VolksWorld - February 2006 - AutomationJet

The 10th Annual California Look Special Issue 

THE BEST 

A show car with go! 

USA Renn Kafer Cup car 

takes the UK by storm 

FREE! 

Cal Look centre 

spread poster 

100s 

of VWs for 

sale inside 

£3.70 

February 2006 

www.volksworld.com 

9 770954 016198 

FUEL INJECTED 

Technical: Inside a hot 1970s California Look Engine 

0 2 

ALSO 

INSIDE 

Resto and Cal 

Squarebacks 

CLUBBING 

The UKs No1 

Cal Look Club

contents 

“ 

Two very similar 

looking, but very 

different Type 3s 

” 

p38 

4 February 2006 www.volksworld.com 

p10 

p20

Call our quotation hotline now on: 

08451 240 240 

p46 

Regulars 

6 On the scene News 

16 Mailbox Your stories 

24 Walkerbout Back to ‘87 

26 Pye’s Eye Corner weights 

28 Life of Brian Our 1st show 

78 Subscriptions To your door 

Features 

10 The Shining Top notch Oval 

20 Perurian power German ‘66 

30 Autunm VW Fair Slough time 

34 Greenhearts UK Cal club 

38 Double Back Two Squarebacks 

42 Leathal Injection Renn Kafer 

58 Wise Up Old School perfection 

72 Cow Look You’ll get our beef 

p72 

Classic VW 

52 Retro Rally VWs 

54 KdF Observer Model changes 

64 Lost and Found Type 82E KdF 

Type 2 Zone 

68 Bus Scene The Ace event 

69 Bus News Bus bits 

Technical 

80 Projects New motor needed 

84 How to: Cal Motor 70’s style 

90 How to: Brakes Master cylinder 

VolksWorld Show 

82 Get your show cars in now! 

the 

team 

Editor Ivan McCutcheon 

Art Editor Steve Gosling 

Staff Writer Jon Gilbert 

Tech Editor Matt Keene 

Features Editor Mike Pye 

Sub Editor The Team 

Ed Assistant Carol Linfi eld 

Deputy Ad Manager 

Kara Goodwin 020 8726 8334 

Telesales 

Dave Simmons 020 8726 8335 

Group Ad Manager 

Kevin Attridge 020 8726 8333 

Marketing Executive 

Jordana Gavin 

Ad Production 

Jamie Tester 020 8726 8337 

Automotive Design 

Eric Black www.eblackdesign.com 

Contributors 

Kiki de Bois • Brian Burrows • Stefan Bau 

Zoë Harrison •Rikki James • Peter Noad 

Tony Butler • Bob Shaill • Steve Walker 

Publisher Gavin de Carle 

General Manager Niall Clarkson 

Managing Director Paul Williams 

VolksWorld is a Focus Network publication, published by 

Country & Leisure Media Ltd, part of IPC Media. 

VolksWorld, IPC Focus Network, Leon House, 233 High 

Street Croydon, CR9 1HZ 

Tel: (020) 8726 8354, Fax: (020) 8726 8399 

E-mail: volksworld@ipcmedia.com 

Website: www.volksworld.com 

© 2005 IPC Media Ltd, all rights reserved. Reproduction 

in whole or in part is forbidden, save with the permission, 

in writing, of the publishers. 

Subscription rates for one year: See page 92-93 for details. 

Back Issues Dept, PO BOX 772, Peterborough, PE2 

6WJ. www.mags-uk.com/ipc. Subscription hotline: intl 

+44 (0)845 676 7778 . 

Colour origination by CTT, Units C/D, Sutherland House, 

Sutherland Road, London E17 6BU. Printed by Polestar 

(Colchester) Newcomen Way, Severall Industrial Estate, 

Colchester. Distribution by MarketForce, 5th Floor 

Lowrise Building, Kings Reach Tower, Stanford Street, 

London, SE1 9LS. Tel: (020) 7633 3333. Back issues 

and binders: VolksWorld Back Issues, PO BOX 772, 

Peterborough, PE2 6WJ. Tel: (01733) 370 800. 

VolksWorld is distributed in the United States by EWA, 

369 Springfi eld Avenue, Berkley Heights, NJ 07922. 

VolksWorld (USPS 009-041) is published monthly by IPC 

Focus Network in England. Periodicals Postage Paid 

at Green Brook NJ 08812. US subscriptions cost $69 

from EWA, 205 US Highway 22, Green Brook, NJ 08812. 

Postmaster: send address changes to VolksWorld, 205 US 

Highway 22, Green Brook, NJ 08812. 

VolksWorld welcomes letters and technical queries. 

However, we do not undertake to publish or reply to every 

letter we receive. We reserve the right to edit letters that 

we do publish, although the views expressed therein are 

not necessarily those of the magazine nor of IPC Media 

Ltd. VolksWorld cannot accept responsibility for any 

unsolicited manuscripts, photographs or illustrations. 

ISSN 0954-0164 

www.volksworld.com February 2006 5


Send all your news and reviews to: 

On the scene, VolksWorld, IPC media, Leon house, 233 High Street, Croydon, CR9 1HZ 

Bright Spark 

• Who? Street Style and Power or VW Heritage 

• How Much? Ignitor I distributor (AC905D186) £169.95 

Ignitor II distributor (AC905D180) £199.95 

• Contact: 08707 706196 

• Web: www.streetstyleandpower.com 

Pertronix is proud to announce the availability of its new Volkswagen air cooled 

engine billet distributor. CNC machined from 6061 T-6 alloy aluminium billet and 

polished to a high lustre, it’s the “must have” for all air-cooled engine owners! 

Fitted with either the standard Ignitor or our high performance Ignitor 2, it comes 

with a fully adjustable advance curve which can be tailored to suit exact 

requirements. The black distributor cap is fi tted with HEI style terminals for positive 

location of the spark plug wires. A terminal and boot kit is included with the 

distributor to aid installation. 

The Best VWs 

New from Trevor Legate and Touchstone 

Books Ltd, in association with VolksWorld 

magazine, The Very Best of Volkswagen. 

Drawing on VolksWorld’s extensive 

archives of the very best VWs from the UK, 

Europe and America, this 128-page book 

features over 60 of the best and most 

interesting Volkswagens that have appeared 

in VolksWorld magazine in the 20 years it has 

been at the forefront of the European VW 

scene. There are beautifully restored stock 

classics, racecars, customs and some of the 

weirdest and most wonderful VWs ever built. 

Each car featured has a separate full colour 

spread and is illustrated with stunning 

photographs. An essential 

reference for yourself and a 

great gift for the VW lover in 

your life. 

This brand new, hardback 

book will debut exclusively 

at the VolksWorld show 1-2 

April, so be sure not to miss 

out on this opportunity. 

For more information on 

this and other Touchstone 

titles, visit 

www.touchstone-books.com 

Aircooled Vee 

Dub Clothing 

• Who? Air Head 

• How Much? Start at £13.00 

plus P&P 

• Contact: www.airheadgear.co.uk 

If you’re looking for something a bit different, 

Airhead have a tasty range of top 

quality Vee Dub tee-shirts and accessories 

for men, women and children. Available 

in various original designs and come in a 

range of sizes and styles, with new designs 

added regularly. They supply to customers 

worldwide and with simple to use credit/ 

debit card payment available it’s a snip! 

The site also features a section for non VW 

tee-shirts, VW links, news and a general 

‘cool links’ section. To see the complete 

range or place an order, get your fi ngers 

tappin’ to www.airheadgear.co.uk

Sponsored by Sureterm Direct. 

‘Higher Quality Lower Prices’ 

Call Sureterm Direct on 0845 20 20 230 

Bug Jam DVD 

• Who? Santa Pod Raceway 

• How much? £14.99 

• Contact: 08700 782828 

Now that the show season is over for 2005 you 

may want to reminisce over some of the good 

times. One way to do that is to buy the Bug 

Jam DVD. Packed with VW racing, awesome 

music, show cars, Mr and Mrs Bug Jam and 

fabulous people, there will be plenty to keep 

you entertained. Bug Jams wining formula has 

been bringing people back to Santa Pod for 

19 years. So if you want to relive the event or 

check out what you missed out on, this is the 

DVD for you. 

Bud Vases 

• Who? VW Vases 

• How Much? From $19.95 

• Web: www.vwvase.com 

Here’s one for the New Bug fan; hand made Porcelain 

bud vases. These used to a popular accessory in the 

air-cooled Bug and have now been redeveloped to fi t New 

Beetles. Made in the USA, each vase goes through a time 

consuming process of hand fi nishing before being glazed in a 

colour matching the New Beetle range. They fi t perfectly and add a 

nice bit of colour to the dash board. Log on to the website for more info 

and different designs. 

wwweb watch 

www.volksrods.co.uk 

Now, here is something that defi nitely deserves a shout. It is a new website launched by the Volksrod 

club purely dedicated to the world of Volksrods. And with the trend growing fast, the timing is perfect. So 

whether it’s the love for the Beetle that gets your pulse racing or if airbrushing and pin striping is more 

your style, start sharing the passion today by visiting www.volksrods.co.uk where there is always someone 

out there willing to help with any problems or questions. Remember a problem told is a problem solved. 

this 

month 

It’s that time again. The annual California 

Look special is here. In fact, it’s our 10th 

anniversary Cal Look issue, and we’ve 

gone all out to make it the best magazine we 

could. I don’t know what it is about the annual 

special, but it seems to be the issue readers 

talk about the most, and from what I gather, 

one that you tend to keep as a reference tool. 

The funny thing is, I’ve heard a handful of 

people say they are either bored of Cal Look, 

or even that Cal Look is dead. From the quality 

of cars being built, it’s hard to see how anyone 

could fi nd them boring, well, not someone 

who has the ability to appreciate the hard work 

of another VW fan. I don’t think the quality has 

ever been higher or the intense passion has 

been at such a level in the U.K. And so, I’d 

have to argue that California Look is far from 

dead, it’s not a trend, it is a massive part of 

our world. I’d agree the style may not fi t in with 

the personal tastes of some, but to many it is 

the sole focus. 

When it comes the content of the magazine 

together we always plan ahead, but even so, 

we couldn’t get the front cover car into the 

studio until the day after the deadline for the 

cover. The reason was all four wings were off 

the car being painted, as they had Robri gravel 

guards fi tted which the owner had decided 

he didn’t like. Rather than have the car on the 

cover as it was, he was adamant they had to be 

removed before the car could be shot. Well, it 

was very much a case of ‘hold the front page’, 

but I think you’ll agree, it was well worth it! 

The club shoot on The Greenhearts showed 

you have to suffer if you want to live the dream 

in the U.K. The South Coast in November is 

slightly different than the West Coast of the 

U.S.A in terms of climate, it doesn’t help 

when the cars don’t have heating! Still with 

12 club cars to shoot we had to do it whatever 

the weather. My thanks go to Pete Roberts of 

Funkenblitz in Portsmouth for arranging everything, 

and the club members for braving a 

very cold and wet day. You’ll be able to see the 

club cars at The VolksWorld Show this year. 

I’m running out of space now, so on behalf 

of the whole team on the magazine, we hope 

you enjoy this issue.

Race Trim Seats 

• Who? Big Boys Toys 

• Contact: 0845 2300101 

• Web: bigboystoys-uk.com 

New from Big Boys Toys in Thurrock are these fantastic 

looking Race Trim high back racing seats that would 

suit any buggy, off roader or hot street VW. Priced at 

£150 inc VAT per seat, they exhibit all the features 

you would expect from a proper race seat - fully 

welded and painted steel frames and an 

integral weatherproof suspended bladder 

for added comfort. They come with a heavy 

duty black vinyl cover and a choice of black 

or contrasting grey cloth insert. They also 

have provision for a standard fi ve-point harness 

and universal mounting tabs for custom 

fi tting to your own vehicle. 

Seats can either be solid mounted or, if you 

require adjustability, purpose made mounts and runners 

are also available from Big Boys Toys. The mounts raise the seat six inches and bolt directly 

to the fl oorpan, eliminating the standard VW runners completely. These come in two 

types - either slider or slide and tilt to allow access to the rear seat area. 

EMPI prints 

Who? Nostalgia Memorabilia 

How much? 125 Euros 

Contact: nostalgia.memorabilia@gmail.com 

Fancy a bit of nostalgia hanging up on your workshop 

wall? How do this silk screened EMPI ‘Sorry ‘bout that’ 

posters grab you? They measure 50X70cm on 400 

grade glossy paper. The fi rst 100 have been 

numbered accordingly as a collector’s edition that will come with a complimentary 

T-shirt and free shipping. A discount is available if you buy in bulk saving you up to £100 if 

you buy fi ve poster / T-shirt packs. 

Stock Taking 

Stock and original, just the way VW 

intended it to be! This 1965 is a real 

gem, especially as it was ordered from 

new in black with a steel sliding sunroof. 

Having been looked after from the day it 

was delivered and with very low mileage 

there’s very few left in the world like it, it’s 

original and no matter how well a car is 

restored you can’t recreate originality 

On sale 27 January 


VolksWorld show 

• When? 1 and 2 April 2006 

• Where? Sandown Park, Surrey 

As our show gets closer and closer, more 

of you are sending in photos of your VWs 

for a spot in the show. It is still early days 

so don’t panic if you intend to apply but 

please make sure you do not leave it until 

the last minute. Likewise with club displays. 

As many of you will know we are limited to 

space in the grandstand area so it is fi rst 

come fi rst served with club stands. Each 

club is allowed to bring in a maximum of 

fi ve cars. So if you’re in a club and want to 

display your top fi ve vehicles get in touch 

with us on 0208 726 8341 or email 

michelle_goldsmith@ipcmedia.com 

Perfect Designs 

Following the successful launch of their 

‘hints of veedub’ range, Perftec Designs 

have enjoyed a great fi rst year and, judging 

by the sales achieved, lots of you have 

really liked their new and fresh designs. 

Most air-cooled models are covered as 

well as some water-cooled including the 

popular Type 25 and Golf variants. Now you 

can grab an exclusive Perftec Design at a 

bargain price. Their Winter sale has started 

and continues up until Christmas assuming 

they don’t sell out before then. The 

sale includes T-shirts, hoodies and fl eece 

blankets; all available at discounted prices. 

You can order from the website at 

www.perftet.com. Look out in 2006 for their 

planned relaunch which will bring a much 

larger offering all round.

Just what is it that drives perfectly 

sane people to set about well used 50 year 

old Volkswagens and transform them into automotive 

equivalents of the crown jewels? No one really knows, but we love 

it, applaud it and hope, like us, others will feel inspired by it, too 

Words: Mike Pye Pics: Kiki de Bois 

As anyone getting into VWs 

in the 1980s in this country I 

remember being blown away 

by the show cars and amazed 

by the drag cars on the strip 

at shows like the Spring Championships 

and Bug Jam, and I’m sure I wasn’t alone 

in this feeling. In fact, many of the people 

we here at VolksWorld have come into 

contact with over the years since have said 

the same thing, and that it was the cars 

10 february 2006 www.volksworld.com 

they saw then that made them want to go 

out and build a car for themselves. But 

back then there were very few really fast 

street VWs and the standard of many of 

the show cars, while excellent for the time, 

didn’t bear quite such close scrutiny. Sure, 

there were some that really stood out as 

exemplary cars - and in many cases these 

cars are still revered today as ground 

breaking for their time. 

But while many others had great atten- 

tion to detail in the areas you did see, few 

could claim the level of detail that is now 

commonplace throughout in cars that are 

used as hard on the street or the strip as 

they are polished in the show ‘n’ shine. 

Yet today it seems there is no limit to the 

lengths people will go to to build their 

idea of the perfect ride. But what for? Is it 

solely to impress the judges at a handful of 

show weekends over the year? Somehow 

I don’t think so. Is it to impress girlfriends,


“ ” 

So what if all your mates think 

you’re certifi able? 

boyfriends or wives? Nah, they just smile, 

secretly thinking you’ve lost the plot when 

you explain why it’s necessary to polish 

the inside of your brake drums or the 

underside of your petrol tank, or to spend 

a month’s food shopping money on stainless 

steel nuts and bolts to replace the perfectly 

good ones the car came with. It has 

to come down to pride - pride in your own 

workmanship and pride in knowing you’ve 

achieved what you set out to do. So what if 

all your mates think you’re certifi able. 

And so we come to William Pellegrino, 

a native of Puerto Rico and erstwhile 

inhabitant of California, and someone to 

whom it seems polishing and chroming 

the underside of your ride is a perfectly 

sensible thing to do. Starting out with a 

common or garden ‘56 - one that was 

more garden than common, by the sound 


of things, he set himself a goal. The car 

had spent most of its life in and around 

San Diego but was far from the cosseted, 

one old lady owner fi nd. In short it was 

knackered, though it wasn’t so rusty that it 

was deemed the wrong place to start. And 

it was a Type 117 sunroof model after all. 

Having seen the results of trips through 

the workshops of Arizona VW nut, Buddy 

Hale, William knew he wanted a bit of the 

same, so shipped his new purchase from 

California to Arizona for Hale to do his 

thing, but not before he’d got some miles 

under his belt in his car as a stocker. 

Hale disassembled the body and pan, 

sent the latter off for shot blasting and got 

busy sorting out the ravages of the best 

part of 50 years on the road. While there 

will always be some who complain about 

the use of such supposedly rare cars as 

the basis for a modifi ed VW, they should 

perhaps think about it like this: many of the 

current breed of modifi ed VWs are built to a 

far higher standard than a lot of “restored” 

cars and, as is the case with William’s 

car here, aside from the lack of exhaust 

cut-outs, this car has stock bodywork and 

could relatively easily be returned to stock, 

should a later owner desire it. Paint also 

ABOVE Standard steering wheel and locking 

glovebox handle are a nod to the car’s vintage 

BELOW Chromed column and pedals.Ooh yeah!

is so often now a standard colour - here 

L351 Coral Red - and with all the trim back 

in the traditional location, including around 

the window rubbers, it’s still got that 

wonderful historic Wolfsburg feel. 

Even the interior, whilst not strictly 

correct for the year, isn’t far from it. A tan 

mohair headliner and matching Stayfast 

sunroof cover coming from West Coast 

Classic Restoration, tan square weave 

carpet from Wolfsburg West and stock 

seats, retrimmed by North Hollywood’s 

Nacho’s Auto Upholstery in a similar tan 

LEFT Full re-trim in tan uses mostly stock materials, but custom door panels are a nice touch 

ABOVE The kind of thing that makes people who aren’t into cars just shake their heads in disbelief 

coloured perforated vinyl. But start looking 

elsewhere in the interior and you’ll start to 

see William’s obsessive compulsive disorder 

showing through. How about chromed 

pedals, handbrake, steering column and 

support, speaker grille backing plate, 

ashtray(!), door check stays and even the 

base of the Berg shifter for starters? And 

what isn’t plated inside is polished, painted 

and immaculately detailed. 

But that’s the inside, the bit you see 

when you sit in the car, so that’s fair 

enough, right? Well now look underneath, 

or at least underneath the wheelarches… 

During the course of the rebuild, Hale 

used a Suspensions Unlimited three-inch 

narrowed beam and chromed trailing 

arms. Between these sit a pair of CB 

Performance spindles and CNC wide-5 

disc brakes, plumbed in with polished 

and braided lines throughout. Similarly out 

back, chromed spring plates allow you 

to see the shine on the back of William’s 

stock brake drums, while all exposed and 

non-load bearing fasteners are now stainless 

steel Allen heads. The built gearbox 

didn’t escape detailing either, internally or 

externally. Built by KCR Transmissions in 

Riverside, it is based around a stock 1500 

4.12:1 ring and pinion, with welded third 

and fourth, a Super-Diff, steel shift forks 

and chromoly pinion retainer. Believe us, 

it’s sick under there and no mistake. 

But William wasn’t content to stop at 

that. Next on his hit list was the engine 

- and no stock 30 horser was going to 

propel him and his wife Noemy into the future. 

So a call was put into engine builder 

ABOVE We found it, we found it!Billet 

top pulley is held in place by a specially 

Made in Taiwan chromed top pulley nut. 

Still, at least it isn’t a neon pink one eh? 

LEFT Too much, too much! 

FAR LEFT Polished CNC front discs and 

incredible paintwork everywhere 


Doug Gonzales, with the instructions 

being to build a veritable stomper, suited 

to the California Look ethos the car was 

being built to. Starting with an AS41 case, 

Gonzales dropped in a CB 82mm crank, a 

set of 5.5-inch Scat rods and an Engle FK8 

cam with Magnum straight cut cam gears. 

After bolting the case halves together, 

some 94mm Cima pistons were slipped 

into their corresponding bores and then 

buttoned up with a pair of heavily modifi 

ed 041 heads. Steve Tims did the work 

on them - porting, polishing and opening 

them up for 42 and 37.5mm valves. He 

also made sure the compression ratio was 

kept down to at a sensible 8.5:1. 

Autocraft 1.45:1 rockers keep the valvetrain 

on its toes and dual 48IDA Webers 

keeps the traditional Cal Look doctrine 

safe for another year. But, like the rest of 

the car, it’s in the detailing that this car 

really shines (sic). Gloss black tinware is 

hard to beat, especially with a 30 horsestyle 

doghouse fan shroud framing the 

engine. But how about those black painted 

IDA bodies? Topped and tailed with pol- 

RIGHT That unmistakable Cal Look stance 

BELOW William Pellegrino, the man with the 

vision and sore fi ngers from too much polishing 


ished stacks and manifolds and operated 

by a chromed and detailed Berg linkage 

they’re an awesome sight. Add into the 

mix a fully polished Don Zig magneto with 

Heads Up Performance drilled support 

and you’re touching on the perverse. But 

again, it didn’t stop there - the alternator 

and support strap were also polished, as 

was the Berg 356-style breather box, while 

the entire A1 exhaust system was ceramic 

coated and the three-inch muffl er polished. 

With the engine plumbed in with -8AN 

aluminium fuel fi ttings and braided lines, 

as well as a remote Fram HP1 and Kymco 

external oil cooler, William was ready to 

blow the cobwebs out of grandma’s Oval. 

When Buddy Hale fi rst assembled the 

car for William, he sorted him out with a 

set of chromed reproduction fi ve-spokes - 

fi tted up with 145 Michelin ZXs and 205/50 

meats out back. Feeling that these weren’t 

Tech spec: 

2276cc IDA motor 

AS41 case - full fl ow, shuffl e pinned, sand seal 

82mm CB Performance counterweighted crank 

94 Cima barrels and pistons 

Scat 5.5-inch I-beam rods, VW journal 

Engle FK8 camshaft (.534in lift and 298º duration) 

VW 041 cylinder heads, ported and polished by Steve 

Tims, Manley 42mm intake / 37.5mm exhaust valves 

Compression ratio 8.5:1 

Autocraft 1.45:1 ratio rockers 

Twin 48IDA Weber carbs, painted black and detailed 

Don Zig magneto, Heads Up Performance bracket 

1 3/4-inch Berg header with 3-inch A1 muffl er 

12.5lb lightened fl ywheel, 8-dowelled 

Kennedy Stage 2 clutch, Daiken disc 

Extras: Gene Berg 30mm oil pump, doghouse 

cooler, Fram HP1, Kymco remote super cooler, chromoly 

pushrods, CB intake manifolds, Berg linkage and 

breather, billet crank pulley and top pulley, detailed 

and polished to the max 

Gearbox: Swing axle, 4.12:1 ring and pinion, 3.78 

1st, 2.06 2nd, 1.26 3rd, 0.82 4th, Super-Diff, welded 

3rd and 4th, chromoly pinion retainer, steel shift forks 

quite Cal Look enough for him though 

William later changed these out for repro 

BRMs instead, this time rolling on 145 

Firestones up front and the same 205s. 

It will come as no surprise to anyone that 

this car started scooping fi rst place awards 

as soon as it was unleashed on the public 

eye. But it’s a measure of the quality of 

cars generally now that on its debut at VW 

Classic in California it could only manage 

a third place in the Cal Look line-up. The 

question you have to start to ask now 

though is, how does anyone go about 

topping this kind of car? You’d think it 

might put some people off but it seems to 

be having the opposite effect as more and 

more people strive to attain cars as good 

as this. Must be that old pride thing again, 

and long may it continue to drive others 

to seek their own ideas of perfection, 

whatever they may be.

Wedding Prep 

After meeting in our Beetles on a garage forecourt 11 years ago, 

Vanessa and I decided to get married. With just two weeks to go 

before the wedding we found ourselves a ‘72 fl at screen Bug and 

decided to convert it to a cabriolet for the big day. 

With a mad man, an angle grinder, a Paris conversion kit and one 

hernia later, it was fi nished. Luckily the sun shone on our wedding day. 

Terry and Vanessa Reed-Butcher 

Oxon 

Sand Bug 

Just thought I’d show you what we got up to at Run To The Sun this year. The lack of 

waves forced us to seek alternative entertainment (whilst nursing our hangovers). 

We would love it if you could print one of our pictures in your next mag. The mission 

for next year is to sculpt a Split Screen Crew Cab, yikes! 

Keep up the good work, 

Dale, Chris, Tom, Toni and Scott. 

Shade Seeker 

Howdy Vee Dubbers. I just wanted to 

share this picture of my daughter seeking 

some shade whilst we were polishing the 

Bug for Run To The Sun last year. She is 

now 18 months and her favourite words 

are bitty, Bug and Bay. I’d like to thanks 

VolksWorld for the great magazine. And 

thanks to everyone who makes the scene 

what it is. 

Cheers, Dan 


volksworld@ipcmedia.com 

Have you got something to say? Email us or send your letters to: 

Carol Linfi eld, Mailbox, VolksWorld, IPC media, Leon house, 233 High Street, Croydon, CR9 1HZ 

Bonnet Emblem 

I wanted to let you know how we love your 

magazine, always a fi ght over the new 

issue when it comes to the house. 

I’ve sent you a picture of my ‘59 Rat 

Look Bug. The head ornaments name is 

Jack, he loves all air-cooled VWs and one 

of the Herbie fi lms is always in the DVD 

player. I’d love to see his face in the mag. 

Thanks 

Matt Vernon 

Essex

Sponsored by Sureterm Direct. 

‘Higher Quality Lower Prices’ 

Call Sureterm Direct on 0845 20 20 230 

letter of the month 

I have been reading VolksWorld for over a year now and thought it was time I sent in 

some pictures of my VW collection. 

I’ve been collecting VWs for ages now and have paid anything from nothing to forty 

pounds for each piece. I have around 800 VWs in my collection and I’m very proud to 

own all these wonderful models. 

Robert Allard (aged 14) 

Notts 

That is quite some collection Robert. 

Because we like it so much, we made it 

letter of the month. Now seeing as 

you probably have no need for polish, 

we are putting in a few toy VWs to add to 

your collection as well. 

SUBSCRIBE NOW 

Receive a FREE Meguiars 

polishing kit and Save 10% when 

you subscribe to VolksWorld 

Check out pages 78-79 for more info. 

0845 676 7778 

Birthday Boy 

I thought your readers might like to see the 

cake my wife made for my 30th Birthday 

party. It’s a replica of ‘Dev’, our ‘66 LHD Split. 

Everything at the party was going really well 

until, for some reason, I decided to take the 

cake outside with a spoon - a very bad idea. 

Someone found me 20 minutes later 

laughing in the bushes with a bumper hanging 

out of my mouth. 

Never again! 

Nathan Spacey 

Lancashire 

Furry Bug 

Recently on a visit in South Africa a friend of 

my father came to visit him and I just had to 

take a picture of his car to share with other 

VolksWorld readers. So instead of washing 

his car he now gives it a good vacuum. 

Charl van Heerden 


Peruvian 


marching 

power

Nose down, tail high, one colour, t-bars, 48IDAs 

and a neat set of rims can only mean one thing. 

It’s California Look time of year again 

Words: Mike Pye Pics: Stefan Bau 

There still seems to be some debate as to what exactly 

constitutes a California Look car. Apparently, there 

has even been some “reckless journalism” confusing 

people by referring to particular cars or particular 

trends as, or not as, California Look. But, whatever 

your personal opinions, California Look as a genre is here to stay. 

To some, this may mean a strict adherence to a very particular 

set of ‘rules’, to others it means building a car that they like that 

owes something to a style that is now over 30 years old. Whether 

that person chooses to keep the chrome trim or de-chrome the 

car, for example, is a personal expression. Likewise, if that same 

person chooses to seek out rare, original wheels to emulate 

those cars seen in early photographs or just go with off-the-shelf 

wheels is up to them. This VW thing is supposed to be a hobby, 

not a life sentence. 

One thing’s for sure though, if the Look has done one thing it 

has united the VW scene across the world. Where back in the old 

days, at shows like VW Action, it was reasonably easy to spot 

which country cars came from by the way they had been 

modifi ed, take the number plates off contemporary Cal Lookers 

and you’d be hard pushed to tell their origins. 

22-year old Marc Hellmann from Germany is one for whom the 

nose down, tail up, high performance look is where it’s at, and his 

Peru Green ‘66 is a tough looking ride for sure. 

Hang on though, if this is a ‘66, how come it has a folding 

sunroof? The answer is because it has been retro-fi tted to the car. 

Whilst canvas sunroofs were offi cially deleted in August ‘63, in 

favour of the new steel slider, they were still available on basemodel 

Standards up until August ‘67 but are extremely uncommon, 

for the reason that if people chose to save money and buy 


a standard model, it was most unlikely 

they’d then pay a heap extra for a sunroof 

in it. In fact, I’ve personally only ever seen 

one ‘67 that had a factory canvas sunroof 

in all my years of intensive VW buffi ng. 

Unlike the Arizona car featured elsewhere 

in this issue, the bodywork of Marc’s 

Beetle needed a fair amount of work when 

he bought the car for just 1300DM (approx 

£500) in 2001 and needed the usual 

replacement panels all round - heartening 

news for anyone in the UK who has had 

to restore a Beetle from the ground up 

and deal with the aftermath of a lifetime of 

European weather! The restoration work 

was ably taken care of by the Beetle Factory 

in Wuppertal, including repainting the 

‘shell inside and out in Peru Green, a ‘68 

only colour not dissimilar to the ‘66 colour, 

Java Green. The only modifi cations done 

to the body were the deletion of the stock 

wing-top indicators and the rear exhaust 

cut-outs, though a desirable Cabriolet 

decklid was also sourced and found its 

way onto the car during the process. 

The Beetle Factory also helped Marc out 

when it came to putting together the strong 

running 2110cc motor that is claimed to 

produce something in the region of 186ps 

RIGHT Mota Lita wheel, Autometers and Berg 

shifter. Haven’t we heard this somewhere before? 


(that’s just over 180bhp in real money). 

The heart of this powerhouse is a very desirable 

82mm Okrasa crank, bolted up to 

an 8-dowelled and lightened fl ywheel with 

Mahle 90.5mm pistons hanging onto a set 

of Porsche 912 rods for dear life - these 

having the 53mm journal size for the crank. 

The stock VW head castings didn’t 

stay that way for long, being welded up 

to ensure adequate mounting surface 

was available for the short IDA pattern 

manifolds and ported and polished to 

make the most of the 42 and 37.5mm 

Manley inlet and exhaust valves. These are 

opened and closed by a Pauter Machine 

camshaft via Scat 1.25:1 ratio rockers. The 

crowning glory is of course the original 

Italian 48IDA Webers with open ram pipes, 

just ready to suck all the goodness out of 

the surrounding atmosphere. The engine’s 

thirst for fuel is satiated by a new 8mm fuel 

line, running through a Mezuba fuel pump 

plumbed in beneath the stock tank. 

Ignition is by way of the full complement 

of MSD products, while exhaust duties are 

taken care of by a Berg merged header 

that exits through a special cut-out in the 

rear valance and a polished turbo muffl er. 

One area where Marc has remained 

conservative on the car so far is with the 

gearbox, this still being the stock unit the 

‘66 came with, albeit freshened up with 

new seals and a lick of gloss black paint to 

match the rest of the fl oorpan. 

Unlike here in the UK, where you can get 

away with modifying your engine as much

as you like, even if it’s in a cable-braked 

Split, in Germany the law take things a little 

more seriously and insist that cars with 

engines above standard output also have 

brakes above standard, too. To comply 

with the regulations Marc added a set of 

drilled, four-bolt discs up front and wider 

Type 3 drums on the rear (why is it you can 

never fi nd a decent set of these when you 

want them?). 

Rim shot 

Onto these went the car’s defi ning feature 

- the polished and detailed Mahle wheels. 

These were a factory option on ‘73-’76 

Porsche 914s (colour coded to the trim 

on special edition cars) but we won’t hold 

that against them. They’re a great looking, 

high quality, four-bolt wheel that shouldn’t 

be confused with the visually very similar 

Pedrini. For wheel pervs, the way to tell 

the two apart is the Mahles have bigger 

‘windows’ and all the ribs are the same 

length. On Pedrinis four of the cast-in ribs 

intersect at the centre cap hole. Okay, I’ll 

get my coat... Tyres are 145s and 205/70s, 

both from the Firestone catalogue. 

With the rear at stock height and an adjustable 

front beam set for the maximum 

drop, long travel ball joints, an anti-roll bar 

and Bilstein shocks, the car sits just right. 

Likewise the interior, Marc sits just how 

LEFT Ragtop sunroof is a retro-fi t, as is genuine 

Karmann Cabriolet Beetle decklid 

ABOVE 2110cc powerhouse is based around 

a desirable Okrasa crank and is said to make 

185bhp at the flywheel.So far Marc has netted 

an 8.06 second tim ing slip on the 1/8th mile 

BELOW RIGHT Super detailed cabin paintwork 

and fl oorpan shows Marc’s ride means business. 

Also that he can hear the roar of the carbs better! 

he wants to on stock ‘66 leatherette seats 

with a Mota Lita wheel, a Berg shifter and 

a manual line lock to hand. Rather than 

mess with the dash, the Autometer gauge 

collection has been slung below - revs, 

oil temp and pressure and cylinder head 

temperature now being visible at a glance. 

Having taken a fi rst place in the Cal 

Look class at Budel in Holland and also 

having run an 8.06 on the 1/8th mile, 

Marc’s car is a great interpretation of 

the California Look doctrine - it runs 

strong, looks tough and, with those open 

mouthed fi rebreathers out back, roars 

when he stomps the loud pedal. What 

more could you ask for in a hot VW? 

Tech spec: 


AS41 case - modifi ed for full fl ow oiling 

82mm Okrasa counterweighted crank 

90.5 Mahle barrels and pistons, Porsche 912 rods 

Pauter Machine camshaft (undisclosed lift and duration) 

VW 041 cylinder heads, ported and polished 

Manley 42mm intake and 37.5mm exhaust s/s valves 

Scat 1.25:1 ratio rockers 

Twin 48IDA Weber carbs 

MSD 6AL ignition module, billet distributor, coil and leads 

1 5/8-inch Berg merged header with stainless turbo muffl er 

12.5lb lightened fl ywheel, 8-dowelled 

Kennedy 1700lb Street Sport clutch 

Extras: 30 horse-style doghouse fan shroud, deep sump, 

remote oil fi lter, Beetle Factory degreed lower pulley 

Approx power: 180bhp 



Steve Walker – VolksWorld’s roving reporter 

on the VW scene 

Inspirational 

This months’ point of contention is 

something that carries both affection 

and loathing in almost equal 

measure throughout the VW scene. 

It is something the vast majority of us have 

experienced and possibly done, it is also 

something many of us would often deny 

doing, yet, if it happens out of context: say 

on a routine journey, rather than en route to 

a VW event it can be both rewarding, and 

well received. Confused? All will become 

from America (concentrating on the new 

Passat and Pierburg carb issues). All of a 

sudden the far off West Coast dream was 

presented in dramatic form, when the notion 

of a lowered Beetle was almost whimsical 

- along comes Air Cooled Volkswagens with 

page after page of the things! Of course, 

the legacy this book has left can be very 

personal, yet, I know for a fact I am not the 

only person able to quote the phrases word 

for word and picture by picture! 

“ ” 

I suppose it means I am one of you 

and I appreciate your ride 

clear. Last month I mentioned the 

Inspiration, at exactly the right time 

excellent Air Cooled Volkswagens: by Colin ensured many of the defi ning characteris- 

Burnham, which argueably kick started the tics found within our scene today could be 

UK VW scene as we know it. The book (by attributed to this book, yet as the styles have 

Osprey Publishing - who we thank for the changed over the years one particular legacy 

permission to show you these images as lives on, its origins within the UK scene 

an idea of the content) is a biopic glimpse fi rmly embedded amongst the pages. 

into mid ‘80s Californian VW following. The innoccuous picture on page 

While a few notable pioneers championed 41 showing a blue targa topped bug 

the ‘Cal Look’ format here in the UK, it was may have inspired a car or two in itself, 

almost a quasi-underground movement, with however, our legacy concerns the ges- 

ideas and enthusiasm spreading without the tures made by its occupants ; ‘the two 

widespread magazine and internet resourses fi ngered symbol means hang loose’ pro- 

we now take for granted. Although increasing claimed the text, and with those seven 

VW content within Custom Car and Street words, coupled with the aforementioned 

Machine was eagerly received, the 

picture, and another of a slammed early 

traditional VW press at the time largely fastback and the same gesture on page 

ignored the exciting new ‘customised ‘ VWs 98 , Colin Burnham set the tone! 

ABOVE Rad ride! Hanging loose in a Targa top. 

BELOW Ivan got the book in ‘87 and this was 

his favourite photo. One day, out of the blue,he 

noticed there was a passenger in the car! 

There can be no other explanation as to 

why a surfi ng gesture has been adopted as 

the VW sign in the UK and across Europe, 

small kids do it, grown adults do it, many 

of us fi nd it cringe worthy on one hand, but 

when I am sitting in my VW, on a mundane 

journey, it never fails to lift my spirits when an 

otherwise unnoticeable vehicle passes with 

the hang loose gesture on display. 

I suppose it means I am one of you and 

I appreciate your ride. When the local kids 

around Woolaston and the other towns near 

Santa Pod hang loose I guess it means you 

guys are cool? As a legacy initially it may 

seem a tad naff, but there can’t be many 

hobbies or lifestyles that have their own hand 

signal to show camaraderie and affi liation? 

If you are new to the scene, now you know 

who is responsible for the friendlier two 

fi ngered symbol fl ashed at us VW driver. 

To many of us, Colin Burnham’s book 

started it all and we love it!


What Mike Pye, VolksWorld’s Features Editor, 

has been up to this month 

ABOVE In an ideal world corner weight fi gures should be the same side by side i.e. 

across the front axle and across the rear axle. Take measurements with fl uid levels full, 

half a tank of petrol and the most common driver/passenger confi guration in the car 

Weight for it 

Corner weight scales may be the preserve of racecar mechanics 

but they offer the potential to optimise the performance of 

radically modifi ed VWs, too 

Following on from last month’s brief 

insight into aerodynamics, this 

month I’ve been looking in more 

depth at corner weighting, with help 

from Chris Tweed and Shaun Hollamby at 

Big Boys Toys Racing in Thurrock. Again, 

this is not something that many of you 

will have had cause to think about with 

your VWs but, like the wind tunnel testing, 

it highlighted some situations where this 

could be a helpful area to consider. 

In basic terms, corner weight scales are 

used to weigh racecars and to determine 

where heavy items such as batteries and fuel 

tanks should be placed to optimise weight 

distribution. Now this subject (and that of 

adjusting a car’s suspension to optimise it) 

fi lls many books but there are some basic 

principles here that make sense, whatever 

the application. 

One common VW-based example that 

comes to mind is a lightweight beach buggy, 

particularly one with a rear mounted fuel tank, 

which suffers from front brakes locking up 

because so much weight has been taken out 

of the front of the car. 

Likewise, any VW with an alternative engine 

in the back, or a radically altered chassis like 

a Volksrod, will have different characteristics 

to how the factory designed it and this will 

most obviously be manifested in handling 

and braking potential. Considering the cause 

and effect of altering chassis dynamics in 

these kind of situations is a good move. For 

example, if a car is 100kg lighter at the front 

than a stock version but has stock brakes, 

RIGHT A less accurate DIY method of corner 

weighting is with four bathroom scales. Car and 

scales must be on perfectly level ground though 

plumbing a simple brake proportioning valve 

into the system with a bias toward the rear 

might be worth considering. Alternatively, 

uprating either the front or the rear brake 

systems to provide a more balanced 

stopping action. 

“ ” 

Considering the cause and effect of altering 

chassis dynamics is a good move 

Corner weighting will give you four indi- straight piece of road and a few low speed 

vidual fi gures and a total weight. Add two brake tests. A friend watching will be able 

corner weights to get an axle weight, then di- to tell you which wheel(s) is locking up fi rst 

vide by the total weight to give a front or rear and you can adjust accordingly until all four 

axle percentage. You’re not looking for 50/50 begin to lock up together, or whatever you 

necessarily, but something close to 60/40, personally feel comfortable with. 

with the higher value being the engine end, is It goes without saying that any work on 

generally considered a good starting point. brake systems should be carried out by 

While MoT brake test rollers can check professionals unless you’re sure of your 

your braking performance, without access abilities. Even then, get someone to check 

to test equipment you’re looking at a quiet, your work carefully before driving the car. 

Dr Gonzo weight 

Overall 668kg 

Front left 115.5kg 

Front right 124.5kg 

Front percentage 36% 

Rear left 210.5lg 

Rear right 217.5kg 

Rear percentage 64% 

Stock Beetle weights 

Early 1200 Beetle 730kg 

Late 1200 Beetle 760kg 

1970’s 1300 Beetle 820kg 

1500 Beetle 870kg 

1303 Beetle 890kg 

(Cabrios are considerably heavier still, +40kg if 

a 1303, for example)


Brian Burrows – VW event organiser and 

host of www.volkszone.com 

BELOW RIGHT New Waves from South East 

London/North Surrey was the best known club 

in 1992 BELOW Andy Parrott took Best of Show. 

An amazingly detailed car for the time 

The 1st VolksWorld Show 

In my opinion, 1992 was another of 

those ‘seminal’ years. 1989 had been 

one, when UK show cars came of age. 

1992 would see VW Drag Racing events 

blossom and progress and with it many 

new racers and racecars. 

For me, the year started with loads of 

rushing around trying to get Outrage II built 

and detailed as soon as possible. A new 

event had been announced - The VolksWorld 

Show - promoted on VolksWorld’s behalf by 

Andrew Cook and Keith Jackson (of current 

Proteus III VW Dragster fame) at the Rex 

Centre in the centre of Birmingham. 

By the time the show came around in 

March, we had already tested Outrage II (in 

primer) at Santa Pod on a cold Wednesday 

afternoon. It had alerted us to a couple of 

minor ‘design faults’ which were put right 

before the fi nal paintjob and detailing were 

carried out. I had secured a modest 

sponsorship deal with URO Automotive who 

wanted to promote their new ‘VW Dream 

Machine’ franchise network and their logos 

had to be incorporated. In the end, I stuck 

with my company colours of Silver and Pink 

(with a white ‘rip’). Once painted, I airbrushed 

the headlights, tail-lights and horn-grilles to 

help give the stretched GRP body the look of 

a real Beetle. 

The car debuted at the RexCentre and 

people seemed genuinely blown away. The 

show was awesome, very different to ‘regular’ 

VW shows. It was indoors, for a start, very 

similar to the old Custom Car shows and the 

display vehicles were over three fl oors. Simon 

and Shane at The Paintbox had badgered 

their clientelle to bring along their showcars 

(a tradition that is carried on to this day) and 

by the time all the displays were in place, the 

cream of the UK VW world were all present. 

‘Home’ built Cal-Lookers, Buggies and Type 

Threes rubbed shoulders with ‘Pro’ built Customs 

and Buses. The traders supported the 

had parked my car in a church car park 

nearby. When I checked out the following 

morning and was loading up my car, I was 

approached by the vicar who started ranting 

at me for parking there. I mean really ‘losing 

it’, I thought he was going to get violent. 

Then he suddenly stopped and suggested I 

donate some cash to the church fund - very 

Christian! What I actually donated was some 

tyre rubber as I beat a hasty exit. 

Despite the local scallies’ best efforts the 

“ ” 

What I actually donated was some tyre 

rubber as I beat a hasty exit 

show too, with every major, and less major, show was deemed a success and I even 

name displaying and/or selling at the event. took home the ‘Best Racecar’ trophy. Brett 

I remember the show vividly, for many Hawksbee had just created his new video 

reasons - seeing all those beautiful cars magazine ‘Channel VW’ on VHS and the 

in one building, the Can-Can girl dancers, cameras were there to record everything for 

the ‘Film Studio’ make-up artists putting posterity. Sadly, he only produced two issues 

bullet-holes and scars on folks’ faces, Keith as production costs far outweighed income. 

Seume’s trophy presentation speach, the Both issues are now available through Stu 

really tall (read:GIANT) VW Dream Girl giving Betty’s ‘Back To ‘89 Nostalgia’ at www. 

out the trophies and the snogs and sadly I backto89uknostalgia.com. Well worth a look, 

remember several cars being broken into in whether you were there, or not. The fi rst time 

the streets outside. Luckily my brand new 964 Outrage II turned a wheel in anger would be 

Carrera wasn’t amongst them. 

at the VW Spring Championships at Santa 

I spent the Saturday night at a central Pod - next issue. 

Birmingham hotel and had dinner as a guest The VolksWorld Show had a year out before 

of URO Automotive boss Tony Cannon. I moving to the current venue in 1994.

Autumn VW fair 

The end of the year, well for VW events, is heralded annually by the Autumn VW fair in Slough, 

Berkshire. The 2005 event was a belter and busy would be a mild way of putting it! 

Words & Pics: Steve Walker 

Autumn VW fair? Or slough 

swapmeet? Which ever way 

you address it, the annual parts 

gathering at the Montem sports 

centre never fails to draw the crowds. 

This event signals the drawing to a close 

of yet another busy Volkswagen show 

season, and perhaps that is one of the 

reasons why it remains so popular. 

Not only is it the last chance to grab an 

elusive part or accessory for your ride, it is 


also the last opportunity to catch up with 

VW friends and acquaintances from far 

and wide before winter takes hold, and the 

VW show season hibernates until springtime. 

This is not just a swapmeet, it’s a real 

social occassion in the scene. 

Whether you spent the day chatting,or 

like many of us, scouring the tables for 

specifi c parts (You couldn’t help be impressed 

at the sheer variation and choice 

available. Whether you coolect VW related 

ABOVE The tailgate on this Split tells you it is a factory VW Ambulance. Car park 

trading is not something permitted and spells trouble for the organisers! 

RIGHT Kobus Cantraine from Belgium had some really desirable kit on offer 

LEFT The Montem Sports Centre was fairly quiet 

at this point. It had been heaving earlier in the day! 

ABOVE A trio of DDK Outlaw Porkers fl ew in to 

blitzkrieg Slough - a surprise which drew a crowd 

literature, toys, period performace parts or 

standard or service parts, there was sure 

to be something to make you reach in to 

your pocket for your wallet. 

Low light Karmann Ghia parts are not 

high on the ‘fed up of tripping over’ list, 

but I managed to fi nd everything needed 

to put life back into a ‘59 currently in my 

workshop. And, the best news was that the 

parts I took home were all sensibly priced. 

Literature fans were spoilt for choice

ABOVE Oval dash grille clock frenzy! RIGHT 

Cars that the grilles fi t in! BELOW Someone 

must be working on a rusty or smashed 356 

as several stall holders were displaying 

catalogues,documents and manuals that 

are amongst the most sought after within 

VW circles. A lot of people mention the 

bargains they fi nd at slough, and a lot of 

those stories get repeated year after year. 

This can give the impression the chances 

of fi nding those folklore items for sale are 

long gone, but not from what I saw! 

Ultra rare wheels, period accesorries to 

befi t the most pedantic of collectors and 

the aforementioned literature, are to be 

found alongside the vast array of parts,toys 

and memorabilia - in short something for 

every one. 

The miniutes silence to remember 

those lost in the confl icts our country has 

been invloved in was again respectfully 

honoured by all present, and a poignant 

reminder that even a hobby cannot be 

taken for granted. 

If anyone doubts the diversity of our VW 

scene, a quick glance round the car park 

at the Montem centre should give a good 

indication of health, as the photos show, 

VWs of all types and ages rub shoulders 

with vintage Porsches, and Customs yet 

all display an air of cool often overlooked 

at other events. Car park watching also 

unveils many differing styles throughout 

the vehicles in attendance. This diversity 

bodes well for the year ahead, and shows 

how creative you all are. 

As curtain calls go ,the VW Autumn 

Fair is a hard act to follow, from parts, to 

catching up with friends or simply checking 

out the car park for fresh ideas it is a great 

way to spend a Sunday. 

ABOVE LEFT Alan Mann replica Mk 1 Escort and Oval racer. 

great eye candy! ABOVE Mike Pye was tempted to have a 

spend-up on this stand, but was not wealthy enough... 

LEFT The Generation Game - Type 2 style! 


Green Hearts VW Club 

Winners of The Best Club at the 2005 VolksWorld Show, The Green Hearts is a hardcore Old School 

California Look club based on the South Coast of England which lives on a diet of high performance 

Words: Ivan McCutcheon and Max Jamieson Pics: Chris Such 

The Green Hearts VW Club, or the 

JG54 Grünherz was originally 

formed in 1996 by a trio of likeminded 

friends in the Portsmouth, 

Hants area. The three were Pete Roberts, 

TomSilsbury and James De’ath. The 

Green Hearts logo was the insignia of the 

Staffel 9Group 3,who were amongst the 

highest scoring flying access in World 

War II. Inspiration came from the super 

fast Messerschmitts they fl ew, combined 

with the incredibly quick and clean cars 

from the Der Kleiner Panzers car club. 

Instead of little tanks, Green Hearts are 

low flying fighter aircraft! In 2003 the bulk 

of the members joined the ranks thanks 

to some subtle recruiting and they now 

number around 18people. The main club 

emphasis is on actually driving the cars 

and members can be divided into full or 

prospect status. To obtain full status the 

car must have (or be able to) run a 15.99 

or quicker in the 1/4 mile. Aprospect is 

a member whose car is in progress or 

has yet had the chance to run 1/4. After a 

short probationary period there is a vote, 

currently are 8 members and 8prospects. 

The Green Hearts is currently invite only 

membership. 

Club rules are in the spirit of the DKP 3, 


with fast, clean California Look cars fully 

capable of being street driven. Period 

performance parts are combined with 

modern hi-po motors to give the best 

of both worlds. Many of the cars have 

evolved over a long period to their current 

spec. With the popularity of the mighty 

Weber IDA carb, the practicality of disc 

brakes, drop spindles and narrowed 

beams, club cars are becoming quicker 

and more drivable at the time. Where 

possible close-ratio gearboxes are fi tted 

for traffic light action! 

Meetings and show cruises often start 

from the Hilsea workshop of Funkenblitz, 

the premises of the club’s engine builder, 

Pete Roberts. The members always try 

to arrive en-masse. Regular gatherings 

include monthly meets at the Hampshire 

Owners Club at Ruscrete Business Park, 

Southampton a short trip to Poole’s own 

‘Beetles on the quay’, and long trips to test 

and tune days at Santa Pod. They also try 

to attend shows including BeachBuggin 

and the Canford/Holton Classics in Poole. 

You can see The Green Hearts at the 

VolksWorld Show this April. Where they will 

be debuting some fighting machines. This 

is without a doubt the only club like it in the 

U.K. They are on the loud pedal!

Andy Jewell’s ‘63 “Doom 

and Gloom” 

Andy’s car was featured in VolksWorld 

many years ago. He’s owned it for over 

ten years and has kept it in top condition 

whilst still managing to evolve its look. 

Various engines have made way for a hot 

1914cc unit, a real OldSchool ripper with 

it’s lairy 125 cam, straight cut gears, IDAs 

and 3-inch muffl er. A Pro Street 1500 ratio 

box allows easily illegal cruising speeds. 

With its powder coated black original Sprint 

Stars, black T-bars and beard seats this car 

is super stealthy. A narrowed 2-inch beam 

is the latest addition. It also has an original 

EMPI steering wheel, period dash plaque 

collection and original EMPI oil sender all of 

which make up the club’s ‘staff car’. 

Tim Cooper’s white ‘63 

“Grand Tourer” 

With its 2165cc Street Eliminator headed 

IDF motor, combined with a long ratio 

uprated gearbox, Tim’s car is a real longdistance 

cruiser. Tim attended Das Drag 

Day in 2005, a round trip of 1000 miles or 

so, then the next weekend did it all again 

for SPA. White paintwork, Enkei five, T-bars 

and Cal Look rubbers tip a subtle nod to 

the 70’s. It’ll pull a 14 second quarter. 

‘Big’ Pete Holloway’s 

white ‘66 Rocket 

A 4-inch narrowed front beam, 6-inch 

Fuchs gets this ‘66 sitting nicely in the club 

line-up. Watch out for it at the next set of 

lights when Pete nails the 2332cc it rocks! 

With a current 1/4 time of 13.0 on M/H 

tyres, he can fl ex the 1.04/3.88 pro comp 

box on any given occasion. Traction is 

aided by CDS tubing to the frame forks with 

solid mounts and pre-load is helped by 

modifi ed handbrake/launch control set up 

linked to the Mallory ignition. 10.3.1 comp 

ratio and a 3-inch muffl er keep it thumping! 

Neal Anderson’s ‘56 Oval 

“The Black Bomber” 

Another VolksWorld featured car, this RHD 

sunroof has roaring IDAs when it rolls. 

Sporting polished hex T-bars, Pro Drag box 

and 2276cc motor this award winning ‘56 

still looks fresh 10 years later. Scratch built 

4-inch narrowed beam, 6-inch Fuchs all 

round and short axles all help the classic 

stance. Interior features stock style retrim, 

Berg locker and full Autometer gauge set 

up. Konis, AVO coil overs, F&R roll bars155 

front and 205/65 tyres, keep it on the 

tarmac! 

James “Alfi e the Monster” 

Dore’s Red ‘61 stomper 

Starting with a nice original car, James 

added a 4-inch narrowed beam (requiring 


petrol tank and inner wing mods) CB drop 

spindles and a wide 5 disc brake kit. Erco 

wheels, 4.5 fronts and 6-inch rears have 

a 145 & 205/65 tyre combo. 2109 on the 

number plate and in the engine bay too. 

041 heads, close ratio box and 48s gathered 

Alfi e a 14.0 on street treads, warmed 

up by a Berg shifter mounted line-loc button. 

He is the club’s burnout specialist! 

Steve “Movie Star” 

Mortimer’s ‘54 Cab 

Thanks to being on the cover of VolksWorld 

Jan 2001 and many magazine features, 

Steve’s ex-DKP 54 Oval must be the best 

known cab in Cal Look history. Still sitting 

pretty (now with a 2-inch narrower beam) 

and running hard with the Old School 

1835 motor racks up the miles at 

European shows like Super VW and DAS 

Drag Day, usually at warp speed. 

Paul “Scratchy” Tomlin’s 

Gulf Blue ‘63 

Paul re-built and re-painted his ‘63 himself. 

Utilizing a 1.5-narrowed beam/drop 

spindles and Ercos Paul won best Cal 

Look at Stoner Park 2005. Super straight 


paintwork and an awesome diamond 

stitched headliner, with matching platinum 

harnesses no doubt helped. Detailed 

throughout and blasting a 2276 wedge 

port headed IDA motor. This car is the 

complete package, even taking him to the 

church for his big day. 

Simon “Cider” Jones’ 

metallic grey ‘67 

This car will defi ne the term “full-on”. With 

a nut and bolt rebuild, up and under Audi 

grey paint job and whopping motor. Simon 

is looking for a low 12 in 2006. A fl ange 

cranked 2332 with Comp Eliminators, 11.1 

and a super short Pro Drag box sit under 

the original ‘67 Cab decklid. A 4-inch 

narrowed ball joint beam, Porsche pattern 

discs will enable Simon to choose between 

3 sets of rare original Porsche alloys. 

Paul “Hair Bear” Howard 

Another ‘63 this time Sea Blue with Flat 4 

BRMs and huge Jaycee 51.5 IDAs. They 

fuel the 44/37 oval port heads in the 2276 

engine. 10.5.1 comp ratio and a 1.14 

fourth Pro Drag box will make the drive 

from Kettering to Portsmouth.... noisy! 

At least it’s comfortable with a stock style 

interior, and safe thanks to a Berg locker. 

Mark Cross’s Beige Oval 

This beautifully restored former Bug-Run 

Best of Show winner is soon to be transformed 

from a stocker to a hot VW JG54 

style. Plans include a 2332 CB 2289 (FK87 

equivalent) cam, IDAs, Pro Comp box with 

a 3.88 R&P for fast street/strip action. 

Paula Mooney’s Ghia 

This lovely metallic Trout Blue low light 

combines stock looks with upgraded mechanicals 

such as the Pro Street box, 2200 

motor with 44 carbs and 044 CNC heads. 

Being kept rubber mounted, this car with 

its 2-inch narrowed beam, discs, 4 and 

5.5-inch original sprint stars with real driver. 

Alex “67 Mafi a” Taylor 

Alex found his orginal ‘67 in Austria, added 

some classic style in the form of a lowered 

stock width beam, anodised and selfdetailed 

2 Litre Fuchs. He kept the lovely 

stock brown interior, fi tted a DDS shifter, 

‘67 Cab lid and VDM steering wheel then 

drove it straight back over the pond to 

DDD 3. Currently this is his daily driver 

ABOV Tim Cooper is the fi rst club member to run 

Enkei alloys from Flat 4 in Japan. His ‘63 has got 

it all going on. A strong runner on the street and 

strip - he’s rightly happy with it... For the minute! 

LEFT These graphs show exactly what has gone 

into each of the club cars

ecause Alex is busy down at his Defcon 

3 workshop in Poole building another ‘67, 

this time a no hold tradition Cal Look with a 

2276 and Weber 48s on DDS manifolds. 

Max “Stance Police” 

Jamieson’s trio... 

The other Cab is a ‘64 Cal import car. Rake 

is achieved with a 2-inch narrowed beam. 

Wheels are original Gas Burners mounted 

with 145 & 205/70 tyres. Inside there’s a 

VDM wheel, Berg locker and black vinyl 

seats. Black t-bars, a stainless dual quiet 

pack and original hood trim mix well with 

the 2110/freeway fl yer mechanicals. 

His Coral red ‘54 rag was featured in 

VolksWorld Sept ‘96. But has changed a 

fair bit since! It went to Das Drag Day in 

2005 in its new guise. The 1835 now has 

a full stainless VW Speed Shop muffl er 

& header set up and is monitored by 

Autometer Ultra-Lite 2 stage rev counter 

with matching oil and temp gauges, all 

mounted below the dash. With IRS, 4 inch 

narrowed ball joint beam, detailed late 

Fuchs and roll bars, it really corners! 

The Blue ‘63 is a real ripper running a 

12.05 in the 1/4 mile. A fl ange cranked 

2332 mega cam and Ultra Mag 44/37 

heads with a long valve conversion. Stand 

offs help ram air into the IDAs and the 

manifolds mix the fuel and nitrous together 

with the stainless annular discharge profoggers. 

Full MSD linking launch and rev 

controls, progressive nitrous controller 

adds to the wiring. Race axles, braces and 

solid mounts get the power down with the 

fourth topping out at 8, 000 rpm. Sparse 

interior with cage, harnesses and multiple 

warning lights all mean business. 

Paul “Hebmullered” 

Taylor’s Ghia 

Although not at the shoot, this low light will 

be debuted at Sandown. Original Sprint 

Stars, original Empi Eliminator shifter and 

a very non-original 2165 lump with FK8 

cam! It is running a Peloquin built gearbox. 

LEFT Neal Anderson’s ragtop doing the old 

booty-la-la on the street. Naughty, naughty, 

naughty! BELOW Green Hearts fl y-past alert! 

BELOW LEFT Paula’s Ghia at Funkenblitz 

Unwelded and proud, this Ghia is highly 

detailed underneath - but OG on top. 

Joe “Patient” Patel 

Another Portsmouth regular Joe’s late 

model Ghia is a ground up rebuilt car 2332 

power again, this one cammed by an 86b, 

44 IDFs and a 0.89 rancho box which will 

probably snap the speedo needle clean 

off! Joe was sadly not at the photoshoot. 

Chris Lincoln 

Prospective member Chris recently bought 

his restored Beryl Green ‘63 and has big 

plans. Original Gas Burners, a narrow 

beam and discs will do nicely! A 2276 and 

close ratio gearbox are already built and 

once fi tted should see Chris getting to 

grips with some serious horsepower. 

Thanks to Pete Roberts, 

Max Jamieson and the Green 

Hearts members 


Double 

Back 

38 February 2006 www.volksworld.com

The Type 3 Squareback was a great car for 

the VW fan who needed a bit more space 

than the VW Beetle offered. In fact, make 

that a lot more space, as the Squareback 

has a front luggage area under the bonnet 

and a huge carrying area in the back. This 

doesn’t mean a Square has to be square! 

Words: Ivan McCutcheon Pics: Tony Butler 

The stars of this feature are the cars as they 

are both great lookers. However as the 

owners of the cars are well known in the UK 

VW world, they take equal ‘top billing’ on 

this feature. Brian Burrows the owner of the 

Resto Cal styled ‘69 Squareback is the most prolifi c 

event organiser in the U.K., and one of VolksWorld’s 

monthly columnists. The California Look ‘62 Squareback 

belongs to Paul Medhurst, a man who has been 

at the helm of the leading Type 3 specialists in the U.K. 

for over 10 years now. We’d hazard a guess and say if 

there’s a Type 3 in this country that hasn’t been fi tted 

with a replacement part of some description or other 

from T3D, then it’s in the minority. 

Between them Brian and Paul have owned a lot of 

VWs, well into three fi gures. Many of the cars have been 

VolksWorld feature cars, award winners and, inspirational 

in their time. Brian and Paul worked together on a 

number of projects. I suppose the easiest way of putting 

it is that Paul has the job of making Brian’s ideas come 

to life. As ‘project manager’ Paul has built a multi-award 

winning Resto Cal Notchback for Brian and what rates 

as the most full-on Type 3 built in Europe, the VolksWorld 

Show ‘Best of Show’ winning Porsche powered 

Squareback. Paul also managed the build of Brian’s 

21 window Samba featured last year, and it was at the 

photoshoot for this that this story began. Paul and Brian 



LEFT Red basket weave vinyl interior seat covers 

with matching door panels from T3D look superb 

against the pearl white paintwork. Steering wheel 

is by Speedwell 

BELOW LEFT 1776 twin carb motor by GWAL 

were chatting away in the studio about 

a customer’s car Paul was working on. 

It was a Squareback and Paul had a few 

photos on a digital camera that he showed 

Brian. I overheard Brian say to Paul ‘Build 

me one like that and you can have the 

Square’ and thought that perhaps I had 

missed a vital piece of the conversation. 

Thinking this I said ‘What did you just say?’ 

before I got a reply Paul had agreed to 

the deal with Brian. The deal was to supply 

a completed Resto Cal Squareback on 

Fuchs alloys at the 2005 VolksWorld Show, 

it’d be white with a red interior and have a 

1776cc motor. Paul would get the Porsche 

powered Squareback which had taken 

Best of Show. I was concerned, had Brian 

totally lost the plot? I wondered! I didn’t 

think it was my place to spell things out, for 

one Paul would be having what can only 

be classed as the deal of his life and from 

where I was standing, Brian would be getting 

the shitty end of the stick! Brian later 

explained his feelings out to me by saying 

he wanted a car he could jump in a drive, 

not have to worry about too much and not 

have to spend a week cleaning after an 

hour’s driving. Fair enough, I suppose. 

I probably spent the next hour wishing 

I had a nice Resto Square in my garage I 

could swap with Brian, sadly I didn’t! 

So, now we know a bit of the background 

and that Paul kept his side of the 

deal. He built the car in just ten weeks from 

start to fi nish. The fi rst hurdle was to fi nd 

a good base car - Brian had stipulated it 

had to be a good car; he wasn’t accepting 

any crap. 

Paul knew of a 1969 Squareback, which 

had been fully restored in 1997 by ex-Type 

3Detectives employee, Soft Alan, or Alan 

Clarke, as his family know him. The car 

was painted Porsche blood orange and 

had been imported from California by Paul 

for Alan. He did the full restoration whilst 

working at T3D in the late 90’s. He sold the 

car on in 2001 and from what Paul tells us 

it sat neglected for the next fi ve years. This 

was the best base car candidate, as, in 

basic terms, it just needed stripping down, 

painting and reassembly. 

Work on the car had to be completed

very quickly to meet the deadline, so Paul, 

Andy and Alex at T3D really steamed into 

it. The car was stripped to a bare fl oorpan, 

which was sandblasted, and then painted. 

The ‘pan was then built up with restored 

or new components. The suspension was 

lowered by three inner splines at front and 

one inner spline at the rear. The shocks are 

KYB front and rear. Paul fi tted Porsche pattern 

VW discs at the front and a Porsche 

pattern CB performance rear disc brake 

kit at the rear. The brake lines were all replaced 

too. Well, you would wouldn’t you? 

The wheels are original Porsche six by 

fi fteen Fuchs fully restored and anodised 

by Diamond Styling. They’re fi tted with 

145/65x15 and 165x15 tyres. 

The drive train includes a stock IRS Type 

3 gearbox that has been detailed and fi tted 

with a new nosecone. Andy Marriott of 

GWAL VW performance engines built the 

new engine. It’s a 1776cc engine based 

around a Scat 69mm crankshaft. The 

crankcase was drilled and tapped for fullfl 

ow oiling. Internals include balanced VW 

311B connecting rods, an Engle 110 camshaft, 

a lightened fl ywheel and uprated oil 

pump. The twin port cylinder heads were 

ported and polished by Andy to give the 

engine a little more grunt. The heads were 

fi tted with Custom & Speed Parts manifolds 

on top of which you’ll fi nd a pair of 

40mm Weber IDF carbs and Bugpack air 

fi lters. This package is produces around 

80bhp. The engine was fully detailed to 

show standards and to fi nish things off; 

ABOVE The interior was 

trimmed by VolksWagen. 

That’s right, the seats 

and panels are the 

originals from 1962! Cool 

or what? 

RIGHT The ‘62 runs a 

rebuilt 1493cc single 

carb motor, Paul plans to 

fi t a Gene Berg Mustard 

Cutting kit soon... 

it was fi tted with one of the T3D Danish 

made stock style Type 3 muffl ers. 

The bodywork was in good shape, but 

one of the front wings still needed to be 

replaced. Paul wasn’t about to cut any 

corners, so he fi tted a New Old Stock wing 

from his stockpile. The only change on 

the bodywork was to fi t an earlier tailgate, 

and this was purely down to personal 

taste. The bodywork had to be stripped 

down to a bare shell and repainted in VW 

Pearl white, this work being done by the 

T3D’s own body and paint guru, Terry from 

Bury. When the paintwork was dry and the 

body and chassis were back together the 

rebuild could really start. The car is painted 

to show standard throughout, under the 

bonnet, inside the wings and in the engine 


ABOVE Note: fuel fi ller door in the front wing. 

This Squareback is loaded with goodies. 

BELOW Under the front of Brian’s ‘69. Is it clean 

enough for you? 


bay, so care had to be taken not to chip 

any of the paintwork during the rebuild. 

Paul also fi tted clear front indicator lenses, 

all red fl at rear lenses, front and rear gravel 

guards, the side trim, re-chromed bumpers 

and a wood slat roof rack. 

The interior was completely re-trimmed 

by Paul Medhurst. He fi tted red basket 

weave vinyl seat covers a full set of carpets, 

a new headliner, the works. The red 

interior works very well with the white exterior 

paintwork; it’s a classic combo! The 

rest of the interior includes an Alpine CD 

and cassette player, an original Speedwell 

steering wheel from the 60s. The ‘wheel 

was fi tting on by using a new Flat 4 boss. 

The restored car was ready in time for 

the 2005 VolksWorld Show and looked so 

good we decided to invite Brian to display 

it on the VolksWorld Stand. Needless to 

say it went down very well with the visitors. 

Back to Square Two 

Paul Medhurst’s own Squareback is based 

on a very original and clean 1962 1500 

model. He told us ‘We imported the rust 

free car from Norway, did a full mechanical 

rebuild, lowered the car and fi tted 

Porsche Fuchs wheels before selling the 

car to Simon Ghoulsden from Tamworth 

in Staffordshire. Simon drove the car for a 

few months before getting it painted by a 

local paint and body shop and refi tting the 

car with a package of new parts supplied 

by us. He then sold the car back to us 

in October ‘05. We changed the wheels, 

lowered it some more and did some minor 

detail work mainly to the engine bay.’ The 

engine department was fairly easy to work 

on mainly due to the fact the engine had 

blown an oil seal and had to be taken out 

and rebuilt, again by Andy Marriott. This

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Lethal 

Injection 


A project VW seemed like the 

perfect way for a dad to spend 

some quality time with his 

son, but little did either of them 

know what they were getting 

themselves into, or just how far 

they would end up going with it 

Words: Mike Pye Pics: Kiki de Bois 

Over the years we’ve lost 

track of the number of 

people who have asked 

us what it is about VWs or 

asked why and how we 

got into them in the fi rst place. Of course 

everyone has their own reasons but, for 

those of us in the scene of, er, more mature 

persuasion, one of the main answers 

is because they were available, affordable 

and were a car you could work on yourself. 

Not many kids at my school had VWs, 

but a lot of people liked them and the 

attraction was more than just their cute 

looks. That attraction is infectious, too, a 

fact that’s backed up by father and son 

Leyder and Chris Ness from Glendale, 

Arizona. Leyder’s wife Marty had always 

driven VWs and even though Leyder was a 

V8 guy through and through (who 

currently crews for a nitro burning fuel 

altered dragster), she slowly but surely 

started to work her VW mojo on him. 

Leyder never did get round to building 

that hot yank for himself and when their 

son Chris turned driving age, a perfect 

opportunity for a bit of father / son bonding 

presented itself. Everyone needs a project 

in their lives and what better project than 

an old VW that the boys could get their 

hands dirty on in the garage together? Like 

so many kids these days Chris was taken 

in by the massive front-wheel drive tuner 


scene and yearned for a go-faster Honda, 

so Leyder had to act fast. As luck would 

have it, just around the corner from where 

they lived was a driving but unloved ‘62 

Beetle for sale at the right money. 

Once they had the car home, the excitement 

of the project that lay ahead really 

kicked in, and during conversations with 

friends, offers of help and previously 

unknown skills started 

coming out of the woodwork. 

One friend in particular, 

Jeremy Jacobson, 

would prove to be a real 

gold mine as he’d been into VWs for years 

and his dad had bought out a couple of 

old VW dealerships in the past, complete 

with all their NOS parts - some of which 

found themselves onto the Ness ‘62. 

Leyder is clearly an organised kind 

of guy and so approached the project 

sensibly and methodically, stripping the 

car down to every last nut and bolt and 

cataloguing everything as they went 


along - a great idea if, like us, you have 

a memory like a special needs goldfi sh. 

The duo then split into the body and paint 

team and the mechanical team, dad 

Leyder captaining the latter. What Leyder 

didn’t realise when he got into the project 

was that his then business partner, Randy 

Asheim, had done a bit of bodywork in 

the past so he took Chris under his wing 

“ ” 

It’s in the induction department that 

this car really breaks from the norm 

and got him started on bare metalling the 

body. Randy then blew off his old spray 

gun and laid some Zolotone stone chip on 

the under bonnet area and the engine bay, 

as well as on the underside of the pan, 

after new pan halves were installed. He 

drew the line at doing the fi nish paintwork 

though and so the team drafted in a local 

crash repair specialist in nearby Phoenix to 

lay on the Dodge Intense Metallic Blue. 

While this was all being taken care of, 

Leyder was busy fi tting up the freshly 

painted fl oorpan. Knowing that this was 

a car his son was going to be spending 

plenty of time behind the wheel of, he 

didn’t take any chances when it came 

to the basic mechanical components. 

Where they could be bought new they 

were, where NOS pars were available, they 

were fi tted, plus a few extra 

tweaks were included to 

bring the 44-year old design 

up to date. 

The one thing that had 

put Chris off VWs in the fi rst place was 

how slow they were compared to the tuner 

cars, but the sight of a few full tilt California 

Look Beetles running in the Renn Kafer 

Cup at the local shows convinced him 

things didn’t have to be that way. 

With plans formulating for a seriously 

hot motor, the undercarriage had to be 

up to the task of handling it. To this end, 

a new, adjustable and narrowed king and

ABOVE Wheels are now standard repro BRMs, 

here with 145 Nankang and 205/70 Yokohamas 

LEFT Kurt Kniggle (great name!) came up with a 

load of NOS parts and an Oval decklid for the ‘62 

BELOW Unusually for a car destined for some 

strip action there’s also a top quality stereo inside 

link pin beam went on, equipped with 

dropped spindles, CB Performance wide 5 

disc brakes, stainless brake lines throughout 

and all new steering and damping 

equipment. At the back end things get a 

bit more serious. A strong Rancho Pro 

Comp street gearbox with a 4.12 ring and 

pinion, super diff, welded third and fourth 

and steel shift forks transmits the power 

through Sway-A-Way race axles and is 

held in place by a custom made intermediate 

mount, padded transaxle straps and 

heavy duty rubber gearbox mounts. Sway- 

A-Way spring plates replace the standard 

VW items and a pair of desirable Type 3 

rear drum brakes add a bit of useful extra 

beef in the stopping department. 

With all this work gone into the chassis, 

it was only right that the engine get just as 

much attention. And they sure didn’t skimp 

on this area, no siree. Starting with a new, 

Rimco machined AS41 case, Dan Lawson 

at Competition Engineering in Tempe, 

Arizona started to assemble a killer long 

block, based around a CB 82mm forged 

crank, 94mm Mahle barrels and pistons 

and CB 5.5-inch rods. For the mathematically 

challenged, this little lot adds up to 

a not inconsiderable 2276cc. While a big 

capacity VW motor will give you plenty 

of grunt, if you want to make serious top 

end power you gotta get good heads, too. 

CB 044 Magnums have been doing good 

work for a while now and they get even 

better when given a thorough port and 

polish job. In this case, it was Mike Fischer, 

also of Competition Engineering, that 

wielded the die grinder, opening up the 

combustion chambers to CE’s stage three 

spec and making sure all the combustion 

chambers were a nice, even 60cc hemi 

cut. 44 and 37.5mm Manley stainless steel 

valves are opened and shut by a combination 

of Pauter Machine’s 1.5:1 billet roller 

rockers and a Web Cam 86A camshaft. 

Up until now the engine spec is pretty 

much what we’ve come to expect from the 

latest generation California Lookers but it’s 

in the induction department that this motor 


eally breaks from the norm and when you 

hear the estimated power output, it might 

make you think differently about searching 

out that pair of 48IDA dinosaurs. The 

nature of the beast meant it was always 

going to be a development process that 

started out with a single, two-inch throttle 

body. Engine builder Dan Lawson fabbed 

up the intake manifold, plumbed in the fuel 

delivery system and set up the Competition 

Engineering MEFI-3 ECU. Ably assisted by 

a full complement of MSD ignition products, 

the engine made a solid 190bhp at 

6500rpm, but this was just the beginning... 

What started out on the route to being 

a pretty standard California Look Bug has 

evolved into something very special indeed 

and the family Ness have now become 

regular competitors in the American 

Renn-Kafer Cup show ‘n’ go series (see 

www.bugin.com) and, in their fi rst year, 

took a very creditable fourth place overall. 

Together with Mike Fischer at Competition 

Engineering the engine has been 

constantly developing, with three different 

throttle bodies tried up to a huge 1050cfm 

billet version. Still not enough, these were 

then swapped out for a pair of dual port 48 

throttle bodies, machined out to 51.5mm. 

These draw air through siamesed IDA 

stacks, smoothed into the throttle bodies 

for cleaner airfl ow. A step up to a MEFI-4 

ECU and a few dyno pulls to optimise the 

fuel and ignition settings saw the already 

impressive fi gures rise to a massive 

219bhp at the rear wheels, with 180ft.lbs of 

torque to back it up. 

With the new ECU the laptop can be 

RIGHT The road to the current injection set-up 

started with this single throttle body on a custom 

fabbed manifold. Flow just wasn’t enough though 


ABOVE In this spec with dual 51.5mm throttle 

bodies the engine makes 219bhp at the back 

wheels - enough for mid 12s. A change of gear 

ratios should see this drop deeper into the 12s 

plugged in at the track and the settings 

optimised to the conditions. Best time so 

far is 12.59 at 109.85mph. 

However, with street cars both in the 

USA and here in Europe now regularly 

running down into the 10s, we’ll wait to 

see how long Leyder and Chris are happy 

with this kind of performance. Judging by 

the way the car has progressed so far, we 

don’t think it will be long before they’re 

aiming for the 11s, then after that the 10s. 

The question is though, how much does 

Chris get to drive ‘his’ car any more? 

Tech spec: 

Fuel injected 2276cc motor 

Rimco AS41 case - shuffl e pinned, welded behind no.3 

cylinder, full fl ow oiling 

82mm forged CB crank 

94 Mahle barrels and pistons 

Total Seal rings 

CB 5.5-inch I-beam rods 

Web Cam 86A camshaft (.502in lift, 290O duration) 

CE straight cut cam gear 

CB 044 Magnum heads, ported and polished 

Manley 44mm intake and 37.5mm exhaust s/s valves 

What is Der Renn-Kafer Cup? 

Now in its fourth year, Der Renn-Kafer 

Cup is an American VW drag racing class 

run at several of the West Coast events. 

It was conceived to add a new attraction 

to the VW drag racing schedule - one that 

spectators can more easily relate to - and 

to answer the age-old question, “ does she 

run as good as she looks?” 

All the cars in the Der Renn-Kafer Cup 

are full-on show cars which score 85 or 

better out of 100 in the show ‘n’ shine and 

should run at least in the 13s. The current 

points leaders usually score in the high 90s 

and run in the high 11s. All cars must be 

fully street legal and have current registration 

and insurance certifi cates. They must 

also pass a rigid safety inspection. 

The DRKC class is for old school Cal 

Look-style VWs (their words, not ours!). 

Engines must be normally aspirated and 

VW cased. Nitrous is not allowed. Each 

entry gets two or three passes and the 

best two ETs are averaged. These are 

amalgamated with the show judging points 

to produce a set of results based half on 

looks and half on speed. 

Deano dual valve springs, titanuium retainers, Pauter 

Machine 1.5:1 roller rockers 

9.0:1 compresion ratio 

Competition Engineering 48mm throttle bodies, bored to 

51.5mm 

CE MEFI-4 engine management 

Bosch fuel injectors 

MSD 6AL ignition module, billet distributor, coil and plug 

leads 

1 7/8-inch Bugpack merged header with 2 1/4-inch 

Flowmaster muffl er 

12.5lb lightened fl ywheel 

Kennedy 1700lb clutch and CE clutch disc 

Extras: Puma doghouse fan shroud (now 30-horse instead), 

Rev Master h/d oil pump, deep sump, copper head 

gaskets, auxilliary remote oil cooler and fi lter, welded and 

balanced fan, 

Power: 219bhp (at the wheels!) 

Torque: 180ft.lbs 

Gearbox: Rancho Pro Comp swing axle street gearbox 

3.78 1st, 2.062nd, 1.48 3rd, 1.14 4th 

4.12:1 ring and pinion, 

Super diff 

Welded third and fourth 

Steel shift forks 

Heavy duty side plate 

Sway-A-Way race axles

Writing about Robert McBurney 

for last month’s Retro got me 

thinking about the early history 

of VWs in Irish motorsport. If 

you were reading VolksWorld in the year 

2000, you might remember my story about 

Paddy Hopkirk driving Vee Dubs in the 

1950s. Paddy (who went on to win the 

Monte Carlo rally in a Mini Cooper) was 

the most famous, but he was not the fi rst 

of the Irish VW rally drivers, and he did not 

stay with VW for very long. 

We are going back to 1951-pre rock ‘n’ 

roll, pre LP records (they only had easily 

breakable 78s then), pre TV (ok, I believe it 

had been invented but hardly anybody had 

it), pre jeans (unless you were a working 

cowboy), pre burgers, pre drink-drive laws, 

pre motorways, pre practically everything 

we recognise today except, of course, the 

good ol’ Beetle. Other cars around at the 

time were upright Ford Anglia’s, Austin 


VolksWorld’s Peter Noad looks back at the very popular choice of steed 

for the Irish rally driver, the Volkswagen Beetle 

Rally Around 

The Volkswagen Beetle proved to be a very competent rally car thanks to its rear engine, rear 

wheel drive format, as this gave excellent traction. This was proven time and again in Ireland. 

RIGHT Kevin Sherry was Ireland’s top VW driver 

in the mid-50s; winner of the Donegal Rally, the 

Circuit of Clare, the Circuit ofMunster, and the 

big one, the international Circuit of Ireland, all in 

1200 Beetles. (Photo courtesy of K. Sherry). 

Sevens, and Hillman Minxes, most of 

which were extinct by the time the Beetle 

still had another 15 million to go. 

I can’t personally remember the early 

fi fties, but my love of VWs in motorsport 

and all things Irish (actually, that’s a lie 

‘cos I don’t like Guinness) led me to trawl 

through archives and do a ton of research 

in order to trace some of the fi rst-ever 

appearances of VWs in trails and rallies. 

ABOVE Kevin Sherry in action. He won the Irish 

Driving Tests Championship twice and was a 

class winner on the RAC Rally in ‘59. Don’t try 

this in Tesco’s carpark. (Photo by Brian Foley). 

In 1951, an Irish businessman, Stephen 

O’Flaherty, started importing VWs and 

then he formed a company to assemble 

VWs in Dublin. VWs quickly became very 

popular In Ireland; they were well suited to 

the rough Irish roads, most of which were 

steep and slippery, and Volkswagens were 

reliable. A car had to do what a donkey 

could do (but faster) and a car that broke 

down or got stuck on a muddy hill was as

useless as a dead donkey. When other 

cars did their impression of a dead donkey, 

the VW kept going. 

Saloon cars were not much used in 

motorsport at that time. Most competitors 

used open sports cars and specials, like 

MGs, Dellows, Morgans, Allards, HRGs 

and Singers. When you think about it, 

motor ‘sport’ must have been invented 

for sports cars (or was it the other way 

round?) and ‘sport’ normally meant being 

outdoors-getting cold, wet and muddy 

was all part of sport. Sports cars were, by 

defi nition, open-top two seaters. 

Sports cars did not have roofs. They 

didn’t have heaters, either, except for 

the heat generated by the exhaust and 

gearbox, which could be felt through the 

gaps in the fl oor. The best way of keeping 

warm (so I’m told) was to keep a fl ask of 

brandy in your pocket. Sports car drivers 

wore sheepskin jackets, leather gloves, 

and hats that covered their ears. The 

Beetle must have changed the whole way 

of life for the motorsport competitor in 

1951. 

Joe O’Mahoney (don’t you just love 

these Irish names!) became a Volkswagen 

dealer in Cork in Southern Ireland. He 

drove a Beetle in the Munster trial in 1951 

and won an award. This is one of the fi rst 

appearances of a Beetle in motorsport 

outside Germany that I can trace. 

O’Mahoney went on to win the Munster 

Trial outright in1953. In 1952, Brendan 

O’Hara and Michael O’Flaherty (Stephen’s 

son) both drove Volkswagens on the circuit 

of Ireland rally. 

Within a few years, VW Beetle was 

winning big time in rallies in Ireland. T.P. 

O’Connell won the Irish Motor Racing 

Club’s 900-mile rally outright in his VW 

in 1956. T.P. also scored outright wins on 

RIGHT Was this the fi rst-ever VW Buggy? This 

artist’s impression shows the trials special with 

Alf Potter built in Ireland in 1952, based on a 

shortened VW chassis. (Drawing by Melodie 

Nightingale, based on archive images). 

events such as Irish experts Trial and the 

Circuit of Munster. In 1959, Kevin Sherry 

won the International Circuit of Ireland 

Rally outright in his Beetle, beating the 

factory team of Triumph sports cars, with 

Joe O’Mahoney in second place and third, 

fourth, fi fth, sixth and seventh places all 

being taken by more VWs. Declan O’Leary, 

who had also won a lot of rallies in Ireland, 

brought his VW over for the RAC rally in 

1956 and won the 1300 cc touring car 

class. He was eighth overall, out of 213 

entries, and the cars ahead of the VW 

included an Aston Martin, two Jaguars, a 

2-litre Morgan, and a works-entered Austin 

A90 with a 2.6-litre Austin Healey 100 

engine. 

Do you know that the VW Buggy was 

invented in Ireland? Alf Potter built a trials 

special in 1952 that was based on a 

shortened VW chassis. It had no doors or 

bonnet; there was a sloping metal panel 

beneath the steering column, ending at 

the torsion bar tubes, which covered the 

LEFT Noel Gleeson competed in trials in Ireland 

in 1951 in this chopped open top beetle. Good 

all-round vision was essential on tests that 

involved stopping and starting from marked lines, 

tight turns around cones, and reversing. (Drawing 

by Melodie Nightingale). 

driver’s feet. There was a box-like bit of 

bodywork behind the seat that enclosed 

the engine and (presumably) the fuel tank. 

I assume it had a VW engine although the 

rear wheels didn’t look like VW wheels. 

Even before Potter’s Buggy, a certain 

Noel Gleeson did a tin-opener job to make 

an open-top Beetle, which he drove on the 

Irish Inter-Club (that was South v North) 

Trial in 1951. The car was cut right down 

to the waistline with no windscreen frame 

(just a couple plastic aero screens) and a 

tonneau cover over the rear seat space. 

Did he chop the roof off a new car? 

It was only 1951 and the car was righthand 

drive. Was it a car that had been in 

a rollover crash, perhaps? It is clear from 

the photo that the paint was two-tone, with 

just the wings a dark colour and the rest, 

including the bonnet, a light colour. 

I can appreciate Gleeson’s reason for 

wanting an open-top VW. It wasn’t just to 

“ ” 

Kevin Sherry beat the factory team of 

Triumph in outright 1959 

prove he was a macho sports car driver 

who enjoyed being cold, wet and muddy. 

For the sort of tests that were the basis of 

trials and rallies in Ireland at the time, you 

need good all-round vision, particularly 

when reversing, which was not the Vee 

Dub’s best feature, especially during the 

split-window era. Less weight was also an 

advantage. Combining the sports car’s 

advantages with the VW’s traction, rough 

road capability and reliability certainly 

seemed like a idea, even if it did mean you 

had to wear gloves and a silly hat. 


Bodywork. 

The fi rst change was the introduction of the 

new Type 3 Karmann-Ghia sunroof model, 

[Type 345]. This model began from 13 July 

from chassis 0 050 282. 

Now follows the improvements from 30 

July for the 1963 year model vehicles. 

The rear window of the Karmann Cabriolet 

was enlarged by 30%. On the same 

day from chassis the sliding roof handle 

on Beetle sun-roof models was now fl atter 

and came with a hinge, also the door 

window guide channel was now made of 

plastic replacing the woollen material. 

On all Type 1 models new thicker Bitumen 

insulation was added to the chassis 

fl oors. Models involved are as follows:- 

Type 113, 114, 117, 118, 151, and 152. 

The Type 2 models had the following 

improvements. From chassis 971 550 the 

spare wheel recess in the front partition 

was now deeper. Also the drivers seat was 

now separate replacing the bench seat 

setup. Another Type 2 improvement was 

made to the wheel arches. Both front and 

rear arches were enlarged, also the rear 

arches were now provided with a rib for 

extra strength. As for the Type 2 model 

Pick-ups, the spare wheel now came with a 

bracket in a locker under the rear platform. 

For the fi rst time a new VW badge was 

introduced with the word; Volkswagen. 

From 1 August new paintwork colours 

were introduced for the Karmann-Ghia 

RIGHT This happy couple have just purchased 

their brand new 1962 Type 31500cc Notchback 

saloon. Note the lady is being given fl owers 


Photos : Coachbuilt VW Club, Phil Weiner, Carlo Bosch, and sources unknown. 

On 30 July ‘63 saw the introduction of the 1963 year model VW. 

The same day saw the introduction of the new 200mm clutch unit. 

VolksWorld’s Bob Shaill looks at changes in 1963 

models. Four new colours were on offer; 

Polar blue, Terra brown, Manila yellow, and 

Emerald green. The colours still available 

where; Black, Pearl white, Ruby red, 

Anthracite grey, Sea blue, and Pacifi c blue. 

Paprika red, Lavender, Pampas green, and 

Sierra beige were discontinued. 

On 7 August from Type 3 chassis 0 070 

533 the left and right water drainers pipes 

for the steel sliding roof were shortened. 

Later on the 13 August Birch green was 

introduced for the Type 3 models. 

From 24 August further Type 3 improvements 

were made. Records show from 

chassis 0 064 317 the dash ventilation 

mounting point for the fresh air box was repositioned, 

also a two piece fresh air fl aps 

were included. On 24 August from chassis 

0 066 012 the Type 3 body to chassis fi xing 

bolts on the rear cross member were now 

screwed in from outside the vehicle. 

On 20 September from chassis 0 087 

LEFT The reg number of this Beetle will appeal to 

any enthusiast. Sadly, the whereabouts of it are 

unknown. Rust looks as though it has taken hold 

of the Pearl white paintwork. 

078 the door vent window frame and wind 

up window was repositioned by 2mm 

towards the rear, also the window glass 

was now 2mm shorter. 

Engine. 

The following engine improvements 

involved all ‘63 model VWs produced from 

30 July. Records show the fi rst engine 

involved for the Type 1 and Type 2 1192cc 

34bhp engine from number 6 916 251. 

From chassis 4 846 836 [Type 1] and 

from chassis 970 990 [ Type 2 ], the oil 

cooler now had a metal perforated plate 

welded to the fan side of the cooler. Also 

the intake manifold was improved with 

a larger pre-heating pipe. The diameter 

on the connecting fl ange at the cylinder 

head was now 27mm. Formerly 25mm 

diameter. The cylinder head intake port 

was also enlarged to suit with the same 

diameter of 27mm. The engine fanhousing 

was improved with a modifi ed shape that 

increased the cooling air throughput. The 

outside diameter of the sealing area was 

increased from 32mm to 34mm. 

The clutch plate on the Type 2 and 3 

models was also improved. A new 200mm 

heat resistant pressure springs clutch was 

fi tted from chassis 971 532, with engine 6 

908 640 [Type 2], also from chassis 0 064 

916, with engine 0 066 740 [Type 3]. 

Improvements continued for Type 3 from 

chassis 0 066 740, with engine 0 065 746 

the exhaust valves head was increased 

from 31mm to 32mm. Also a new valve for 

the regulation of the fl ow of the pre-heated 

air was introduced. The compression ratio 

was increased from 7,2 to 7,8. 

There were many fuel system improvements 

for the Type 3. The fi rst was a 

sensitive accelerator that was made

through modifi cations 

to the accelerator lever, and the lever on 

the operating shaft. The 32 PHN carburettor 

had the following improvements; the 

power fuel operation at the throttle valve 

now had an angle of 35 to 39 degrees, 

replacing the 55 to 60 degrees angle. The 

pump spacer washer was now discontinued. 

The plunger for the pump diaphragm 

now came with a longer point. The amount 

injected by the accelerator pump was now 

1.35 + 0.15 cc/stroke. This replaced the 

0.9 to 1.2 cc/stoke. 

The gasket under the sealing plate in 

the carb cover was now a cutaway gasket, 

also the pilot airbleed drilling was now 

1.3mm diameter. Formerly 1.2mm. 

Gearbox and rear axle. 

There were no note worthy improvements 

to the front axle and steering on any of the 

Chassis numbers Type 1. 

July 4 835 210 - 4 854 999 

August 4 855 000 - 4 932 385 

Sept 4 932 386 - 5 007 072 

1963 


July 969 409 - 978 018 

August 978 019 - 989 985 

Sept 989 986 - 1 004 496 


July 0 063 405 - 0 068 303 

August 0 068 304 - 0 081 998 

Sept 0 081 999 - 0 094 813 

Engine numbers Type 1 [ 30 bhp] 

July 3 942 539 - 3 942 914 

August 3 942 915 - 3 944 599 

Sept 3 944 600 - 3 946 175 

Engine numbers Type 1 [34bhp] 

July 6 904 002 - 6 935 203 

August 6 935 204 - 7 032 385 

Sept 7 032 386 - 7 116 931 

Engine numbers Type 3. [1500cc] 

July 0 068 070 - 0 072 164 

August 0 072 164 - 0 085 054 

Sept 0 085 055 - 0 098 085 

production VWs. However as for the rear 

axle and gearbox the following improvements 

were untaken. On 1 August a new 

transmission case was introduced to 

accept the new and larger 200mm clutch. 

Records show the following vehicles were 

involved; chassis 973 736 [Type 2] with 

gearbox 5 060 639. The Type 1 and Type 

3 models began the following day from 

chassis 4 847 970 [Type 1], with gearbox 

5 087 355 and chassis 0 065 567 [Type 3] 

with gearbox 0 066 926. 

From 14 September new Type 3 rear 

wheel suspension auxiliary springs were 

on offer with the accessory code M-267. 

From 16 August the Type 3 oil seal for 

the main drive shaft was improved with 

a Neoprene oil seal that was coloured 

black. This seal replaced the rubber seal 

coloured blue and brown. The fi rst vehicle 

involved was chassis 0 074 533, with gearbox 

0 075 050. 

On 21 August the Type 3 rear axle shaft 

and brake drums were improved. From 

chassis 0 076 300 [311], and from chassis 

0 077 047 [361], the pilot of the rear axle 

shaft hub of the brake drum was lengthened 

by 16mm. 

The hub also had a new oil thrower, 

replacing the oil defl ector. The rear wheel 

bearing cover and brake back plate had a 

hole for the oil drain. A welded seam was 

added at the junction of the reinforcement 

of the brake back plate. 

Brake system. 

There were three brake improvements 

within this period, the fi rst took place on 14 

Aug and involved the Type 2 vehicles from 

chassis 980 721. Their brake linings were 

changed from the Jurid type 828 and K3 

to, again by Jurid (Code 120). 

The next change involved the Type 3 

range from chassis 0 076 300. From 21 

August the rear brake shoes brake lining 

surface was widened from 40mm to 45mm 

wide. For the record, the effective brake 

lining surface was increased from 830 

LEFT This Swedish owned Single cab pick-up 

looks to be very sound. It’s a shame someone 

has nicked the metal front panel VW logo. 

ABOVE This 6-volt RPM dial is not considered 

to be a hot item for your average 1200 Beetle, 

but some enthusiasts would fi t one just for fun. 

sq.cs, to 880 sq.cs. 

The brake fl uid reservoir now had a 

screw top, replacing the rubber stopper. 

This began from Type 3 with chassis 0 086 

122 from 10 September. The same change 

was past over to the Type 2 range eight 

days later starting from chassis 4 978 442. 

Another interesting point from the records, 

show on 14 September the Type 3 models 

were now fi tted with 6.00 x 15 6 PR tyres, 

replacing the 6.00 x 15 size tyres. [VW 

M267]. 

Electrical system. 

The fi rst electrical change involved the 

Type 343 from chassis 0 050 139. On 12 

July the indicator switch mounting now 

had rubber packing with two lips also a 

mounting plate was cemented on. All VW 

6-volt fl asher units were now secured by 

built in tapping screw. This began from 

30 July from chassis 4 846 836 [Type 1], 

chassis 971 662 [Type 2], and the following 

day from chassis 0 067 350 Type 3. 

On 30 July the Beetle windscreen plastic 

washer tubing was replaced with the 

Pioneer tubing. This began from chassis 4 

846 836 and was past over to the Type 2 

range on 8 Oct from chassis 099 411. 

An important item for all early Type 3 

owners. From 1 August the ignition timing 

was changed from 10 degrees before 

TDC, to 12.5 degrees TDC. However, it 

was reverted back to the 10 degrees 

before TDC on 11th September from 

chassis 0 084 752 with engine 0 087 417. 

The former setting of 12.5 degrees must 

have been problematic? 

On 17 September from Type 1 chassis 

4 981 020, with engine 3 945 210 the 

vacuum pipe from distributor to carburettor 

was lengthened from 310mm to 375mm. 

Finally, the accessory reversing light 

had the automatic switch fi tted to the 

gearshift rod. This was now replaced with 

an automatic barrel switch fi tted between 

the speedometer and speedometer cable. 

This changed began on 27 September. 

This VW accessory was made by either 


www.volksworld.com

Wise up 

Words: Ivan McCutcheon Pics: Chris Taylor 

When you spend a little 

time checking a restored 

Volkswagen out you 

either come away 

wondering how you could 

possibly build a car to such a high quality, 

or feel that it was a good effort, but sadly 

fell at the fi nal hurdle. This car would come 

under the fi rst of these categories, as it 

is truly stunning in every single area. The 

deeper you go, the better it gets. 

However, before we go any further we 

have to set the record straight - this car 

was bought, not built. Whilst to some the 

very thought of buying someone else’s 

car is ridiculous, to others it makes perfect 

sense. For a start you don’t have to do 

the dirty work, spend a couple of years 

of your life on the project before you can 

get your backside trackside, or spend a 

small fortune along the way. That’s the 

plus points covered. The minus points are 

that you don’t have the same relationship 

with your car, it’s never really ‘your’ car 

apart from in the legal sense, as 

you haven’t been together 

throughout the build. 

You’ve not 


planted the seeds, nurtured them and 

watched them grow. You’ve just turned up 

at harvest time and got the goods. 

This all makes perfect sense until 

someone tells you that if you are shrewd 

you can buy a car like this one for peanuts! 

Then all that old codswallop goes straight 

out of the window and you start thinking 

what a brilliant way of getting what you 

want without all the hassle! Adam Wise 

from Farnham, Surrey, who I make no 

bones about knowing very well, did exactly 

what I’ve just mentioned. He spotted this 

amazingly good Oval on the website www. 

thesamba.com for $13500 and after 

reading the spec and looking at 

the photographs he realised 

it worked out to less than 

£8000, and more to 

the point he couldn’t 

build the engine 

and gearbox 

The car you see here 

is the winner of Best 

California Look VW at 

the 2004 VolksWorld 

Show and Best Type 1 

at the 2005 Show. To win 

at Sandown Park a car 

needs to be something 

special, this 1957 Oval is! 

for that money in this country. Two and two 

being four, there’s no prizes for guessing 

he bought it. By the time the car was back 

in the U.K. it still didn’t owe him £9000 all 

in. From where we’re sitting this has to rate 

as a once in a lifetime result. To build a car 

like this here would easily cost twice that, 

in fact, probably a fair bit more. 

The weird thing is Adam bought the 

car from another old friend of mine, who 

is now happily married with children 

and lives in San Diego, California rather 

than Surrey. The man in question is Pip

RIGHT This ‘57 shows that you can have the best elements 

of Vintage and high performance Volkswagens. That engine is 

stunning, isn’t it? BOTTOM There’s no doubt this Oval is built 

properly, every area screams one word. The word is quality 

Hancox and has been into VWs since 

the early 80’s. He is more famous in the 

music industry for being the lead singer of 

a band called The Guana Batz (see www. 

guanabatz.com for more.). It’s a small 

world, isn’t it? Anyway, Pip had bought 

the car from the guy who originally built 

it, a guy called Bill Frost from Las Vegas. 

Bill had built the car to compete in a new 

drag race series for high quality street 

VWs, Der Renn Kafer Cup. The series 

went on to become one of the highlights 

of the West Coast VW events and has 

seen some truly amazing VWs compete. 

The car that Bill built has to rate as one of 

the best ‘Old School’ California Look cars 

built to date. The thing about this car that 

really strikes you is that it is easily as good 

as any standard restoration to original 

specifi cation. The interior is absolutely 

stunning - if it wasn’t for the rev counter and 

gear shifter, it’d be stock. But in the same 

breath stock to the highest standards! 

The wool-cloth headliner, carpets, 

mats, and paint, are all perfect. 

Then there’s that Petri Banjo 

steering wheel with Greek 

lady horn push, lush! 

The exterior body 

and trim is just the 

same, and so the 

story continues under 

the front lid it’s 


ABOVE We tried to show you as much of the 

interior as possible - note the parcel net above 

the windscreen. BELOW Hardcore! 

stock and to the highest standards. The 

colour scheme is without a doubt the best 

of them all VW Polar Silver with a red interior 

- we need say nothing 

more, oh except that 

we should mention the 

paintwork was done by 

Carlos Brajas. If Bill had 

not added the high performance element 

of the project, this could have easily been 

a pipe-and-slippers concours car, and one 

which would win its class, too. The thing 

is though, he did add the hi-po side to the 

project, and that’s when it became one of 

the best all-round VWs you could wish 

to see. The engine is a supremely 

detailed 2276cc unit. 

It’s based on AS21 

VW crankcase 


that has been full-fl owed, welded behind 

number three cylinder and shuffl ed pinned. 

The crank is a forged CB performance 

82mm with Porsche journals. The connecting 

rods are from a Porsche 912 and 

have been balanced along with the pistons 

which are 94mm. The camshaft is an Engle 

“ ” 

Without the hi-po element this Oval 

would probably win a stock concours 

FK10 and features straight cut cam gears. 

From what Adam has been informed the 

heads are CB Performance Street Eliminators 

which have been ported and polished 

and are fi tted with stainless steel valves - 

42mm x 37mm. The top end also features 

CB forged high ratio rockers and match 

ported manifolds that are home to a pair of 

Weber 44IDF carbs. 

The engine is kept alive by a Gene Berg 

30mm oil pump, super-sized oil capacity 

is thanks to a 1.5 quart Gene Berg deep 

sump. The cooling system is enhanced 

with an external Mesa 

cooler and features a Gene 

Berg welded and balanced 

fan - a must for a high-revving 

engine. The ignition set 

up is a full MSD 6AL control box with Soft 

Touch rev control, MSD Billet distributor, 

Blaster 2 coil and Super Conductor spark 

plug leads. Something not often seen in 

the UK is the BMD Santana serpentine 

pulley kit, although you can buy them here 

now from VW Heriatge Part Centre. 

Since buying the car Adam has changed 

the muffl er to a top of the range stainless 

steel turbo unit from A1 stainless muffl er 

in Santa Ana, California. This came

from UK agent, Bernard Newbury. It has 

to be said, having checked it out in detail, 

you can see why these systems are rated 

as the best you can get. The A1 muffl er is 

bolted to a ceramic-coated Phoenix 1 5/8 

merged header. 

Looking underneath the car the level of 

quality is very high indeed, a testament 

to the hard work Bill Frost invested in 

the build. The underside of the engine is 

spotless; work your way forward and you’ll 

come to a very well detailed swing axle 

transmission, cradled into the chassis with 

all the right hardware. What you can’t see 

is what’s inside and that’s a Super Beetle 

main shaft, welded 3rd and 4th gears, a 

super diff and aluminium side cover. 

The attention to detail continues 

Tech spec: 


AS21 case - full fl ow, shuffl e pinned, welded 

82mm CB Performance forged and counterweighted 

crank 

94mm Cima barrels and pistons 

Porsche 912 connecting rods 

Engle FK10 camshaft (.536in lift and 306º 

duration) 

CB Performance Street Eliminator cylinder heads, 

ported and polished, 42mm intake / 37.5mm 

stainless exhaust valves 

Compression ratio 8.5:1 

Twin 44IDF Weber carbs 

MSD 6AL ignition control box, billet distributor, 

blaster coil 

1 5/8-inch Pheonix merged header with stainless 

steel A1 muffl er 

Extras: Gene Berg 30mm oil pump, doghouse 

cooler, BMD Santana serpentine pulley kit (www. 

bmdpulleys.com), Gene Berg welded and balanced 

fan, Berg one and a half quart deep sump. 

Colour coded Polar Silver tinware 

through to the suspension, which includes 

upgraded Koni shocks at the rear. The 

brakes are CB Performance Porsche pattern 

discs front and rear. The front end has 

been changed since the car has been in 

the U.K. Adam wanted to change the fully 

detailed Fuchs alloy wheels that came 

on the car to fully detailed Porsche Gas 

Burners. The Gas Burners were stripped 

back, painted and polished by Biagio 

Chrzanowski in Rushden, Northants. 

Anyway, Adam wanted the new wheels to 

sit nicely inside the arches so contacted 

Colin Tidman who makes scratch built 

narrowed front beams from CDS tubing 

with built-in adjusters. The beams feature 

unique 10mm thick laser cut shock towers 

which run ball joint shock absorbers and, 

LEFT Today we will be looking through the pop-out window. We had 

to use this pic as it’s just that little bit out of the ordinary 

ABOVE Petri steering wheel with ‘Greek lady’ horn push... Ooh yeah! 

in the case of the one on this car, give 

a three and a half inch narrower track. 

Have a good look at this product www. 

deluxemotorwerks.co.uk, I think you’ll be 

impressed. For our readers with a rubber 

fetish the tyres are Michellin 145 XZX on 

the front and 205/70 Bridgestone Duelers 

on the rear wheels. 

The only other additions Adam has 

made to date are a original Bug In dash 

plaque and the New Old Stock ‘Keep On 

Buggin’ licence plate frame with a display 

number plate which reads 1957. Mind you 

when a car is as close to perfection as 

this Oval, it’s hard to make it much better. 

There’s no doubt this car was a wise buy, 

but considering Adam’s surname is Wise 

what do you expect? 


Bruce Braun is my American correspondent 

for the Coachbuilt 

VW Club. Bruce has been a long 

standing VW enthusiast, and owns 

several early Coachbuilt and military VWs. 

Here is a story about just one of his vehicles. 

In November 2002, Bruce received an 

email from British VW collector and friend, 

Richard Cotton. Richard had received an 

unsolicited email from the headmaster of a 

school in Zurich Switzerland who offered to 

sell him a 1944 Beetle. Richard declined the 

offer, but forwarded the message to Bruce. 

Bruce immediately contacted the seller and 

requested pictures and chassis number. 

The pictures were poor because the car was 

stored in a dark, dingy underground garage. 

Bruce promptly ordered a birth certifi cate 

from Stiftung Auto Museum, who confi rmed 

this Beetle, largely original and unrestored, 

is one of three Type 82E Beetles built for 

the offi ce of Hermann Wilhelm Goring. It is 

very unlikely Goring ever sat in this particular 

Beetle as he was large man and preferred to 

be chauffeur driven in Mercedes limousines. 

Hermann Goring was a German Field Mar- 


VolksWorld’s Bob Shaill looks at the extremely rare wartime Kdf Beetle based on 

the Kübelwagen chassis, the Type 82E 

shall, Commander in Chief of the German Air 

Force, the Luftwaffa, and the second most 

powerful leader of Nazi Germany. Goring 

committed suicide in his jail cell prior to 

being sentenced as a war criminal during the 

Nuremberg Trials. 

The initial asking price for the car 

precluded him from making a deal. However, 

he continued to investigate a possible future 

purchase and sent pictures of the car to 

Photos : Bruce Braun 

A truly rare vintage 

This highly collectable Type 82E is one of three KdF-Wagens delivered to Hermann Goring’s offi ces in 

Berlin during the second World War. That it survives to this day is a truly amazing feat 

ABOVE This is probably the only surviving 

KdF-Wagendeliveredtothe officesofHermann 

Goring in Berlin. The chromeditems would not 

have beenoriginally fitted. 

Austrian KdF Beetle expert, Dieter Krebernik 

and to Kübelwagen/Schwimmwagen expert, 

Dave Compton. Bruce spoke regularly with 

friends, like Jon Lane, Richard Cotton, and 

Simon Mitchell about possible stigmas

associated with owning a Nazi Beetle. Their 

positive opinion helped solidify his desire 

to own the car. When the opportunity was 

right to make the buyer an offer, he sold his 

valued 1956 Porsche Speedster and agreed 

to buy the Beetle in Zurich. 

In late February 2003, the car arrived 

at Bruce’s home in Kansas City aboard a 

twenty-foot cargo container. After unloading 

and a thorough cleaning in the light of day, 

he inspected the car very carefully. The body 

was solid for a Beetle of its age but was 

rusted inside the driver-side heater channel 

and door corners. Regardless of the condition, 

it is very rare to fi nd a complete KdF 

Beetle with mostly original parts. The exterior 

paint was a quick and dirty re-spray, but the 

luggage and engine compartment appeared 

to be original paint. The longer Bruce looked 

at this rare Beetle in his garage, the more he 

appreciated his investment. 

Bruce’s next priority was to get the car 

running and driving. The original engine and 

tin-ware was removed. The tin-ware was 

sand-blasted and painted by LPF 

Automotive in Kansas City. Vee Village 

Service Bruce’s VW engine builder in Kansas 

City, recommended he should not seperate 

the engine case. Instead, he fi lled with case 

with solvents and let it soak to insure that the 

oil sludge was dissolved. 

Afterwards, he purged the oil passageways 

with compressed air and solvents. 

Bruce’s friend and factory-trained VW mechanic, 

David Miller, helped rebuild the car- 

burettor, distributor and fuel pump. Together, 

they installed the freshly painted tin-ware and 

components, started and tuned the engine. It 

ran very well and showed acceptable piston 

compression. He let the car sit a few months 

while Bruce contemplated his next move. 

Later, it was decided not to restore his 

82E. The original W.W. 2 patina was too 

valuable to destroy. 

According to papers, faxes and emails 

Bruce received from Jacky Morel, publisher 

of French magazine, Super VW, his Type 

82E was reported stolen and driver killed in 

1944 by the French Resistance near Arc de 

Triomphe [Paris], near where Goring kept 

an International business offi ce. According 

to French records it was fi rst registered as 

a civilian vehicle in Paris 1946. Bruce has 

often wondered if the fi rst registered owner, 

a Roger Georges Schamel, was the same 

person who had stolen the car less than two 

years earlier. Bruce later heard that Schamel 

died in 1991. This car, discovered in his garage, 

and had been auctioned off as a 1946 

Beetle. It turned out to be far more than that! 

LEFT The interior seating and 

panelling is interesting, but not 

original. This black vinyl was 

added much later in its life. Note 

the cog wheel logo horn button 

in the centre of the steering 

wheel. A very nice item! 

BELOW The original engine 

doing what it does best, 

running like a well oiled sewing 

machine. Note the engine has 

been tidied up, and painted, 

but the engine bay remains 

unrestored. Also note the 

original, and very rare long 

armed per-heat tube manifold 

and the raised HT coil lead 

distributor cap. 

ABOVE The original round KdF-Wagen petrol 

tank, held in place buy two straps. Also note the 

engine starting handle, and could that be tucked 

away in small bag a wooden petrol gauge stick? 



Rikki James – Resident Bus specialist and 

SSVC Special Display Organiser 

The SSVC meet at The Ace Café was busy from the word go! 

This year even saw some French traders selling parts. The 

surrounding streets were lined with Volkswagens! 

SSVC’s Swap Meet 

Is it me or has this show season just 

fl own buy! The reason I say this is 

because I generally consider the end 

of the season with this swap meet. The 

European (White socks and Birkenstocks) 

VW shows seem like they were only 

yesterday but in reality I guess it is mid 

winter. As they say, ‘how time fl y’s when 

you’re having fun’. 

Anyway moving swiftly on the Split Screen 

Van Club’s Autumn Swap Meet, held at the 

Ace Café, London was blessed with the 

weather and as you can see from the photo’s 

it was very well attended. 

The gates offi cially open at 10:00 am 

however I arrived just before 9:00 and the car 

park was nearly full already, by 10:00 am the 

car park was totally rammed with a lot of not 

so happy punters trading in the street! Moral 

of the story, arrive early if you want to trade in 

the car park at this event. 

Special thanks to Karmann Konnection for 

their sponsorship of the event and to the Ace 

Café for hosting it. Also congratulations to 

Ed Skellett, Paul Patina and Gareth Jones on 

“ ” 

By 10.00am the car park was totally rammed. 

If you want to trade at this event arrive early! 

winning ‘the peoples choice’ trophies that we 

gave out that day. 

See you at the next Split Screen Van Club’s 

Swap Meet, again held at the Ace Café in the 

spring of 2006. 

Richard King of Karmann Konnection 

sponsored the event and presented 

the ‘peoples choice’ awards. Two 

DJs played funky house tunes all day 

long. In all, it was a great day out

Sponsored by: 

Just Kampers bring you the latest news from the world of the 

VW Transporter. For your free Just Kampers catalogue call 

0845 120 718 or, for more info, visit www.justcampers.com 

Happy Days 

• Who? The Crowood Press 

• How Much? £14.99 in paperback 

• Contact: enquiries@crowood.com 

One Volkswagen that is bound to unleash some found memories for many of you is 

the legendary Volkswagen Transporter. Lawrence Meredith now tells the full story in 

this fascinating book, Volkswagen Transporter. Shown in all its glory from Splittie and 

Bay to Wedge. The whole era is explained after the birth in the 50s to the conversions 

of water-cooled engines in 1982. So for those of you that have appreciated and lived 

through the simplicity of this wagon, it’s time to bring it back home. Buy Volkswagen 

Transporter, The Legendary Type 2, 1950-82, by Lawrence Meredith now. 

Groovy Drapes 

• Who? VW CAMPER CURTAINS Ltd 

• How much? Curtains range from £85 - £160.00 per set 

• Contact? 01406 422498 or 07761 568536 

• Web? www.vwcampercurtains.co.uk 

VW Camper Curtains is very excited in announcing fi ve new ranges of fabrics. These include 

some fantastic retro 60s and 70s fl owers designs along with other funky fl ower power fabrics 

suitable for curtains and re-upholstery. They also have many colours of hibiscus and surfboard 

material now in stock. Two new ranges of plain fabric for upholstery, getting a very 

close match to the original oranges, greens and browns they often have requests for is also now 

available. Hopefully you can fi nd the colour you require for your interior with their extensive range of over 

260 fabrics to choose from. 

Special winter discounts are now being offered by VW Camper Curtains, so check out the company’s 

website or feel free to call for samples. 

Cool Air Bus Station 

Cool Air have not only opened it’s brand new Showroom but they have 

just secured a deal to buy ‘The Bus Station’ parts business. Mark 

at the Bus Station is going to still keep the business name and the 

website as he is going to continue his vehicle sales from it, but they are 

no longer going to be selling the parts. Cool Air has now bought the 

rights to all the great products that Bus Station has been selling for the 

past four years. Parts include beams, brake disc conversion kits, spring 

plates, dropped spindles, doors, deck lids, heated front screens and a 

whole load more. 

The new showroom is located at Unit 6, Bilton Road, Erith, Kent, 

DA8 2AN and is open from 9am to 5pm Monday to Friday and10am till 

4pm Saturday. 

Log onto www.coolairvw.com.uk or 

call 01322 33 50 50 for more info. 

VolksWorld 

Camper & Bus 3 

We have great news for fans of our sister mag VolksWorld 

Camper & Bus. Issue 3 is set to be published 

on the 2 February 2006 and will become a bi-monthly 

magazine. This issue is packed full of news and products, 

history on various 

models and a 

helpful buying guide for 

the Type 25. It also 

includes a useful 

step-by-step How To 

section on adjustable 

spring plates. On top of 

this there are features 

on some fantastic Buses 

from standard Campers 

to modifi ed custom 

Vans. There is something 

for every fan out there 

so make sure you pop 

to WH Smiths on the 2 

February or buy online at 

www.justkampers.com 

5IF $BSBU ( 

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.PEFM I 

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5IF TUVOOJOH OFX 78 5 

$BMJGPSOJB $BNQFSWBO 

www.volksworld.com February 2006 69 

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ISBN 0-86296-231-5 

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BDDFTTPSJFT

As the Cows looked on wondering what the hell we 

were doing outside their barn we begun our photo 

shoot and found out the story of how Rob Hogg 

restored this gorgeous ‘67 Westy. 

Words: Jon Gilbert Pics: Zoë Harrison 

Every now and then you come across a true car fanatic. 

You know the type, enthusiastic, knows his or hers stuff, 

does all the work themselves, has owned umpteen 

vehicles and generally loves playing around behind 

the steering wheel. I guess we are all like that to some 

degree, or you wouldn’t be reading this and I wouldn’t be writing it. 

Rob Hogg, however, is one of those guys who fi t all of the above 

perfectly. Being a main dealer VW mechanic, it’s no surprise that he 

knows the ins and outs of cars and that he owns a VW himself. His 

fanaticism didn’t begin with Volkswagen though; his story started 

with Mini’s. Not just one or two, oh no. We are talking in the region of 

18 of the nimble little cars! ‘I had every model including a Cooper S 

which won in concourse a few times. My fi rst Mini came when I was 

16 and I paid £600 for it” explained Rob. 

‘Eventually the speeding points began to tot up so I sold the 

Cooper and bought a 1200cc Cal Look ‘65 Bug. I slammed it and 

put in a psychedelic interior - it was wicked!’ And thus the VW 

infection spread through Rob’s veins and there was no turning back. 

‘My friend Chris Yates and I went on to build a super cool ‘73 


Sponsored by: 


Cal Look for my ex-girlfriend. It was yellow 

with white sides and very low. She showed 

it at Bug Jam when I fi nished it. Then came 

a ‘58 Bug with a 1776cc engine and then 

a ‘72 Bay Window Bus. I didn’t fi nish that 

one though as I went off snowboarding 

to the Alps and didn’t come back for fi ve 

years. Well I did come back now and then 

to see my parents and to go 

to Bug Jam’. 

In June 2001 Rob fi nally 

found himself behind the wheel 

of this 1967 Westfalia SO42 

(read Pop-top Camper with rear roof rack, 

awning, electric hook up and walk through 

interior). It wasn’t in the best condition as 

you are about to fi nd out but seeing as 

Rob was on a budget and just wanted 

to drive it he didn’t really mind. Rob 

continued the story. ‘You could see the 

sky through the roof and the road through 

the fl oor. A bungee strap was holding the 

clutch pedal up and there was another one 

to slip over the gear stick when you shifted 

into fourth to prevent it popping back out. 

I drove it like that for a year. It may have 


been a wreck but it was certainly cool!’ 

‘The plan was to just tart it up a little bit 

and use it, but you know how it is, these 

things always end up undergoing a full 

resto with lots of shinny bits.’ 

Chris and Rob decided that the Bus was 

in need of some lovin’ so they rented out a 

garage and started to tackle the bodywork. 

“ ” 

A bungee strap was holding 

the clutch pedal up 

‘We changed all the jacking points, cross 

members, front cab steps, inner and 

outer sills and the front lower panels’, Rob 

continued, ‘we then made a start on the 

front window area. Only 3-inches of the 

split section was there so we opted to 

make a new one and weld it in. Once in 

place we repaired all around the window 

apertures before moving our attention 

to the roof. The front section had been 

silicone sealed to the screen area and the 

vents were sitting about an inch off centre. 

We took out all the fi ller and found a part 

of the roof that had been welded in. We 

cut that out and welded everything back 

in properly. It was a complete nightmare. 

Next up we re-built all the missing roof 

gutter sections before making a start on 

straightening the panels’. Apparently this 

was quite a strenuous task Rob informed 

us ‘There was no need to go to the gym. 

Just get a piece of 2x3 and try 

fl atting the side of a Bus’. They 

also replaced the doors, tailgate, 

engine lid and one cargo door. 

These were rust free items 

sourced from California but still needed 

work to get the dents out. 

Finally satisfi ed with their achievements 

the guys proceeded to lay on three coats 

of 2K primer before putting on the fi nal 

colour choice, all 14 litres of it, in a makeshift 

spray booth consisting of a shed and 

plastic sheets. Rob won’t tell us its actual 

colour as he keeps it secret. He did tell us 

it was by Masons though. Apparently the 

most asked question he gets approached 

with at shows is about the colour, but still 

he doesn’t let on. The fi nal coat has never

een fl atted or mopped but still looks fantastic 

for a gun fi nish. Rob refers to Chris’ 

as a genius when it comes to his spraying 

skills and we would have to agree. 

Inside the Camper, Rob has retained 

the original Westfalia conversion. ‘It’s in 

excellent condition’ put Rob, ‘the only bit 

missing was the buddy seat and front 

seats. My mate Neil bought a Westy and 

had an unwanted buddy seat cover. I had 

that off him and made a seat. The front 

ones are from a Bay Window, which I think 

look OK; I couldn’t fi nd some walk through 

Split ones at the right price; the cheapest 

being £600!’ 

A friend of Robs, known as Noza the 

Carpet King, tiled the fl oor in the Camper. 

He is apparently a god when it comes to 

things like this and since fi nishing Robs 

fl oor he has had a lot of orders from his 

mates. ‘There’s now a lot of tiled fl oor 

Splitties cruising around Brum now thanks 

to Noza’ said Rob. 

You will also fi nd some entertainment in 

the Van in the form of a Sony CD head unit 

feeding two Kenwood speakers in the front 

cab and two JVC speakers in boxes under 

the rock and roll bed. Rob also installed 

a split charger and spare battery in the 

engine bay. ‘It’s for those late night parties 

at shows’ said a Rob, ‘this Van has seen 

plenty of them’. 

In the engine department the Bus runs 

a 1600cc with twin Kadrons ‘for a bit more 

umpf up hills’ pointed out Rob. He had put 

1600 barrels, pistons and heads on so he 

could use these carbs. He made his own 

exhaust so it didn’t knock the rear bumper. 

Handling wise Rob says the Van has a 

really nice ride. It runs a cut and turned 

front beam with KYB shocks all round. Rob 

also put in Creative Engineering chassis 

legs with ‘68 Bay arms, hubs and drums 

and lowered the rear by two splines. The 

Van has a nice stance and sits well on the 

EMPI 5-spokes. These came with the Van 

but were painted white wearing 145/15 

rubber on the front and 195/65/15 on the 

rear. Rob was quick to paint the EMPIs to 

his taste as a quick fi x but ultimately he is 

going to put a set of Rader wheels on the 

Westy. Rob also rebuilt the steering box 

Sponsored by: 

ABOVE & BELOW Custom tiled fl oor works well 

and has become a hit with Split owners in Brum 

BELOW The original Westfalia interior is in very 

good conition; in fact is hardly looks used 



ABOVE A nice stock 1600cc engine with twin 

40mm Kadron Carb’s for that bit of extra grunt 

and put on a new steering damper, ‘It feels 

loads better for it now’ Rob elucidated. 

Drum brakes are still used all round, SSP 

front discs are on the cards though, and all 

the brake lines were replaced. 

Rob has created a lovely Camper 

and has spent a lot of time using it for 

camping trips and shows but it seems 

that his favourite part of Bus ownership 

would be the parties he has in it. ‘I would 

like to thank all those people who have 

partied in my Bus till dawn. We’ve had 

some mad ones; these Buses are serious 

party wagons. While I’m thanking people, 

I would like to thank Chris for his help 

and hard graft, Noza for the fl oor, Hugh 

for renting me the garage and lastly a big 

thanks to the transit van full of girls who 

fl ashed their headlamps (that’s putting 

it nicely) at me on the M5 last summer. I 

nearly fell out of the Safari’s’. 

The Westy has now been sold and has 

started a new life in Hertfordshire.

Steve Gosling 

Car: 64 Square 

Jobs this month: 

Fit second hand engine, 

take square for MOT, fit 

new clutch cable and fix 

light switch 

With the Squareback in almost 

one piece the hunt was on for 

a good cheep second hand 

Type 3 engine. 

I phoned everyone I knew who might 

have something suitable kicking around 

and came up with nothing, so I hit the 

Internet. Finally coming good on the 

Type 3/4 owners club forum (http://www. 

vwtype3and4club.org.uk/forum/). Mike 

Dempster owner of a cool white and Nutria 

brown Notch had a late 1600 engine that 

was almost complete and the asking price? 

A very reasonable £120. Can’t say fairer 

than that. So a quick trip to Toddington 

services on the M1 to pick the engine up 

and I was a very happy boy. 

Once back in the garage, everything 

seemed to check out ok, I needed to swap 

the 12-Volt fl ywheel for the 6-Volt one off 

the original engine, install a generator and 

swap the carbs for the 34mm Delortos I 

had. Easy I hear you say. Well no. 

While switching the fl ywheels I managed 

to snap the gland nut in half! Now, I’m only a 

little lad, but even 10 stone, when 

hanging off an 8-foot scaffold bar exerts a 

lot of force. End result, me on the fl oor in 

pain while Mike Pye and mate Darren looked 

on in shocked and amused amazement. 


What we’ve been up to in the workshop this month 

Now I must have had my lucky pants 

on that day because the gland nut I had 

just snapped off in my new engine simply 

unwound with my fi ngers! There’s an 

important lesson here, buy the right tools 

for the job; we’ve now invested in a proper 

torque multiplier. 

With the engine in and running sweetly 

I might add, it was time to think about the 

MoT. Now lets face it no one likes taking 

their car for an MoT, but she passed with 

nothing but a note to put a nut on the 

bottom of one of the front shocks, don’t 

know where that went! 

Since then I’ve used the Square a lot, 

ABOVE Fiddly? I don’t 

know what you’re talking 

about. New clutch cable 

is not a fi ve minute job. 

Left Second-hand engine 

seems to be a good’un 

ABOVE Back on the road after almost 2 

years. And what a joy it is. The best driving 

Volkswagen ever? I’d have to agree 

I’ve daily driven it for a couple of weeks 

(how good is the heating in a Type 3?!!) 

and even managed to get it to the fi rst 

show since I’ve owned it, the VW Autumn 

Fair in Slough. 

The only problems I’ve had so far are a 

snapped clutch cable (thanks T3D 01638 

743211) and a self-destructing light switch 

that I repaired. Future plans included 

getting a couple of bits of paint work done 

and just drive the thing whenever I can. 

Type 3’s are the future! Heat on tap and a 

ride that doesn’t break your back. I must 

be getting old, as that’s what the older Vee 

Dubbers used to say to me! 

ABOVE Snapped 

gland nut! I didn’t 

realise i was that 

strong. Or was it 

the 8 foot scaffold 

bar i was using? 

LEFT Secondhand 

engine was 

bought off the Type 

3/4 owners club 

website for £120 

almost complete. 

result!

Anatomy of a hot 

Cal Look motor 

As this month’s issue is a Cal Look special we thought you might like to see a timewarp motor that 

has been stashed beneath a work bench for a decade or two. Matt takes on a nostalgia trip 

The Main Ingredients 

The motor featured in our little tech tour is one that came with a 

car that I purchased a while back. The Bug had been built in the 

1980’s and was sadly never fi nished by its owner. The engine 

had been purchased second hand from the United States and 

was a refugee from the 1970s, albeit with the odd spice of 1980s 

upgrades such as the Gene Berg pulley and Mallory distributor. 

However, the main components such as the crankcase, 

crankshaft, cylinder heads and carburettors are the real deal 

and are in remarkably good condition. The plan is to build it up 

again as a genuine, authentic Cal Look era motor and run it in a 

hot street Bug. 

Starting at the bottom we have a standard magnesium VW 

crankcase that has been machine clearanced for the long throw 

of the 82mm stroke SPG roller bearing crankshaft. Nestling 

next to the crank is a long duration/highlift camshaft that to this 

day is still a mystery as to who manufactured it. Bolt up rocker 

shafts were hot property thirty years ago, as indeed they are 

today, and these sport a ratio of 1.25:1. Cylinder heads are 

worked aftermarket castings based on the original VW design, 

but lack any identifying numbers or letters. They sport a heavy 

fl y-cut, mild porting and 42x35.5mm inlet and exhaust valves, 

respectively. Lastly, genuine Italian IDA carburettors. 


Matt Keene takes us on 

a guided tour inside the 

bowels of a hot IDA motor 

Words and pics: Matt 

Things to do 

strip down vintage motor 

lurking beneath work bench... 

1970s Performance Package 

During the seventies the VW performance industry mushroomed 

as the humble fl at four became notorious on the drag strips of 

Southern California. The likes of Gene Berg, Dean Lowry, Scat 

Enterprises, Fleming, Aronson and Thurber (FAT Performance) 

were already well established in the business of supplying performance 

products for a power-hungry following of Volkswagen 

enthusiasts. Early performance equipment consisted of simple 

bolt-on goodies such as carburettors, high-ratio rockers shafts 

and extractor exhausts, but within a very short period of time the 

aftermarket boomed and it was soon possible to purchase just 

about everything from a performance camshaft to exotica such 

as a brand new three piece crankcase. The sound of howling 48 

IDAs was to become ubiquitous on the the streets of So-Cal. 

Typical hot motors of the era, and certainly those belonging 

to the high profi le club members of the time, are conservative 

in terms of cubic capacity when juxtaposed to today’s bunch of 

raceway refugees. In the ‘day’ an 88x82 mm motor (1994cc) was 

considered to be the hot ticket and a 2180cc motor (92x82mm) 

was pretty much the business. Naturally, these motors would be 

crowned with Webers, with 42 DCNFs and 48 IDAs pretty much 

standard issue. Greg Aronson’s 1963 ragtop, the car that was to 

become synonymous with the phrase ‘Cal Look’, sported at its 

peak an 88x78mm IDA motor (1897cc) capable of propelling it 

down the quarter mile in 12.73 seconds! 

All in all when you consider that this happened thirty years 

ago it is quite an achievement, as a twelve second quarter mile 

is a feat not to be sniffed at even by today’s standards.

Cylinder Heads 

The cylinder heads featured here are reworked stock type castings. 

Aftermarket heads such as 044 heads were a long way off in the 

future when these were ‘tickled’ so it was either stock type or 

hugely expensive exotica. Sporting 42x35.5mm valves, they were 

pretty much state of the art back then for a stock type head. A 

modest fl ow and porting job has been carried out by someone well 

in the know as the ports mike up spot on when compared to one 

another. Who the head porter was is a mystery, but it’s nice to think 

that maybe some legend from back in the day such as Fumio 

Fukaya might have had a hand in there somewhere. Notice the 

heavy fl y-cutting for extra compression and the modifi ed combustion 

chamber work. Stainless steel Manley valves are present and 

they’re held in shape by dual valve springs and chromoly retainers. 

Gas fl owing heads is not always ‘bigger 

equals better’. A good deal of time has 

been spent by somebody in the know 

Sponsored by Big Boys Toys www.bigboystoys-uk.com Tel: 0845 2300101 

42x35.5 stainless valves 

reside in these ancient 

heads, which have been 

fl ycut for a high C.R. 

Combustion chambers have been reworked 

to unshroud valves and head has 

been fl ycut to increase the compression 

Weber IDA Carburettors 

The Weber IDA carburettor was originally developed for the 

V8 race cars of the 1960’s such as the Ford GT40 (48 IDA) 

and the Porsche Carrera 2 liter Four Cam motor (46 IDA). 

Incredibly successful as an out and out race carb, the IDA 

carburetor soon found its way onto the Volkswagen fl at 

four motor. Being a racing carb, it lacks a sophisticated 

progression circuit but who cares when you are blasting up 

to 8,000 RPM? After all, it ticks over nicely and screams all 

the way up to the redline so that will be quarter mile racing, 

then! Weber Italy stopped making this beauty over twenty 

years ago, but reincarnations from Weber of Spain have 

been re-popped over the years. Today’s nostalgia fans love 

to see the words ‘Made in Italy’ cast onto the bodies of their 

induction systems so genuine Italian carbs will always be 

in demand for those seriously into their cars. Manifolds are 

readily available today, but genuine 1970’s items have been 

commanding good prices lately. Purple DDS? Yes please! 

Port and Chamber work 

The secret to high fl owing heads lies in the ability of the 

head porter to really know his onions. Massive ports are 

not always the key to power as they can in fact reduce 

fl ow if incorrectly hogged out. Ultimate fl ow is the ability 

of the incoming gases to actually accelerate through the 

ports and if a port is too large at critical points the air and 

fuel mixture will slow down as it tries to navigate ungainly 

ported canals. The heads on this motor are indeed conservative 

by modern standards, but a lot of care has been 

taken to make the port as effi cient as possible, without 

resorting to drastic port shapes and expensive welding. 

The exhaust ports have been opened up 

nicely to increase fl ow. The radius beneath 

the valve seat has a beautiful fl ow path 

www.volksworld.com Febraury 2006 85

82mm SPG Roller Bearing Crankshaft 

The heart of this motor and perhaps its single most interesting asset is the SPG 

roller bearing crankshaft. A true piece of 1970s memorabilia, this German made 

crankshaft cost an arm and a leg back then. The crank features full-circle webs that 

are pressed together under enormous pressure. Check out the locating dowels or 

pins (arrowed) in the picture below. These are essentially what hold the crankshaft 

together due to their tight press fi t. Also, check out the roller bearings on the 

connecting rods and notice how the rods are one piece with no end cap. They 

are assembled onto each crank web prior to the separate pieces being pressed 

together. Not an easy task to replace! The roller bearings have no individual oil feed 

and are splash fed by modifi ed bearings such as these below. Notice the grooves 

ground into the bearings to direct jets of oils somewhere in the region of the rollers. 

Ancillaries 

The name Gene Berg is synonymous with performance air cooled VWs 

so you probably wont be surprised to see a Berg pulley being used 

on this motor. Not an original 1970s item, but it is only a decade or so 

younger. Still, a top quality pulley that will be reused. On the right we 

have a Mallory distributor, probably also of 1980s vintage. Still running 

points and condenser just like back in the day. 


Cams and Rockers 

The name Engle has been around for almost as long as the word Volkswagen and is 

probably the most reputed of all cam makers for the fl at four. The camshaft on this engine 

is a bit of a mystery as numerous internet searches and chats to those in the know have 

drawn a blank. Notice how the cam is machined between 

the lobes to remove all of the casting marks. A nice blueprinting 

touch! Also, the camshaft has been notched to 

clearance it against the throw of the crankshaft and conrods. 

The rocker gear is made by Autocraft and is perhaps of 

1980s vintage. Sporting a ratio of 1.25:1 and swivel feet, it 

appears to be in very serviceable condition. The pushrods 

are naturally chromoly. A nice little rocker package. 

Barrels and Pistons 

Nowadays we tend to steer away from 92mm barrels and pistons because 

of a lot of old Wives’ tales about 92mm barrels being to thin and prone to 

warping. True, they are thinner wall than 90.5mm items and even most 94mm 

barrels, but, treated with care and respect, there is no reason why they can’t 

give good mileage. You probably wouldn’t want to fi t them into your heavily 

laden Type 2 with stock oil cooling (probably the single greatest reason why 

92’s got a bad name), but for a hi-po street motor in a Bug, they are just fi ne. 

The barrels and pistons pictured here are in good condition and have been 

balanced to within one gram of each other. Notice the numbering to keep each 

piston to its respective bore. Very important when re-using pistons and barrels.

4Both grommets will need to be pushed fully 

home to ensure that they wont pop back 

out again. A fi rm hand push is necessary 

7Push the reservoir fi rmly home and ensure 

that it’s seated correctly. Rubber can be a 

little tricky to seat so take your time 

Don’t forget to remove your brake light 

10 sender switch from your old master 

cylinder. This needs to be fi tted to new item 

You need to free of the pushrod in order 

13 for it to adjust correctly against the new 

master cylinder. Undo with spanner and grips 

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5With both grommets fully home, pour a little 

brake fl uid down each grommet to help the 

reservoir slip into grommets 

8You will need to jack up and support the 

front of your Bus. Rember to use at least 

two axle stands. A jack can fail, so beware! 

Undo the two securing bolts. Replace 

11 them if they are corroded as they are 

very important. You don’t want them failing! 

With the pushrod freed off, remove it 

14 and coat the threaded part of it with 

anti-seize grease such as copper slip 

6Your new reservoir is a dual circuit jobbie 

that has two chambers within, feeding fl uid 

to front and rear brakes, respectively 

9The fi rst task is to disconnect the brake 

pipes. Soak them in WD40 fi rst to ensure 

that they free off easily. All pipes are reused 

Removing the master cylinder is a 

12 simple task. Be ready for a little grime 

and possible brake fl uid spillage. Yuck! 

Refi t the pushrod and ensure that it 

15 rotates freely along the full length of its 

thread. It may get a little tight so use grips 


Offer up the new master cylinder and reservoir combo and 

16 make sure you fi t the supplied aluminum spacer ring 

Only once all brake pipes are hand tight on the new master 

18 cylinder should you tighten the securing bolts. 

Naturally, I reground the ball type taper back onto the end of 

20 the pushrod. You may not need to shorten yours, but I did 

The correct placing of the brake light switch is shown here. It 

22 has a taper thread which is self sealing. Reconnect wires 


Losely fi t the nuts and bolts that attach the master cylinder to the 

17 chassis bracket. Losely attach all brake pipes. Don’t tighten yet 

The new master cylinder requires the pushrod to have 1mm of 

19 freeplay. This meant that I had to cut a little off of my pushrod 

With the master cylinde tightened up on the chassis tighten all 

21 of your brake pipes with an 11mm spanner. Don’t over tighten! 

Naturally, the brakes will need a full bleeding. Start at the 

23 wheel furthest away from master cylinder. Enjoy safer brakes!

VolksWorld - February 2006 - AutomationJet

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