Wagensville May 08

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VWCV History from 1954 • Super Super • Jigs from the Archives and more...

The Official Magazine of the Volkswagen Club of Victoria Inc.

Volume 53 Number 11 May 2008

The Club History Issue

1wagensville Deluxe May 2008

The Official Magazine of the Volkswagen Club of Victoria Inc.

Features

Contents

VWCV General MeetingsMelbourne Club meetings held every third Tuesday of every month at 8pm at the RACV Club (Henty Room), 501 Bourke Street, Melbourne, unless advised of an alternative venue in the Club Newsletter.

WVCV Annual Membership Fees• Single One Year Full Membership $55• Single 3 Year Full Membership $150• Additional Family Membership $20 (per extra member).• Membership Joining Fee $10 (first year members only).To join the Club, please complete the membership form inside this Newsletter and forward together with cheque for payment to the Club’s postal address as quoted on the form.

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

Wagensville News is a monthly Newsletter of the Volkswagen Club of Victoria Inc. Correspondence, articles and items of news are invited and should be sent to:

VWCV EditorGPO Box 1215 Melbourne VIC 3001 Email [email protected]

DEADLINE FOR NEXT ISSUE May 30th 2008

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

www.vwclub.com.au

VWCV CommitteePresident Michael Cronin 0419 684 181

Vice-President Dean Holden 0412 500 588

Secretary Matt Kinsey 9484 8953 [email protected]

Treasurer John Farlow 0418 357 416 [email protected]

Additional Committee Members John Stevens & Paul Kinsey

Public Officer John Stevens [email protected]

Motorsports Co-ordinator Chris Antonello 0407 309 244

Social Secretary Kingsley Morrison 03 9484 8953

Membership Secretary Xavier Larkin 03 9836 7607 [email protected]

Technical Officer Bill Malkoutzis & Michael Clark

Editor Tony Albers 0408 330 894 [email protected]

Assistant Editor Andrew Ermel 03 9369 1360 [email protected]

Web Master David Holinger [email protected]

Advertising Manager Dean Holden 0412 500 588

Club Historian Chris Scane 0417 593 573 [email protected]

2 SUPER SUPERThe Superbug that has lived up to it’s name.

4 VWCV HistoryTake yourself back to the Volkswagen Club of Victoria where it all began in 1954 and read about the first Volkswagen Club formed in the world.

MAYMay 20thVWCV General Meeting.RACV Club, Bourke Room at 8pm.2nd floor, 501 Bourke Street Melbourne.

May 24thPre-Concourse Social nightSee Ad on page 2 for details.

May 25thVWCV ConcourseSee Ad on page 2 for details.

JUNEJune 17thVWCV General Meeting.Studley Park BoatHouse at 8pm.

Meals and drinks available at ClubHouse prices prior to the meeting.See June issue for further details.

June 22ndDayelsford Cruise.See Ad on page 3 for full details.

VALLA 2008 Volkswagen Spectacular

July 31-August 4 2008All bookings via web.www.volkswagenspectacular.com

MOTORSPORT EVENTSContact Chris Antonello VWCV Motorsports Co ordinator for full event details. 0407 309 244

See Ad on page 8 for full details.

Calendar of Events

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Presidents Report, Super Super. 2

VWCV History. 4

Membership Profile, Fran Oliver. 7Test Drive Volkswagen Touareg. 8

8 M

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9 From th

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10 Tech Torque

11 Classifieds

12 Membership Stats

Super Superby Peter and Lloyd Davies, Edited by Tony Albers, VWCV Editor.

In 2003 the Volkswagen Club of Victoria had a Cavalcade through Tasmania and amongst this cavalcade this super 1972 Volkswagen Superbug was spotted. At first glance it seemed like any other beetle until closer inspection revealed how clean and straight it was, no rust and a perfect interior. Lloyd then found the owner of the car and had a long talk about the car which she was looking to sell at the show.

Amazingly the car was original with a mere 8,000 or so miles on the clock. The owner continued to tell how her uncle had bought the car new when he retired and promptly fell ill. After his death the family barley used the car, it lived up in the country somewhere in a shed near a dirt road. The family used it occasionally as their emergency car for when their cars were out of action and that’s where the 8000+ miles come from. Many years went by and the next generation of children then wanted to get their hands on the car and that is what made her decide to sell it.

The owner had her concerns about selling the VW to a non VW enthusiast who would not look after it

To survive the test of time and still look super is a rare thing in the Volkswagen world. This 72 Volkswagen Superbug has certainly survived and lived up to it’s name, life has taken it down the easy road with only 8,000 miles on the clock when purchased.

and would become another run down beetle like most are. Lloyd explained his situation and how he collected Volkswagens. Later in the year the car was purchased and shipped it back to Melbourne.

Today the cars condition is even better. The Superbug received a detailed wash and a few necessary parts. Due to age minor things like tyres and copex tubing had to be changed and bumpers had to be re-chromed due to surface rust but that was pretty much it. Items such as the muffler and even brake pads are still the original items that came with the car, it has also never had a radio.

Although these days the speedo reads somewhere closer to 8,500 miles this vehicle only makes appearances at shows and some Volkswagen Club events. The rest of the time this VW Superbug resides with Lloyd’s collection of Volkswagens in a secure, safe environment to ensure its current condition for many years to come.

In last months report I said that the club general meetings would continue to be at the RACV Club. Unfortunately although this is what we believed it now appears to have been premature. The committee has been in on-going discussions with the management of the RACV Club since November last year regarding the use of a new meeting room that was completed last month as part of their extensive building renovations. It had been the committee’s understanding that our third Tuesday of the month general meetings would be able to be accommodated in this new room and that this would put an end to our nomadic wanderings since the closure of the Henty Room at the RACV Club around the middle of last year.

We found out last week, much to our dismay this new room is now almost fully booked and we will not be able to secure our regular meeting nights throughout the year. In the circumstances the committee is now giving priority to the evaluation of a number of non-RACV Club venue options that will secure future general meeting arrangements, hopefully to take effect from the July 2008 meeting. We see it as essential to re-establish a regular and consistent meeting venue, in a suitable environment and apologise to club members if the recent varying meeting arrangements and venues have caused any difficulties. If in doubt of the location for a meting please ring me or one of the other committee members for confirmation. I would like to personally thank John Stevens for the time and effort he has put in trying to resolve this issue.

Don’t forget the Concourse this month, even if you don’t intend to show your car just come for the day, if you are new to the club come and introduce yourselves so we can make you feel welcome. That’s all for now, I will keep you posted on the progress of finding a permanent home for club meetings.

2 Volkswagen Club of Victoria Inc. 3wagensville Deluxe May 2008

President’s Report Michael Cronin, VWCV President

Sunday May 25th

Concourse

Everyone is welcome to attend. Concourse vehicle entry reserved for Volkswagen Club of Victoria members.

The concourse will be held at Gembrook within the grounds of the Forest Edge Restaurant. A very pleasant and scenic cruise via the townships of Launching Place and Hoddles Creek will also incorporate the concourse.

Cruise participants are to meet at the Croydon Hotel carpark, Croydon (Mel. Ref. 50 E2) at 9.30am for 10 o’clock departure.

Trophies will be awarded to best in categories.

Forest Edge Restaurant Gembrook2905 Launching Place Road (Mel. Ref. 299 B5).

Upon arrival at approximately 11am, all vehicles will be parked on a grassed area with amazing panoramic views of the Bunyip State Park and the Warburton Ranges. The VWCV has reserved seating within the restaurant for lunch. A small selection of reasonably priced meals will be available. Join us and enjoy the relaxing surrounds and classic volkswagens, live music will play from 1pm.

Further information contact Kingsley on 9484 8953

Fun City Entertainment Complex 5.30pm - 7.30pm 234 Ballarat Road Braybrook 3019

Go Karting Pre Concourse social night Saturday May 24 This event will be pay as you ride, visit www.funcitygokarts.com.au for details or contact Kingsley on 9484 8953

Entry to concourse $10 per vehicle.Delicious Restaurant lunch available for $18 per head.

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MELBOURNECruise to Dayelsford to maybe spend some time aboard the vintage railway, enjoy a natural and relaxing spa, or perhaps visit the multitude of antique shops, galleries and cafes of the surrounding area.

Contact Kingsley for any further information on 03 9484 8953.

Cruise toDayelsfordSunday June 22nd

VWCV meet at the Deer Park BP Service Station (Western Hwy, Deer Park - Melway Ref 358 K6) at 9.00am for a 9.30am departure.


Volkswagen Club of Victoria History by Chris Scane, VWCV Historian

In the beginningThe Club was formed in April 1954 by a group of nine Volkswagen enthusiasts. It was one of the first Volkswagen Clubs formed in the world.

The first meeting were held in a garage converted into a hall at the Alvee Park Autos in High Street, Mount Waverley. In 1957, branches were formed in Warragul and Ballarat and other clubs were formed in other states. The Volkswagen Club of Victoria is the first V.W Club in Australia. Foundation members were Mr. Don Bowd (President) Mr. Gregory Drew (Secretary) Mr. Ray Witherten (Treasurer). Don Bowd wrote to new owners of VWs from Regent Motors to invite them to join the club.

The committee consisted of: Mr. George Reynolds, Mr. Otto Wegener, Mr. Laurie Weston, Mr. Ron Kenny, Mr. Bruce Mummery and Mr. Jack Beecham.

The Ladies Committee: Mrs. Jack Beecham, Mrs. Nancy Lucas and Miss June Holloway.

At that time the VW was a rarity on the Australian roads and the club created great interest with the long line of beetles in convoy heading off on beach runs, motorkhanas, etc.. In 1955 the Australian VW produced at Martin & King of Clayton reached 6634. Subsequently membership increased and it was found that the club headquarters could no longer contain all the new members.

Regent Motors in Stuart Street, South Melbourne became the new home of the VW Club and meetings were held on the Third Thursday of each month. The success of the 1955 Redex Trail with VW 1st and 2nd (Laurie Whitehead and Bob Foreman, and Lance and Eddie Perkins) had membership increasing to an extent that standing room only was general for meetings. Some members even brought their own chairs. Parking was also a problem. Anything up to 200 Volkswagens filling the road as far as the eye could see.

The club grew and at one stage comprised of ‘satellite’ clubs in regional centres also including Seymour, Mildura and Morwell. This is the reason for the name ”Melbourne” on the club emblem. We now have an associated VW Club in Bendigo and the tradition continues!

Extracted from Wagensville News & Day of the Volkswagen Booklet 1986.

Image from Wagensville News Volume 5, Number 3, January 1971.

1950’s & 1960’sAs the 1950’s progressed the VWCV grew as an organization as the familiar sight of a VW Beetle around Melbourne and regional centers. The late 50’s saw the development of the motorsport program in cooperation with other Melbourne motorsport clubs with the success of the VW Beetle in Australian Trials & Rallies.

The early 60’s saw the motorsport theme develop and the club organization of trials, motorkanas (which started in 1958), and economy runs was very impressive. The competition with other Melbourne clubs was also tight and the Competition Secretary had a very busy job! The social side was also jam packed with general meetings, bowling and a number of other social events. The meetings were every third Thursday and were regularly held at dealerships, eg Pound Motors. There were also a number of engagements and marriages associated with the club that helped the Editor of ‘Wagensville News’ fill up the back page.

In 1962 some of the members formed a new club – VW Auto Club, which had a main focus of social events with a bit of motorsport but not to the levels of competitiveness as VWCV. The VWAC flourished thru the 60’s and 70’s but could not form a committee in the mid 80’s and was disbanded. A number of senior members of our club (including the VWCV Club Historian) were members of VWAC. In 1969 the first ‘Bug In” was held at Albury, NSW and a VWCV member won the outright trophy against all competition.

By the end of the 60’s the club had about 70 members and meet at the VW factory in Clayton for their general meetings. This was arranged by Pat Whitaker who was the VWCV President and also worked at VW Australia. The 1969 Club Championship was fought out over 7 classes with trophies worth $100 (a lot of $$ in those days) and the Armstrong Trophy (extra $30) for 1st Outright.

1970’sThe 70’s had a strong competition program with motorkanas, treasure hunts, economy runs, trials/ rallies and fierce interstate competitions. The social side of the club activities included monthly meetings for films, lectures, table top rallies, discussions and general “getting to know you”. They also enjoyed beach runs, cabarets, bowling nights, squash nights, parties and other social events.

The meetings were still at the Clayton factory (1056 Dandenong Rd, Carnegie) and later at the Light Car Club of Australia (LCCA) in Queens Rd Albert Park. Motorkanas were held in Keilor under the Power Lines (Reserve) were later held on the corner of Stud & Wellington Rds, Rowville.

1980’sThis period saw an ongoing commitment in competitive activity of the Club especially in Group 5- Motorkanas were keenly participated in and points awarded to members were hard to achieve. Some of the other die hard motorsport club members also moved on to more main stream activities in Formula Vees and other motor sport clubs.

The beginning of Day of the Volkswagen saw a change in the type of activity that the club put emphasis on and the motorsport thrust began to change. The demise of air-cooled VWs meant the club needed to promote water cooled cars and this was part of a number of changes to the club. As the 80’s ended the interest in the club had declined again and by 1989 the membership had dropped to about 30.

1990’s & 2000’sThe 1990’s were going to be a critical era for the club because of the trend of the past few years. One of the biggest blows for the club was the lost of the venue for meetings. The Light Car Club of Australia (LCCA) had been the critical focus for general meetings for a long time but was no longer available and the building was eventually pulled down. Meetings where then held at the Hope & Anchor Hotel in Richmond and the Royal Exchange Hotel (now La Porchetta) on the corner of Peel St & Victoria Pde, West Melbourne.

This trend was compounded by a very bad turn out for a Day of the Volkswagen in the early 90’s at the Dandenong Sale yards. Weather was terrible, very few people came and no money was made by the club. It was only going from bad to worst when the enthusiasm for the club had fallen to level where the magazine was on occasions not produced and there was starting to be less regular communicate with the members.

The Club formed a new committee in the late 90s with Steve Ermel, Jon Edsell and Bill Sundermann. Together these gentlemen managed to put the club back on its feet and drag it into the 2000s. This was done with regular meetings at the RACV Club and good club programs and organization that has pushed the membership in 2008 to over 450 members. This new drive also lead the club to a regular magazine output that has resulted in the high quality production we all enjoy today!

Continued page 6

Image from Wagensville News Volume 2, Number 9, June 1968.

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4/20 Advantage Rd Highett VIC 3190 T 03 9555 5440 Brad 0419 356 105 Jono 0413 879 275 busnbug.com

SPECIALIST VOLKSWAGEN TRIMMERS

One of the first known issues was called VW Auto and was a B&W production with a colour flash with a B&W photo on the cover. The early edition of Wagensville News relied on a common cover for a period of a year and roneo (old printing machine) productions for content in each volume.

The details of these reports were (and still are) very interesting to read but the quality of the printing varied enormously (as did the cost of production) and it was sometimes difficult to read the text. The photos on the covers are a small snapshot of the club’s activities and mirrored the emphasis on motor sport at that time in the club’s history.

The ‘News’ and the club would have struggled to grow without the support of the club sponsors. Their support has been invaluable over the years (and still is!) and continues to be an import part of the ‘News’ .Some of the sponsors have contributed to the club for decades and it’s very important that the members patronize their business’s in recognition to their marvelous support to the club.

Wagensville News

The ‘News’ has gone thru some drastic changes from the first issues in the 1960’s to the major productions of recent years, with recent inception of the ‘Deluxe’ issue in colour which is a major improvement in quality and gives the member a magazine they can be truly proud of!

One of the most interesting parts of the Historyproject will be the collection of an image archive. The current Club Historian is keen to contact any members that have any photo’s of past club activities and will return any photos as required after scanning/photographing them with high resolution equipment. The Club Historian is currently following up a member of leads to old B&W photo’s of club events.

VWCV History Project & the Future. The VWCV History Project is an important initiative for the Volkswagen Club of Victoria to protect and preserve its archives and origins for the future. The VWCV Club Historian is willing to co-ordinate the inputs into this project providing the members are willing to give a major contribution and commitment to the project’s success. The VWCV Committee is keen to record more Member Profiles and details of club member’s cars in the History.

With more contributions from ex members and current members in the next 12 months, it is hoped that a VWCV History Display may be available at the Bug In next year. It does not matter how small he contribution is, all items will be looked at favorably because other than Wagensville News the VWCV History is scattered over many different people and experiences.

The long term goal is to write a formal history of the club but this will require a major input from the members and the committee. There is so much happening in the club that does not get into Wagensville News, so I hope we can capture some of it in the history and have some fun along the way!

Please contact Chris Scane on 0417 593 573 if you would like to contribute any items or would like to help set up a display at the Bug In, next year.

Acknowledgements: The VWCV Club Historian is thankful for the support and contributions of Roger Backway, Mark Zellner, Bill Malkoutzis, Jon Edsell and Andrew Ermel. There are a number of members I would still like to contact, but I ran out of time, so please feel free to contact me as I would value your contribution.

Disclaimer. All the information presented in this article is a compilation of articles from Wagensville News, requested information from the contributors and personal experiences of the VWCV historian. All inaccuracies will be keenly corrected and followed up. I regard this as a work in progress and welcome any contributions that can help with the VWCV History.

What is your earliest memory of a Volkswagen?In about the late 1960 my then boyfriend Eric Oliver’s brother in law, knew someone who had a 1958 VW Beetle for sale around the £300 mark .So he bought it for cash of course and turned up to collect me from where I worked at the Freemasons Hospital as a nurse. I was the only one who had boyfriend with a Volksy. I was very pleased and following year married Eric.

What first got you interested in Volkswagens?Eric if course! He was always working on his VW which was the occupation of most Volkswagen owners then. Both my sons Rohan and Andrew at an early age learnt about cars from that first VW that Eric owned, amongst other skills such as metal work and soldering.

What do you like most about Volkswagens?They are reliable, fun to drive and its amazing how many like-minded people also love their VW’s like I do. I think people that like Volkswagens are really lovely people and I really enjoy being with them.

How and why did you become involved with the Volkswagen club of Victoria?When My husband Eric first when into care we had two cars including my 1972 Type 3 which at the time was making some terrible grinding noises from the engine bay. I rang the VWCV because my then mechanic said that the car was not fixable and should be cannibalised for parts. I spoke to a lady by the name of Frances Evans, Dave Evans wife. She said that David was away and would ring you back. David later rang me back and invited me to The Day of The Volkswagen at Albert Park where there would be someone who could advise me on my cars problem. My son Andrew came along on this Beautiful day, very sunny and Gary Collis looked at the car and Said “it has a broken fan in the engine”. Soon after I had it fixed with a good result. I was so impressed with the attitude of the club members that I joined the VW of Victoria forthwith on the day.

What is your favourite Volkswagen Type you have owned?My type 3 that I still own. Eric had a type 3 1962 model which he was quite proud of. It had diamond blue paint, was much quieter than my Type 3 and it seemed much lighter than mine and therefore easier to drive.

If you could have any Volkswagen what would it be?If Eric’s Type 3 was still around then I would like to have it back. When Eric had to let it go he was quite emotional about parting with it at the time. It had brings back very good memories for me.

What has been your most enjoyable experience in a Volkswagen?Two trips come to mind one to Port Lincoln and the other Griffith. The Griffith trip, Eric inadvertently spun My Type 3 whilst driving home in the wet on and unmade road. The boys were in the back and cheered at the excitement whilst Eric resulted the car back into line after doing full circle in the mud. The mud was quite deep and up to the doors. It was an exciting trip for the boys and I with me gripping the grab handle at the front. The trip to Port Lincoln was a holiday and went on Coffin bay to pick and eat oysters. Andrew my eldest was about nine at the time and he was looking for smallest oysters to pick so that they would fit his mouth in one swallow. The oysters were huge!

Is your unique Volkswagen enthusiasm recognised and supported by family, friends and community?Yes. I will bore the socks of anyone who is willing stop and listen to my VW stories.

“How your Volkswagen going?” is a regular question that I am asked.

Is your family car a Volkswagen?Yes. I also own a Mazda 2 Maxx of which I still daily drive at the age of 76. As the Type 3 is CH registered it can only be driven on club events.

What is your profession and do your Volkswagen interests and profession cross paths?My profession had not crossed paths with my interest other than until I met Eric whilst working in the Hospital as a nurse. I was a nursing sister for twenty five years in hospitals then an occupational health and safety nurse of twenty years and I am now retired.

If you could go back in time what Volkswagen experience would you change?The engine fire which nearly burnt out my Type 3 to ground. It was lucky that I called the fire brigade and they came immediately to put the fire out. They commended me that I didn’t open up the engine lid, otherwise either fire may have spread to the rest of the car. Members of the VW Club came to my assistance and helped with getting the car repaired and back to original. It was looking for some time that the car may have to be written off by the insurance company. It was not without much protest and many phone calls to the insurance company that I had the car retuned to me. I appreciated the generosity of the club members in getting the parts and the assistance to repair the car.

On a scale from 1 to 10, how much of Volkswagen nut are you?10 but who’s asking?

Fran has been a member of the club since 1992 and regularly attends most club events including not in the least the trip in 2004 to Germany with a group of club members to our pilgrimage to Wolfsburg and the WV factory.

“I think people that love Volkswagens are really lovely people” Member Profile Fran Oliver, VWCV Club Member

were open until I realised that when we picked the Touareg up it was parked close to a car behind us. The side rear view mirrors were very large and are electrically heated which makes for easy reversing especial on those cold wet winter mornings when you first have to reverse out of your driveway.

In all the Touareg was a pleasant vehicle to drive and its performance was quite surprising considering this is a four wheel drive capable for going on off road excursions.

We once again thank the guys from South Yarra Volkswagen for the opportunity to drive their vehicles and look forward next month’s Wagensville Deluxe issue to give a report on the new Passat’s!

Andrew Ermel VWCV Assistant Editor.


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Test DriveV6 Touareg May 2008

2008 Motorsport CalendarVO

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Wanted competitors and officials! The club needs people and their cars to attend the following events.

1 June Bendigo Car Club - Motorkhana/Khanacross - Bagshot

15 June Interclub Challenge - Hillclimb - Rob Roy

22 June VWCV - Drag Racing - Heathcote Park

29 June Group 5 - Motorkhana - Werribee

1 July Group 5 - Sprint - Phillip Island

13 July Group 5 - Sprint - Sandown

27 July Group 5 - Motorkhana - Werribee

VWCV - Heathcote Drags Sunday 18 May - Cancelled. Due to Heathcote Park Raceway changing their calendar. Event rescheduled for 22nd June.

You don't need to have a modified cars to complete in the Hillclimb, Motorkhana/Khanacross and Sprint events. All you need is the appropriate CAMS license. I have all the details and can assist anyone in applying for the right CAMs license.

If you are interested in coming to any of the Motorsports event, please contact Chris Antonello VWCV Motorsports Co-ordinator 0407 309 244.

Don't forget, it's only safe if it's sideways. See you at the track!

From the Archivesby Andrew Ermel, VWCV Assistant Editor

jigYou have no doubt heard the saying “don’t judge a book by its cover”. This month “from the archives” discusses the discovery of a very unusual Volkswagen publication that was produced around the early 1950’s.

This manila style manual was found in a bottom of a box full of old VW parts and papers. The manual has its title printed in both German and English and it covers the loading and unloading of VW sedans and transporters. The first part of the manual contains blue prints with construction details for the manufacture of the lifting jigs used to lift new VW cars out of ships holds and off train carriages. The blue prints are dated 20 November 1951 and are dimensioned in metric measures.

The second part of the manual shows how the lifting jigs are to be used. What is really striking about this manual is that it contains real photographs and no printed pictures. The first group of photos show the lifting jigs in great detail.

Loading and unloading

The jigs are of a steel sling type with soft buffers that are attached to a cradle, supported above the vehicle by a crane or lifting gantry. There are also clamps which rap around the wheels on the transporters and on the guards of the sedans and are designed to not cause any damage.

The second group of photographs show the jigs fitted to the sedans and transporters with vehicles lifted well off the floor surface as demonstration in the section on how to sling the loads. You can see by the photographs they pertain to

“vintage” Volkswagens from the early 50’s. The Beetles pictured have “crutch coolers” air vents, round glass tail lights and most likely were split windows from the late 1940’s or early 1950’s. The transporters are barn door panel vans with no rear bumpers and must have been some of the earliest examples produced at that time.

We can only assume that this manual was sent to the importers here in Australia prior to the vehicles being shipped over from Germany.

The first VW’s that arrived in Australia came here as complete vehicles and not incomplete knock down form. We do not know whether the cars may have been driven of the ships and onto other transport.

The evidence of these jigs ever being manufactured to assist in process of unloading vehicles in Australia is in question. It is more likely that this manual was sent out to our first dealer in Australia but unlikely to have been used as only a small number of cars were ever shipped to Australia in complete form in 1953.

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Having owned myself and driven many makes of Japanese four wheel drives I was quite impressed with our recent test drive of the Volkswagen V6 Touareg.

Michael Caldweld from South Yarra Volkswagen had again arranged for us this month, a test drive of another new Volkswagen. The Touareg, a 3.6 V6 FSI was picked up from the Commercial Road dealership on the Tuesday morning. It was a fully equipped Touareg, V6 petrol engine with a DSG six speed transmission, alloy wheels and dual zone climate control. After the adjustments of the side mirrors, front seats and few minutes getting my GPS plugged in and programmed, we set off on our test drive.

Thru the morning traffic the Touareg handled exceptional well. With an excellent all round vision and taller ride height made our navigation thru the busy streets particularly easy. Transmission fitted was the six speed automatic DSG and coupled to the V6 gave the Touareg a lot of “poke “and was very quick off the mark at the lights. Being a constant four wheel drive it had plenty of grip when cornering hard and for a larger car had an exceptional tuning circle of 11.6 meters. This Touareg had many creature comforts that we now come expect with the new range of Volkswagens and the three hours that we drove was not nearly long enough to try out all of them. We drove most of the time with sunroof partially opened and were impressed by the quietness of the engine and the lack of road noise generated by the constant four wheel drive system.

The front seats were heated at the moderate setting of 2 and we had the climate control set on comfortable 18°. As with all Touareg’s the comfort standards are very high. The dashboard was wood grain, the steering wheel leather trimmed and the front seating electrical adjustable with 12 way adjustment features. There is plenty of adjustment to cope with all driving styles and driver preferences you just need some time to work out what’s best for you.

Touareg’s are now fitted as standard with front and rear parking sensors which take a little getting used to if you haven’t driven a vehicle with then before. We had the sensors beeping a few times and kept checking to see if the doors at the rear

All four wheel drives are not the same.

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Sunday April 20th the VWCV held a mystery cruise - after much anticipation the destination was revealed to be the town of Yea. The morning was sunny and warm - perfect conditions for a cruise.

It would have been easy to take the direct route up the Melba Highway via Yarra Glen - instead we took a meandering (and much more scenic) route via Healesville, Kinglake, Kinglake West, Flowerdale and then on to Yea.

In spite of much of the trip being partially obscured by smoke from nearby fires, the views were still very impressive. The cruise proceeded at a leisurely pace - we were fortunate there was virtually no body on the road apart from us.

Approximately 25 Volkwagens took part in the day (predominately Beetles, with a couple of Kombis, a Golf, a Type 3 and a Bora thrown in for good measure). It was also fantastic to see some new VWCV members participating on the day.

Upon arrival at Yea most people spent the next couple of hours enjoying a pub lunch and a couple of drinks, while a few members also enjoyed a picnic in the beautiful balmy autumn weather.

Thanks Kingsley for another fantastic trip.


PLEASE NOTE: All additions to this section MUST be accompanied by either registration number, chassis number or VIN number. Advertisements for vehicles without these details WILL NOT be published. Advertisements will be limited to a period of two months only. If you wish to continue your advertisement beyond the initial two month period or your Ad has been SOLD in the first month of Advertising, please contact the Editor(s) so the Advertising space can be updated for NEW Ads.

Send your for sales and wanted ads to the Editor: VWCV Editor GPO Box 1215 Melbourne VIC 3001 Email [email protected]

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Tech TorqueHistory of the Golf by Bill Malkoutzis

Believe it or not the Mark 1 Golf was considered the replacement for the Beetle back in the mid to late 60’s. Volkswagen was always under pressure to replace the beetle with something a bit more modern. Like other car companies Volkswagen too dabbled with various new vehicle studies. Some were created by Volkswagen themselves and others were contracted out to companies like Porsche, or Ital Design (designer of the Mark 1 Golf and Mark 1 Scirocco). You may have seen some it in magazines or if fortunate enough to have seen it in the flesh in the Wolfsburg Museum or at the Camberg VW spectaculars in Germany, when the museum takes some of these cars on the road.

To try and get you in the frame of mind as to the design direction in Europe of the late sixties you have to think back to the cars like the Hillman Imp, BMW1600 (2002) or the NSU Prince IV, all of which had wide waists below the window line. The Japanese hadn’t quite made it onto the motoring radar at this time. During this time, along came the car you see above, designed and built by the Volkswagen Research and development Department in Wolfsburg. From a body styling point of view the vehicle was basically a 3 door

“hatchback”. At the time it was referred to as having a Variant (Station Wagon) type rear body treatment. However the rear lip above the floor didn’t make it a Variant and more like what we know as a hatchback now. The rear hatch appears to be totally covered in glass with a rear wiper protruding out of it. Sound familiar?

As you will read later the engine type and dimension basically drove the shape and dimension of the front body features. Reportedly there wasn’t too much luggage space but more than a beetle. However, if the one-piece seat back was folded forward the space was significantly increased. Seating was for 5 and the occupant space was significantly more generous than a beetle of the time. The dash was a simple affair with a very flat facia with a single Speedo gauge (Ak Beetle), however all the switch gear appears to be unique to this model with little that appears to come from the VW parts bin. The controversial piece of design was the move away from floor pivot pedals to hanging units, (shock horror!!!). Additional the transmission shifter was reportedly quiet direct due in part to the location of the transmission.

The vehicle dimensionally was very similar to a beetle. In fact it had a 2.4 metre wheelbase just like all decent cars have (a la Beetle and Golf). On the mechanical side of things it consists of an air cooled upright Beetle engine sitting ahead of the front axle line (yes you read it right in FRONT of the FRONT axle line), with what appears like a very early low profile Beetle air cleaner to reduce the bonnet height, the gearbox was an IRS beetle unit with the differential flipped to allow it to operate behind the engine, operating through drive shafts to what is reported be CV joints to allow the front steering/drive etc. That’s right folks, an aircooled front wheel drive. The width and overhang of the engine might explain why the vehicle appears

quiet wide and has such a long nose. Even the heating was a derivative of the Beetles though somewhat crude due to the prototype nature of the vehicle. It’s interesting that this particular car is fitted with early Golf alloy 13-inch wheels (may have been fitted later in life). I could not find any information as to the brake package but I am guessing a smaller version of the beetle disc brake or maybe a forerunner of the VW K70 units. The fuel tank was positioned ahead of the rear axle no unlike Mark 1 Golf.

I find this car very interesting as it cover not only the gap between the Beetle and the Golf, but also the jump from the Mini Minor to the 1973 Honda Civic, or earlier Scamps, then latter laying the early foundations for the hatchback revolution as we have come to know. This design is front wheel drive, a hatch back with a small foot print, assumed to be very affordable, can seat 5 people in reasonable comfort. Sound familiar? This car did actually make it into production but that will be the subject of a later article, so stay tuned.

As good as the car looks in this photo, it was reported to be quiet rough. Clearly demonstrating its prototype construction. The bonnet and doors did not close as well as what we are use to with our production models. I imagine it would be like driving a Mark 1 Golf, but with a Beetle sound track. I’d love to have a chance to drive this unit. It would be a bit like ”driving the missing link”.

This vehicle can be seen at he VW museum the next time you’re passing through.

Ever wondered how we ever got from the Type 1 Beetle to the Golf?

MysteryCruise?

PAY MEMBERSHIP and RENEWAL ON LINE! www.vwclub.com.au/membership.phpIs your Membership renewal due? Don’t mess around with cheques or money orders, why not pay online?The Volkswagen Club of Victoria website now has an online payment facility to make renewing your membership even easier. Ensure your place in the club by paying with either Visa, MasterCard, or PayPal. or please return this form together with your cheque or money order for payment to the above address.Please allow 28 days for processing.

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Membership StatsVW MembershipsCurrent total memberships of the Volkswagen Club of Victoria - 437

Memberships Renewals ReminderReminder for the following members of your membership renewal.

Grant Phillips, Paul Blacker, Nalini Blacker, Steve Ermel, John Doering, Laurel Owens, David Owens, Patrick Owens, Peter Bruty, Marg Bruty, Matthew Gardner, Gary Creber, Jessica Bishop, Peter Bishop, Russell Dart, Adam Remboulis, Samantha Pullen, Helen Aden, Terry Smith, Mark Henare, Caroline Wallbridge, Greg Paterson, Ashok Kumer, Rama Murthy, Ben Stewart, James Garay, Denise Burfoot, Brian Burfoot, Paul Schmidt, Bruce Joynes, Ross Woolley, Mercedes Woolley, John Farlow, Lorraine Farlow, Franz Franken, Dorothy Stevenson, John Cook, Denis O’Keefe, Evan Davies, Cheryl Ermel, Andrew Hobley, Vaughan de Lautour, Ross Harrison, Eva Wawrowski, Jeffrey Schwarz, Rachel Pearce, Hugo Davies, Margaret Ferguson, Ian Ferguson, John Bryant, Frank Grocl, Steve Grocl, Bruce Argaet, Rob Picone and Steve Johansen.

Please note; If your membership renewal has been paid after the 22nd April 2007 please disregard the above reminder. Also if you have not received your renewal notice for some reason please fill out the application again and state ‘renewal’, or you can now renew ONLINE.

12 Volkswagen Club of Victoria Inc.

Volkswagen Club of Victoria Inc.Membership Officer GPO Box 1215 MELBOURNE VIC 3001 Phone 0401 310 704

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SOUTH YARRA VOLKSWAGEN93 Commercial Road SOUTH YARRA

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SHANNONS321 Warrigal Road CHELTENHAM

13 46 46Insurance for Motoring Enthusiasts.

ANTIQUE TYRES134 McEwan Road WEST HEIDELBERG

03 9458 4433Australia’s Largest Range of Veteran Vintage, Classic and Hot Rod Tyres.

AUSTRALIAN VW PERFORMANCE CENTRE

10/25 Lusher Road CROYDON 03 9725 5366Contact Mick for trade pricing typically 10% off retail on most parts and services (up to value of

$100). Dyno tuning at $60 per hour.

VOLKWERKEUnit 1/171 Para Road GREENSBOROUGH

03 9435 1868email: [email protected]

www.volkwerke.com.auSpecialists in Volkswagen, Audi, BMW, Mercedes.

VOLLKOMMEN ART28 Clifford Street HUNTINGDALE

03 9543 7804Speed and Style.

VOLKSCARE4 Macquarie Place BORONIA 03 9729 9281

Contact Michael Clark for 10% discount on parts (maximum discount $50).

Does not include genuine or special orders.

VOLKSHOME AUTOMOTIVE16 Commercial Drive THOMASTOWN

03 9464 0366Contact John for club member prices.

WOLFSBURG AUTOMOTIVEUnit 2, 290 Old Geelong Road

HOPPERS CROSSING1300 370 310

Contact Gary for club member prices.

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