The VW Beetle Club Última Edición e.V. was represented in Hall 4 with a large number of VW Beetles.
SIHA, the organisers of Techno Classica in Essen, had given the VW clubs more space than ever before. Our club alone had 324 m². It was a challenge to fill this space with Beetles & Co. Thanks to the excellent connections between the club members and the committee, a total of 10 Beetles could be presented. Also thanks to the Board's good relations with Volkswagen (Autostadt) and the largest VW dealer, Gottfried Schultz, both the last built Beetle and the German Beetle built in Emden before the last one could be presented.
In addition, 5 VW Beetles from the last special series Última Edición were displayed side by side, something never before seen at this show. Production of the Beetle was discontinued on 30 July 2003, so the end of production is already 20 years behind us.
In detail:
VW 1200 L alpin white, 1.6 L - 50 PS, sunroof, built January 1978 - penultimate German Beetle (Gottfried Schultz) 45 years old.
VW 1600i Última Edición aquarius blue Last Beetle built (Autostadt) Prof Dr Carl Hahn was driven through Dresden to Lingner Castle by President Walter Köhler!
VW 1600i Última Edición aquarius blue with K-UE club logo by club member Jochen Traeder
VW 1600i Última Edición snap orange from the VW Beetle Club Última Edición e.V.
VW 1600i Última Edición harvestmoon beige from the VW Beetle Club Última Edición e.V.
VW 1600i Última Edición harvestmoon beige from club member Manfred Mulder
The following Beetles and convertibles were also on display:
VW 1600i series Beetle tornado red from member Dirk Henningsen
VW 1600i Cabrio pewter metallic, last conversion from saloon to convertible
VW 1500 Cabrio red from club member Bernd Hautmann
VW 1302 Cabrio black from member Stephan Schmickler
Another highlight was Florian Kalff's Samba Bus. It is probably the oldest surviving Samba at all: the VW bus, which has since become a cult model, rolled off the production line on 27 August 1951. This Samba bus was found in the Eifel region of Germany in 2017 and painstakingly restored. It was a special attraction at the show.
Many interesting discussions were held at the show; interest in the VW Beetle remains high; young people in particular are discovering the Beetle, as the technology makes it possible to do a lot of do-it-yourself work.
