Those early UK VW shows· Page 5 · International Vintage Volkswagen Forums

rudolf hucker
pre67vw Junkie

13 years ago

Rod

I have a video of your engine change somewhere. It was of VW Action and was produced by a guy who owned a red cabrio (can't remember his name.....Jeff Barham???).
As I remember the camera is focusing on your attempt to remove the engine but another team actually do it first, the camera then focuses on this car for the refit and you refit the engine first!
I think that on one of the photos that I posted earlier you can be seen walking in the background.

Looking back at my photos of the early days it is very clear that the Beetle is by far the most common VW in attendance. Bay windows were quite rare (expensive) and there were very few Split screen vans (most rusting away peacefully somewhere).

Happy days Rudy

Rattletrap
pre67vw Junkie

13 years ago

#82

Sorry to start with MRT 308 but that car is the embryo of the current Historic Volkswagen movement here in the UK.

TJJ 62 spawned a serious interest in early VWs and with Robin Allen's help began the 'Split Window Section' of VWOC(GB). In later years this section of the national club became independent and was re-named The Historic Volkswagen Club www.historicvws.org.uk .

Rod_vw wrote:

Regards TJJ 62, the 1949 right hand drive Standard, you later sold the car to Tony Shelly, who gave it a body restoration, that today would not meet the high standards, but back in the early 1980s knowledge of the cars was a little sketchy. He fitted Deluxe trim strips to the exterior for example, there was extensive use of body filler too. The car did however look great and took the prize at VW Action 1981 over MRT 308 that I had entered in the concours.

A couple of years rolled by and I became the owner of TJJ. The car secretly held some mechanical horrors, damn dangerous in fact, as I soon found out. I had to fix virtually the lot, including the gearbox which I soon found out was shot.

Looking back I don't regret the purchase of TJJ too much, I'm still alive, I learnt and experienced so much about the mechanical side of Beetles from it.

MRT has also moved on, but its a shame that it has gone to a collector that never shows his cars here in England.

Today, as you may have guessed, I am the very proud owner of 10 BXK, (Rattletrap), Tony Levy's 1950 Beetle.

Edited by user 13 years ago | Reason: Not specified

Rattletrap – the Volkswagen Beetle that has covered an incredible mileage equivalent to over 35 times around the planet :omg:
Running nifty since 1950… the King of Volkswagens:beer: Why not make friends with this famous little VW – he's on facebook! :d
http://forums.pre67vw.com/default.aspx?g=posts&t=16378

Rod_vw
Regular

13 years ago

#83

Hi Rudy,

You are quite probably correct about the camera man and yes Geoff Barham is still around the VW scene! He was at VanFest last year.

Rod

kevsplitty
Regular

13 years ago

#84

Dad has got this small magazine which he was sent from Holland years ago when he had MRT 308,it was an experimental first split window magazine. In it are various old pics but there is one of the first Historic VWOC (GB)

A lot is in dutch & German but some English too

In this pic are From left
William Foottit,Derek Smith,Maurice Goldsmith (dad),Rod Sleigh & Jacques Mertens who travelled from Brussels for the meeting

Rod_vw
Regular

13 years ago

#85

The meeting was at Federated Garages, Market Harborough and yes I was just as cold as I looked!

Rod

Rich Oakley
pre67vw Junkie

13 years ago

#86

I love the latest updates on this thread! This is just my cup of tea- early UK Split Beetle enthusiasm!

Until the early 1970s, very few people appreciated these 'split window' Beetles in the UK. In fact, very few UK people had actually ever seen a split window Beetle in the flesh. These early gatherings fascinate me as they were the basis of the UK historic VW movement that we know and love today.

Incidentally, there was a 1947 Split Beetle sitting round the back of Federated Garages in Mkt Harborough for a while in the early 1970s. It had been purchased from the classified ads in Safer Motoring from a village in Wiltshire in 1966 (I have the original ad somewhere). For one reason or another, it ended up laid-up behind Federated Garages in the early 1970s (an ex-colleague of mine worked at the dealership at the time briefly and remembers the car). The car eventally ended up in the hands of Brian Screaton who sold the car to the US. The reg number was HOY 955.

47 Beetle, 56 UK Karmann Cabriolet, 56 UK Beetle, 57 UK Type 2, 59 UK Beetle, 66 UK Fastback.

Rich Oakley
pre67vw Junkie

13 years ago

#87

PS: Rod- your input into this thread is great- thanks! Please tell us more.

47 Beetle, 56 UK Karmann Cabriolet, 56 UK Beetle, 57 UK Type 2, 59 UK Beetle, 66 UK Fastback.

Rattletrap
pre67vw Junkie

13 years ago

#88

Dad has got this small magazine which he was sent from Holland years ago when he had MRT 308,it was an experimental first split window magazine. In it are various old pics but there is one of the first Historic VWOC (GB)

kevsplitty wrote:

An excellent find Kev. Your Dad still has some goodies from his MRT days:beer:

Edited by user 13 years ago | Reason: Not specified

Rattletrap – the Volkswagen Beetle that has covered an incredible mileage equivalent to over 35 times around the planet :omg:
Running nifty since 1950… the King of Volkswagens:beer: Why not make friends with this famous little VW – he's on facebook! :d
http://forums.pre67vw.com/default.aspx?g=posts&t=16378

Rattletrap
pre67vw Junkie

13 years ago

#89

In this pic are From left
William Foottit,Derek Smith,Maurice Goldsmith (dad),Rod Sleigh & Jacques Mertens who travelled from Brussels for the meeting

kevsplitty wrote:

I eventually became the owner of William (Bill) Footit's green Deluxe split window, 42 BXA. This car was rock solid with hardly any welding. Mechanically it was superb, Bill certainly knew how to maintain his car. The only downer was that the headliner had been white-washed. The engine was the best 25 hp I'd had, other than in my low-mileage 1949 split, (YSV 1). It was earlier than the car though and I fitted a 30 hp to 42 BXA as I was using it as a regular driver around London. That 25 is now in my 1950 Standard model which had the 30 hp, (I swapped them around).:smile:

I'm glad I did as the next owner of 42 BXA wrecked the engine on a long run with a broken belt.:x

Rattletrap – the Volkswagen Beetle that has covered an incredible mileage equivalent to over 35 times around the planet :omg:
Running nifty since 1950… the King of Volkswagens:beer: Why not make friends with this famous little VW – he's on facebook! :d
http://forums.pre67vw.com/default.aspx?g=posts&t=16378

Rattletrap
pre67vw Junkie

13 years ago

#90

VW Action '78 and I'm lining up for the arena in MRT… Q up for arena'78.jpg You have insufficient rights to see the content.

Edited by user 13 years ago | Reason: Not specified

Rattletrap – the Volkswagen Beetle that has covered an incredible mileage equivalent to over 35 times around the planet :omg:
Running nifty since 1950… the King of Volkswagens:beer: Why not make friends with this famous little VW – he's on facebook! :d
http://forums.pre67vw.com/default.aspx?g=posts&t=16378

Rattletrap
pre67vw Junkie

13 years ago

#91

VW Action '78, the first and last Beetles built for the UK, (well MRT with the last Last Edition Beetle).:beer: VW 1st and last UK.jpg You have insufficient rights to see the content.

Rattletrap – the Volkswagen Beetle that has covered an incredible mileage equivalent to over 35 times around the planet :omg:
Running nifty since 1950… the King of Volkswagens:beer: Why not make friends with this famous little VW – he's on facebook! :d
http://forums.pre67vw.com/default.aspx?g=posts&t=16378

Old Blue
pre67vw Junkie Topic Starter

13 years ago

#92

Sorry to start with MRT 308 but that car is the embryo of the current Historic Volkswagen movement here in the UK.

Rod_vw wrote:

The MRT car is dominating the thread again, which is about early UK VW shows.

MRT 308 was not the embryo of the current - is there to be another? - Historic VW movement here. That according to my Dad's notes and pictures was JLT 420, a 1947 Beetle, in this country in the late 40's and the first Beetle sold by a dealer here. JLT is also somewhat historic in its own right, as it was a Beetle built under British contol.

I myself remember it being a feature of the 1980's BBC's Top Gear programme, with a complete test drive and appraisal. It was a main feature in Autocar and Dad kept a copy that I now have.

1956 VW Beetle, 1962 Morris Minor, 1968 VW Beetle (Old Blue), 1972 Morris Mini, 2005 MGTF

Blue, blue, Electric Blue, that's the colour of Old Blue!

AW
pre67vw Junkie

13 years ago

#93

I have that Top gear item on Vidio somewere :thumbup: I think it was Chris Goffey/ that did the test drive in 1940s dress and he crunched the gears on her as well :thumbdn:
Its probaly on Utube some where

Andy W

Edited by user 13 years ago | Reason: Not specified

Rattletrap
pre67vw Junkie

13 years ago

#94

I have that Top gear item on Vidio somewere :thumbup: I think it was Chris Goffey/ that did the test drive in 1940s dress and he crunched the gears on her as well :thumbdn:
Its probaly on Utube some where
Andy W

AW wrote:

I remember that. A different attitude to the Beetle then than by the current Top Gear presenters.:smile:

Rattletrap – the Volkswagen Beetle that has covered an incredible mileage equivalent to over 35 times around the planet :omg:
Running nifty since 1950… the King of Volkswagens:beer: Why not make friends with this famous little VW – he's on facebook! :d
http://forums.pre67vw.com/default.aspx?g=posts&t=16378

Rattletrap
pre67vw Junkie

13 years ago

#95

I'm pretty certain that the car on the far left and off the edge of the picture is 349 GMO. When I got the car about that time it was in a light-mid blue metallic Hamerite paint, with early 60s on indicator light units.

Rattletrap – the Volkswagen Beetle that has covered an incredible mileage equivalent to over 35 times around the planet :omg:
Running nifty since 1950… the King of Volkswagens:beer: Why not make friends with this famous little VW – he's on facebook! :d
http://forums.pre67vw.com/default.aspx?g=posts&t=16378

Boo
Newbie

13 years ago

#96

Hi.. Really interesting thread. Brought back loads of memories.
I was at VW Action with my dad from the last couple at Stafford until late '80s at Stoneleigh. I remember nearly all of those reg numbers from those shows! (and from Safer Motoring's "Ancient Beetles Register")
Always was fascinated with the vintage stuff, especially the cars with British history, before the influx of early VW imports after Beetles became expensive and fashionable. I haven't owned a VW for about 20 years now, and may well never do again, but I've joined the forum to see the old pics and share a few you may be interested in (as and when I find them)

SLH16 at Action '78.

Taxi at Action '78 or '79.

Action '78. Strange rear lights.. Bigger than '62-67 Beetle but the same style.

and.. 'scuse this being not at all standard :oops:
I realise this site is really for standard spec cars but it seems to fit the thread theme... Remember this machine? :omg: Action '79 I think.
I was 12, and impressed! :roll:

Hope they're interesting! More to come when I find things hopefully.

PS.. What became of LAL23.. It was a favourite of mine (the oldest there?) but never saw it after Stafford.

Edited by user 13 years ago | Reason: added a couple of things I forgot!

kevsplitty
Regular

13 years ago

#97

Great pics,i can remember some of those cars8)

pre67vw
Administration

13 years ago

#98

I've joined the forum to see the old pics and share a few you may be interested in (as and when I find the)

Boo wrote:

Great pix! Thanks :thumbup:

Rob Amos
Happiness is a stock VW

Jollychuffy
Regular

13 years ago

#99

Thanks for the picture, Boo ! I still own (since 1964 ) the oval "1956 VW" but the original snowflakes replace the "Strange Rear Lights" mentioned : Actually they're Minor 1000 ! Although trespassing onto an earlier forum I'll try to dig out and show a picture from 1981 at Stoneleigh after which date the car was off of the road until service and MoT six months back, since when it has been featured in January "Ultra VW". Though I have dozens of early pictures I don't have any with those "strange Rear Lights", so Many Thanks !!
Closer scrutiny reminds me that for a short while I used chromed later rear lights to replace the Minor items - another " C R A F T " moment ! ( Can't Remember A Forum Thing " ! IbcamVW.jpg You have insufficient rights to see the content.

Edited by user 13 years ago | Reason: Not specified

Rattletrap
pre67vw Junkie

13 years ago

#100

PS.. What became of LAL23.. It was a favourite of mine (the oldest there?) but never saw it after Stafford.

Boo wrote:

I believe that LAL23 was a '47, but according to Old Blue at the start of this thread, it's a '46. It belonged to Derek Smith, he also owned SLH16 that you've pictured. I think that both cars went of to the States back in the mid 1980's.:wink:

Rattletrap – the Volkswagen Beetle that has covered an incredible mileage equivalent to over 35 times around the planet :omg:
Running nifty since 1950… the King of Volkswagens:beer: Why not make friends with this famous little VW – he's on facebook! :d
http://forums.pre67vw.com/default.aspx?g=posts&t=16378

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