The meeting was organised by Traugott and Christian Grundmann for the 7th time. The following vehicles are allowed to participate every 4 years:

• Volkswagen Beetle, KdF-Wagen, Type 82, Type 166 etc. up to and including 1957 (original official and emergency vehicles up to 1967)
• Special bodies on VW chassis up to and including 1967
• Volkswagen Karmann Ghia Type 14 and Type 34 up to and including 1967
• Volkswagen Type 2 (bus transporters etc.) up to and including 1967

It was a special honour for the VW Beetle Club ÚItimaEdición e.V. to be present with the two UE Club Beetles. In fact, many visitors had never seen an ÚltimaEdición Beetle in the flesh, and some were surprised to learn that there was also a Hervestmoonbeige version. A first from the very beginning of the Beetle to the last of the ÚltimaEdición series.

The site for our two UE Beetles was extremely well located. Directly at the entrance to the old town, where every registered car has to pass, gave us a special overview.

The air-cooled cars came to Hessisch Oldendorf from all over the world - the town has a beautiful old town centre and almost every resident contributes something to its success. Many shops are decorated with spare parts, pictures and other paraphernalia. It is a special experience to see the beginnings of Volkswagen live. It is also a special attraction when the floats are launched on the River Weser and return to the mainland.

We would like to congratulate the organisers and their many energetic helpers on their organisation and thank them for allowing us to take part.

The biggest automotive garden party - the classic car and motor festival for the preservation of the castle and park - will once again delight visitors in 2014. Atmospheric and rare highlights will be announced and anniversaries will be celebrated at the castle.

Highlights and special themes of Classic Days 2014

• 100 years of Maserati
• Volkswagen Group special runs
• 90th anniversary of the Linas-Montlhery circuit - Cyclecar Meeting 2014
• Streamline vehicles
• Bentley - Special run of Cricklewood vintage Bentleys
• Mercedes-Benz SSK and Rennsport S - special edition
• Historic Formula VAU
• Porsche 904 Anniversary
• Seventies sports cars - "Amore da Italia" special run

There is a 2.8km circuit ("Racing Legends") on the circuit, which is used regularly for monoposto and touring car races for cars built up to 1961. It is also possible to drive other vehicles on this circuit.

We had the pleasure of experiencing the circuit in the T1 "Lufthansa" van of Volkswagen Classic.

And now the interesting part for 2015: Volkswagen-Classic is planning to involve the VW clubs in this event. We made a commitment to Mr Kadow and he was particularly pleased with our photo book: 10 years of the VW Beetle Club Última Edición e.V. When we showed it to him, he spontaneously asked if he could keep it... We then presented him with a freshly printed copy, as our club photo book was admired by many other interested parties.

Legendary racing cars from the history of the automobile will be guests at Dyck Castle. For three days, the historic moated castle will once again be the destination for motorsport and classic car fans.

The K-UE Club was represented at this legendary meeting with the Club Última Edición-Käfer and a current Beetle. The stand of Germany's largest VW dealer, the Gottfried Schultz Group, with whom we have a friendly relationship, was very busy and the UE Beetle was photographed countless times. The Golf GTI generations were also grouped there - and the Tornado Red Beetle as a worthy "ancestor".

Impressions of this unique classic car event can be found at www.classic-days.de. AUTOSTADT was also present at this special event with a great Beetle crawl on the 3km race track. Christel and Walter Köhler had the honour of driving the last UE Beetle built on this track.

The ADAC was represented by a large contingent, including the ADAC road patrol Beetle, which also took part in the K-UE Großglockner event.

We were delighted to see so many club members at this fantastic event.

A look at the website www.classic-days.de shows the content and variety on offer to visitors. This highly interesting event can only be compared to a conventional classic car show to a limited extent, as almost everything takes place outdoors. Vehicles of almost all makes and generations can be admired - from historic classics to one-offs.

The VW Beetle Club Última Edición e.V. was represented with the unique Última Edición in snap orange.

On the premises of Germany's largest Volkswagen dealer - the Gottfried Schultz Group - UNIKAT presented 60 years of Beetle history with the last but one Beetle built in Germany (built at the VW plant in Emden), a Hebmüller convertible and the KDF Beetle (built in 1943, of which only 630 were produced). The year 2018 marks 75 years of Beetle history!

This was very well received by many guests and visitors and fits in perfectly with the history of the Gottfried Schultz company. The Gottfried Schultz Group has delivered more than 500,000 Beetles!

The VW Beetle Club Última Edición e.V. and the Gottfried Schultz dealership were thus able to present an interesting VW Beetle history at the 2018 Classic Days.

One of the highlights was the ride in the T2 DOKA from 1972 on the ‘race track’. It had been used as a fire engine for decades and was restored by Gottfried Schultz to its original condition as it was delivered from the factory.

The Classic Days (www.classic-days.de) have a special flair because they are held on the meadows and grounds of Schloss Dyck. Another unique feature is the race track on which the registered classic cars can be driven during the event. Whether pre-war or vintage from the 50s, 60s or 70s, it is a special experience to see these cars - and not just 'standing'. Old racing cars are also welcome at the Classic Days and are sure to captivate visitors.

The VW Beetle Club Última Edición e.V. presented the unique 'Snapi' (colour: snap-orange) from the last 2003 series of the Última Edición special series at the ADAC stand. We would like to thank the ADAC Nordrhein for the successful presentation at the Apfelwiese. It was the first joint appearance of the ADAC and a corporate club at the Classic Days - a success for our club and the ADAC. The Classic Days 2019 were visited by almost 40,000 guests.

The Autostadt Wolfsburg and the largest VW dealer, Gottfried Schultz, were also present; our club president has been cultivating these relationships for many years and had many interesting discussions on site.

It was a very nice, interesting and successful show for our club. In addition to the two UE Club Beetles, a fully restored 1962 Beetle convertible (black) and two 1302 convertibles were exhibited, one from 1971 (black) and one from 1972 (turquoise metal). One 1302 convertible from each year of production was on display, the 1303 convertible being produced later.

The club stand was very busy on the opening day. All the Beetles did their part in attracting many visitors, with the 62 Cabrio being a particular attraction.

The exhibits from the 1st K-UE Beetle Meeting to the 14th K-UE Beetle Meeting (Baltic Sea) as well as from the 4 Alpine trips and the Norway and Sweden trips organised so far were arranged in columns. Visitors standing in front of them couldn't believe what they were seeing and the passion with which the Beetle world was kept in motion. At times, there were so many visitors standing in front of all the Beetles that they were barely visible!

People kept asking if the Beetles were for sale...
If the club had received just one euro from each of the many pictures taken of the individual Beetles or from photographing the display, the club's coffers would have been nicely filled.

The Beetle models on display were a small selection of the entire Beetle range, and we were able to inspire many visitors and promote our club. Many technical discussions took place and many interesting contacts were made. In the end, several new members joined the club.

The concept is designed so that three pictures can be seen on one display - these are pictures from the first to the ninth K-UE meeting, and can be supplemented with pictures from subsequent meetings. The back wall and the counter are covered with the original advertising for the Última Edición Beetle; on the back wall there are pictures of the UE production as well as our VW logo (Nördlingen) and the lineup of Beetles in front of the VW plant in Kassel (50 years) - all in all an impressive representation of our club.

The two cars on display were an aqua blue Última Edición from our club members Heinz, Marc and Tim Wetzel and a clementine VW 1300 (built in 1970) from Alexander Kukk. With these two cars we could show that the shape of the Beetle built in Mexico until 2003 is almost identical - but the Beetle fan can see the detailed changes made in Mexico. Many interesting conversations were held at the exhibition - the visitors were very pleased to see our club there. We were also able to gain new members. Even a Mexican was so surprised and overwhelmed to see the Mexico Beetles at RETRO CLASSICS that he asked us to give him the "SEDAN" sign that we had attached to the front of the UE. We complied and it was worth a generous donation to him!

The Beetle is always good for a surprise!

We had placed the corresponding models on the two Beetles, which was a great photo motif and was photographed again and again. Our pictures from our meetings also attracted a lot of attention and were photographed many times.

Special thanks to the Beetle owners for lending us their cars, which contributed to our good appearance in Stuttgart.

The VW Beetle Club Última Edición e.V. (K-UE Club for short) always has very special ideas for its events and shows. In 2008, for example, to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the VW plant in Kassel, the club "brought together" the last two VW Beetles built in Mexico for the first time after production. This year marks 10 years since production of the Beetle ceased. Every year, the K-UE Club has its own stand at the world's largest classic car show, Techno Classica in Essen, Germany. And on this stand, the last built Beetle, which is housed in the Zeithaus of the Volkswagen AG, and the AutoBild Beetle were presented together.

Some of the visitors were even surprised by the presentation of the two recently built beetles and wondered how it was possible to see these beetles together. The cameras must have been pulled out several thousand times to capture the two beetles. The fact that we had placed identical models on the roofs of the two beetles was especially attractive to the public. People kept asking questions about the Beetles - the enthusiasm was great! So we came to the conclusion: The Beetle still moves a lot...

The club board thanks Volkswagen AG (Zeithaus) and AutoBild-Klassik-Verlag for their trust.

ReeVOLT! Beetle brochure that WEMAG AG produced especially for us.

The torque with which this Beetle pulls away is quite astonishing - and without any noise, just the sound of the tyres!

The Última Edición Beetle in Harvest Moon beige was photographed again and again. We had placed the identical 1:18 model on the roof - a brilliant photo opportunity. These Ultima Beetles are very popular with collectors, and people keep asking where they can get one of these UE Beetles. There are only a few left, between 450 and 500 of these models came to Europe out of a total of 3000.

A very special highlight on our stand was a cutaway beetle from the early 1960s. Three of these were produced, two were lost, and the exhibit comes from our club members Erwin and Jörg Kock. Our sincere thanks go to them for making this unique specimen available to us for Techno Classic.

To ensure that a Mexico Beetle was also represented at the show, we exhibited a second vehicle, a 2003 1600i (model year 2004).

The Beetle has spawned a number of variants over the years. The Mexico Beetle was an open-air version. These were not produced at the Mexican plant in Puebla, but were specially converted by hand in Mexico and Germany. There are only a small number of these (around 1000), one of which, in candy white, was displayed on the Club stand; we are grateful to our member Michael Witsch for making it available.

The Club also exhibited its newly acquired Última Edición Beetle in aqua blue; this is the 44th Última Edición Beetle to be built and was therefore made on the last day of production.

We were delighted with the large number of club members who visited us. We also had many interesting conversations with the ever-increasing number of visitors to our stand.

We would like to extend a special thank you to all the club members who actively supported us at the show.

Board member Alexander Kukk presented his '61 Beetle with folding roof in Pearl White, alongside the 2003 Última Edición Club Beetle in Harvest Moon Beige.

The colour of the last Beetle built reflects the 60s Beetle years in particular. "I had one just like this..." This statement came up again and again and brought back memories for many visitors.

Unbelievable how the "pair UE and 61" had positioned themselves - Beetle history was on display.

The two are 42 years apart in terms of year of manufacture and on 4 April 2017, during the show, the 61 Beetle was registered for 56 years! You can see the changes very clearly - experts were constantly comparing details on the Beetles.

On the back wall of the club stand were 12 banners with impressions from the 2016 Norway adventure trip - which were always admired. Several Norwegian visitors to the show were particularly impressed by these unique images. The Última Edición Beetle calendar from 2004 (a rarity) also adorned the back wall - every page of the calendar was on display. It shows the Beetle production with many details - one of the most interesting pictures shows an employee "hammering" the gutter.

We would like to thank the many club members who visited the stand, and for the interesting technical discussions that took place. The club committee uses the show to maintain contacts with other clubs, Volkswagen, ADAC, etc. Some interesting things have already been organised for the future.

Never before seen on the Club stand: the presentation of two UNIQUE cars. Our new Última Edición Club Beetle in "Snap-Orange" and the 1303 Cabrio "HARIBO". In 1976, Hans Riedel from Bonn ordered a special two-tone Beetle Cabriolet in brown with beige side panels and doors. Many thanks to our club members Erwin and Jörg Kock for making this unique example from their collection available for presentation at Techno Classica. Thanks also to Monika and Uwe Lojewski for the HARIBO decorations and the delicious HARIBO sweets. This fair is an ideal place for club members, Beetle enthusiasts and media representatives to meet and visit our stand.

The new Club Beetle and our involvement in Essen have once again attracted the attention of the international VW press: The attached excerpt can be found in the French magazine "Super VW" in a report on Techno Classica Essen: With reference to 80 years of VW Beetle and 15 years of Última Edición, our Club Beetle is pictured. The article says: "This event offers the opportunity to discover exceptional VWs, whether they are in professional or private hands.... The VW Beetle Club Última Edición exhibited the rarest of the last Beetles, a red model painted to order by a former Volkswagen board member! In short, beautiful, extraordinary and rare". The illustration reads: "Rare! The only Beetle Última Edición in red, built in 2003 to the order of Prof. Wilfried Bockelmann..., which has now become part of Walter Köhler's collection! Once again, the Club has attracted special attention, which we can all share and which proves that the joint decision to buy was the right one.

Editor-in-chief Julien-David Collombet was the official journalist sent by Volkswagen Mexico to report on and photograph the end of Beetle production. When he saw the "Snap Orange Última" again at the Techno Classica in Essen, his joy was obvious. Yes, I saw this Beetle at the Puebla plant... and now here! Simply brilliant.

Julien-David Collombet always comes back to Techno Classica; last year he was also in Hessisch Oldendorf - always where the interested Volkswagens are to be seen.

Club member Stephan Wennmacher's 1972 1302 Cabriolet in the rare colour 'Turquoise Metallic' was on display. The car was admired by many and the question kept coming up: Is this an original VW convertible colour? The 1302 convertibles were only built in Osnabrück for two years, from August 1970 to July 1972, after which the 1303 convertible followed until the end of Beetle production in January 1980.

We are particularly proud of the presentation of the Última Edición Beetle 'Heidi', in which Maria and Manuel travelled from Mexico across America to Canada. Even the original roof tent they used on the journey was on display at the Club stand. A large screen showed the route the pair travelled, covering some 20,000 km through Mexico, the USA and Canada. It attracted a lot of visitors and Maria and Manuel were able to talk to many enthusiastic people. You can read the story of the Heidi Beetle on the club website and find out more from its owners. Maria Ehrlich is a film actress and Manuel works in television.

Maria is writing a book about the 7-month journey and a film is planned for autumn 2019. There is also a multi-page report on Maria and Manuel's experiences with the 'Heidi' Beetle in issue 1/2019 of the Beetle Review. It should also be mentioned that the Beetle has been approved for road use in Germany by the VW Beetle Club Úlitma Edición e.V. Maria and Manuel are very happy and grateful.

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.