiser once I get time to play some more.

Anyway I digress, back to the dinner party. We set up our lap top with a wide angle camera attached to the rear view mirror in Milton and got stuck into a very nice guacamole ( Mexican Theme

– going on here) and a little charged up on some Aperol Sprits that I made up in a jug with ice beforehand.

We were chatting away to friends we have known for over 40yrs !! (and we all own a beach house together at Anglesea) all hooked up on Zoom. After an hour or so, we moved over to Redmond for dinner (Mexican them – tacos) with a good bottle of red for me and bubbles for Ali ( my missus). We spent a further 1.5 hrs eating and chatting which seemed to flow quite readily after everyone got used to talking after one and other and not over the top. All this was going on in our carport with the lights on in each kombi to create an outdoor feel.

The evening was a lot of fun and I highly recommend doing something similar. With or without Kombi’s, but hey we all know it soooo much more fun when a VW is involved.

T 03 9840 6449 E enquiries@volkwerke.com.au volkwerke.com.au

VEHICLE SERVICE CENTRE SPECIALISING IN VOLKSWAGEN, AUDI, SKODA, MERCEDES-BENZ AND BMW

VINTAGE BITS THE PASSING EYE by Chris Scane, VWCV Historian

The text is detailed below:

PREVIEW OF THE ROAD AHEAD THE PASSING EYELook Ahead - Pass with Safety Designed to overcome the hazards of passing, do not risk your life when pulling out to pass a truck or a line of traffic, ‘The Passing Eye’ gives you clear vision of the oncoming traffic and the road ahead.

It clips simply and solidly to the top of your door and will add distinction to your automobile.

Reasonably Priced Will fit all cars.

The life this saves may be your own.

Unfortunately an advertisement could not be found but in one of the photos it looks the insert is attached to the windscreen for display purposes. The Passing Eye was also used on 1940s and 1950s American cars, which may have been its origin. These mirrors are keenly sought by those American enthusiasts and have found original Patent One stamped with Serial Number and have documentation to prove It Is the one used by the inventor to get its patent, along with Its original drawings. Some Original examples date back from July 1949.

Always looking for ‘Vintage Bits’ that can be shared with the membership, if you have an old accessory or part off an old Volkswagen we would all love to see it. Now is the perfect time to fork it out, send the editorial team some photos and a brief description and we will get it into Wagensville News ASAP!

This month we have another little gem, probably from the USA and it is well described in what looks like a black and white product insert with lovely illustrations of the interior of a vintage Volkswagen.

THE VOLKSWAGEN KARMANN GHIA IN AUSTRALIAResearched by Chris Scane, VWCV Historian.

The Karmann Ghia was no ordinary Volkswagen and prior to 1960, there was a great expectation of the fully imported car from the factory at Osnabruck was something special. These stylish, hand crafted cars ‘didn’t perform as well as they looked’ as the initial number of cars in Australia had the 36 hp motor which was upgraded with a full scale shipment in 1961.

On 6 August 1959 the Type 142 RHD KG Coupe and Type 144 RHD KG Cabriolet went into production and it is not surprising we did see the Karmann Ghia here until the early 1960s. So as the right drive models went across the English Channel to the UK and Ireland, Australia waited patiently for the car transport ship to arrive before any Australians could get their hands on a few sent to Down-under!

When the Karmann Ghia launched in Australia in May 1960 it had an asking price of A£1598 including tax. In 1961 the initial version was replaced by an updated model, which boosted to 40 brake horsepower, and in some ways was an improved car on performance. Some of the former model’s vices have been reported as lost with the extra surge of power, but in reality maybe not a surge. In fact the new model Karmann Ghia, which along with the VW policy of only very, very minor changes, could not be picked from outside, seemed a gear better all round.

The changes were not just to the power output either. VW added a stabiliser bar which certainly helped handling. But it was those four horses that undeniably made things even better, assisted of course by the low centre of gravity of the KG, with added weight, width and length, which was more than compensated for by its aerodynamic design. If you were in the market for an honest but not outstanding performer (not forgetting it had an engine capacity of only 1192 cc) to attract attention, then the Karmann Ghia was the solution.

Now as then, the Karmann Ghia was an uncommon sight on Australian roads, such that the average person in the street would probably not recognise it. Once people found out the shared some Beetle running gear, their first question was usually: “Does it go any better than the ordinary VW?” The answer was 10mph when you really had it wound up. Though quieter than early VW models, the Karmann Ghia still gave a familiar air-cooled sound as you revved up in the lower gears. Changes were easy and the synchromesh on the first gear exceedingly handy. The only interior change for 1961 was the shifting of the bonnet catch button from the passenger’s side to next to the steering wheel.

Checking in with some of the stalwarts of the VW Auto Club (VWAC), see story in the August edition, there were no Karmann Ghias in that club in the 1960s and very few in ours. It was all about price and availability. It was only later in the 1960s that they started to appear in Wagensville News, probably when second-hand versions were available. The 1961 Karmann Ghia made the front cover of the August ‘Volks’ of that year but did not even score an article about the car in that edition. This is another example of how the KG was rated at that time.

The final Karmann Ghia left the assembly line on the 21st June 1974 with the final models destined for the United States. But its eventual demise was sadly pressing as a newcomer; the water-cooled Scirocco was ready to go as its replacement. As Volkswagen was entering the new world for them of the water-cooled cars, the Karmann Ghia was archived to the world of past models but for the owners of these iconic Volkswagens there always be a place in their hearts for this classic VW car!

One lovely example of the earliest KGs in Australia is this pristine 1960 red Karmann Ghia with a black roof. It is currently available from Lorbek Luxury Cars for a whopping AUS $69,500! Cannot see this car reaching those dizzy heights under the current circumstances but it says a lot about what the retailer thinks the car is worth. Originally rolled out of the factory with a standard 1200cc engine but then was upgraded later with a more powerful 1500cc engine. The interior has also had a minor modern upgrade with a high power CD stereo system. Collection of receipts from major service completed last year by Australian VW Performance Centre in Melbourne with fair deal of money spent restoring the vehicle. Great deal of restoration work completed both externally and mechanically having the car absolutely immaculate appearance.

References: Volkswagen in Australia: The Forgotten Story – Rod & Lloyd Davies

VOLKSWAGEN KARMANN GHIAS and CABRIOLETS - Richard Copping

More info: https://www.uniquecarsandparts.com.au/car_ info_volkswagen_karmann_ghia

1961 KARMANN GHIAA PANACHE FOR KARMANN GHIAS AND CAR PHOTOGRAGHYBy Marcel Voestermans.

In March the VWCV President posted a request, which is still open, to ask members with 1960s Volkwagens to send Wagensville News their stories about their cars. This is to celebrate 60 years of the club magazine in August. Marcel kindly offered his modified 1961 Karmann Ghia to help us out and what a great story it is! This 1961 car is a wonderful classic of the era when our club was less than 10 years old and getting its act together to produce the early club magazines. We are very happy to include this car as one of the special few that celebrate 60 years of motoring. Marcel is a professional photographer which turns to car photography and this is demonstrated eloquently through the photographs he has sent us in this report. Let us now listen to how the story of his KG evolved. - CS

I was initially after a 356 Porsche but a right hand drive but was above what I wanted to spend; I have had a few VW’s in my time newer ones such as a R36 wagon. I bought the Karmann the year my mother passed maybe to ease the pain I don’t know.

I looked at a few before I bought it and have a good knowledge of buying cars which I have done a lot of and also been in the panel beating game knew what to look for. The lady I bought it off was proud to show me a DVD with pics of the rust been cut out etc. and she spoke of it with affection and I knew it was a good car, as when the day came to pick it up and as she stood in the drive way

as I was about to dive it away I saw a tear in her eye so I knew it was a loved car. She gave me all the paperwork and manuals, DVDs with photos etc.

I love the shape of the car especially the rear of the wheel arches. Although it’s a bit squashy I like driving the car and it always gets a lot of look and comments and even offers to buy it. But I know what they are like, always going up in value. As far as I know the lady I bought it off did buy it from another person but that’s as far as it goes with the history.

continued next page...

I put a 2 inch narrowed adjustable front beam on it, the wheels I ordered from CIP1 in the States, I replaced little things like outside and indoors handles front indicators badge on the hood etc., I had the trim completely re-trimmed as the previous trim was faded. I also installed an alpine stereo which is hidden in the boot / front so it cannot be seen and kept the original stereo in the dash as I’m not a fan of new stereos in and old car so I hid it and its blue-toothed with a remote from inside the car, also has split focal speakers front and rear and a a alpine subwoofer and amplifier hidden behind the rear seat so it cannot be seen, although it is loud and sounds great , it’s the clear sound quality that I really like.

I still need to put drop spindles on the front as it does not have much suspension at all on the front and makes the steering a bit hard as result and the low profile tyres. The rims are 17” all round.

I very rarely take the car to shows etc. as I’m not really into that but when I do I generally go with a friend who has a SLR 5000 Torana so very different cars and he often stirs me up that I am driving a girls car but when we park them next to each other at car shows there are more often than not a lot more people looking at the Karmann and offers to buy it as mentioned above and he is then left standing alone next to his Torana and then the stirring is returned to him in my favour.

As anyone knows these old VW’s are very easy to fix so I have not had any issues with it but as mentioned would love some help on these drop spindles if someone could point me in the right direction or which spindles to buy.

VWCV BOOK REVIEWVolkswagen Karmann Ghias and Cabriolets - Richard Copping Book Review by the Old VWCV Book Reviewer.

To follow up on the review from last month, another is in order on one of the many good reference books on Volkswagens Karmann Ghia sand Cabriolets. This book is another great read and the high quality glossy pages are easy to flick through to find the area of interest. There is nothing like a good quality book about Volkswagens to use up some available time during ‘VW Isolation’.

The author is Richard Copping, a much respected authority on all things Volkswagen, especially in the UK. On Amazon for the Veloce Publishing, Richard has over 30 books, 14 on Transporter/Microbuses and 9 on Beetles. He has Bus and Beetle books in Portuguese for Brazilians and has the pocket Essential Buyer’s Guides to Beetle, Transporter and Golf GTI.

The book tells the story of the Karmann Ghia and the factory Beetle Cabriolet using original VW brochures and advertisements to illustrate just how Volkswagen achieved such great success. This book takes us from initial concepts to the production of the Coupe, the addition of a Cabriolet, and the model’s ongoing progress until its eventual sad demise in 1974. Contents includes: Background story of the firms and key individuals involved, 1949-1980.The history of the Karmann Ghia and V W Beetle Cabriolet from prototype to production. The coupe, cabriolet and Type 34 variants of the Karmann Ghia, as well as special models and one-off model variants. The development of the Beetle Cabriolet, the original model that brought VW and Karmann together.

One of the significant chapters in the book is the Appendix - Karmann Year by Year, especially for the enthusiast you wants to confirm what KG or Cabriolet they have and the specific features for that model. Just a few of the milestones for the KG described in this chapter are:

28 September 1952 - After 3 years of Beetle Cabriolet production, Wilhelm Karmann Snr dies at the age of 81 and his place is taken by his son, Wilhelm Karmann Jnr and he was given the job of taking the company into a emerging post war economy.

14 July 1955 The Karmann Ghia Coupe is presented to the public.

11 August 1955 The Type 143 LHD KG Coupe goes into production.

19 September 1957 The VW KG Cabriolet is presented to the world at the International Automobile Show in Frankfurt.

6 August 1959 Type 142 RHD KG Coupe and Type 144 RHD KG Cabriolet go into production. (Not surprising we did not see the Karmann Ghia until the early 1960s)

September 1961 Type 343, LHD VW 1500 Karmann Ghia Coupe launched. The following year was the highest production figures for that model.

January 1964 Type 344, RHD VW 1500 Karmann Ghia Coupe introduced.

1965 – Highest production numbers for the VW Karmann Ghia Coupe – 28,387

August 1966 – The Type 3 Karmann Ghia gets 12 V Electrics and dual circuit brakes

August 1967 – Karmann Coupe and Cabriolet catch up to the Type 3 with 12V Electrics including a host of improvements new door handles and boot release in the Glove box.

June 30 1969 The last Type 3 Karmann Ghia roles off the Osnabruck assembly line. A grand total of 42,498 were built.

1971 Highest production year for the Karmann Ghia Cabriolet at 6,565 units.

21 December 1973 Last Karmann Ghia Coupe and Cabriolet made for European market, US market production continues for another six months finishing on 21 June 1974.

Some reviewers are not completely happy with Copping’s coverage of the Karmann Ghia in the book, for his approach to include the Beetle Cabriolet, but it is a balance with the Beetle as the title implies. This is very enjoyable book to read as well as a great reference source if you would like to check something specific about a Karmann car out. Maybe a good birthday, Christmas or COVID-19 present for anyone into Karmanns of any description and someone who has been excellent at social distancing!

As a continuing chapter in the initiative from past years, the committee still looks for new members to tell us a short story about their Volkswagen and why it means so much to them. Here is another one of two VW Karmann Ghia stories from members for this month and we need more for future editions of the Club Magazine. This piece from Andrew tells how he has had a long desire for a special Volkswagen….. a Karmann Ghia! So if you have an early 1960s Volkswagen or any other Volkswagen, give us an email and we will do our best to present your story in the magazine, for everyone to enjoy! We have seen some great stories so far, so don’t just leave it to later, get it going now. It will give you a great feeling when you hit the send button! – Thanks, CS

It’s funny you know, anyone who knows me well (including my wife) would describe me as a painfully shy introvert and a man of very few words. Having read your request for material I thought I would give this ‘daunting’ task a go .... I surprised myself just how easy the words came ... I guess that in itself defines exactly what VW’s bring out in all of us ... a personal story !!!

“Having grown up in Blackburn I can always recall in the early 80’s my daily walk to and from Primary school passing by a house and seeing the unmistakable silhouette of a Karmann Ghia, white in colour and sitting idle ... always idle and never seemingly moving under a double carport along side this particular house. Back then I must admit I was more interested in an XB/XC Falcon Coupe just like what Mad Max was getting around in. Many years later in my early 20’s having landed a successful job and having spent most of my teenage years (like many others) in the garage constantly pulling my 10 speed racer apart and putting it back together again just for fun, I decided it was time to buy a project car, something I could get my hands dirty with and learn a thing or two on the weekends. Fortunately by this stage I had acquired a healthy taste for all things VW ... and Porsche. I can’t quite put a finger on what it was about them, perhaps that they were as some would say ‘unconventional’ with their ‘air cooled engine in the back and were everything many other cars were not.

NEW MEMBERS STORY 1963 VOLKSWAGEN KARMANN GHIA

continued next page...

After toying with the idea of buying a 356 A .... coming back down to earth again and coincidentally at that same time seeing a spectacular black Karmann Ghia on the road, I recognised the Karmann as the next best thing (and interestingly a long way from an XC Falcon Coupe). There was also the attraction to VW’s and their enthusiast that is unmistakable ... that every VW is unique and different in their own way and a true reflection of their owner, this is what I like about VW’s.

In 1999 I purchased my first Karmann Ghia, a 1960 RHD, Teal blue with white roof, a ‘project’ car from Shannon’s. Over the next four years I spent many hours lovingly restoring and learning everything possible about the car and VW’s in general. I even got to drive my now beautiful wife home in it after our first date having had my other car locked up overnight in a Coles carpark, but that’s another story. In 2001 we stumbled across a 1965 split screen Kombi for sale that we spontaneously purchased, it was to become our ultimate ‘project’ car together. A project we both enjoyed working on for a few years, even winning ‘Best Modified Kombi” at Day of the Volkswagen back in 2003 having been coerced at the very last minute by my wife to enter literally as we drove it up to the pay gate. Eventually the time came for one of them to go and make way for the ‘sensible’ family car. Sadly, the Karmann was chosen ... a decision that I would reflect on and regret for some time to come. As life goes on, situations change, and we decided to sell the Kombi in order to scrape together every dollar we could to buy the great Australian dream ... a house in the suburbs. We were more than lucky to achieve this however two years on I found myself with a large VW shaped hole in my heart and in our driveway.

In 2006 my wife and I spotted a 1967 Australian built Beetle, the last of the curved windscreen which had also tastefully had an original ragtop grafted in. It was blue, in fact not too dissimilar to the Teal blue colour of my first Karmann. The car was in Adelaide and we immediately fell for it as my next ‘project’ VW. I had never spent much time around Beetles before, from the outside it felt so foreign compared to the Karmann and Kombi but underneath was that familiarity that we had come to know and love over many years.

Four years ago, I was driving over to my Dads house in Blackburn, past that same house just around the corner with the carport with that white Karmann Ghia still sitting there ... some 30 years later. The house had a ‘For Sale’ sign out front. My Dad said to me “why don’t you go around and knock on the door”. VW gears started whirring in my head ... “I wonder if they are going to sell the car?” Only a few days later I drove past and the car was gone. By this time many years of regret had passed and knowing how hard it was becoming to track down earlier examples I realized the Karmann Ghia was going to be my ‘forever car’ (or at least this was how I convinced my wife that I was about to buy yet another VW). I sold my ‘67 Beetle in 2017 (an act that truly broke my 5 year old sons heart ... bad Daddy moment !!!) and tracked down a suitable candidate, ironically in Adelaide again.

“CapsiKarmann” as she is affectionately known in our house was what I would describe a ‘blank canvas’, body in good shape but looking for a little bit of love ... or a Hamburger without the lettuce, tomato, cheese ... actually just a Hamburger bun with the meat patty. The previous owner shared a similar passion for VW/Porsche and after a lengthy conversation I bought it ‘sight unseen’ and shipped it back to Melbourne were I enthusiastically awaited her arrival. It really did feel like meeting a long lost sister again that day she arrived. A 1963 delivered, Red, factory RHD with discs retro fitted up front and a later 1500 single port engine, she had also been modified to give her that ‘Cal’ look with all but a few surviving pieces of chrome left. Over the past three years I have enjoyed sourcing and slowly piece by piece putting her back to her former glory embellished with the detail and chrome as (in my opinion) Karmann Ghia’s deserve and wear so well. In no means is CapsiKarmann true to her ‘original’ factory specification with a little bit of pre and post ‘66 features all wrapped in one however I have tried to maintain that quintessential ‘60’s feel and style whilst adding a little extra personality on the side, that same personality that is reflected in every single VW out there on the road today.”

HISTORIAN’S CORNERBy Chris Scane WVCW Historian.

This year marks 60 year milestone of the club newsletter starting in August 1960. The club has got its hands on a unique collection of the very first copies of ‘Volks’ last year, which was the precursor of ‘Wagensville News’ and with the first edition in August there will be a special Deluxe edition of this year’s club magazine to mark event in our history. In the meantime, here is one snapshot of club history and motoring history very close to today. Of particular note is the layout and editing from Jordan and an article on Peter Bruty’s wonderful Volkswagen collection. In a future WN edition the ‘Corner’ we hopefully can pick up the story from 2015 behind the Wagensville News covers artwork. This all fits in nicely with our 60th milestone of our club magazine.

‘Wagensville’ - May 2015 Lloyd Davies was the Club President, Richard Graham was Vice President and Webmaster, Lyn Davies was Secretary, Matt Reynolds was Treasurer, Andrew Mengyel was Membership Secretary and Jordan Bevacqua was the Editor, doing an excellent job at very short notice. The highlights of May were the Coffee Meet at the Dak Dak Café in Bignell Road, Moorabbin on the 16th, the General Meeting at the

Austrian Club in Heidelberg West on 21st and rounding out the month with the VW Nationals in Sydney. Next exciting event that year was a cruise to the Geelong list of events considering the hectic pace of the previous year with the 60th Anniversary. Notably the ‘News’ was back in the colour A5 format but still ran some great reports on the night 30 members and friends gathered at the Hofbrauhaus for some Germanic fun, food and drinks, VITS in Hovell Park at the end of April 2015, New Member Report at the Plough Inn from Andrea Green, Historian in Costa Rica and the feature article for that month, a great story on Peter Bruty’s wonderful collection of cars located near Ballarat, including the light coloured early Karmann Ghia on the front cover. Anyone who knows Peter and has enjoyed his hospitality knows how generous he is in so many ways and what a privilege to have his friendship. The final story for this edition is ‘Wagensville News Covers’ which looks at the artwork that has gone into our magazine. See the August edition for a updated review. If you would like to read any of the above stories, they are available on ISSUU located on the web site below:

https://issuu.com/volkswagen_club_victoria/docs/wagensville_may_2015

‘Wheels’ - May 2015 Sometimes reference material is right under your nose, which is certainly the case with this edition of ‘Wheels’, as while was cleaning up some odd magazines, doing the COVID hunt for tasks to do, this edition fitted in well with the above edition of ‘Wagensville News’. The front cover adorned a Honda NSX which proffered the interesting statement ‘NSX MOJO RISING! Honda’s back and gunning for 911 Turbo and Audi R8’, Other cover page included Cayman GT – World’s best drivers car? Baby boosters

– HR-V & CX-3 Vs Rivals and top banner of ’10 CARS THAT SHAPED OUR NATION’. Unfortunately there is not a Volkswagen in that count so that is a huge oversight from this perspective. Hidden away in the editorials is a great little piece that belies the ’10 CARS’ story above and goes into how important he Volkswagen Beetle was to the author, Nathan Ponchard. He was reminiscing his journalism career after 15 years with ‘Wheels’ and his first piece in the May 2000 edition, top right corner. After owning many cars over his lifetime, he still has an iconic “1966 Volkswagen Beetle with 15 year old Michelins, drum brakes and rear swing axles keeps motoring real for me… until one day flips over and bursts into flames.” Agree with the first part but not the second!

He goes on to reflect what a lot of us feel in this club, “Obsessed as a child by air-cooled anything, especially drum braked Beetles and Kombis with domed hubcaps, I hearted the original VW so truly, madly, deeply that I once kept a short-sleeved blue polo shirt knitted by my Aunty Val (it was the mid-70s) for years after it no longer fitted me, simply because the three top buttons were thee little plastic Beetles.” Now that is our kind of guy! Nathan is no longer on the editorial team so it is good that he got 18 years good service at ‘Wheels’ before signing off but his whereabouts did not take long to find. He now works for whichcar.com.au and goauto.com.au.

1974 KARMANN GHIA ‘ELECTRONN’ GHIAResearched by Chris Scane, VWCV Historian

One little joy when researching a story is finding a gem that can be shared with the members. Hopefully we can find more Australian examples of great stories with your help. But in the meantime there are lots of good stories from the US and if there is a theme running through ‘Wagensville News’ a story to go with it can usually can be found in the ‘States’. It now looks like many Volkswagen enthusiasts are looking for something different with their project and that is how many a modified petrol car is transferred to an electric vehicle.

The details of this Karmann Ghia are well documented by the owner, Jarrod Botttinelli. He has another EV - 1968 Volkswagen Beetle and is located in Los Lunas, New Mexico, United States. The motor for the KG is a Netgain Warp 11 Series Wound DC with the drivetrain from KCR performance, transmission with 3.44 R&P, welded 3rd and 4thgears, super differential. Kennedy stage IV clutch pressure plate with six puck ceramic disc, lightened EV specific aluminium flywheel from EV West and the controller is a Zeva MC 1000 (1000 amp).

Power storage is via 45 Voltronix 180 Ah, 3.20 Volt, Lithium Iron Phosphate Batteries, 24 behind seats and 21 under hood. System Voltage is 144 Volts via Charger - Elcon PFC 1500. The heater is homemade from heating element of a 1500W space-heater engaged by 400 amp contactor and 12 volt 270 cfm marine blower. The DC/DC Converter is a Meanwell SD-1000H-12 which works great, but his only complaint is that when there is a load on it, a cooling fan kicks on and is a bit loud. The instrumentation is via EVMS monitor, Speed Hut Speedo and Tach, No BMS, individual voltage meters on each cell, temperature gauges for both battery packs and motor.

Performance has a top speed of 95 MPH (152 KPH), will be faster after changing ring & pinion ratio. At this rpm (4000+), reduced net voltage from back EMF is limiting motor current to around 300 amps. Acceleration is 0-60 in 6.1 seconds entirely in 4th gear and range is 120 Miles (193 Kms). 120 miles to full discharge, 95 miles to 80% DoD and driving normal, with 220 Wh/Mile 190 when driving like your grandma, 220 when driving normal, and 250 when driving aggressively. All those tests were done in warm weather. In cold weather it is significantly worse. The current EV Miles is 4,500 Miles (7,240 Kms). The car has a seating capacity for 2 adults and curb weight of 2,400 Pounds (1,090 Kgs).

The owner was guessing that the conversion took around 3 months for conversion, 6 months for restoration, with a cost of appox $16kUS for conversion, $4kUS for restoration. It also used a Toyota Prius throttle, Coil over rear shocks, Kennedy stage IV clutch, 6 puck ceramic disc, individual volt meters on each cell, temperature sensors for each battery pack and motor and a Volante steering wheel. A home made traction bar was used to prevent the motor from sagging too much on heavy acceleration and possibly bending frame horns and also preventing wheel hop. The clutch slipped with a stage III pressure plate. The stages IV works great using a Warp 11 DC motor for a car this size seemed like overkill, but why bother doing a conversion if it’s not going to scream? It has unbelievable torque at low rpm. It burns rubber in 2nd and even 3rd gear. But the owner was surprised by how much more pronounced the effect from back EMF is, which begins at a lower rpm and is stronger. However, driving all the time in 4th gear keeps rpms low, solving that problem (motor heating hasn’t been an issue either, because this giant motor doesn’t even seem to notice this little car! It runs much cooler than the Warp 9 in my bug). The Ghia is much more stable and quiet at 90 mph than the bug. Most components were purchased from EV West. Very good customer service. The controller was from ZEVA -- amazing customer service.

More details are available at: http://www.evalbum.com/5330 for specification details

KG details Converting a Karmann Ghia from gasoline to electric. This video shows most of the process, sped up - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nrT5dbgSx4E

Beetle details – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xqVzM

KOOLER KOMBIThe continuing story about a passion for a Split Window Kombi (Part 2)By Andrew Brose

As a bit of continuity to the Kooler Kombi story and Split Window Kombis stories from last month, it is great to bring you Part 2. The story Andrew Brose gave us last month just got bigger and bigger so we hope you will enjoy the follow-up. Andrew is busy family man and businessman but the Kombi is still an important part of his life and I have found out that Volkswagens are a deep rooted passion that have been in Andrew’s blood for decades! - CS

As described in Part 1, 2009 saw Andrew and his wife Sharon running their car wash business in Bendigo, Oasis Car Spa where the company logo featured a cartoon Beetle. Joining the Bendigo VW club and with his love of Cal look Beetles and Buggies, this lead to discussions with multiple Split Window Kombi owners Ian Nankervis and Ballarat VW stalwart, Peter Bruty. This in turn led to a search of their own which in turn led to California and the purchase of this fully restored 1966 LHD Kombi. The previous owner was a Vietnam Vet, surfer dude who threw in surf racks, rear roof rack and the California number plate to sweeten the deal, but unfortunately not the 1959 Malibu long board with would have been the icing on the cake. Importing any car from the US is never easy but through the help from Rhett Nankeris, a very excited couple drove it finally to its new home at Bendigo in July 2011.

Our original story in VWMA in August 2013 has turned out to be just the beginning of our love of old VW’s. This where the story continues, so in 2014 we mounted a 1974 Beetle on a pole above our car wash in Bendigo. This Beetle started as a $200 wreck and was restored and painted before lifting it on to a pole as a celebration of our Car Wash’s Tenth Birthday, and the Twentieth

Birthday of Volksclub Bendigo. So now I am lucky enough to be able to stare at this old VW all day while I’m at work - as well as talk about old VW’s to the many customers who also enjoy it!

In 2015, we went on a six week USA road trip of the southern states, including Route 66 through Arizona and California. After more than 11,000 km we ended up in San Diego California where we met up with John & Jo-Anne Norris who we had bought our 1966 13 Window Deluxe Microbus from, and we went out for dinner. During dinner we talked non-stop about many things including VW’s, and the Malibu long board that John used to surf on when going to the beach in the Kombi was mentioned. John and Jo-Anne had decided that since John’s knee operation meant he was no longer able to go surfing, he wanted to re-unite the board with the Microbus, and therefore wanted us to have it. When I asked John how much he wanted for it, he pointed out that I was not listening - he wanted us to have it! No amount of insisting on paying for it was enough to get John to change his mind - so we had to just go along with John & Jo-Anne.

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We had already discovered that John was 100% genuine and honest when we bought the Kombi from him on the internet, sight unseen! John had emailed a total of 185 photos showing every detail inside and out, and underneath as well. John also answered my long list of questions and we had built a level of honesty and trust to the point where I was confident that sending the online payment was absolutely the right thing to do! Now with the offer of the long board, John & Jo-Anne’s enormous generosity just blew us away!

At the end of this six week trip, we also bought a VW Beetle from Bakersfield California - a blue 2003 Ultima Edicion with 91km on the speedo(hopefully another story later this year). So plans were made to ship the Malibu long board in the same container as the Beetle from Los Angeles to Australia. After a shipping error, the Beetle and the long board ended up in Sydney instead of Melbourne (a minor problem they said!). A 1600km one day road trip to Sydney and back meant the Beetle and the long board arrived safely in Bendigo, where the original surf board racks had been re-fitted to the Kombi. The board is over ten feet long, and until you hold it up in the air, you don’t realise how big that is! I have been in an aluminium fishing boat shorter than it!

This trip was our first trip back since we first went to the USA in 2012. On that first trip we saw some amazing places in California and Las Vegas Nevada, which really opened our eyes to how much enjoyment we can have together travelling and seeing exciting new things. An added extra is the whole world of old VW’s in Southern California, including the beach communities from Santa Monica to San Diego and especially in Orange County. On a normal day driving in Melbourne we might be lucky to spot one or two old VW’s - one day travelling from Santa Barbara to Santa Monica we spotted over 100 Beetles between us, and a heap of Kombis!

We went to two VW club events in San Diego, and were again amazed at how friendly the VW community is, and especially to Australians. We attended a VW show in Huntington Beach where we saw everything from perfectly restored split window Beetles to road registered Cal Look Beetles with huge turbos and no decklid in sight! Classic 23 & 21 Window Sambas in every color were also a highlight for us!

Every American we met and spoke to treated us with kindness and enormous respect. They almost always wanted to know all about Australia and in particular our wildlife (thanks to Paul Hogan

and Steve Irwin!). They seem to love the Australian accent, and many would love to come and visit if it wasn’t so far away. Since 2015, we have travelled to the USA another four times and have experienced road trips in 38 states. We have caught up with John & Jo-Anne again in 2017 and 2018.

In 2017 we attended the OCTO show which is for Split Window Kombis only. Once again, the variety and quality of these old VW’s was amazing, with the majority being driven daily by people who have been into old VW’s for decades.

The following day we went to the El Prado show which is now the largest VW show in Southern California with over 2000 cars. Row after row of perfectly restored classics is something we have never seen! There was everything from the VW Thing through to Myers Manx buggies from the 1960’s and 70’s. We saw our first Scwimmwagen in action cruising in the nearby lake! Once again, the people with old VW’s were super friendly and keen to find out why we talked with a funny accent! It was one of the most amazing days we have experienced through our VW’s, and it was such an eye opener to see how big the VW scene is in Orange County. The quality and workmanship on show is simply outstanding.

So our Kooler Kombi story continues - our Kombi now gets around Bendigo with the Malibu long board on top - which is pretty funny when we have no beaches anywhere nearby, and neither of us would be able to ride this board even if we did! It still gets to work as our promotional vehicle for our Kooler Ice Vending Machine business in Bendigo, and is always fun to drive - the look on the faces of young kids when they see it never ceases to amaze us! The pictures of the Kombi on site, at the Vending Machine sites, is a real plus for advertising the business.

Little did we know that the first email we sent John enquiring if his 1966 13 Window Deluxe Microbus was still for sale back in early 2011 would lead to so much fun and happiness with old VW’s. It has also led us to meet many great people who are involved in old VW’s, and led to a whole new world of travel together and new friends in a country that is famous for, among other things, old VW’s!

There is an example of the type of monthly meeting at the Santa Monica Pier put on by the West Side VW Club.- CS

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7gffKgkCyfU

WHEELER DEALERS & GARAGE 41Isolation Busters for Motoring EnthusiastsChris Scane, VWCV Historian

To cope with the situation that faces us in Volkswagen Isolation, one avenue is the black box in the lounge room and a new channel that could help the motoring enthusiast is 96Rush. This is Channel 9’s answer to 7Mate, which has been very successful. The Freeview channel 9 Now and 7 Plus are a great ways to catch with episodes that take our attention – Volkswagens and other VAG cars!

WHEELER DEALERSA new program on that channel is Wheeler Dealer. This a British television series originally produced by Attaboy TV for the Discovery Channel in the UK and Motor Trend Network in the U.S. The program is fronted by car enthusiast Mike Brewer. Edd China served as the program’s mechanic for series 1 to 13; he was replaced by Ant Anstead in series 14. The show uses the ying and yang concept where Mike is the upbeat character and Edd has a bit of the negative worry wart, but that soon disappears! This program uses a similar format as ‘Car SOS’ (a later Isolation Buster story), another classic British car show that has been enjoyed for many years.

There are currently many episodes available on Freeview - 9 Now, of particular note. The first one is about a 1971 Beetle made into a Buggy and the second is about a Karmann Ghia recued for Idaho in the United States. I will not spoil the story so you will have to look them up on 9 Now or possibly U Tube.

Another recent episode is about a Porsche Boxster S and it is interesting how much enthusiasm that came from the host of the show, Mike when he got his hands on the Stuttgart flyer, described as the poor man’s Porsche. Funny about that, I thought that is what we have been driving around for years. Mike cannot believe his luck in picking up a £1000 Porsche but as usual there are always a few problems that have to be solved and that is how Edd gets involved as the ultimate problem solver. Eventually the car is finished in pristine condition and ready to go to the new owner. After some fairly superficial negotiations Mike has his money in the bank and the team is ready for next project.

Looking at Porsche Boxster S in Australia, one below $8500 could not be found. There are some nice cars between $18,000 AND $28,000, needless to say all of them are way above my budget! The only way I think I can explain the difference with us and the UK is that they have just so many second hand cars for sale which drives the price down for potential buyers.

GARAGE 41Another Isolation Buster is a show also on Channel 7 Mate called Garage 41, which started this year and hosted by Glenn Ridge. It is based at the Dutton Garage at 41 Madden Grove in Richmond, hence the show’s title. Also on the panel of presenters is Dave Morley and Mike Sinclair. It has its own Facebook page with over 1500 followers, describes itself as a light go to series for motoring enthusiasts, car collectors and petrol heads alike. All together there are many decades of motoring journalism to draw on and that enhances the quality of this Melbourne based presentation. With Season One episodes of 22 minutes starting on the 18th of April, these episodes will be available on Freeview 7Plus for over a year.

Some of the stories covered so far include; the Enzo Ferrari, as rare as they come with only 400 in the world and could only order one if you have bought a certain level Ferrari in the past. One interesting car was a very early Australian delivery Porsche 356 with an interesting asking price!

The good aspect of this show is the Australian presenters and producers give a very local perspective and that’s refreshing after watching so much of the British and American material. The Australian flavour continues with stories like these. Famous faces, David Logan from Roaring Forties who is producing Dan Gurney replica racing cars at Philip Island Racing Cars, located on the island. These cars are aimed at the American market and have as much safety features to satisfy the Americans as they can engineer into the cars, another example of Australian ingenuity!

Glenn Ridge has a very smooth style and is a coveted guest speaker and presenter around Melbourne and Australia, so it is not surprising he has popped up again. He also hosted and executive produced ‘The Car Show’ from 2003 on Channel 9 which was also an enjoyable presentation for car buffs. With these stories already under their belt, I am looking forward to future episodes and what the team can find with a great State of Victoria feel!

Finally, there are a number of motoring shows on the black box but as long as you can take the ‘pommie’ or ‘yank’ ascent, there are many hours of enjoyment to be had on Freeview or U Tube. Will try to bring you more details of more shows that can help chew away some of the hours we must endure away from our usual pastimes. Either way it sure beats VFL/AFL replays!