Christmas Tatra Drive 2019

For more of Tatra posts check out my dedicated Tatra blog: https://tatrat600.blogspot.com/

Day of the Volkswagen 2019

Sunday the 8th December 2019 was the annual Day of the Volkswagen at Wilson Park in South Fremantle. https://www.facebook.com/events/259490221669995/

The weather in Perth in the first week of December 2019 was scorching with the temperature peaking at 40c on Friday 6th December. Fortunately the weather turned on the weekend to a lovely 26c with a cooling breeze blowing in from the sea.

Some 210 Volkswagens from all eras turned up to the show. A record!

Gorgeous 1958 lowlight Karmann Ghia. Best in show in my book. The colour, bamboo green, is lovely.

Manx beach buggy. This car was voted best Buggy.

There were at least five buggies in attendance.

Another Manx

Two near identical 58 lowlight Karmann Ghias.

Both are painted the same anthracite gray. The closer car was for sale at $39,000 (advert is on Gumtree)

The ubiquitous Beetle

Another lovely Karmann Ghia - also for sale.

An early unmolested 60s Beetle in two-tone paintwork. Unmolested Volkswagens are increasingly hard to come by.

The star of the show in my book is this very early, very original 1952 Standard Export Beetle.

This car was shipped to Rhodesia in 1952. Although a Standard model it received some additional export features, such as chrome trim and hubcaps.

Two really interesting period features include the toolbox in the wheel hub and the removable radio. The KDF organization in Nazi Germany developed the 'volks-radio' program in the mid-1930s to provide German families a cheap radio set. This was adapted to to be fit behind the dashboard of the 'volks-wagen' car. Those familiar with the layout of the dashboard of these early Beetles will recognize the shape of the radio dash.

This year was the 70th anniversary of the Type 2, better known nowadays as the 'Kombi.' Technically this isn't a kombi, but a bus, but no one cares these days.

The reason the Type 2 was so successful was its versatility. This is a Dormobile conversion from the UK.

Type 2 ute

Type 2 (bay window) panel van

Type 2 (bay) bus.

Type 2 (split screen) kombi. The world 'kombi' meant combination-wagen; a mixed use format that could be used as a bus or a panel/commercial van.

There were about 80 Type 2's attending.

Type 2 double cab. I've always wanted one of these so I could haul around the bikes and scooters for displays.

Type 3 'squareback'. By the 1960s the Beetle was quite out of date and the Volkswagen range needed some serious updating. The Type 3 was an attempt to develop a more practical family car while retaining the rear engine layout. The Type 3 has a lower engine with a horizontal cooling fan replacing the Beetle's vertical fan.

Another Karmann Ghia.

Some years there hasn't been a single Karmann on display, but this year it was great to see so many.

Type 3 Notchback sedan.

Kombi-Nation Co. Great coffee!!  https://www.facebook.com/kombinationco/



Type 3 Squareback

Shannons Insurance doing their bit to support the classic movement shannons.com.au/

Fancy a Karmann project?

All Air Cooled

More kombi's

Pop-Up Party Bars https://www.facebook.com/popuppartybars/

Kombination Seafoods https://www.kombinationseafoods.com.au/

I am a big fan of this blue

Two 1962 Karmanns. In the foreground is a Karmann cabriolet and behind our Ghia.

Two unmolested examples. The car on the right is an oval window Beetle (1954-58).

Another oval Beetle

Another fine 60s Beetle and its successor, the Super-Beetle. Some people might think them all the same but the Super-Beetle featured numerous small changes which 'modernized' the cars' appearance and made them.... ordinary.

Type 3 Fastback. The Fastback is actually a very stylish car in my opinion.

Convertible, two seater.

This Karmann Ghia was voted best Ghia in the show.

The Australia designed and built Country Buggy. The Country Buggy was a project initiated in Australia for a farm utility vehicle on a Volkswagen chassis. Only some 800 were built for Australian sales before Volkswagen Germany got wind of the project and shut it down.

The organizing committee of the Volkswagen Club of WA. They're a young and enthusiastic bunch and do a great job. https://www.facebook.com/vwclubwainc/

Shelly and Molly.

So many kombis I went cross-eyed

A drone shot of the turnout by Relive Photography https://www.facebook.com/studio36roleystone/

Repeal Australian Luxury Car Tax Petition

Australia’s Luxury Car Tax must be removed from Historic Cars

Why Australia’s Luxury Car Tax must be removed from Historic Cars
https://www.change.org/p/josh-frydenberg-australia-s-luxury-car-tax-must-be-removed-from-historic-cars?cs_tk=ApsYx7noIhnCMbVI3V0AAXicyyvNyQEABF8BvITAFC1uz_5diW8JE6Ocpco%3D&utm_campaign=60bab8e8fb554ebe9f853baf9cea52a5&utm_medium=email&utm_source=recruit_sign_digest&utm_term=cs
Australia's Luxury Car Tax was introduced as a protectionist measure for Australia's domestic motoring industry. Foreign, imported cars over a certain value had an additional tax rate applied. This tax regime was originally targeted to new cars, but taxes being taxes, it was soon applied to classic cars. This application has extremely negative effects on the classic motoring movement as it adds significant costs to the importation of important classic cars. The Australian Historic Vehicle Interest Group has been campaigning with the Federal Government to repeal the application of Luxury Car Tax on historic motor vehicles.  

1) Australia has no car industry – there is nothing left to protect, and in the case of historic vehicles there never was. Accordingly, LCT makes no sense on historic vehicles.

2) Australia's motoring heritage and historic vehicle fleet is part of our national identity and deserves to be protected. The LCT means our taxes are so high on importing a car that we only ever lose historic cars we hardly ever gain them.

3) LCT on the importing of historic cars raises less than ¼ of 1% of the total LCT tax collection. More tax will be raised from those interested in historic cars importing them and paying GST than the amount of LCT foregone.

4) Our historic vehicle repairers and restorers employ people, particularly in regional Australia, thereby maintaining and creating jobs. More jobs will be created without LCT on historic cars.

5) The owners of historic cars restore, maintain and use their cars. Their “recreation” means they spend money, often in regional Australia, adding economically to small towns and cities. The removal of LCT on historic cars will increase owners spending in regional Australia.

Please spare a few seconds to support this petition.
https://www.change.org/p/josh-frydenberg-australia-s-luxury-car-tax-must-be-removed-from-historic-cars?cs_tk=ApsYx7noIhnCMbVI3V0AAXicyyvNyQEABF8BvITAFC1uz_5diW8JE6Ocpco%3D&utm_campaign=60bab8e8fb554ebe9f853baf9cea52a5&utm_medium=email&utm_source=recruit_sign_digest&utm_term=cs