Table of contents for June 2026 in VolksWorld

Various names have been intimately linked with the aftermarket Volkswagen world over the years, starting for many in America at least with the original EMPI concern. Long before it became a synonym for performance parts, its roots can be traced back to a VW dealership in Riverside, California. Economotors was founded in 1954 by Joe Vittone as a straightforward Volkswagen sales and service operation. Yet Vittone, a savvy businessman, soon recognised that American VW owners were eager to personalise and improve their cars, particularly in terms of performance. Out of this realisation grew a sideline in eclectic VW components, initially focused on practical upgrades such as valve guides and engine service parts, to help keep VWs on the road. Demand rose rapidly, and what began as a small in-house operation…

If there was ever any doubt that The VolksWorld Show’s move to its new home was the right call, 22 March well and truly put that thought to bed. What might have once felt like a bold step into the unknown has now become something far more certain: a fresh chapter for one of the UK’s most beloved air-cooled gatherings – and, quite possibly, its strongest yet. From the moment the gates opened, there was a tangible sense that something special was unfolding. Not just another car show, not just another date on the calendar, but a full-on celebration of everything that makes the air-cooled VW scene so enduringly brilliant. The numbers alone told part of the story – more cars on site than ever before – but it was…

Your SHOUT! All inclusive Dear VolksWorld, I’ve just got back from an amazing day at The VolksWorld Show and wanted to congratulate you guys for organising the best enthusiast-orientated event I’ve been to in many years. I tagged along as passenger with a friend who purchased a display vehicle ticket, and was amazed when we were ferried right into the main show field and parked up alongside some amazing air-cooled VWs. We really felt part of the show and, having met some new friends at the event, I’m planning to organise a cruise to the show next year where we may present as a newly formed air-cooled club. Watch this space. The show really had a great vibe and the air cooled-only policy is a breath of fresh air. Keep…

Incredibly, it’s been happening for 28 years now yet, for some reason, this was my first ever visit to Ninove for the Freddy Files. If you’re in a similar position and haven’t been before, you’ve been missing out. In short, this event should be on your 2027 calendar. Depending on your location on the British Isles, it’s pretty much five events for the price of one, too. There’s the initial cruise down to Folkestone to catch the Euro Tunnel. For me, that meant meeting up with friends from Somerset Aircooled along and staying in Folkestone overnight, ready for an early crossing on 14 March for a 9am rendezvous in France to start part two – the official UK Cruise to Ninove. That in itself is a major event. In excess…

I’m writing this having just returned from the 2026 VolksWorld Show, still brimming with enthusiasm about the plethora of cool air-cooled cars I’ve had the privilege to look over this past weekend. Now, as many of you know, I love patina cars, as well as ’80s VWs and Bajas and buggies, and I saw plenty of all of those over the weekend. But I can also appreciate a well-executed restoration and, well, all manner of air-cooled VW machinery really. However, if there’s one thing that floats my boat higher than anything else, it’s survivor cars that have been treated with the respect they deserve so, when I saw pictures of Len’s Double Cab, I was hooked straight away. But when I heard the approach he had taken to preserving its…

For many VW enthusiasts, owning a Split Screen Bus sits firmly in the realm of childhood ambition. Fantasy even. One of those ideas that never quite fades, no matter how much time passes. For Adam Young, however, it wasn’t enough to simply own one, he wanted ‘the’ one. The one that every time he turned to look over his shoulder and saw it, he’d quietly nod and say, yeah. As it turned out, achieving that goal would take far more time, effort and money than he ever anticipated, involving not one but two restorations, to reach the high standard he’d set for himself. Anyone who’s tackled a restoration of any kind will know that even the most carefully laid plans have a habit of unravelling. Timelines slip, parts don’t arrive,…

By 1938, Dr. Ferdinand Porsche had more or less wrapped up the design and testing of the prototype VW30 series, work that had begun in 1934, and was ready to crack on with the VW38 series. Together with coachbuilder Reutter, the two companies tooled up in Stuttgart and knocked out 37 of the VW38 series that year. The first three cars off the line, known internally as V303 models, were prioritised because they were needed for something rather special: a cornerstone ceremony on 26 May 1938 that marked the site of the new factory in the freshly minted town of Stadt des KdF Wagens. Hitler and Porsche were both in attendance, as were those three VW38s – a dark blue / grey saloon (the standard KdF-Wagen colour), a black sunroof…