Mat's VWs

I have liked VW's for a long time but only got round to buying my first in 1994. I had thought about a Bug before and actually came very close to getting one 4 years earlier but for some reason didn't.

At some point a close friend bought an early Bay Window bus and having spent quite a lot of time in it I decided I'd have to get a VW. Without doing too much research I went out and bought a two owner '73 1300 model with a little over 65K on the clock. All in all I didn't do too badly, mechanically the car was sound and the body work was pretty solid though a little way from perfect.

At that point in time I knew very little about VW's and really just looked at the thing as a good affordable car that was more fun than the average modern car. Back then I thought that it would be good to keep the car stock and maybe get it re-sprayed at some point and that was about as far as it went. Four days after picking it up though I went to my first all VW show and from that point on my ideas started to change.

The ’73, now awaiting some TLC

For the first couple of years it was mostly about getting together a few bolt on accessories and some different wheels but thanks to some of the people I was starting to get to know other ideas started to appear on the horizon.

The new plan was to turn the '73 into a Cal-Looker with a serious motor and subsequently I spent the next 3 or 4 years saving for a restoration and acquiring all the necessary parts. The central part of the plan was the motor, a 2332cc unit based around a Pauter 84mm crank bought back in 1996. The car was due to go in for the make over in March of 2000 and as such Max Morley (friend, engine guru and Club Treasurer) started building the stroker at the end of 1999 so everything would be ready to go once the bodywork was completed.

The ’73, rear view

However, things don't always go according to plan but sometimes that isn't a bad thing. One afternoon in January 2000 Max called me to say that there was a seriously good car available and that I ought to take a look at it. At the time I was sceptical and was pretty well set on sticking to my plan of getting the '73 done however Max persisted and a couple of days later I went to look over the other car if only to convince myself that I didn't want it.

The '63 Cal-Looker based on a Deluxe Sunroof Model

There is something especially sweet about a rag top Bug and it only took a few minutes to work out that the Lotus White '63 deluxe was too good a prospect to pass up.

The ’63 Cal-Looker based on a Deluxe Sunroof Model

The car was a ready-to-go traditional Cal-Looker and though a little worn with the odd stone chip here and there it was incredible, nothing had been neglected and the level of detail was staggering. All the parts used in its restoration were N.O.S VW and absolutely everything was held together using stainless allen head fixings. On top of this the car had an excellent selection of extras.

The car was offered for sale without its 2007cc IDA motor but this wasn't too much of a problem as Max had been working away on the 2332 and it was more or less ready to go. A few days later it was mine.

The '73 is still part of the equation though. It's been a trusty friend since I got it and spent five years as my daily driver never giving me any serious problems. On top of this I still have a lot of parts that have been collected for it over the years and it seems a shame not to use them. As soon as finances permit it will be tidied up and a few accessories will be added, engine wise I'll probably opt for a 1641 this time round.

A few of the parts ready to go onto the '73, from left to right: MWS BRM replica wheels, MotorMeter gauge set and an EMPI VDM steering wheel.

As you may have guessed I like Cal-Look VW's but given the time and money there are many more I'd like to have, wouldn't we all? I guess if I were to get another one now I'd be torn somewhere between a mint MK1 Golf GTi and a solid stock Oval Bug. Then again the New Beetle appeals and I do like the Lupo GTi. Luckily I don't have the money right now so I can put off those difficult decisions for a while.