Vee-Dubs part and parcel of family life

It all started way back in 1967 when a young Hawera man, John McGlinchey, bought his first Volkswagen, a 1965 1200cc Beetle Type 1. And his love affair with the Vee-Dub continues to this day. That car was owned from new by Father Garty, a well-known priest of Kaponga, and is the first of many VWs that John has owned. They included various Beetles (Type 1), three Fastbacks (Type 3) and a beautiful 1971 411 Variant (Type 4). All except the Beetles were German-assembled. John and his wife Shirley went on their honeymoon in 1972 in a Fastback model and one of their daughter,s Claire, has a 1971 Beetle that she has owned for the last 14 years. "Claire's partner is a German named Timo Hummel. He comes in handy to read the German handbooks and the makers' plates mounted on the motor," said John, a Hawera meat inspector. In fact all John and Shirley's six children learnt to drive in a Beetle. John himself learnt in a 1958 Kombi (Type 2), taught by family friend Burt Tucker, who owned the Kiwi Dairy opposite the Opera House. "I couldn't get into much trouble in the old Kombi, it only had one speed, slow," John said. John's current Volkswagen is a 1966 Type 3 Fastback 1600TL, one of only three of that model in New Zealand. Five years ago at the Nationals in New Plymouth he won second place in Type 3 in his original blue VW. That car arrived in New Zealand in late 1966 with just 50 miles on the clock. It was actually brought out to New Zealand by a Dutch immigrant, who was a manager at the Kapuni Natural Gas Plant, for his wife. The TL stands for Touring Limousine and in the 60s it certainly would have been. Although the Type 3 was introduced at the 1961 Frankfurt Motor Show with a 1500cc motor, the 1.6 litre (1584cc twin carb) arrived in 1965. This model followed the Beetle, utilising a low-profile version of Volkswagen's rear-mounted, 4-cylinder air-cooled engine. Redesign of the engine reduced the height of the engine profile, allowing greater "boot space" and earned the name of the "pancake" or "suitcase" engine. The Fastback had two luggage compartments; the engine is located under a panel in the rear boot and the front, of course. The Type 3 was produced in Germany from 1961 until 1973 during which time 2.588 million were built plus a further 460,000 in Brazil. They were also built in Australia for a short time in Clayton, Victoria. Ad Feedback While the Type 3 was a more modern design, it never reached the popularity of the Beetle. "People were buying the Beetles because they were Beetles and not Volkswagens," John said. "For comparison over 21 million Beetles were produced and 5.1 million Kombis." Volkswagen moved to the water-cooled Golf in 1974 because of emission regulations and US safety regulations. "Whatever the reason, the decision to move to water-cooled vehicles, while unfortunate for the Type 3 fans, was a great decision for Volkswagen as the Golf soon sold in millions and still leads the world car manufactures for that type of vehicle," John said. For the last 33 years John has been the secretary/treasurer of the South Taranaki Club. Next time you are visiting the club and you spot him say you read it in the The Star - your shout John. - © Fairfax NZ News http://www.stuff.co.nz/taranaki-daily-news/news/south-taranaki-star/9372566/Vee-Dubs-part-and-parcel-of-family-life