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VW Warwick will be held on the weekend of October 3rd-4th at the Warwick Dragway 1/8th mile track located at Warwick, Queensland:
"as much VW drag racing as competitors can cram into two days" more...


Custom Bugs & Buses is the major sponsor for VW Warwick 2009.
http://www.cbbvw.com


Issue 22

Cabrio GL

"It's probably the only one in the Southern Hemisphere like it," says John Canters, the fellow who created this stunning German Look 1979 Beetle Cabriolet. He's more than likely correct because although there is an active VW community ''down under'' in Australia and New Zealand, high-standard German Lookers can be counted on the fingers of one hand. Any Cabrio is a rare sight due to the fact they were never officially imported. So to find a German Look Cabrio, of any standard, let alone one as sensational as this one, is like winning the lottery.

Vic Jamboree

As another March came around, so did the VW Cruises Jamboree. In its 9th year, it was again held at the Caribbean Gardens in Scoresby, hosted on a lush green lawn and bathed in sunshine.

VW Portland 2009

In stark contrast to the fires and hot weather that ravaged parts of Victoria in the weeks leading up to the second running of VW Portland, the weekend of February 21st-22nd was picture perfect and ideal for drag racing. However, all who attended the weekend had been touched in some way by the tragedy that had unfolded in the bush fires, with the VolksEnthusiasts Club graciously donating all profits from the sale of their specially bottled club brew towards the appeal. A number of Victorian racers and spectators who were close to the fires still attended the event, citing the camaraderie and friendship of the VW community at Portland as the best remedy for coping with the disaster. And the weekend of racing and associated activities did not disappoint.

Dubs By The Pie

They say every cloud has a silver lining, and for the organisers of this year's Bad Little Buggers Club annual Show'n'Shine, the old adage proved true. Forced to move from the traditional Ettomogah Pub location due to re-development, the club stumbled across the Humble Pie venue just down the highway.


Formula Vee Bathurst

Ben Porter's unbeaten streak continued after claiming all three victories in the opening round of the Shannon's Nationals series. Displaying a strategic nous unmatched by his competitors, Porter disproved the theory that to win at Bathurst in a Formula Vee you can't lead the final lap.

NSW Hillclimb

Sunday 15th February saw the start of the NSW Hillclimb Championship for 2009, with cars and crews making their way to Fairburn Park on the outskirts of Canberra for Round 1. 53 cars greeted the start line.

SA DOTVW

Since 1981, the Volkswagen Club of SA has run the Day of the Volkswagen. Apart from the first few years, the event has been held continuously at the picturesque Wigley Reserve in the popular seaside suburb of Glenelg. With the weather warm to hot, the 150 VWs on display representing a wide range of models created a magnificent picture. Along with the regular swap sites and stalls, the Reserve was close to capacity.

Portland Dune Buggies

How long does it take two crazed VW enthusiasts to drive from Brisbane, Queensland to Portland in Victoria? Two days if you let Rod Penrose organise things. Rod and Jamie Pridham, member of the Portland Dune Buggy Club, had organised for a few of the VW drag racing drivers and crew to experience some dune buggy thrills while they were in town for the VW Portland event (pages 72-79 of this issue). It was decided that the Friday morning would be an ideal time before the serious business of drag racing began, which meant a very early start for the Brissie crew.

Sansom Return

When Nathan Sansom slammed into the barrier at Oran Park in 2008 many feared the worst. The human body is simply not designed to slow from 130kph to a complete stop in an instant. As medical crews rushed to the scene an unspoken realisation found its way to those in the paddock; Nathan had hit the wall at almost full speed. He hadn’t got out of the car. This was bad. This was serious.


VW Curves

Like many VW Beetle owners, Greg Norris enjoys fitting out his 1965 VW with heaps of accessories. It has mud flaps, extra badges, a custom spare wheel cover with slots for spanners, a reproduction roof rack, a passenger’s side towing mirror, and a cane parcel shelf beneath the dash. But the largest and most eye-catching of all the accessories is a meticulously restored vintage teardrop caravan.

VW Toys

Matchbox by Lesney’s 1600 TL is probably the most common and well known version of the Type III in 64th scale from the 1960s. They had several colours in the range, but of course the hot metallic pink in mint condition is the most expensive colour to collect. There were some variations in the casting of this model, the base changed a little as it was re-released in the Superfast range during the 70's. Both are numbered 57. It was quite detailed for a model of its vintage, sporting opening doors and suspension. Dinky also made a fastback and a notchback in the late 1960s. These were in the larger 43rd scale that Dinky specialized in, and both were in the early pre-70 body style. Corgi, another English brand, only made a Type III Karmann-Ghia we know as the Razor Edge Ghia. The Razor would have to be my favorite Karmann-Ghia by a long shot.

VolksMod & BBA

Beach Buggy Australia (BBA) is now owned by Kurt and Gunter Bogholz from Volks-Mod on the Gold Coast in Queensland, and consequently the BBA operation, previously based on the Sunshine Coast, has been moved lock, stock and barrel to the Burleigh Heads address. With Kurt and Gunter having an unrivalled reputation in the buggy scene for building award winning buggies, BBA further expands the products and services that the boys can offer. And they both know how much fun a buggy can be.

Black Diamond

Matthew Adams hasn’t been in Australia for too long, but his impact on the Aussie VW Watercooled scene has been massive. With one of less than 10 recorded Corrados in the country, this car creates attention where ever it goes - even from those whose passion may not be VWs! To understand why this VW model creates such an impact, a brief look into its production history will help shed light on its collectable status.

Also in this issue

- Dyno Day
- Salt Racer
- VW Seats
- VW Transmission ID
- The Bus Stop
- Splitter Dream
- Wrecker Racer