For those of you that know me, you may be wondering why I would make an entry about Volkswagens before I show Datsuns any love (I've owned two VWs, but dozens of Datsun cars and trucks). Well, I'm still deciding how many pictures I want to post of my beloved Datsuns, so lay off me for a few more days!!
Anyway, I was a fan of air-cooled Volkswagens before I got into minitrucks- I used to read Hot VWs Magazine cover to cover, and even though I'd never turned a wrench on one I felt I knew them inside and out! There was a guy at my high school named Dave McGhee- he was a senior when I was a sophomore, and he had a bitchin' '64 (I think) Bug. Light turquoise with cream-colored panels on the side, lowered down on stock steelies with Porsche hubcaps, plaid interior... and Dave was just as cool as his Bug. He was a teacher's assistant in my German class, and I think I may have gotten more than a little assistance from his access to the grade book through the year!
In any case, although my Volkswagen ownership history is limited to water-cooled models (an '85 Golf and an '84 GTI), I LOVE the look of early Bugs, Buses, and Ghias laid on the ground:
Something about them just looks RIGHT- it's a blend of curves and contours from the forties and fifties with a little bit of muscle from the sixties... or something. I don't know what it is I like about them- I usually tend to prefer boxier, more angular lines.
Which leads me back to the water-cooled era! My Golf and GTI were never anything truly custom- The Golf was lowered and had some tinted taillights and a custom grille, but it wasn't customized inside or under the hood. The GTI was bought and sold within just a few months, so I never got into it at all, really. But I do like how they look!
As sick as the Golf looks, the Corrado can look even more evil!
Finally, this Rabbit is just so different I couldn't leave it out of my VW post. It's got a bunch of early-VW touches (roof rack, baby blue paint...), combined with some "rat rod" styling (I don't like to use that term, so substitute "traditional rod" if you will)- it's definitely in a class by itself!
When it comes to Volkswagen models, I like the Beetle the most. The simple and plain style of “The Bug” is just so charming for me! It definitely helps that the Beetle is very popular in our area. If you mention VW here in our neighborhood, the first model that would pop up in their mind is the Beetle, that’s for sure!
ReplyDelete>Erwin Calverley