OTAGO VOLKSWAGEN ENTHUSIASTS CLUB

THE OTAGO VOLKSWAGEN

ENTHUSIASTS CLUB

NEWSLETTER
JUNE 2009

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EDITORIAL

Welcome to a bumper edition of the OVWEC Newsletter – hopefully there’ll be

something for everyone in this issue, and many thanks to all those who sent in
contributions following my plea for material.

Also bigger than ever next month is our annual contribution to the July 4th
Autospectacular, which will comprise a supersized VW display to celebrate 70 years of
Volkswagen, thanks mainly to Bruce Adams for negotiating an entire tennis court for us
to display on – how’s that for a Brucie Bonus!! Ahem…… Now we’ll be pulling out all the
stops for this one so please get ready to respond positively to an invitation you might
receive from me to borrow your car for the day. If you are invited you will need to drop
the car(s) off at the Edgar Centre on Friday afternoon/evening, and take them away again
immediately after the show at 4.00pm Saturday, so please bear this in mind before
responding.

Also, in lieu of the clash with the French test which caused us to re-schedule, we will be
having a big night out on the evening of Saturday 4th July, commencing as soon as
possible after the Autospectacular closes and we get everything cleared away. So, get a
cab booked to bring you back into town after you get home from the show, and we’ll
have a few sherries to celebrate the day.

Another couple of points worth mentioning about forthcoming VW Nationals :

1) 2010 Nationals in Nelson – we need to start planning a route up to Nelson and

booking accommodation for the Easter weekend, so if you are planning to go can you
please let me know so we can get an idea of numbers.

2) 2012 Nationals in Dunedin – that’s right, we have confirmation that this will be hosted
by us, and we’ll be aiming to make it a HUGE event. Planning starts now, so any ideas
for activities you might have will be most welcome. If anyone knows the contact
number to get an early bird booking for the new stadium please let me know…

Keep on Dubbing!

Jim Young
OVWEC Secretary

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THE SMALL PRINT
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Club Officials :

Patron Ken Berry

President Elaine Young
Secretary/Editor Jim Young
Treasurer Chris Timms

Address PO Box 7101 Mornington, Dunedin The Otago Volkswagen Enthusiasts

Email contact@vwotago.co.nz Club Inc meet on the first
Tuesday of each month at 7.30pm at
Website www.vwotago.co.nz Robbie’s Bar & Bistro, South Dunedin
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As officials of the Club our first duty is to the members and that means organising things that you want to
do, and being a focus for any requests, queries or suggestions you might have.

If there are any activities or events that you would like to suggest, items for the newsletter you might have,
or if you cannot attend the monthly meetings, please contact Jim Young directly as follows :

Telephone 03 455 8729

Post PO Box 7101, Mornington, Dunedin
Email j.young@rawlinsons.co.nz

NEW MEMBERS

John and Diane Noble are our latest recruits, having purchased a 1966 1300 Beetle to
add to their collection of classic and vintage automobiles. John also owns a Ford
Mustang (also 1966) as well as a 1930s Ford Model A.

John and Diane Joined us for their debut Club trip on the Mystery Tour outing in May.
Hopefully we’ll be seeing a lot more of them in the future. Here’s their 1300 Beetle :

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MOERAKI TRIP Words and pics by Jim Young

Planned by Bill Bell this took us along a circuitous and dusty back road route up to
Moeraki, where an al fresco lunch was enjoyed until a distinctly cold front descended
upon us. A few of us made our way over to the Careys Bay Hotel for a coffee in front of
the fire afterwards. Thanks Bill for an enjoyable road trip.

More photos at. www.vwotago.co.nz

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READERS’ RIDES
I’ll kick things off this time with developments on my own car. The new motor is finished
and ready to be fitted, however there’s no point in doubling your horsepower if the car
still bump-steers into on-coming traffic like it’s got a death wish and doesn’t care who it
takes with it, which is what Lil’ Lil’s been doing ever since I had adjusters fitted and
lowered the front end. So what’s the answer? Do it again, but this time do it properly –
using dropped spindles. The only drawback here is that the spindles add ½ inch of track
each side, which is no good to me. Rectifying this problem involves buying an angle
grinder and undertaking a bit of experimental home surgery.

The finished beam is now a total of 34mm narrower than VW intended it to be. The
dropped spindles mean that the suspension and steering geometry remain unaltered, so
the car should handle just as good as standard. Well that’s the theory, anyway…

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Adam Harvey has turned his one Kombi into a collection recently with the purchase of a
1968 deluxe microbus, powered by a flat-six air-cooled Chevrolet Corvair engine, which
apparently was expertly fitted by our very own Ken Berry some time in the dim and
distant past (when he was just a lad and still enjoyed messing about with VWs…).

Adam heard about the van from a woman who he works with who happened to be
wearing a Kombi T-shirt one day. It transpires that the van had been sitting unused since
the engine lost power many years ago, and Adam has persuaded the woman to part with
it to a good home and for something of a bargain price.

1968 was the first year of production for the bay window vans, and the Deluxe Microbus
came with all the top-of-the-line extras similar to those available on the previous split
window deluxe - chrome swage-line and bumper trim, chrome wheel trims and nose
badge, “jail bars” in the luggage area, a sliding steel sunroof and heating to the rear
passenger area via ducts in the cab doors. Adam’s bus also boasts a rare Eberspacher
petrol heater in the engine bay, to supplement the meagre heating air provided by the
standard system. He’s not yet plucked up the courage to attempt to fire that thing up,
though…

Adam has already had the brakes fully re-lined and reconditioned, and is planning a
sympathetic restoration and repaint once the engine is sorted out. All the seats and most
of the trim are still present on the ‘bus, which, interestingly, is an automatic, with the
drive selector located in the dash panel in place of one of the heater controls.

Adam says if anyone knows where he can get his hands on an air filter for a Corvair he’d
like to hear from you.

Corvair power Eberspacher heater

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Never one to stand still, Chris Timms has been busy making a few more improvements to
his “street sleeper” 1302S. Having had Ken Berry build him a potent 1915cc engine in the
new year, Chris has turned his attention to some items of comfort, such as a new carpet
set, new boot liner, new windscreen after a rock landed in his lap, and a newly re-
chromed front bumper courtesy of the muppet from the windscreen company who
pranged the car while starting it up.

1915cc and twin Weber 40s.

Shiny bumper New carpets and oil temp gauge

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VEE DUB SPECIAL MANOEUVRES Words by Elaine Young, pics by Jim Young

Date......Sunday 24 May
Time .....1330 hours
Rendezvous…..Jaco’s Timber Yard

Mission ….To follow the trail, gather evidence, lay assault on friendly hosts, have some
jolly good, clean fun

Not to be put off by ‘a little moisture’ 10 cars turned up, 7 Beetles, a Kombi and two
Golfs. All happy smiling faces looking forward to an afternoon of mystery and evidence
gathering…

We had a good ride which took us along Andy Bay Road, over to Tomahawk Road and
then on to Highcliff. Then we drove right along to the end of the peninsular with a stop
at Otakou Marae, then on to the Albatross colony. After that we travelled back along
Portobello Road to a secret location where exceptional provisions were dished out a
plenty… The overall mission winner was Bill Bell who correctly answered the tie-breaker
question ‘what was the middle name of Ferdinand Porsche?’ Well done Bill.

I would like to extend a warm ‘thank you’ to the Adams family for their kind hospitality
and especially to Ruby for her most excellent questionnaire preparing and marking!

I’d also like to welcome John and Diane Noble to the club, they braved the weather to
introduce themselves to us and we hope to see them at other meetings and events.

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CATLINS CRUISE – TAUTUKU MARCH 2009 Words and pics by Jim Young

With a soul-destroyingly poor subscription in the run up to the second annual Catlins
Cruise, and with the added insult of a couple of late cancellations on the day, I can’t
honestly say I was full of eager anticipation as I sat alone in the pouring rain outside the
Commercial Tavern on Friday night, watching the allotted meeting time come and go
with not a single other soul braving the elements to join me in my silent despair. How I
managed to ignore the beckoning of the glowing interior lights of the tavern, and the
promise of blissful care-free inebriation waiting within I don’t know, but after what
seemed an eternity the others finally rallied round, and after a short period of eye-rolling,
shoulder shrugging and re-checking of numbers to see if it was still a viable proposition,
it was indeed a very small band of wannabe VeeDub festival goers that finally set off into
the darkening gloom of the rain-filled southern skies.

There’s something almost magical about driving a VW Beetle alone at night, in the
pouring rain with dismal forward lighting, no intermittent wipers, a barely-working stereo
that only seems to pick up whisps of radio channels from the seventies, and the constant
thrum of the motor behind pervading your thoughts. It was with ever-lifting spirits that I
followed along the winding roads towards the Catlins, part of a little convoy of Beetles
intent on having a great weekend away despite the diminished numbers and threatening
weather, and as a band of increasingly clear sky began to appear in the distance in front
of us, I found myself a lot more optimistic of an enjoyable trip in good company.

The six Beetles in our group arrived at the Youth Adventure camp at around 9.00pm and
we were joined shortly afterward by our Oamaru contingent in their orange camper van.
While I set up the sound system everyone else found themselves a suitable bedroom and
then began preparations for the evening meal. We had full use of the camp’s large
kitchens, and a good time was had as we pulled a couple of tables up in front of the by
now roaring open fire and tucked into dinner, accompanied by lashings of wine and beer!

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Saturday morning we were all up bright (!) and early for breakfast, and it wasn’t long
before the kid’s pestering for the flying fox became too much to bear and the safety
harnesses were liberated from the stores, much to the delight of all kids of all ages!

Sightseeing was on the agenda for the early afternoon for everyone except Chris and I,
as we headed off to set up the course for the Grasskana later in the day. We’d been
offered free use of a local farmer’s paddock, and what a great field it was; nicely
undulating, smooth and free of stones and rocks, and absolutely huge! We really do owe
Alan Burgess a huge debt of gratitude for allowing us to carve up his beautifully kept
grass like we did – I feel the box of Speights that we gave him (and we had difficulty even
getting him to accept that) was a pretty small sum to pay for the huge fun we had in
ripping up his paddock! Thanks very much Alan.

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Now, Chris and I were beginning to suspect that the Grasskana might also be a little
under-subscribed given the presence of a number of either recently purchased or
recently painted cars in our line up, and given the apparent reluctance of some to even
drive on the short bit of gravel to get to the site we thought it would be a time trial
between just me and him. How wrong we were! As soon as Chris had finished
demonstrating the circuit among the cones we had set out in his 1915cc 1302S, getting it
good and sideways in the process, everyone was clambering to be the first out to have a
go in their own cars! Even Clare in her 1300 managed to get the back end out around the
bottom hairpin! We also had a good laugh watching Deano, who had joined us together
with June earlier in the afternoon, desperately trying to wring some speed out of his
year-old Golf GTi as its traction control and ABS steadfastly refused to break traction.
Great fun all round, and a huge thanks to Chris for loaning his car out to those who
fancied a blast in it.

The driving at the grasskana was pretty competitive at times. Each lap was from a
standing start, and results were as follows :

Position Driver Co-driver Car Fastest Time

1 Bruce Adams Marty van Elst 1303 Beetle cabriolet 46.80

2 Dave Finnie Chris Timms 1302S Beetle 47.20
3 Jim Young 1500 Beetle 48.60
4 Chris Timms Dave Finnie 1302S Beetle 48.80
5 Dean Driver June Driver Golf GTi 49.20
6 Clare Madden 1300 Beetle 57.00
7 June Driver Dean Driver 1302S Beetle 57.20

As part of the prizegiving I factored in cubic capacity for each vehicle in order to level the
playing field a little, which made for some interesting results. On this basis fastest time of
the day was set by Clare in her 1300 “Snowdrop”. Well done Clare, and commiserations
to Chris, who was beaten in his own car……(again!).

Position Driver Co-driver Car Capacity Adjusted Time

1 Clare Madden 1300 Beetle 1300 74.10

2 Jim Young 1500 Beetle 1600 77.76
3 Bruce Adams Marty van Elst 1303 Beetle cabriolet 1915 89.62
4 Dave Finnie Chris Timms 1302S Beetle 1915 90.39
5 Chris Timms Dave Finnie 1302S Beetle 1915 93.45
6 Dean Driver June Driver Golf GTi 2000 98.40
7 June Driver Dean Driver 1302S Beetle 1915 109.54

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Back to the camp and another huge feed was communally prepared, and a full-on party
followed late into the night. We had an hilarious time doing a prizegiving for any kind of
category we could think of for the weekend, not just the Grasskana, and the selection of
party, disco, rock, pop and dance music I’d loaded onto an MP3 player for the weekend
kept the hardcore party-goers up well past silly o’clock. It was Deano who finally put a
halt to it by leaving his bed, walking into the hall, holding up three fingers to indicate the
lateness of the hour, and drawing a finger across his throat to say enough is enough.

Sunday morning was a little bleary for some, I suspect, but we all made a good job of
cleaning and tidying the camp before a brief photo call , and then headed off North and
back home, accompanied by blazing sunshine all the way back.

All in all it was a thoroughly fantastic trip, made all the better by the determined few who
were intent on having a damn good party. It just goes to show, you don’t need a good
turn out to have a good time! Thanks very much to all who participated.

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More photos and some great grasskana videos are

on the website. Go www.vwotago.co.nz and click
on Photos

FOR SALE….SOON

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SOMETHING FOR THE KIDS

Vintage VWs to colour in!! This time a split screen pick-up :

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VOLKSWAGEN ODDITIES FROM AROUND THE WORLD

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A Beetle traffic jam…

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IN MEMORIAM

For Reb

You’re special to me,

Affectionate, Loyal,
And good company You never desert me,
Wherever I go,
You’re there when I’m lonely, You’re a far better friend,
And life seems a bore, Than some people I know
You cheer me and offer,
A comforting paw I thank you by writing,
This short monologue
The look in your eyes, To my faithful, Devoted
Says you quite understand, Companion – Rebel MY DOG
As you thrust a bewhiskered
Wet nose in my hand

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GENERAL TRIVIA

Not much to do with Volkswagens, but interesting nonetheless, the following was
gratefully received from new member “Herr Nobes”, John Noble. If anyone has anything
they think might be an interesting read, on (practically) any subject, please send them in.

WWII - Monopoly

Starting in 1941, an increasing number of British airmen found themselves as the

involuntary guests of the Third Reich, and the Crown was casting about for ways and
means to facilitate their escape. Now obviously, one of the most helpful aids to that
end is a useful and accurate map, one showing not only where stuff was, but also
showing the locations of 'safe houses' where a POW on-the-lam could go for food and
shelter.

Paper maps had some real drawbacks - they make a lot of noise when you open and
fold them, they wear out rapidly, and if they get wet, they turn into mush.

Someone in MI-5 got the idea of printing escape maps on silk. It's durable, can be
scrunched-up into tiny wads, and unfolded as many times as needed, and makes no
noise whatsoever.

At that time, there was only one manufacturer in Great Britain that had perfected the
technology of printing on silk, and that was John Waddington Ltd. When approached by
the government, the firm was only too happy to do its bit for the war effort.
By pure coincidence, Waddington was also the manufacturer of the popular board
game, Monopoly. As it happened, 'games and pastimes' was a category of item
qualified for insertion into 'CARE packages' dispatched by the International Red Cross
to prisoners of war.

Under the strictest of secrecy, in a securely guarded and inaccessible old workshop on
the grounds of Waddington's, a group of sworn-to-secrecy employees began mass-
producing escape maps, keyed to each region of Germany or Italy where Allied POW
(camps were regional system). When processed, these maps could be folded into such
tiny dots that they would actually fit inside a Monopoly playing piece. As long as they
were at it, the clever workmen at Waddington's also managed to add:
1. A playing token, containing a small magnetic compass
2. A two-part metal file that could easily be screwed together
3. Useful amounts of genuine high-denomination German, Italian, and French
currency, hidden within the piles of Monopoly money!

British and American air crews were advised, before taking off on their first mission,
how to identify a 'rigged' Monopoly set -- by means of a tiny red dot, one cleverly
rigged to look like an ordinary printing glitch, located in the corner of the Free Parking
square.

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Of the estimated 35,000 Allied POWS who successfully escaped, an estimated one-third
were aided in their flight by the rigged Monopoly sets. Everyone who did so was sworn
to secrecy indefinitely, since the British Government might want to use this highly
successful ruse in still another, future war. The story wasn't de-classified until 2007,
when the surviving craftsmen from Waddington's, as well as the firm itself, were
finally honoured in a public ceremony.

Anyway, it’s always nice when you can play that ‘Get Out of Jail Free’ card.

VOLKSWAGEN NEWS

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Don't let the plain Jane clothing fool you, there's impressive powertrain technology
hiding in this Passat that emits only water as exhaust.

Volkswagen brought a number of these Passat Ling Yu fuel cell vehicles to the California
Fuel Cell Partnership for research. The cars were built in China and were used at the
Beijing Olympics.

These cars have fuel cell, compressor, and control hardware under the hood. The
hydrogen tanks are on either side of the rear axle, and a battery is mounted in the
middle of the chassis, letting the car store some electricity. The Passat Ling Yu gets a
range of 146 miles and has a top speed of 90 mph.

Porsche to merge with Volkswagen

Carmaker Porsche says it has agreed a merger with fellow German manufacturer
Volkswagen (VW) after weeks of talks between the two firms' management.

The luxury carmaker said in a statement

that it wanted to see the "creation of an
integrated car manufacturing group".
VW hailed the decision of the Porsche and
Piech families, owners of Porsche group, to
create the merger.
It means a Porsche takeover of VW will not
happen. The format of the new group will be
decided in the next four weeks.
Talks will now take place between the two
carmakers, VW's home state of Lower
Saxony, and employee representatives.
The state's president Christian Wulff said in
a statement: "We are ready for discussions,
which must be carried out quickly."
Brand independence
The move should unite 10 brands under one
roof, Porsche said.
Nine of the brands are owned by VW, and
the other is the Porsche sports car brand.
"In the final structure 10 brands shall stand
below an integrative leading company
alongside each other, whereby the
independence of all brands and explicitly
also of Porsche shall be ensured," a Porsche
statement said.
It also said that its plan would also include
unspecified "capital measures".
In January, Porsche announced it had
increased its stake in Volkswagen to more
than 50%, and said it planned to lift its
stake in VW to 75%.
However, even with a 75% stake it would
not have been able to take complete control
because under the "VW law" the state of
Lower Saxony, which holds a 20% stake,
can block strategic decisions.

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COOKING IN A CAMPER?
This month’s recipe sent in by Don & April Woodward :
Westphalian Beef Stew (Westfalischer Pffeffer- Potthast)
Yes, it's true - they do eat meat other than
pork in Germany. Here is a
traditional "Eintopfgerichte" or one-pot-
meal from the German area of
Westphalia. Be sure to serve it with
mashed potatoes just like the natives do.
Westphalian Beef Stew (Westfalischer
Pffeffer-Potthast)
2-3 lbs (900-1350 g) beef short ribs,
including bones, cut into 2-inch (5 cm)
lengths by your butcher
2-3 lbs (900-1350 g) onions, sliced
4 cups (2 L) beef stock or water
6 cloves
1 bay (laurel) leaf
1 strip lemon peel
Westphalian stew
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2-3 slices rye bread, processed or grated
to crumbs
2 Tbs (30 ml) capers
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
Lemon juice to taste
Combine the beef ribs, onions, beef stock,
cloves, bay leaf, and lemon
peel in a large pot and bring to a boil over
high heat. Reduce the heat
and simmer covered until the meat is
tender, 1 to 1 1/2 hours. Stir in
about 1/2 cup (125 ml) rye bread crumbs,
until the sauce has thickened
slightly. Add capers, salt, pepper, and
lemon juice. Serve with mashed potatoes.
Serves 4 to 6.
Westphalia camper
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VINTAGE VW ADVERTISING

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 Ken Berry

Over 50 Years of Volkswagen Experience

Ph: 453 4310 Fax: 453 4310 Cell: 021 125 6427
Plenty of new and used parts – including restoration essentials
Performance parts available
Sound advice and service- second to none!
“Dunedin’s Mr V.W” – Classic Driver Magazine

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Check out our Website!!

Kara van Raalte
kara@fishandtricks.co.nz
THE OTAGO VOLKSWAGEN ENTHUSIASTS CLUB

APPLICATION FOR CLUB MEMBERSHIP

Full Name/s : ………………………………………………………………………………

Address : ………………………………………………………………………………

Phone Numbers : …………………………..… .....………………………………

Email : ………………………………........................................................................

Your Volkswagens (if applicable) : ……………………………………………………….

The principle object of the Club is to “further the interests of owners and drivers of Volkswagen
vehicles”. To do this we hold various events, have a monthly club night, publish a members’
newsletter, and join and exchange information with other Volkswagen Clubs.
To help us provide the things you are interested in, please indicate which of the following Club
activities you would be interested in supporting :

Car displays Day runs Economy runs

Motokanas Restorations Social functions

Please list any other events or activities you would like to see the Club organise, or be involved with

………………………………………………………………………………………………………….

The Club year commences at the start of October. The present yearly subscription is $15.00 per
individual or family. If paying by cheque please make payable to the “Otago Volkswagen
Enthusiasts Club”. Return to PO Box 7101, Mornington, Dunedin.

Signature: ………………………………………….. Date : ………………………

The Otago Volkswagen Enthusiasts Club Inc meet on the first Tuesday of each month at 7.30pm at
Robbie’s Bar, South Dunedin