After nine years of proud ownership of his very rare crew cab Volkswagen Kombi ute, Scott Clements of Queanbeyan has no intention of parting with it.
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It is a part of the family to such an extent that he considers his 16-month-old daughter to be a Volkswagen fanatic in training.
''I'm working on her already,'' he said. An early exercise in indoctrination is planned for Sunday, April 6, when Clements and his family will be among the hopefully hundreds of VW enthusiasts who congregate at Thoroughbred Park for the inaugural VW Drive for the Community.
Clements said he had been drawn to the event because it combined the opportunity to enjoy his car with his family and to raise funds for a worthy cause, Canberra Hospital. His vehicle, a ''Type II'' in Volkswagen parlance, will be one of the rarer cars turning up on the day.
Type Is are the ubiquitous Beetles introduced as the ''people's car'' in 1930s Germany. Type IIs are the commercial platforms of the air-cooled rear-engined models and include buses, campers, utilities, vans and crew cabs. Type IIIs are a slightly larger and upmarket variation on the Type I theme. They came as notchbacks (a two-door sedan), fastbacks, and squarebacks (the two-door wagon that offered a startling amount of room given the engine was under the rear floor.
What all the 1950s, '60s and '70s rear-engined, air-cooled Volkswagens sold in Australia have in common is remarkable build quality which, when coupled with their innovative designs, makes them very practical, classic cars.
Clements, said he opted for the crew cab nine years ago because it fulfilled two needs; it was useful in his business for carting things around and it was a classic he could enjoy on weekends. While it has since been retired from daily labour, it is still comfortable to drive and safe on the road.
''I really do enjoy the car,'' he said. ''It has the two-litre engine with the four-speed gearbox and, as long you are paying attention, is quite good to drive.''
The air-cooled Volkswagens are one of the few good things generally acknowledged as owing their existence to Adolf Hitler. In the early 1930s German manufacturers were preoccupied with building chariots for the rich and the ruling elite. While this produced some memorable cars, it did not put Germany on wheels.
Hitler ordered the production, in a state-owned factory, of an affordable car capable of carrying two adults and three children at 100 km/h
An air-cooled engine was made mandatory to ensure the car was usable during the harsh winters. This, ironically, made it ideal for climates such as Australia where rival makes frequently overheated.
VW lovers get into gear for charity
Owners of Volkswagens old and new are expected to turn out in large numbers for the ACT's inaugural Volkswagen Drive for the Community next month.
The event, a fund-raiser for the Canberra Hospital, is being pulled together by Lennock Volkswagen dealer principal Peter Munday.
It offers entrants the chance to win a trip to Germany as part of a community raffle prize pool of almost $18,000.
Event registration is $150 for VIP vehicles (which travel under police escort) or $100 for ''ordinary'' entrants. Both types of registration cover a ticket in the community raffle
Members of the public can buy tickets in the community raffle, which is limited to 2000 tickets, for $50.
To find out more visit canberrahospitalfoundation.org.au.
