The Classic VW Beetle

Yes!! I get to go to the Mid America Motorworks Air-cooled VW funfest again. This year Mid America is honoring the Dune Buggy, and in attendance will be Bruce Meyers, creator of the Manx Dune Buggy.

I was able to go to the Funfest last year and it was great. Of course, I loved the VW Things, but there are plenty of other VW’s and air-cooled rides.

If you would like to go, here is the Mid America Motorworks registration page for Funfest 2008.

Funfest 2007 Oval Window Beetle Pictures

Funfest 2007 VW Thing Pictures

Hope to see you there!

MidAmerica Motorworks has announced that custom leather interiors for the Volkswagon Beetle are now available as part of their product catalog. The custom leather seats available for all 1958-79 Standard and Super Beetles.

You can view examples of both custom and OEM options available for the Beetle at the MidAmerica Motorworks website: Custom VW Beetle Leather interiors.

The Mid America Motorworks VW Funfest was held June 2-3, 2007. The theme of this year’s event was the 50th anniversary of the Oval Window Beetle’s.

The pictures here are from the large turn-out of oval window VW’s. Many were completely restored and beautifully done with custom interiors and engine modifications.

A beautiful two-tone restoration of a 50’s Beetle.

Convertable oval window.

I loved this two-tone style.

This was one of my favorites. Restored by Tim Hall, it is a 1955 restored oval window. I love the rear wheel covers and the bright red paint.

Another restoration by Tim Hall, this one was still in primer. However, it is a 1947 beetle. there is a hand-crank in the rear of the car to start the engine. It had a very sparse interior, but beautiful for the history.

Another one of my favorites. I guess there is something about a bright red VW Beetle that just grabs your attention. This engine was immaculate and covered in red and chrome.

The interior was just as amazing as the engine. The custom red and white interior just popped and made everything clean and well-organized.

Another nice Beetle interior. The exterior was a seafoam color with a red interior - interesting color choice, but it seems to work on these cars.

This was a fun find. An original Firestone “Car Cooler.” So they DID have air conditioning, eh?

Coming up in the next post - VW Campers and Buses

Great news! The schedule has worked out and I will be heading out to the Midwest Motorworks VW FunFest, on June 2 & 3. The past events have been a great gathering and I’ve been wanting to go to one of Mid-America’s events for some time now.

I also have a budget that my wife has imposed on me. Why don’t I do that when she goes shopping? Right. Like that would work.

The theme this year is the 50th anniversary of the oval window Beetle, and looks to be a great event. I’ll be reporting on the FunFest, providing commentary on the tech sessions, and publishing pictures of the Beetles on display.

VW Beetles in news and comedy.

A nice summary article about the history of the VW bug was published on the American Chronicle website. While hardcore Volkswagon afficianadoes will know most of the informtion, those who have only recently caught the “bug” might appreciate the simple article about the Beetle.

In other news, comedian Jeff Allen posted a short comedy routine about his first car, a 1967 Volkswagon Bug. He talkes about what’s “under the hood”, defrosters, the “happy” horn, and the infamous Beetle heating system.

Or, the “hippie” bus, as Sawyer, one of the main characters, referrers to it.

The writers of the hit show LOST took a break from the intense, drama-driven episodes to bring a refreshing funny episode. In the episode, Hurley is searching for signs of hope on the island and finds an old bus in the jungle.

Enlisting the help of Sawyer and Jin, he rolls the bus upright, finds a stash of beer, maps of the island, and then pushes the bus over the side of a hill.

They couldn’t get it to start so the hill allows Hurley to pop the clutch and start the van in time to miss a pile of boulders in their way. The episode ends with the four island castaways joy-riding across the island in their new-found ride.

USA Today noticed that VW Busses have been getting a lot of attention this year, as Little Miss Sunshine and LOST have utilized the vehicle and created a new generation of fans.