Showing our colors to remember September 11, 2001

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We also highly recommend the Volkswagen Club of America, and the popular VW classifieds site known as "TheSamba.com" - have fun!

Site Date of Origination: 5 July 1998  |  Site Last Updated: 9, 23, 29 January, 14 February, 26 March, 3, 11 April, 23 May, 12 June, 15, 24, 28 July, 8, 25 August, 3, 18 October, 10 November, 28 December 2006, 12 January 2007, 4 February, 18, 27 March, 4, 9, 11 April, 19 May, 6, 10, 20 June, 19 July, 6, 10 August, 10 September, 9, 16, 28 November 2007, 12 January, 21 February, 22 April, 22 May, 10 June, 24 July, 5 September, 1 October 2008 (today's highlights in red)

Welcome to COMMON.GEAR ("common dot gear"), the official web site of the Common Gear Antique Volkswagen Society! COMMON.GEAR and the Common Gear Antique VW Society are dedicated to covering the fun & rapidly growing hobby devoted to these unique little German automobiles, and promoting positive hobby development and Antique Volkswagen fellowship.

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*10/1/2008 Brief Updates - We are happy to report our ("first draft" of the) Official Report of the Antique VW turnout at the Time Machines 2008 antique auto show, Sunday, July 27th, in Guilford, CT is now ready for viewing. We certainly apologize for the delay getting this published--but we didn't want to rush, and also wanted to be accurate and comprehensive. As has been historically the case, Common Gear Antique Volkswagen Society was once again very pleased to be the Official Sponsor of the VW-only class (this year for all VWs, stock & modified, up to & including model year 1983--in keeping with the generally-accepted "25 years old or older" definition of "antique"). The big change this year was move of the event from Durham, CT to Guilford, CT, necessitated, we understand, by work the town of Durham was going to be doing on their fields (where the car show was always held). The day itself was a rainy one, and overall I'm sure the organizers must have been at least a bit disappointed. But, what do you know, the VW-only class had an excellent turnout--even in the rain--thanks, in very large part to some very enthusiastic support by our friends from the Connecticut Volkswagen Association--so we do wish to tip our hat once again to the CVA--thanks again guys and gals! Anyway, the address of the Official Time Machines 2008 VW Participation Report is: http://members.aol.com/cgextras/TimeMachines2008.html - or you can also click on the image at the upper right, which is a scan of one of the special dash plaques we had made up to hand out specially to the VW class participaints. Thanks again to everyone who turned out in Guilford to support Time Machines 2008, and we hope to see y'all again in '09!... Otherwise, I hope everyone had a good summer. Mine was a busy one--not too much with old car stuff, but a lot of family, house, work, and so forth type of (mundane) stuff. I am still driving my '68 Bug daily, though, and enjoying every minute of it--I have to tip my hat once again to our long-time good friend Gordi Davis from New Hampshire's "4ever4" for all his help with getting the car sorted out this year... Please also feel free to browse the Shoreline Antique Auto Connection site at your leisure, to see some other local old car stuff we've been writing about lately... Thanks again for visiting and Happy Volkswagening!

*9/5/2008 Super-Brief Updates - Wow, it's been a busy summer! We did have an excellent VW turnout at the 7/27/08 Time Machines antique auto event in in Guilford, CT (despite the rain! - and a special tip of the hat to the CT VW Association for their particular support), and we are indeed busily working on a report for the C/G site about it, so do stay tuned. Also, another new ad has just been added to our "Electronic Swapmeet" page... Otherwise, if you're still looking for some more news & updates, please also check out our other web hobby project, Shoreline Antique Auto Connection (focus: the CT Shoreline-area old car hobby scene). Thanks and see you on the road!

*7/24/2008 Bruef Updates - "Time Machines Weekend" is almost here! To the right is a scan of one of the stickers I had made up specially for this year, to stick onto all the Time Machines 2008 flyers that we've been having fun distributing at various area car shows & cruises this year, leading up to The Big Day, Sunday, July 27th, in Guilford, CT . As usual, we are sponsoring the VW class in the Time Machines 2008 car show. This year, however, we've decided to add also an SAAC (our other web hobby project focusing on the local CT-Shoreline area antique auto hobby scene) "plug" on the stickers (though as you can see, the "Herbie" graphic still does reflect our strong antique VW interests...and maybe also foreshadows a bit of what the special VW dash plaques look like that we'll be handing out this year???). Click HERE or on the image to bring up a higher resolution view of the sticker...And we also wanted to highlight another "primo" VW enthusiast event upcoming in Connecticut next month--thanks to our friend Chuck Pisconski for sending this blurb along: "...AUGUST 10, 2008, Sunday, Terryville - 17th Annual Connecticut Bug-A-Fair...All-VW car show and swap meet to be held at the Terryville Fairgrounds. 1 mile off Route 6 at the intersection of Town Line Road and Washington Road, from 9am to 3pm. Over 300 VWs at last years event. Admission is charged with all proceeds going to the Terryville Lions Club. Camping available on fairgrounds the night before. New Restrooms. Food vendors all day. Large swap meet with over 75 vendors...Additional information contact: Chuck Pisconski, Box 24, Plymouth, CT 06782, 860-283-5256, vwsplitman@sbcglobal.net ..." Ok, that about covers it for now--hope to see you at Time Machines 2008 this Sunday in Guilford--and remember, it's RAIN OR SHINE! And then, on to Terryville in August, to which we are looking forward to driving our old '50 Bug!

*6/10/2008 Brief (But Very Impotant) Update - "HEROES" For 2008 Announced! It gives us great pleasure to announce this year's honorees for the "Heroes of Antique Volkswagening" award--please click on the page link to go directly to the page and read all about them. This is 10th annual award, and we could not think of two finer honorees. Thanks to everyone involved for all their help once again this year--especially including the Michigan Vintage Volkswagen Club folks, who made the 2008 "Heroes of Antique Volkswagening" award official first public announcement as of this past weekend at their big Vintage VW Festival in Ypsilanti, MI.

*5/22/2008 Brief Updates - I don't know if I mentioned it before, but we only update this site on the 22nd day of each month (KIDDING!). Couple more new ads have just been added to our "Electronic Swapmeet" page...and, the "Heroes of Antique Volkswagening" page is very close to being unveiled with our 2008 Honorees announced...so please stay tuned!

*4/22/2008 Brief Updates - Wanted to mention that a couple of interesting new cars for sale ads have just been added to our "Electronic Swapmeet" page as of this evening...PLUS, we also have this important upcoming event notice from our good friend Chuck Pisconski: "...JUNE 15, 2008, Sunday, Harwinton, Connecticut - "20th Annual Litchfield Bug In," at the Harwinton Fairgrounds, Harwinton, CT...All VW Car Show and Swap Meet to be held at the Harwinton Fairgrounds, 1 mile off Route 4 on Locust Road, Harwinton, CT, from 9am to 3pm. Admission is charged, with all proceeds going to charity (Bronc Callahan Community Fund). We average 325 VWs off all types from the early 40s to the latest 2008 models. Over 125 vendors with new and used parts. Camping available at fairgrounds the night before. New modern, clean restrooms. Bug In Bash with free food night before at fairgrounds. Spectators-$7; Showcars-$6; Car and driver-$13; Swap Meet-$30 Includes Driver and ONE helper; Inside buildings and up front vendors-call for info...Camping-$12...Over 100 awards. Many special awards and Best of Show silver bowls. Additional info contact: Chuck Pisconski, McBurney Road, Plymouth, CT 06782, 860-283-5256, vwsplitman@sbcglobal.net ..." (this event notice was received from "Mr. Litchfield Bug In" himself, Chuck Pisconski, via an e-mail dated 4/12/2008--thanks Chuck--sounds great!)... Other than that, please also be aware that we are getting the "Heroes of Antique Volkswagening" page updated with information on this year's honorees, and so should be unveiling that "on schedule" next month... And finally this evening, please also be aware that the "Time Machines 2008" antique car show, Sunday, July 27, 2008, in which we traditionally sponsor the "VW-only" class (this year for all VWs, stock & modified, up to & including model year 1983, has been moved from Durham, CT, to the shoreline town of Guilford, CT. Check out the organizers' official info page for Time Machines at: http://www.geocities.com/tbirdsofconn/timemach.html - and here's also a scan of the front cover of the '08 (printed) Time Machines flyer: http://members.aol.com/saacregion/TM08FlyrCvr1kh.jpg . Oh, and just so you get a flavor, here's our report on VW participation at Time Machines 2007: http://members.aol.com/cgextras/TimeMachines2007.html . So anyway, we do hope to see you & your antique VW in Guilford, CT on 7/27/08!... Ok, that's it for now--over and out!

*1/12/2008 Very Brief Updates - Happy New Year and welcome to "official antique status" all 1983 model-year VWs! I wish everyone good luck with all of their projects during the current "off season" (speaking for ourselves in the cold Northeast anyway). My off-season projects got a huge boost last week when a good friend helped me with some old-VW wheels needed for some new projects for my own cars. As a result, I also now have a good illustration of the visual differences between a 16" x 3" early split-window Bug wheel, and a later 15" x 4" Bug wheel (be sure to click on that hyperlink). I'm still on the hunt for at least one more 16" x 3" Bug wheel, so if you can help me out, please drop a line. Otherwise, the 15" Bug wheels project is moving ahead, with a successful re-clipping session today--next stop, the sandblast guy... I also wish this evening to direct your attention to the "Electronic Swapmeet" page where another new inquiry we received has been posted... All for now!

*11/28/2007 Very Brief Updates - In light of our recent "rediscovery" of our 1950 VW noted below in the 11/16/2007 Brief Updates section, we've been working on a page to document what we know about the car, it's history & historical significance, accompanied by a few older pictures of it. Please feel free to visit this new page (which is most certainly a work in progress at this point), which we call: "Our 1950 Volkswagen Model 11c, Deluxe Beetle" located online at: http://members.aol.com/commongear/1950VWMain.html . It's been fun tracking down the info, and it only gets us more excited about getting back to the car & getting it roadable once again... Also of note this evening is a special notice on our "Electronic Swapmeet" page, within the "Unclassifiable" section, about a unique and most humanitarian-sounding program of "old-VW goodwill"--please do be sure to check it out... All for now--have a good evening!

*11/16/2007 Brief Updates - "Don't call it a comeback..." Well, I must admit we had been thinking for the last couple of years about selling our 1950 Deluxe Bug. For one thing, it's not the most driveable of our cars--nor one that you'd want to attempt driving a great deal (at least not that I'd want to attempt driving a great deal). Not that it's not a great-driving car for a 1950 Bug--but it's more about the ability to keep up with modern traffic, AND the number of amazingly careless drivers out there that we seem to be sharing the roads with these days. But anyway, thankfully, we took our time thinking about that decision, and eventually came around to realizing what a unique little gem this particular '50 was--not only in its "solidness" and orignality, but also in the car's unique and treasured history--being an original Hoffman car (which is what VW archives suggest, since it was originally delivered to the US), and also having been owned previously by the man who I would say really opened our eyes to what a fun hobby old VWs was--the late Tom Shoemaker (we purchased the car from him in the mid-1980s). Yes, I had noticed some problems cropping up with the '50 the last couple of years, including some sort of ignition problem that didn't (doesn't) allow it to start, and also a minor issue with the brakes that I had known about for a while. But now I'm going to re-double my commitment to getting back to the car and getting it driveable again for '08. I feel I can deal with the ignition issues, and I've also found a source for some of my needed brake parts, "Kaefer-Nostalgie," and have some goodies coming from them now also. So, I'm definitely getting excited about the future with our '50 VW! I'll try to mine some more of our historical archives about the car in the future, and share them here. For now, if you click HERE, you can see an image that a friend of ours took from the summer of 1999, when we drove our '50 VW in the town of Durham, Connecticut's 300th anniversary of founding (ref. the Wikipedia Durham page: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Durham,_Connecticut) parade--that was a good memory! Also, in light of our "1950 VW Revival" theme, I've embarked in a quest to assemble a good set of 16" diameter, original VW wheel rims to refinish (in proper monotone body color, as per '50 specifications), and use on the car (and yes, with some fresh skinny blackwalls too!). The IMAGE AT THE UPPER RIGHT is actually a photo of a two-tone 16" wheel on a '52 Bug that I photographed several years ago, though it's the same type of wheel that a '50 would use. They seem to look slightly different from 15" wheels, in that the visible "central" part of the wheel (the convex part visible between the hub cap and the outer rim) seems to be more prominent. I've also scanned a couple more shots of the 16" wheels I'm looking for, from a past refinishing project (but in two-tone), which are clickable as follows: two-toned 16" wheel with whitewall tire mounted, two-tone wheel & ww tire on car w/o hubcap, and finally, the same combo mounted on the car, with a hub cap fitted. I wish to add that I would DEFINITELY would consider singles, pairs, what-have-you (I realize these 16" wheels don't grow on trees and that it may take quite some time to assemble four decent usable ones). Needing hubcap clips is ok too--I am able to reclip. If you have any of these 16" wheels available, I'm interested in purchasing. Please contact Steve c/o Common Gear, P.O. Box 3353, Stony Creek, CT 06405, or email CommonGear@aol.com . Thanks!

*11/9/2007 Brief Updates - Happy to report we're still alive and well at this end--busy as usual, though mostly with family, job, house, and what-not (and old cars somewhere down there on the list too). My '68 Bug is still rolling along, now at just about 8,000 miles-since reactivation from the September '06 rear-ender (November '06 is when I finally got it on the road again). I am currently dealing with a couple of hopefully minor electrical issues, and hope to be back driving again, at least until Thanksgiving (my "traditional" stopping point for the air cooled driving season), if not beyond... One fun old car thing that I've managed to get together since I last checked in, however, is a little feature page (for my other web hobby project, "Shoreline Antique Auto Connection") about an old car event I attended this past July, in which I dragged the old Ghia out for a mini-road trip. The event was a large car show in Trumbull, Connecticut, held in conjunction with the larger overall "Barnum Festival" (an annual celebration, I guess you could say, of P.T. Barnum, and what he meant to the Bridgeport, CT area). And what do you know, there was at least one other VW there! Anyway, to go and view that page, which I've entitled "The Barnum Festival Car Show, Trumbull, CT, Sunday, July 15, 2007," you can click on the following hyperlink: http://members.aol.com/cgearannex/TrumBarnumFest15July07 - or click directly on the small picture at the right, which is our '56 Ghia as it appeared on the car show field that hot, sunny July day in Trumbull. Happy to say the Ghia ran great that day, and it was fun to get out to show if off a bit at a general interest type car event... Also recently for the SAAC site (which we should make clear is intended to focus on the CT Shoreline-area antique auto hobby scene) we worked up a mini-feature about the historic East Haddam Swing Bridge--with some particualrly cool VW-oriented photos to accompany (thanks to a few local VW friends handy with their cameras!), so please do also check that one out when you get a chance, at: http://members.aol.com/cgearannex/HaddamSwingBridge.html ... As always, more new stuff is in the works, but for now I must sign off and go down to the garage, to do battle with my '68 Bug's electrical gremlins...wish us luck!!!

*9/10/2007 Brief Updates - Hey ho, we got the first draft of our Time Machines 2007 Official Antique Volkswagen Participation Report just completed! As always, we say "first draft," because inevitably there are mistakes, typos, incompletions, etc., that we discover well after "finishing," so please don't worry if you find any problems with the page--and also feel free to drop us a line with anything that we may have missed, any additional feedback you may have about the VWs at Time Machines 2007, or whatever--we'd love to hear from you (e-mail us at CommonGear@aol.com), and if it's appropriate, we can also add your commentary/feedback to the Official Report page. Anyway, for now, please feel free to visit the new page at: http://members.aol.com/cgextras/TimeMachines2007.html - or you can also click on the Time Machines 2007 VW dash plaque image shown at the right (these are the ones that we get made up specially to hand out to the VW Class participants--they are totally separate from official Time Machines car show dash plaques--which all registered show cars I believe do receive (at the time of registration). In all, Time Machines 2007 was a tremendous day in every way. The weather was perfect, and the beautiful antique VWs turned out in droves. Highlights this year among the VWs included not one but two Type 181 Things, a couple of superb Type IIs, no less than three top-notch Karmann Ghia Convertibles, and a super-nice vintage '82 Rabbit Convertible too--how cool is that! And these were not even the VW class award winners--you'll have to go and view the page to find out those details and much more. We wish to thank all the fine VW folks who turned out to participate at Time Machines 2007, on Sunday, July 22, in Durham, CT--it was a great day indeed!

*8/10/2007 Very Brief Updates - Still working in our spare time to get materials together for a Time Machines 2007 report, so rest assured that the super turnout of VWs this year will indeed be properly documented "for posterity" (or at least as long as I keep payimg my AOL bills--har har). I am happy to report that I'm very close to 5,000 total miles-since-reactivation with my '68 Bug, and still having a ton of fun with it--though I must also admit to a bit of mechanical difficulties lately that have curtailed my driving a bit, while I wait for some parts to arrive from good old aircooled.net (including some tranny mounts, which I know are not a "trivial" installation, but I know I can handle it, given some garage time). For a real positive VW-related experience, I would also like to report having gotten over to New York this past week to visit a long-time old-VW friend, Rich Paprocki, who made me a very sweet deal on a set of stock 4-bolt wheels that he had already refinished in the proper two-tone paint scheme--check 'em out HERE, and a detail view HERE. They are sweet indeed--thanks again Rich! Rumor also has it that Rich might be available to do wheels-refinishing-for-hire, so if you have any interest, please let me know, and I can put you in touch with Rich. So anyway, now I am needing some tires "fitting" to go onto those beautiful wheels, and I've decided that nothing less than "classic" Michelin XZX's in size 165R15 will do. Having visited Coker's web site, however, I already know there is no way I can afford new ones. So, I'm hoping I can perhaps gradually assemble a good usable set of used ones. If you are familiar with XZX's, you already know why they are unique and desirable by us "tire-heads." I would call them a true "old school performance radial." The image at the right is a reduced version of an image of Michelin XZX tread detail, and if you click on it, it'll bring up a slightly better-resolution copy of the image. A couple of other Michelin XZX images that I gleaned from the internet, to hopefully further illustrate what I'm looking for are viewable by clicking HERE and HERE (that second one being the actual image from the Coker web site). Again, the size I'm looking for is 165R15, and I would also like to steer clear of any age-cracked tires, since I do a fair amount of highway driving with my old '68. If you have, or know of any of this size Michelin XZX avaialble out there in decent, usable (& non-age-cracked) condition--even singles, pairs, etc.--please do drop me an e-mail. Thanks!

*8/6/2007 Even Briefer Updates - "Time Machines" was FANTASTIC! Records were broken everywhere in Durham on July 22nd, including within the VW-only class, where we had an honest-to-goodness 30 beautiful VWs participate! Rest assured a detailed review page is being worked on at this time, but meanwhile click HERE for a sample view from that fantastic day. Thanks to all who helped make it so! Please also see our "Electronic Swapmeet" page for another interesting new vehicle for sale listing posted as of this evening...

*7/19/2007 Ultra-Brief Updates - "Time Machines" is THIS COMING SUNDAY (7/22) in Durham, CT--it sounds like the weather's going to be good, so hope to see y'all there. Please view the Coming Events & Time Machines Highlights Page for any & all info about the event, or please e-mail me if you have any other questions that may not have been covered on that info page--thanks! Also, another new ad on our "Electronic Swapmeet" page has been posted as of this evening...

*5/19/2007 Ultra-Brief Updates - Happy to report that the "Heroes of Antique Volkswagening" page is NOW UPDATED--Congrats to our 2007 Honorees, who were publicly announced on 5/13/2007at the Michigan Vintage Volkswagen Club's Festival in Ypsilanti, MI! Also happy to report that the Coming Events & Time Machines Highlights Page is NOW UPDATED with Time Machines 2007 Antique VW Participation info also! Please mark Sunday, July 22, 2007 on your calendar, and plan to travel to Durham, CT to enjoy the day with us! We've also recently completed a minor update to the Trudon/Lipman page mentioned below in our 4/11 update...and one more cool one to come (thanks to our old buddy Dave Irwin), so stay tuned for that...

*4/11/2007 Brief Updates - Well, wouldn't you know that we're still dealing with crummy weather, here in mid-April (possible *snow* forecast for overnight tonight--insert your favorite New England joke here). Anyway, I'm back daily-driving the trusty old '68 Bug again, as of last week, and even marked 1,000 total miles since "official reactivation" of the car back in November of '06 (this photo taken on the actual day I re-activated it: 11/18/06), when I had finally completed all my "home repairs" from the September 10th East Haven, CT rear-ender. As of this writing, we're probably now somewhere around 1,200 miles, and counting. And yes, I'm getting "re-acquainted," so to speak, with sharing the highway with the big trucks--"par for the course" for my daily I-95 commute--'nuff said! I checked my gasoline mileage on fill-up a couple of mornings ago, and I'm getting just about 26 mpg's, so I also feel good about driving a relatively "responsible" vehicle as far as gas-consumption goes (here in the land of $3/gallon and rising)... Anyway, to go along with the associated image shown here at the upper right, I also wanted to direct your attention to a new feature page that we've been having fun working on, as a joint project with the SAAC web site lately, and feel we're finally ready to publish our work (though we would certainly never admit to being "finished" with it). The image features a mint original cast-metal license plate frame from the now-long-defunct "Ted Trudon" VW dealership of Talcottville, CT (a section of Vernon-Rockville, CT). And for the photo, it's been laid on top of...you guessed it...a Common Gear t-shirt! Photo credit goes to our buddy Bill Silvestri, owner of the plate frame (& the original Ted Trudon car that goes with it!), and the shirt, too. Nice job Bill!... As experienced Common Gear-watchers might guess, the new feature has some "significant Greg Mattesen input." It is entitled: "A Blast From The Past" - Greg Mattesen's '63 VW at the old Lipman VW dealership, Talcottville, CT, circa Summer 1990," and is located online at: http://members.aol.com/cgextras/GregM63VWatLipman.html . This new project was originally inspired by a "flashback" photo Greg noticed, that was published recently in a local newspaper depicting the old "Ted Trudon" VW dealership of Talcottville, CT, from the 1960s, and is augmented very nicely by photos from the summer of 1990, when Greg posed his old '63 Beetle right in front of the same dealership (which by that time was known as "Lipman VW"--also now long-defunct). The work on the new feature page presented an opportunity for Greg to share his considerable knowledge about Connecticut Volkswagen dealership history, which has been extremely interesting to us. We wish to thank Greg and Bill sincerely for their gracious help-and a tip of the hat is due to our mutual friend Roland Metz too, for his careful proofreading and helpful suggestions.

*4/4/2007 Very Brief Updates - Several new ads listed today to our "Electronic Swapmeet" page - please do go and check 'em out! Also, please be aware that the 2007 "Heroes of Antique Volkswagening" nominations period is now officially closed--stay tuned for our official announcement of this year's honorees coming up next month...thanks again to everyone who participated this year!

*3/27/2007 Brief Updates - Wow, as of today, I think the Northeast got its first real taste of Spring. I didn't get outside during mid-day, but even on my evening drive home after work, it was positively balmy, "window-down weather," and I noticed a great number of motorcycles out on the roads also (there's a sure sign of good weather!). At this end the wheels are starting to spool up toward another fun old car season, and two of my all-time favorite summertime old car events (to which I always enjoy encouraging Antique VW participation!) have gotten at least some preliminary 2007 notices out: the "Time Machines" antique car show & flea market in Durham, CT (will be Sunday, July 22nd this year), and the Great Connecticut Traditional Jazz Festival's "Antique Auto Parade & Display" in Moodus, CT (will be Sunday, July 29th this year). You can read our "VW-report" on the 2006 version of "Time Machines" at: http://members.aol.com/cgextras/TimeMachines2006.html - and our comprehensive antique auto participation report on the 2006 Jazz Festival Antique Auto Parade & Display (composed under the auspices of our "sister site," Shoreline Antique Auto Connection) appears online at: http://members.aol.com/saacregion/JazzFestAntiqueAutos2006.html . Needless to say, we are certainly looking forward to getting our flyers and other participation solicitation materials together for both, so that we can begin circulating and spreading the word (we enjoy helping out both events with some "advance publicity," at least on the local CT Shoreline-area scale). So, my advice is: Stay Tuned!... In other news, we are about to close out the nominations for our 2007 "Heroes of Antique Volkswagening" award. We feel we have some positively excellent candidates for this year (as we always do--thanks to the many "civic-minded" fellow-enthusiasts who put on their thinking caps every year and come up with wonderful candidate write-ups). You can also read more about the "Heroes" program at: http://members.aol.com/CGearAnnex/HEROES.html . So, our advice for "Heroes 2007" is also "Stay Tuned!"... Finally, to go along with the small image at the upper right, we wish to direct your attention to a newly-created Feature Page that highlights some very unique and very beautiful photographic images by our New York VW-friend Roland Metz. The new page is called "Chasing A Ghia Rainbow," July 2, 2006, Katonah, NY - Some VW-oriented "photo-magic" by Roland Metz - and the address is: http://members.aol.com/commongear/RMRainbowGhia.html - or you can also click on the small image here that features Roland's '64 Ghia Cabrio, and a fantastic rainbow background! Thanks again for sharing these striking images, Roland, and sorry the page was so long in-the-making!

*3/18/2007 Very Brief Updates: Welcome to Daylight Savings Time, which took effect about a week and a half ago already--I'm liking it. But not liking these (hopefully) last vestiges of winter, as we "enjoyed" this past Friday (3/16) and through most of this past weekend here in cold Connecticut. Anyway, we wanted to direct your attention to the new page we recently put together, as a joint project with our sister web site "Shoreline Antique Auto Connection" (general antique auto hobby-focus for the CT Shoreline area), documenting some recent local "Herbie sightings," as wonderfully engineered by our long-time local old-VW buddy Greg Mattesen. Please be sure to view the new page: "Positive Signs of Spring - Herbie Hits The Road in early March '07!" - which you can view online at: http://members.aol.com/foxcraft/GregsHerbieVisitMar07.html - or, you can also click on the small accompanying image at the right of the very cool (and "Love Bug-proper," of course!) "OFP 857" black CA plate that Greg recently affixed to the front of his beloved '64 Herbie, that (we hope) is hyperlinked to the above-mentioned new feature page--good show, Greg!... Also wanted to pass along word today about a local-to-us '68 VW Bug that looks like it might make a very good parts car (or restoration basis, if you're fearless?!), and is available for very cheap in Branford, CT--the following images were taken by me back in November of '06: Front, Back, Engine, Interior--the seller sounds very eager to see it go--you can e-mail them at: awc3867@aol.com (for whatever reason, the seller never actually wrote me up a "for sale" ad, so I'm just doing my best to pass the word along, as I was requested to do)... good luck!

*1/12/2007 New Year Updates: First, of all, Happy New Year to everyone, and a hearty "Welcome to 'Official Vintage Status' to all 1982-model year VWs"--if you've managed to survive all these years, you've certainly earned it! I hope you're doing well and, now that we're in the midst of the winter months, perhaps making some productive "off-season" progress on your project car--or, even possibly enjoying driving your old car, as we've been fortunate to be able to do so far this winter here in Southern Connecticut. I know it's been many years since I've been able to enjoy driving my trusty old '68 Bug in, say, December and January--HERE is a picture of yours truly behind the wheel, out battling the trucks on Interstate 95 in East Haven, one day last month (eyes on the road there, buddy!). I wish many safe and happy miles in 2007 for all of use who choose to get out there on the roadways with our antique VWs. There are a lot of careless drivers out there (as I was unfortunate enough to discover once again this past September, when my '68 VW was rear ended by a cell-phone-talking SUV driver--ugh--and ouch), so my advice is to be careful and drive defensively!...Anyway, there are a couple of more important reasons for me to be on here today updating the C/G site. The first is to let you know that I've FINALLY managed to get a Time Machines 2006 Review of Antique VW Participation feature page completed! I know it's taken a while, but it's finally done. The page address for this new feature is: http://members.aol.com/cgextras/TimeMachines2006.html - or you can also click on the small graphic at the upper right, which is a scan of the special VW dash plaques we had made up to give out to all the VWs at the 2006 event (featuring fine John Jaranson original artwork--thanks again John!). I wish to thank all the wonderful VW folks who came out and supported the Time Machines event once again--and hopefully we can all do it again on July 22nd of '07!...And secondly, I wanted also to direct your attention at this time to our Links Page, where we've just posted a new link from a newly-established, local New England-area, VW-specialized (& other makes as well) restoration business: "401 Restos, Rods, and Customs." Good stuff!...And finally, please also check out a long-overdue update to one of our Feature Photo Pages--this time it's an update to Feature Photo Page 4, which is the current "home" of "John Hamill Updates"--John, of course, being our very long-time old VW friend from Vermont, who runs the well-known independent VW sales & service establishment in Westminster known as "John's Car Corner." This time John has added a most intereting new vehicle to his collection, from South of the Border...

*7/24/2006 Very Brief Updates: Wow--great day in Durham yesterday at the "Time Machines 2006" antique auto show. I'm definitely not prepared to write any sort of comprehensive report about the day, and most importantly, the Antique Volkswagen participation aspects. But I can definitely report that it was a fine day, with many beautiful VWs of many different years and styles on display, and much old-VW fellowship exchanged and enjoyed. I wish to extend my sincere thanks to all the VW folks who came out & participated, to make it such a great showing for our favorite marque, and also a large note of thanks once again to the Connecticut Area Classic Thunderbird Club for welcoming us back once again for this year. *7/28/2006 Update: Just finished getting an early selection of Time Machines 2006 Antique Volkswagen images posted online (at TheSamba.com) of each and every antique VW that participated in this past Sunday's "Time Machines" event in Connecticut (plus a few "overall scenes" near the beginning). Within the "Gallery" area of TheSamba.com, I think you can search on the event title: "Antique VWs at Time Machines 2006, 7/23/06, Durham, CT" - And the image at the upper right here is another shot from TM2006 that I kind of reduced & resized a bit--another kind of a "different angle" on the Old VWs at Time Machines '06--I'll also try to add the image collection (there are 22 total) hyperlink to this shot, so that you should hopefully be able to just click on it (and go to the collection of TM2006 images at the Samba Gallery). Again I wish to reiterate what a completely fun time I had at the event--checking out the cars and chatting with the people. Rest assured that we will have our own comprehensive full report on the Time Machines 2006 Antique Volkswagen participation eventually here at the Common Gear site--that sort of thing just naturally takes longer, however, than simply posting a few images at the Samba gallery... At this end, as this is being written here in Connecticut, we're bracing for the Big Heat that I guess the rest of the country's been enduring over the past week or so--I guess we'll just try to think cool thoughts and do our best with it! On this coming Sunday, July the 30th, however, we will be out at the Sunrise Resort in Moodus, Connecticut, to participate in the Antique Automobile Parade & Display at the Great Connecticut Traditional Jazz Festival. I've been assisting the Festival with attracting antique autos to attend this event for the past 10 or so years, and this year is no different. So, if you're in the CT area, and are looking for a unique and fun day combining old cars and old-time music, please consider the Jazz Festival. It is IMPORTANT that you review the Online Flyer, however, so please do so--click on: http://members.aol.com/cgextras/JzzFstFlyer.html . So, maybe see you on Sunday in Moodus?! And beyond that, it's pretty much just "life as usual"--managing the daily demands of job, home, pets, family--I certainly don't have the time to devote to the VW hobby that I once did, back years ago. I still try to have a little bit of "old car fun" here and there, however I can. I'm steadily getting closer to having my beloved '68 Bug ready for at least some "semi-regular" use for this summer, and that's keeping me excited. Wish me luck with sorting out the, ah, "final bugs" on the good used 12v single-port used engine I purchased recently--it shows a lot of promise--just need to convince myself that I've finally solved all of it's distributor problems (many of which had nothing to do with the as-purchased engine)... That's all for now--see you on the road! --Steve from Common Gear

*6/12/2006 Brief Updates: Well, I must say, there's nothing like the feeling of getting out and about in an old air-cooled Volkswagen on a bright Spring day, following a long New England winter. I was most pleased just a couple of weekends back, to get our old 1960 Bug on the road for a couple of fun local old car outings since last check-in. On Sunday, April 30th, 2006, I was most pleased to be able to hit the "Summer Knights" big car show at the Berlin Fairgrounds, which I've written up for the Shoreline Antique Auto Connection site, at: http://members.aol.com/cgearannex/SummerKnightsBerlin2006.html . And then, on Saturday evening, the 28th of May, I aimed the old '60 north once again, and had a wonderful evening at the Oliver Wolcott Tech School car show in Torrington, about which I've also written up a report for SAAC: http://members.aol.com/cgearannex/OWTS27May06CarShow.html . As local-area old-VW enthusiasts know, on Sunday April 30th, when I was in Berlin, there were a great number of VW folks gathered out in northeastern Connecticut, at Mansfield Hollow State Park, for the Connecticut Volkswagen Association's annual "Spring Dust Off" gathering. A couple of fellow old-VW enthusiasts in particular, Greg Mattesen, and Bill Silvestri were part of that wonderful gathering, and we have a few words & images to share with you from it (also the drive to it, and a cool diner stop after it), that we're most pleased to be able to highlight here today. The day was also particularly notable for Bill, in that it was the first time, I believe, since he's owned it, that he's had his beautiful 1958 Karmann Ghia Coupe out for a road run. Thankfully Greg brought along his camera, and with the help of Bill's daughter Kristen, and Greg's daughter Amelia, who rode along in Greg's 1963 VW Beetle, some great "action shots" of Bill's sporty '58 KG were captured, like the (slightly cropped & reduced) one you see here at the above right. If you click on the image (or, you can also click on the page URL: http://members.aol.com/foxcraft/BillS58SpringtimeGhia.html ), you'll be transported directly to the new feature page: "Springtime For Ghia," that contains many words & images from that wonderful Springtime Old-Volkswagen Outing. And finally, please also check out our "Electronic Swapmeet" page when you get the chance, for some newly-posted ads. That's all for now--see you on the road!

*5/23/2006 Very Brief Updates: The 2006 "Heroes of Antique Volkswagening" award Honorees have been Officially Announced!--please be sure to visit the Common Gear Heroes of Antique Volkswagening Award Program page for more info: http://members.aol.com/CGearAnnex/HEROES.html .

*4/11/2006 Another Brief Update: Spring is here--and what a great feeling it is. It's a time of renewal and rediscovery. It's also a time for some fine early-season car shows! In the Northeast, it was the Spring Englishtown, NJ event this past Sunday (for which Mother Nature saw fit not to schedule any snowstorms...unlike a few years back), and from the reports we've heard, it was a dandy of a VW event. And out West, it was the legendary "Kelley Park" event in San Jose, CA--and that one reportedly lived up to it's reputation as well, as a top-notch, "world-class" old-VW gathering. And I'm sure there were plenty others around the country and around the world. Speaking for myself, I'm a little subdued in my old-VW enthusiasm, due to the fact that my trusty warm-weather-daily-driver '68 Bug is now on unspecified sick leave--thanks to a serious engine ailment that's going to require professional help. But before you start feeling too sorry for me, it's also worth noting that, in the spirit of "Springtime Rediscovery," we've manged to drag our long-lost old buddy, "Doug" the 1960 Bug, out of the garage, and have managed to get a nice drive around the block in already (on Sunday the 9th of April--same day as E-town and Kelley Park). What a nice way to forget one's "air-cooled troubles!" Though the car had gotten rather dusty and dingy during it's prolonged garage stay, Mrs. Webmaster and our son Matt, both got busy and gave old Doug a nice wash on Sunday afternoon, and then I took the opportunity to take a couple of photos of the (cleaned-up) Old Guy the following day (Monday April 10th), one of which appears at the upper right (in low resolution form)--and you can also click directly on the shot for a higher-res (and slightly cropped) version of the same shot, or click HERE. And check out those authentic 1960 "Year of Manufacture" plates that Doug's wearing--how cool is that?! In other news, you may have noticed that it's now AFTER the 31st of March--our deadline for receipt of 2006 "Heroes of Antique Volkswagening" nominations (ref. http://members.aol.com/CGearAnnex/HEROES.html)--and though we can't spill the beans on this year's honoree yet, I can say that the plaque order has been placed! Stay tuned for the Official Announcement on that coming up next month...

*3/26/2006 Brief Update: They've been piling up a bit--but we finally got all the latest classified ads received uploaded to our "Electronic Swapmeet" page, which is located at: http://members.aol.com/CommonGear/SWAPMEET.html - so please go there and check 'em out some time @ your convenience...

*1/23/2006 Very Brief Updates: Please note that the nomination period is now in session for the 2006 "Heroes of Antique Volkswagening" award--please be sure to visit the Common Gear Heroes of Antique Volkswagening Award Program page for more info: http://members.aol.com/CGearAnnex/HEROES.html . Deadline for our receipt of nominations is March 31, 2006.

*12/31/2005 Very Brief Updates: Well, well, well, looks like time finally caught up with Mr. Procrastination! Yes, it's true, I've finally completed the first draft of our Official Report on Antique Volkswagen Participation at Time Machines 2005...which happened a mere 5 or so months ago(!), on Sunday, July 24th, 2005. To be fair, it was a subject on which we didn't want to skimp--since it's kind of our "flagship" car show. We started getting involved with the Time Machines events (especially: sponsoring the "VW-Only" class within them, among other things) more years ago than I can remember--even before the '88 version, which, I believe, marked the first year the term "Time Machines" was ever used. Anyway, we were very pleased once again to be involved with the Antique Volkswagen participation this year, and had a great time as usual. I hope you'll enjoy taking a browse of the new page that we've FINALLY put together, to document the day's goings-on from a VW perspective. As always, we congratulate the VW Class award winners, and wish we had more class awards to hand out to deserving cars, but I hope folks don't place too much emphasis on winning awards, because there's really a whole lot more to the event than awards. Anyway, off my soap box for now. Please be sure to visit the new page documenting Antique VW Participation at Time Machines 2005, which is located at: http://members.aol.com/cgextras/TimeMachines2005.html - or you can also click on the small rendition of one of the special dash plaques we had made u for 2005 to hand out to all the VW participants, shown at the upper right. Thanks again to everyone for particpating, and hope to see you back in Durham, this coming July. Onward and Upward for 2006!

*12/27/2005 Very Brief Updates: What about Vintage Water Cooled VWs?! If it's 25 years old or older, it's a certified, bona-fide antique. We've had some fun lately focusing some attention on some very fine Antique Water Cooled VWs. First it was Charlie Russo's super-nice 1980 Rabbit that received some very fine "press" in the well-known antique auto enthuisast publication, Hemmings Motors News, spotlighting the car's First Junior award at this past October's AACA Eastern Disivion Fall Meet at Hershey, PA--which we were, in turn, very excited to "secondarily spotlight" on our Feature Photo Page 2, which is located at http://members.aol.com/commongear/FeaturePhoto2.html . Through some spirited subsequent conversation among the Common Gear Discussion Group membership about vintage water cooled VWs, it was learned that there are some other very well-preserved and/or very well-restored water cooled VWs out there...and so we are pleased at this time to direct your attention to another new Feature Photo page, this one #14 (actual page location: http://members.aol.com/commongear/FeaturePhoto14.html ), which contains words and images from Paul Blanchette and Lois Grace, concerning their respective prized vintage water cooled Volkswagen Rabbit Pickup Trucks! We thank Paul and Lois for their very gracious input on the subject! And as a teaser, the image at the upper right here is a Ron Kimball shot of Lois' mom's '82 Rabbit Pickup Truck, known as "Biff," which, if you click on it, should also take you straight to the new Feature Photo Page 14!

*11/21/2005 Very Brief Updates: I realize that many, if not most, visitors to this site may not be from anywhere near Connecticut, but I wanted anyway to highlight a unique inquiry that we recently received, and have subsequently placed on our Electronic Swapmeet page (in the"Unclassifiable" section). The inquiry concerns Vintage Volkswagen Wedding Transportation. Some forward-thinking folks from southeastern CT are making inquiries about this, for the Fall of 2006. If you might be interested in doing that sort of thing with your old VW, please by all means check them out--they seem like very nice people!...I would also like to take this time to wish all of you Happy Holidays, and please don't forget those less fortunate during this holiday season...

*10/29/2005 Brief Updates: We didn't actually drive on the CVA's 2005 Fall Foliage Tour ourselves, though we did attend the "muster" of tour participants, on Sunday, October 16th, in Old Saybrook, CT, and were very pleased to meet up with many VW friends. Later on we received many rave reviews about what a fantastic day it was! Some VW friends who participated, including Greg Mattesen, Bill Silvestri, Roland Metz, and Rob Kendrick, were very gracious to share some of their words and images from the day (*11/2/2005 Update: New photos now added from Dan Cornish too!), and we've taken the time to place a few selected of their photos and descriptions, on one of our Feature Photo pages. So, if you wish, please take a moment to visit our Feature Photo Page 1, where all of these materials have just been assembled (the actual URL for the page is: http://members.aol.com/commongear/FeaturePhoto.html). Or, you can also click on the image presented here at the upper right, which is a shot that Greg Mattesen took, from very early in the morning that day, when his and Bill's and Rob's old VWs were lined up in front of Greg's house, ready to roll southbound to the Tour gathering point in Old Saybrook. Left to right, it is Greg's 1969 Convertible (light yellow), Bill's 1960 Convertible (red), and Rob's mid-'70s Dormobile Camper (green & white). And that's Greg's house in the background of the photo. Great shot, Greg, and a nice "teaser" photo to use here--thanks again--and also to Bill, Roland, and Rob as well!

*10/19/2005 Brief Updates: Have no fear, we're getting closer to completing our Official Review of Antique VW Participation at the Time Machines 2005 antique auto event, from this past July, in Durham, CT. We're diligenly toiling away, trying to get all the details together and properly organized, to be able to present a comprehensive report. So, thanks again for your patience on that! I wanted also, at this time, to mention another Connecticut antique auto event that's upcoming in 2006--specifically Sunday, April 30th, 2006, at the Berlin Fairgrounds--it's the Summer Knights car club's Annual Autorama & Car Show, that, for 2006, will have a Special Class for All Volkswagens (not unlike what we do at Time Machines!), per some correspondence I've recently received from their representative. I've posted all the details about the event on the Calendar page of the Shoreline Antique Auto Connection (my other, non-marque-specific, Connecticut-Shoreline-focused web site project). So, very cool news on that, and hats off to Summer Knights for their very progressive thinking!

*9/25/2005 Brief Updates: Good morning! Wow, it looks like fall is finally here--at least judging by what my calendar says--though it's still pretty warm & pleasant during the day (but good sleeping weather at night). Happy to report that we are making progress toward preparing our official report on the Antique Volkswagen participation at this year's "Time Machines" antique auto show & flea market that was held July 24th, 2005, in Durham, Connecticut. Common Gear Antique Volkswagen Society was, as always, very pleased to sponsor the Volkswagen-only class in the car show, which this year included cars all the way up to the 1980 model year (in keeping with the generally accepted 25-years-old or older definition of "antique"). There was even an '80 Rabbit Cabriolet in the show this year, which I thought was very cool (and I think an '82 electric-powered Rabbit also might've snuck in too...). Anyway, I've been going through and processing my photos (a cropped and reduced version of one of which I'll add here) and going through my notes, and a feature page is slowly coming together. Rest assured I'll be making an announcement here when it's ready for viewing. And sorry once again for the (typical) delay on this. It is something I really like to do, but not rush. I think it is important to give a "tip of the hat" (as much as we are able, anyway) to each and every old VW that shows up to participate. What I have managed to do so far, however, in order to get at least a few images "out there" without delay, is to utilize the "Gallery" area of the popular VW enthusiast web site thesamba.com, and if you go to the Gallery area and do a search using both the words "time" and "machines," you may end up with the entire collection of the images I've uploaded from the 2005 event. I'll also try posting the link to the collection here (not sure it will work, but here goes): http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/album_search.php?search_keywords=Antique%2BVWs%2Bat%2B%26quot%3BTime%2BMachines%2B2005%2C%26quot%3B%2B7%2F24%2F05%2C%2BDurham%2C%2BCT&search_terms=all. Hope that didn't cause your computer to blow up (a lengthy URL for sure!). So, thanks again for now, to everyone who participated in Time Machines 2005 with their antique VWs, and also for those of you who've taken time out to visit us here online today. Have a great rest of your weekend.

*8/30/2005 Brief Updates: Yes, we realize the old C/G site has kind of "gone to seed" a bit lately. Having a family with two growing kids, a real job, house, pets, and all of life's other responsibilities, seems to have the effect of taking away one's "free time" a bit, and so it's happened to me as well. We will certainly continue to work on updating things around here, as time and opportunity allow, though, and as a matter of fact, we have a couple of excellent new additions to our Links Page, that you should check out. Have a good evening and talk to you again soon... --Steve

*6/10/2005 Brief Updates: Well, we are coming to the realization that we need to sell our '70 Squareback--too many cars, too little garage space! It's a cool, nice looking, nice driving, and nicely un-messed-with car, and I'm sure would be a great addition to anyone's antique VW collection (or the start of one, since it's ready to be enjoyed RIGHT NOW!). Here's the text of the ad for it that I posted a day ago on thesamba.com: "...FOR SALE - 1970 Squareback, L630 Cobalt Blue, white leatherette interior, original full automatic transmission and fuel injection. Also has a/c (apparent dealer installed) which was deactivated prior to our acquiring the car, and apparent factory-installed AM/FM radio that is not operational. Recent new: Coker narrow ww radials on refinished original rims, all new brakes (incl. front calipers, master, & rear wheel cylinders, flex hoses, etc.), new repro "ISP West" cargo area rubber mat. A nice "un-messed-with" Squareback. Runs, drives, and looks great. Needs complete carpet kit. Current odometer reading is ~63,400, apparently original miles. We believe originally from California; car is located in south-central Connecticut. View a few other sample photos online at: http://members.aol.com/saacregion/SQBKIMGSPG.html...Thanks for looking...." And our asking price is "IT IS NOW SOLD!", Or Best Offer. If you're interested, please e-mail us at: CommonGear@aol.com . Thanks for your interest!

*6/3/2005 Brief But IMPORTANT Updates: Very pleased to report that our "Heroes of Antique Volkswagening" recognition program page HAS JUST BEEN UPDATED with the announcement of THIS YEAR'S HONOREES! The URL for the "Heroes" page is: http://members.aol.com/CGearAnnex/HEROES.html or you can click HERE to go THERE! Congratulations and Thanks to the 2005 "Heroes of Volkswagening!"

*5/13/2005 Super-Brief Updates: "Time Machines 2005" planning is also starting to spool up at this time of year, especially now that we have our supply of Time Machines 2005 flyers to hand out (thanks again Fred Klaus TM2005 co-chairman!), plus our special stickers to apply to them (two versions this year: original and extra crispy) to help highlight the VW class which we're once again sponsoring this year (for all VWs, stock + modified, up to & including model year 1980). Please be sure to view our Events & Annual Time Machines VW Participation Info Page for all the latest info, located at: http://members.aol.com/CommonGear/Calendar.html - and hope you can attend!

*4/26/2005 Brief Updates: Yes, for those of you who were wondering, we are at indeed at work on this year's "Heroes of Antique Volkswagening" recognition program. Now in its seventh year, this program endeavors to give a bit of a spotlight on good people in the Antique Volkswagen hobby who "do good things," often with little to no recognition. We closed out this year's nomination period, as usual, on March 31st, and we're working toward the announcement of this year's honoree (or honorees?), to coincide, again per tradition, on May 22nd--with the "public announcement" to happen at the huge Michigan Vintage Volkswagen Festival--and also online here (hopefully more or less similtaneously). So anyway, please stay tuned for that. The other thing I wanted to draw your attention to today is a most interesting online VW feature, by a very knowledgeable and well-known automotive journalist and historian--who also happens to be from "our neck of the woods" (the Connecticut Shoreline region). I speak of Mr. Kit Foster, and here is the link for his latest (typically) interesting and well-researched new article: http://www.kitfoster.com/2005/04/whats-iltis.html . Nice work Kit! Plenty more good reading at Kit's overall site, known as "The Car Port."

*3/20/205 Updates: "Back to Campbelltown!" That phrase has kind of an intentional double-meaning here. First of all, this being the first day of SPRING, a young webmaster's thoughts are drawn to...VW events--what else!? And one of the most fun Spring VW events I've ever been to was the HAVOC "Campbelltown" event in Pennsylvania. I was very pleased to be able to attend in 2004 with my good friend Roland Metz, and I'm already looking forward to the 2005 version, wich is coming up NEXT MONTH, as we speak! Anyway, a couple of updates back, in January, I also mentioned the Campbelltown event, in connection with some very fine photos from that event we were pleased to display on our Feature Photo Page #11, which were taken by Mr. Metz. So, what a pleasant surprise and coincidence that the owner of one of the beautiful VWs featured in Roland's Campbelltown 2004 photo-coverage should write to us in February of 2005! I of course wrote back and asked if he'd be interested in sharing some background info about his car--and happily, he was! So, today I am pleased to draw your attention once again to Feature Photo Page #11, which now contains a very interesting write-up by Mr. Herb Schwab, about his magnificent 1957 Sunroof Beetle--plus a few more of Roland Metz' photos of this incredible machine (such as the one displayed in reduced size m here at the upper right--check the reflections in the mirror-straight side panels of the Schwab '57 VW; you can also click on the image to go to the Feature page, by the way). Thanks again to Mr. Schwab for his most gracious correspondence, and also once again to Roland for his super photography!

*3/15/2005 Updates: Only half a month left for nominations for the Common Gear "Heroes of Antique Volkswagen Award" for 2005--please be sure visit the Heroes program page for more info: http://members.aol.com/CGearAnnex/HEROES.html

*1/17/2005 Updates: Happy New Year (um, only about 16 days late with this greeting...but "better late than never"...) and welcome to official "Vintage" status (as per VVWCA definition of "vintage"--which is synonymous with the word "antique" that we use in the title of our own web site--in keeping, of course, with it's definition per AACA) to all 1980 model year Volkswagens (and congratulations to their owners for "keeping the faith")! Well, I don't know how it may be in your part of the country, but here in Southern Connecticut, winter has definitely returned. And with winter's return has hit my own case of "Spring Fever." I'm finding myself drawn to view upcoming-for-2005 events calendars at every opportunity--both local "general old car" ones, like the one I maintain for the Shoreline Antique Auto Connection, and regional and national ones too--like Charlie Russo's excellent "East Coast USA VW Events" page--one of my most-visited VW events pages, year after year. And I'm also looking at other ways to get a bit of a "show season fix," like exploring files of past photos and correspondences, to see what may be suitable for web site features to work on. I'm very pleased to report that three such projects have been recently completed, and I've had a lot of fun working on them. If you take a look at our "Photo Essays Index" page, you'll notice a few of the "Feature Photo Pages" have been recently updated, and I'd like to specifically mention #8, which incorporates some interesting views of our good friend Greg Mattesen's beautiful 1963 VW Beetle--and also contains a link to the special page we created from his report about tracking down the original owner of the car(!), also #5, which features the very cool latest antique-VW acquisition of another local good old car friend Bill Silvestri, and finally #11, which is a fun look back at one of the best early-season VW events I've ever attended--the HAVOC "Volksfest" at Campbelltown, PA--specifically the 2004 version, which I was fortunate to be able to attend with good friend Roland Metz, and at which Roland took many great photos, many of which form the basis of that page. The accompanying image presented here at the upper right is one of Roland's images from that beautiful April 2004 day at the HAVOC/Campbelltown event, and shows the very rare vintage "Hurst/Volkswagen" ("H/wagen") shifter decal that appeared on one of the very beautiful old VW Beetles at the event--you can also click directly on the sticker image to take you to the Feature Photo Page #11. I would like to once again thank Greg, Bill, and Roland, for their considerable help with these feature pages--and also their willingness in the first place to share their great enthusiasm and creativity! I also need to insert one other note of special thanks to Greg for his fantastic materials and help with a Connecticut-oriented "local roadside culture" feature page that we recently created for the Shoreline Antique Auto Connection site, but which also contains a bit of VW-flavor as well--the page is entitled "Greg Mattesen's Visit to the 'USA Motel,' Berlin Turnpike, Newington, CT, July 2004," and is located at this URL: http://members.aol.com/cgextras/GMattUSAMotelVisit2004.html - so, Thanks Again Greg!

*12/22/2004 Updates: Ugh, "happy" first day of winter! Mother Nature gave us a good "dose of it" just yesterday, here in the Northeast, and I think many other areas of the country as well. The cold weather really hit hard, and added to that was about 3 or so inches of show, plus high winds--in short, not a pleasant day to be outside! Having had to stay home with my kids, who's schools were cancelled, I did at least manage to spend a little time down in the basement attempting to organize it here and there, including getting some old boxes-full of VW parts gone-through and filed in a more logical, organized manner. Nice surprise to find some decent, usable parts that you had long forgotten you had! No "treasures" or anything like that, but at least now it should be easier to find stuff, and to know more about exactly what "stuff" I had! I hope that perhaps some of you also who find yourself in a situation where it's too cold to do anything outside can get a few indoor things done of a VW nature, be it organize parts, or make a little bit of progress on your project car, or whatever. At this time I also wanted to take the time to hightlight a recent web site project we've had a lot of fun working on, under the auspices of both Common Gear and (our local, non-VW-specialized, hobby oriented) Shoreline Antique Auto Connection. It features a great story by our long-time old-VW friend Greg Mattesen, who is also a Connecticut resident. Greg recently had the wonderful experience of making contact with the original owner of his beloved 1963 VW Beetle, and took the time to write about how it came about, and what he was able to learn about the car's early life. At the same time, it was fun for me to look through my old photo files, and see what I could find for images of the '63 to go along with the story--happily with some very good results. What turned out was I think a nice presentation of Greg's story, and some good photos--most of which Greg himself took over the years. So, I invite you to please visit the page: "Greg Mattesen's Interesting Story About Tracking Down The Original Owner Of His 1963 VW Beetle", which is located at: http://members.aol.com/cgextras/GregMattesen63VWHistory.html. Or you can also click on the image at the above right, which is a cropped-down version of one of the photos on that page. And, in another pleasant surprise, while going through some previously-unnoticed other photo files, we came across a few other interesting old photos of Greg's '63, and so we decided to utilize one of our Photo Feature pages to showcase them, as well, so please also be sure to visit Photo Feature Page 8 for a few other cool shots. Thanks again Greg for sharing your most interesting story! And to everyone: Merry Christmas, Happy New Year, and STAY WARM!

*8/28/2004 Updates: This may be a record--we've actually finished the first draft of our annual report on Time Machines Antique Volkswagen participation! Not to pat ourselves on the back too much, but usually it's somewhere around November or so by the time we get our "stuff" together enough on the traditionally 4th-Sunday-in-July antique auto event. The phrase "first draft" is also appropriate to use, at least for us, since we usually find our work to be "typo city" once we've had the chance to re-read it slowly and carefully (when typos like to make themselves apparent); we also often find we've left out important stuff too, so we are also considering the possibility of having to go back into "page editing/updating mode" for that reason as well. But anyway, we were so pleased to have such a wonderful turnout of beautiful antique VWs, and friendly VW people, at the July 25th "Time Machines" antique auto show & flea market in Durham, CT, and we are very pleased to direct you to the link for the Time Machines 2004 VW Feature Page, which is located at: http://members.aol.com/foxcraft/TM2004VWsReview.html (or you can click on the dash plaque image at the upper right, which should also take you to the page). Feel free to e-mail us if (when) you find typos, errors, omissions, and we'll do our best to fix it ASAP. We also have several of this year's official VW dash plaques left over, and though they're not for sale, they are available for trade (for other VW event dash plaques, perhaps?), and/or if you wanted to make it to Time Machines but were unable for whatever reason, please let us know, and we'll be glad to reserve one of the left-overs for you! And finally, in other news, it's been a long time coming this season for me, but I finally got my '68 Bug on the road for 2004. It was no fault of the car's, but rather a "fault" on my part, due to some other car issues going on in our family, relating to storage and insurance, that made me want to wait until now to get the old '68 activated. The "official start" of the 2004 driving season for the old Bug was this past Tuesday, the 24th of August, and I made sure to document the day by taking my digital camera along, and trying to get a decent shot of the car in one of my favorite spots...so if you click HERE you can view "this year's version" (yes, another new wheels & tires permutation, "for the fun of it") of the '68 Bug, as it appeared parked by the Stony Creek Village beach in the early evening, and a nice coincidence for that New Beetle to be parked across the street at the time, making for a more interesting photo composition. Anyway, no mileage records this season--not even close--but glad to be "air cooled daily driving" once again!

*8/6/2004 Updates: Please check out the Coming Events and Time Machines Highlights Page (http://members.aol.com/CommonGear/Calendar.html) for some brief updates about the very fine Antique Volkswagen turnout at "Time Machines 2004," July 25th, in Durham, CT. A co-worker found a really nice local newspaper story on the event, which included some notable Volkswagen content, and we've added it to that page for your information. And of course meanwhile we are working diligently on our own dedicated review page for this web site, so stay tuned for that as well! And in closing fr now, just a brief note of THANKS to all the VW people who turned out to support Time Machines 2004! Hope to see you all again in '05, when the 1980 VWs will be added to the ranks of "Officially Antique"!

*7/6/2004 Brief But Important Updates: "Time Machines 2004" is coming later THIS MONTH! The date is Sunday, July 25th (as always, the 4th Sunday of the month), and the location is Durham, CT. And we are pleased to report that within the annual "Time Machines" antique auto show & flea market produced by the CT Area Classic Thunderbird Club, there will once again be the Common Gear-sponsored "VW Only" class in the car show, for all VWs, stock & modified, up to & including model year 1979! THE IMAGE AT THE RIGHT is a scan of one of the actual stickers that we had made up this year to stick onto the Time Machines flyers (I've left a bit of the actual orange flyer paper showing at the edges here for that "authentic touch"--ha ha!) that we've been furiously handing-out at various car events this summer (and also thanks to the very gracious management of the CVA Norwalk show and the "Litchfield Bug-In" show--both in June--as "goodie bag stuffers"). We are extremely pleased to report that the artwork on the stickers is a John Jaranson original, featuring an early Squareback, and it is also a bit of a "sneak preview" of the special dash plaques that we also have had made up this year to hand out to the VW class participants (some may know the talented Mr. Jaranson is also involved with this year's "Type 3 Invasion," which is upcoming next month in Hershey, PA). So anyway, please be sure to check out the Coming Events & Time Machines Highlights Page (or click directly on the sticker image) for more details about "Time Machines 2004" Volkswagen participation, and also click HERE to read our report on the 2003 version. We hope to SEE YOU THERE!

*6/15/2004 Very Brief Updates: A number of very important days and anniversary dates came together at the end of May, 2004, centering right around Memorial Day (5/31/2004). Aside from the obvious solemn remembrance of our country's brave soldiers who gave their all for our & the world's freedom (the reason for Memorial Day in the first place), the close-by dedication of the new WWII memorial in Washington DC, the 60th anniversary of the amazing D-Day allied invasion of Normandy (June 6th, I believe), and also the very obvious ongoing War on Terror and the Iraq War, ALL combined to make this a very special day to think of what our country's soldiers, past and present, have sacrificed for all of us. In our own home town of Branford, Connecticut, the Veterans Parade Committee forwarded a gracious invitation once again for antique autos to be an official part of the town's annual Memorial Day Parade, and I am pleased to say that it was an honor for myself and my family to drive antique Volkswagens in the parade (our daughter and her friend rode in one of our cars, and our son marched honorably with his Boy Scout troop, in the same parade; our dogs also rode in our cars, adding to our "family participation"), and also to help spread the word among the local CT Shoreline-area antique auto community about this opportunity (via the local antique auto hobby-oriented web site I manage: Shoreline Antique Auto Connection, http://members.aol.com/SAACRegion/). Far be it from me to take away from the main reason, the main focus of Memorial Day, however, I did want to report that I have put together a page (for the Shoreline Antique Auto Connection site) documenting the antique autos (including Antique Volkswagens) that participated in the 2004 Branford Memorial Day Parade (an image from the day of which is also presented here at the upper right--featuring our family's 1970 Squareback and 1973 Super Beetle Convertible, decorated with patriotic colors, as they appeared staged and ready for the start of the parade--just off of Main Street Branford, parked along the edge of Blackstone Avenue). To read the words and view more pictures from this event, please visit: http://members.aol.com/cgearannex/BfdMemPrd04.html. Best to all and God Bless Our Country and Our Soldiers!

*4/6/2004 Very Quick Update: As you may know, I also work on a "general interest" antique auto hobby web site (SAAC), dedicated to the Connecticut Shoreline-area scene, and wanted to pass along exciting news about a really fun event that my family and I are helping out with again this hear--here's the official blurb: Antique Automobiles are welcomed back to the Great Connecticut Jazz Festival, Sunday, August 1, 2004, at the Sunrise Resort in Moodus, CT! Please view the New ONLINE JazzFest Antique Auto Participation Flyer at: http://members.aol.com/cgextras/JzzFstFlyer.html! (please note the old VWs in some of the photos...hint, hint...)

*3/8/2004 Updates: Hey, we had a fun time on vacation in Florida last month, and even got to hit a nice local car show for a brief time down there--running across a beautiful 1957 VW and meeting it's friendly owner--the car's for sale too--please visit Feature Photo Page 9 for some more info and several images of this beautiful oval window VW!...Next, I wanted to mention that the annual "Time Machines" Antique Auto Show in Durham, CT is a "go" for 2004, once again featuring the Common Gear-sponsored 'VW Only' class for *all Volkswagens,* stock & modified, this year up to & including model year 1979 vehicles. The date is Sunday July 25th, 2004, and more event info can be found at the CT Area Classic T-Bird Club web site: http://www.geocities.com/tbirdsofconn/index.html, and please also be sure to check back here for more VW-specific info closer to the event date--and also please be sure to check out the detailed review of TM2003 VW participation online at: http://members.aol.com/cgextras/TM2003VWs.html...

*2/9/2004 Quickie Updates: Please check the "Heroes of Antique Volkswagen Award" page for more information about this year's award, and please note that nominations for the award are now being accepted. Please also see our "Electronic Swapmeet" page for some new listings...

*1/16/2004 Quickie Updates: Happy New Year, and welcome to "Official Antique Status" all those 1979 model year VWs!. Not too much to report at this time (mostly just trying to stay warm here in the CCCCOLD Northeast!), save for some exciting updates to one of our Type 3 Images pages, located at: http://members.aol.com/foxcraft/MoreT3Imgs.html - As of today we have some words & images on our long-time local VW buddy Jim Mayo's very cool new CT-based '71 Squareback posted there! Thanks again Jim for your so graciously allowing us to feature your words and images, and have fun with that very slick Square this year! There's also an interesting new item on the Electronic Swapmeet page, so please be sure to check that out as well. Best regards to all and talk to you again soon!

*11/13/2003 Updates: What's this?! We finally found the time to put together a proper report on antique VW participation at this past summer's big "Time Machines 2003" antique auto event, Sunday July 27th, in Durham, Connecticut! The page address is: http://members.aol.com/cgextras/TM2003VWs.html I'm sure sorry it's taken us this long to get this page together, but we didn't want to slap together something "half baked," but rather wanted to take the time to include a good selection of photos, and plenty of detailed commentary. After all, this is the Common Gear Antique Volkswagen Society "signature" car event, and if we feature nothing else at this web site, we need to feature the Antique VW @ Time Machines review! So, please either click on the page address shown, or click on the dash plaque image at the right--yes, we figured the Type II shouldn't have to wait any longer for it's "day in the sun," being featured on one of our plaques (and yes, we haven't forgotten the Type 3--"as we speak" we are working on a Type 3-related dash plaque for TM2004!!!). Thanks to everyone who participated with their old VW in the Time Machines event this year, and also those enthusiastic spectators who came by to check the cars out and socialize with fellow old-VW enthusiasts. We had a great time and hope we can do it again in 2004!

ANIMAL HAVEN BENEFIT COFFEE MUGS PROGRAM *A BIG SUCCESS* ONCE AGAIN FOR "Y2K"! This year's Animal Haven coffee mugs progam was a joint production of Common Gear Antique Volkswagen Society and Shoreline Antique Auto Connection. Click on the mugs picture below to read the wonderful letter of acknowledgement, just-received from Animal Haven's Vice President Liz Friedman, which has just been added to the overall page dedicated to our Animal Haven benefit mugs program. (Updated 1/14/2001)

"Keep It 100% Antique VW!"

Table of Contents for this site  (click on links to bring you directly there):

PHOTOS (& Photo Essays Index) (a ton of photo & word features, indexed & cross-referenced - last updated 1/17, 1/24, 1/31, 3/20, 10/29, 11/2, 12/11, 12/27, 12/31/2005, 1/9, 1/29, 6/12, 10/18/2006, 1/12, 2/4, 3/18, 4/9, 9/10, 11/28/2007, 10/1/2008)
EVENTS & ANNUAL "TIME MACHINES" VW PARTICIPATION INFO (last updated 5/19/2007)
ELECTRONIC SWAPMEET  (our classified ads page - last updated 1/20, 2/14, 3/26, 4/3, 6/12, 7/15, 7/24, 8/8, 8/25, 10/18, 12/28/2006, 2/4, 4/4, 5/19, 6/10, 6/20, 7/19, 8/6, 11/28/2007, 1/12, 2/21, 9/5/2008; sorry, this page is only OCCASIONALLY being being updated at this time, due to other life priorities)
LINKS (some of our favorites) (last updated 1/12/2007)
MESSAGE BOARD  (post your old VW-related questions, answers, comments, ideas, suggestions, what-have-you-; we have gone to an ALL NEW board provider as of 10/17/2001; apologies YET AGAIN to all for this inconvenience--including for the most annoying pop-up ads that come along with this new board; we're continuing to learn that most of the free message board services out there seem to be worth about as much as we pay for them!)
The NEW Common Gear Discussion Group  (latest change(s)/addition(s) 5/25/2003 with a new image added to the Discussion Group Photos Page Part 3, from the recent Michigan Vintage Volkswagen Club event earlier this month; another recent update of note is a link to the useful new "Burtonwood.com Discussion Forums"; other recent updates include a new-for 2002/2003 C/G Discussion Group Photos Page Part 3; 2001 season photos appear on C/G Discussion Group Photos Page Part 2 ; and don't miss the original Group Photos Page with images from the year 2000)
C/G's "Heroes of Antique Volkswagening" Program  (last updated 6/10/2007)
The Nutmeg State VW Club Historical Initiative (Our attempt to document the history of first VW enthusiast organization in the state of Connecticut, last updated 5/19/2004)
Non-internet-type "links" we like & want you to know about  (last updated 10/29/98)
C/G Overview and Significant Developments (last updated 6/13/99)
About The Name "Common Gear"  (slightly revised as of 2/3/99)
What is an Antique Volkswagen?  (NEW as of 7/22/98)
What's My Antique Volkswagen Worth?  (Our attempt to answer one of our most frequently fielded questions, last updated 8/19/2001, with some good advice from an antique auto appraiser who's also an antique VW enthusiast)
OUR ANIMAL APPRECIATION PAGE (Animals do a lot to enrich our lives, and ask little in return; this page highlights some of our favorite animal organizations and related causes; last updated 11/10, 12/28, 6/6/2006)
Fine Print, Important Disclaimer, Etc.  (last updated 2/1/99)

The Common Gear Guestbook (New as of 5/10/99. Thanks to Lycos/GuestWorld for this service!)

Sign Our Guestbook

View Our Guestbook

We also now have an Even Newer Message Board going--feel free to use it as a forum for any Antique-VW-related issue  (ALL NEW as of 10/17/2001)

Fine Print, Important Disclaimer, Etc.

© 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006 by Common Gear/House of Buggin'
P.O. Box 3353 - Stony Creek - CT - 06405 - USA

Common Gear/House of Buggin' are 100% independent and in no way connected with Volkswagen AG or Volkswagen of America or any other business or organization. "Common Gear" is a registered trade name in the state of CT, although as of February 1, 1999, there is no longer any money collected for newsletter subscriptions (and in fact, there is no longer any Common Gear newsletter, period), and Common Gear has returned to being a strictly HOBBY operation. The "Common Gear Antique Volkswagen Society" is a not-for-profit, informal, hobby-based project intended to promote Antique Volkswagen Fellowship and the positive development of the Antique Volkswagen Hobby. Though no longer an official affiliate, the Common Gear Antique Volkswagen Society supports the Vintage Volkswagen Club of America, and encourages VVWCA membership for anyone with an interest in old Volkswagens and VW history (contact: VVWCA President Peter Cook, e-mail: Bsvwoc@aol.com, 99 Pine Lane, Westwood MA 02090-1220, 781-326-7584).

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMER: The information provided electronically, on paper, or otherwise is strictly for entertainment purposes only with no guarantees of any type, expressed or implied. Participation in any activity is strictly voluntary and done at one's own risk. The Common Gear Antique Volkswagen Society web site and it's author expressly disclaim all responsibility for any & all damages or claims, however caused. Observe all safety precautions when engaging in any activities with antique or modern automobiles. Obtain proper coverage from qualified insurance professionals for any type of a