Many moons ago when a young editor began publishing VWMA, a beautiful 1955 Kombi restored to perfection by Matt Raine came to his attention and was subsequently featured in Issue#4 (Nov '04 – Jan '05). Matt and his Kombi then gained further limelight when Telstra decided they wanted to make a series of television commercials using his Kombi. The advertisement and commercial campaign 'I've Been Every Where Man' ran from 2004 until 2010, topping up Matt's depleted resto funds and setting him up to achieve his next Kombi milestone – owning and restoring a 1954 Barn Door. Records show that Australia took delivery of its first Kombi shipment in 1954 with a mere 299 right hand drive buses hitting our shores. This instantly made RHD Barndoors rare the world over and with prices beginning to move towards farcical levels, Matt knew the time was right to add to his collection. The problem was, though, he just couldn't find one, and on the off chance one came up for sale, the asking price was beyond his reach. Frustrated and disappointed, he happened across an old Just Cars Magazine dated 2004 and although the magazine was now some five years old, he couldn't help looking through the pages. To his surprise he came across an advert for a Barndoor Kombi. A wild thought crossed his mind – after all this time could this still be for sale?

    

VW Magazine Australia

VWMA is an Australian owned and published enthusiasts magazine serving both the aircooled and watercooled Volkswagen scene nationally. Published quarterly (Feb, May, Aug, Nov), the magazine is available through newsagents Australia wide or via subscription, and covers every aspect of the hobby, from the very early models through to the latest innovations, motorsport, offroad, kit, custom, books, toys and shows. If it doesn't appear in VWMA then it isn't VW related.

Now in its seventh year, VWMA also hosts two drag racing weekends, sponsors a variety of VW shows, and supports events across the country. Printed and distributed by Australian companies, VWMA is also fortunate to have access to a talented pool of home based VW photojournalists and print/web technicians, who work with VWMA to produce quality VW entertainment each issue. And in 2011, the magazine's website has evolved to encompass the online and portable information revolution with the inclusion of additional media content to enrich the printed reading experience.

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