Tagged: VW
56 DD
Photo of the week #77 – A 1956 Double-Door panel van in fact! This beautifully restored, two-tone and sign-written example is pictured at Stanford Hall earlier this year.
Stony Stratford Volkswagens
I popped along to this years Stony Stratford Classic Car Festival last Sunday morning and this time, as it was looking like it would be nice and sunny, I took my ’55 Oval Window Beetle out for a drive. By the time I got there at 10am, the market square, which was home to all of the pre-1975 vehicles, was just about full and I was directed into the car park behind the health centre. Funny how the 3 nice, shiny E-Type Jags which arrived just after me were found prime spaces right at the entrance to the car park!
There was a very good turn out this year with a wide variety of weird and wonderful machines to look at parked around the town. Just the usual handful of VWs though, most from the local VW Club. They must have got their early as they were parked in a line together in the square. I’ll post a few of my favourite non-VW photos from the show over on mhpix.wordpress.com
In the weeds
Photo of the week #76 – Another original paint VW bus for sale at Stanford hall, this time a weed-hugging early bay window camper.
VW Samba
Photo of the week #75 – This immaculate 1963 twenty-one-window VW Samba was photographed in the concours at this years VW show at Stanford Hall. It’s right hand drive too which makes it a very rare VW bus!
Correction – Someone has just pointed out that this bus only has 19 windows so, I’m not sure it’s a real Samba! I thought that a Samba had either 21 or 23 windows, anyone know the story behind this VW Bus?
Herbie
Photo of the week #74 – Surely the best known VW Beetle all over the world, Herbie, the star of many Disney Movies was first propelled to fame in ‘The Love Bug’ in 1969 when he was just 6 years old. When visiting any VW show you are almost certain to come across a Herbie replica or two with the iconic red and white stripes and the 53 racing number. This one even has the banded-steel wheels and white-letter tyres too. Herbie’s 53 racing number was chosen by producer Bill Walsh, who was a fan of Los Angeles Dodgers baseball player Don Drysdale (Drysdale’s jersey number, later retired by the team, was 53).
One careful owner
Photo of the week #73 – This one owner from new, 1972 Marina Blue Beetle was offered for sale at the Stanford Hall VW show this year. From what I can recall the only thing non original is that it has been fitted with day-mouldings, self-coloured fibreglass wings. Not too bad for forty years of careful ownership!
Stanford Hall 2013
On Sunday Alison and I made our way over Stanford Hall for this year’s annual show which is organised by the Leicestershire and Warwickshire Volkswagen Owners club. I usually take my beetle to display in the Historic VW line-up but, this year we decided to bring my Audi A3. Last year’s show was one of many which fell fowl of the appalling weather being postponed to later in the year. By the time we got to Stanford Hall, at about 10.30 am, the show was in full swing and looked to be busier than ever!
There were lots of great VWs for sale including some nice, early stock examples, along with the lowered and custom cars which are always in plentiful supply. One of several which caught our attention was a very straight and original split screen pick-up which was a fresh import from Ohio in the US.
The concourse area was packed with immaculate VWs of all kinds from early air-cooled models right through to recent vehicles including the Audi TT and New Beetle. The Splitscreen Van Club always have a huge presence at this show as they have their AGM the same weekend and then cruise to the show en mass. The Historic VW display was also impressive and seems to be getting better each year.
We left after lunch having enjoyed wondering around the show for most of the morning, in sunshine for a change!
Snowflake light
Photo of the week #72 – Another snowy iPhone 5 photo from a wintery March. Hopefully I’ll be off to The Stanford Hall VW show at the start of May so I should soon have some more show photos to share…
Stephane Bar
Some interesting VW related photos from Stephane Bar, a professional photographer based in France who specialises in BMX photography.
Stephane trained as a photographer for 2 years at SEPR in Lyon through which he discovered different shooting and image processing techniques. This vocational training has allowed him to explore other worlds and develop some diversity in the services that he can now offer including: weddings, studio shots, pack-shots, portraits and advertising.
“It is the sport of BMX has given me the desire to capture and keep preciously unique moments, and then have the opportunity to share. This sport has the advantage of bringing together diverse disciplines whose figures have their own specificity. The Street – pretty rough around the edges, offers feats that impress the eye with the height that some riders can reach and by the unusual places where they can be exercised.”
You can view more of Stephane’s excellent work at
http://stephanebarphotos.tumblr.com
Roundel
Photo of the week #71 – Another iPhone photo of my VW beetle taken during the second coldest March recorded in the UK. The coldest was in 1962!
