Weekend Argus (Saturday Edition)
Kombis are not only a surfer’s best friend
Behind every VW van is a lifestyle and a story to tell
MANY surfers were probably conceived in the Kombis which are iconic to the sport – or that’s what was heard at the recent launch of the Volkswagen SA Open of Surfing, to be held in Durban in June.
Veteran surfer Andy Ward says taking one of these old “passion wagons” through the traffic offers more currency than driving a Porsche. “There’s more chance of the Porsche driver looking at the Kombi than there is of me looking at a Porsche.”
He waxed lyrical about the freedom surfers enjoyed in their Kombis, “sleeping at the break” when the urge came to try out waves in remote and distant places.
“Turn the key and I can be off to Cape Town,” he said, explaining how the L-shaped lounge suite in the back of his Kombi folds into a double bed.
He bought his vehicle, a 1974 T2 Bay Kombi, six years ago and installed a Golf engine.
Ward said that by driving “Betsyboo”, as he has named his vehicle, he has become part of a Kombi community. “You mostly find that guys with Kombis are surfers, ex-surfers or adventurers. It’s part of such an amazing lifestyle,” said the 49-year-old surfboard designer. “There’s something about the ocean that makes you feel connected to your Kombi.
“Everybody has a story to tell about theirs.”
On the maintenance front, Richard Perrett, an artisan who is a member of the club, has Kombis queued up for repairs and maintenance at his business in Durban’s Glenwood. He said rust was the biggest problem coastal Kombi owners had to deal with.
But where there’s a will, there’s a way, not only with Kombis but also with the old Beetle Volkswagens.
In 1971, Volkswagen South Africa and Wheels magazine held a competition to find the oldest Beetle in the country. That led to finding “Jan”, built in 1949, which was put on display until his condition deteriorated so badly he could no longer be decently exposed.
“That changed when Jan the Beetle was brought to the attention of another very special Jan at Volkswagen, namely Jan Schiedek- Jacht, the head of product engineering at VWSA,” the German car manufacturer said recently.
A team under SchiedekJacht, who is a classic car enthusiast, donated their spare time to restoring Jan and seven months later the car was back in pristine condition.
“It was decided by the team that Jan would be restored to his original condition and colour. As many original components as possible were repaired.”
Jan is now the jewel of the AutoPavilion vehicle collection in Uitenhage where Volkswagen has its SA headquarters.
“Jan proved that he is still fit for a jolly weekend drive after covering over 600km to the George Motorshow in February. This was his first drive after full restoration, exactly 67 years, four months and 10 days after he was built.”