Bad Camberg 1999


This years meeting was special and there was a concerted effort from organisers to enter the Guinness Book of Records by having the largest number of Hebmullers in the one place at the same time. They easily achieved the record with 19 Hebmullers in attendance. Just think about it-19 Hebs in the same country, in the same town and at the same meeting.

The Volkswagen Classic and Vintage Club of Australia was well represented by the following members;-

Ray and Mathew Black
Paul and Liz Dujmovich
Greg Clark
Bill Moore (the scribe) and Shirley Moore.

Just think about it- nine members of the same Volkswagen club, all the way from Australia and some clown asked what we had driven over for the event. Despite varying arrival times in Frankfurt we managed to get to the same small guesthouse in a country town known as Dauborn at the correct time. 

We were met at the airport by our local mine hosts-Bernt and Jurgen. Now here are a couple of likely lads who have both been to Australia 6 times for holidays over the past 8 years and who both speak very good English. This is a distinct advantage in Germany , particularly when ordering beer, schnapps, or food. Settling in at Bernt's house Shirley and I found it was just like home with all the Australiana memorabilia including maps of Australia, pictures of Fosters and VB, kangaroo road signs, and a large Australian flag which flies all year from Bernt's roof at the front of the house. These guys are not serious VW buffs although Bernt does drive a 1997 Audi Cabrio but Jurgen sticks with his BMW and Harley Davidson.

After three or four days settling in and visiting local tourist haunts we departed from a visit to the Sinshiem Museum which is a technology museum primarily cars, boats, planes and trains going back over 80 years. They had an excellent section on World War 2 including 6 Kubels, 2 Swimmers and an original KDF Beetle. The armoury, uniforms and memorabilia was outstanding as well as the Junkers 88 bomber, a Heinkel aircraft and a crashed Messerscmitt fighter which has been pulled out of the water and left intact. A truly great cross section of stuff.

The groups then went their separate ways and then met up again early the following week in Osnabruck where there was a pre organised visit to the Karmann museum and factory. This museum is privately owned by Karman and only contains vehicle where were 100% produced in the Karmann factory. Some outstanding examples of early Karmann work is there dating back to the early 1900s. A 1953 Karman Ghia protoype was the feature vehicle for mine as well as a 1965 Type 3 Ghia convertible (one of only two remaining). The museum was a fascinating trip and was very hands on compared to the VW factory at Wolfsburg (see later).

Leaving Osnabruck we travel to Wolfsburg, calling in at a little town called Celle (as in a place to store wine) where an old friend Klaus Mendelson lives together with his two schwimmers, and a Kubel. Klaus is regarded as one of the leading authorities on the Schwimmwagen and through his contacts is able to source any part you could imagine. This is if he does not already have the part amongst the 235 banana boxes he has stored in his garages and sheds.

Staying with Klaus for the night we meet two of his local friends, another who owns a swimmer. My favourite recollection is of the sausages, there must have been 20 different types put onto the barbecue during the evening (you have never tasted sausage until you have had some of these bangers.)

The following day it was on to Wolfsburg to the Museum and Factory. We were lucky enough to have a special tour guide around the museum who was a fountain of knowledge and provided much trivia. Next, it was into the rare spares area at the Museum however this was rather disappointing compared to prior years. The parts area has become very commercial and is specialising in more and more late model parts. All parts are now better organised and sorted by part number. Prices are rather strong and bargains for Vintage buffs are harder to come by. I left with my wallet intact. Shirley was suitably impressed. 

The Factory tour was a standout- over 2 hours sitting comfortably in a small 4 carriage train pulled around by a converted and cut down Golf. There are 4 of these vehicles, two which have English speaking guides and another two where German guides talk for the full 2 hours. The drive takes in all the areas of the factory except the initial sheet metal area .Watching the robots in action is fascinating and the other major attraction is the spray painting area. Watching cars come through the spray booths every 5 minutes, painted in different colours is quite unbelievable. It takes 15 seconds for the spray heads to get rid of the last colour and put in a new colour-no runs, no shaded colours. The most amazing fact regarding the factory is its size, complexity and organisation. Get your hands on a copy of factory facts and be staggered with facts like 170 kilometres of roads, 4000 push bikes,2700 cars per day production.

The trek from Wolfsburg to Camberg is about 6 hours with breaks along the way for mobile home. Now this was a real mobile home of some 6.5 metres in length. It slept 6 and had its own shower and toilet. The main bed was that large even I managed to fit without hanging the feet over the end.

This small mobile apartment was home for 8 days and proved a great deal at about $130 per day. It ran a 2.6 litre diesel but was limited to 130 kph on the Autobahn or otherwise it floated around like a bucket of wet custard. We all arrived back safely for the start of the Camberg event the following day.

Friday afternoon in Bad Camberg is used to start the set up and several hundred vintage vehicles turn up just to have a chat and register. The swap meet guys are getting themselves organised and seeing how high they can mark the prices up without topping the guy next door. There is no arranged display on the Friday but the cameras and videos are still very well used at the event location.

Saturday is the big day and the Aussies were up early in the day and set off with our tables, chairs and bits and pieces for the swap meet. Between us all we had taken over 80 Club T Shirts and a few other bits and pieces for sale. I had remembered last time where I saw oval tail light sets selling for $300 a pair so my bag contained two pairs which I sold quickly for $200 a pair. Six used semaphores I purchased at the 1999 Nationals in Sydney for $135 were split into pairs and sold for a total of $420 all up. This gives you an idea on some of the pricing at the swap meet and my prices were the lowest. Many buyers from Japan,US and Scandinavian countries tend to push up prices. Very few purchases were made by the Australian contingent. Your scribe had taken over some early Australian Kombi literature and advertisements to swap with a guy from the UK who had managed to secure me original UK magazine articles on the Country Buggy. 

The day was made up wandering, looking, photographing, drooling, eating, bartering, chatting, more drooling, selling, and more drooling. It was real woody territory for most of the guys. Check out some of the photos for the size and quality of the event, remembering no cars after 1959. 

Saturday night is a saurkraut, sausage and beer night at the main pavilion but the weary Australians and our German hosts went out to German restaurant instead. Cheese and onions in Germany is called "Kase mit Musik". Germans call it music and that is what plays about two hours after the dinner if you get the drift. 

Sunday was a mixed bag with the Dujmovichs setting off for the Netherlands to continue their trip for a further three weeks, Geoff and Bernd set off for Nuburgring racing circuit where there was a classic car show and old timer race meeting. The Moores and Blacks stayed at "home" and started packing for the long trip home.

We all left with Qantas on the Monday evening already thinking how we can spend another fortnight in Germany come four years time.

Bad Camberg, start saving today and get your bag ready for 2003.

Bill Moore

 

 

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