The unmistakable sound of boxer engines rang out across the Messeparkplatz East car park in Hannover. In glorious early-summer temperatures, a good 3,000 vintage Volkswagens flocked to the capital of Lower Saxony from all over Germany and Europe. The staging was once again a major attraction.
First of May with birthday celebrations
It is probably the biggest event of its kind in the world. For European vin-tage car fans, it has been top of the list for first of May for over three dec-ades: the May Bug Meet in Hannover. Volkswagen Classic and Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles Oldtimer attended the 36th staging.
Volkswagen Classic and Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles Oldtimer appeared together.
Diverse range: a huge variety of air-cooled vehicles awaited visitors.
As well as classic Beetle models from across the years, the one-day meeting for Volkswagen enthusiasts also offered a huge selection of air-cooled specialities to discover: rear-engine vans, Type 3 and 4, as well as Karmann models and special chassis in virtually every conceivable variant were there to be admired.
This year, over 10,000 Volkswagen fans made the pilgrimage to the exhibition site to experience the mix of perfect originals, patinated everyday heroes and creatively assembled show cars, live and in full colour. The community spirit was clear for all to see: as well as entertaining vehicle displays on the main stage, many visitors took the opportunity to talk shop with like-minded Volkswagen enthusiasts, and to browse the special accessories and rare spare parts along the ‘Parts Mile’ – with over 120 exhibitors.
A colourful row: the parts market once again attracted large crowds this year.
Birthday boys: ten examples of the rare Fridolin arrived in Hannover in time to celebrate their 55th birthday together.
At the heart of the action were Volkswagen Classic and Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles Oldtimer, who came together to embellish this year’s May Bug commitment with a rare but hugely popular character: the Fridolin. An extraordinary exhibition marked the 55th birthday of the loveable little van. This gave visitors the rare opportunity to take a really close look at ten different cars.
Internally, the angular utility vehicle with the characteristic sliding doors was never actually intended to be a collector’s item. However, of the 6,400 vehicles built between 1964 and 1974 at Westfalia, only 30 to 40 still exist in Germany. Globally, that figure stands at around 200.
Congratulations, Fridolin: Dieter Landenberger, Head of Volkswagen Heritage, introduced the loveable van on the show stage at the 2019 May Bug Meet.
Fridolin fan Rainer Waibel had originally planned to enrich the May Bug Meet with a newly-restored, lead-tin-yellow model – until a fire in his garage in February scotched those plans. Despite this, the man from Neuss refused to give up on his rare vehicle and instead presented it as it was.
A busy time ahead: Rainer Waibel aims to rebuild his burned-out Fridolin.
For Waibel, it goes without saying that his fire-ravaged Fridolin will rise like a phoenix from the ashes: “Of course it will be an extremely time-consuming project. However, it is important to me that this type of car is preserved. Back in the day, big customers like the Swiss postal service made it an everyday sight on the roads. Since then, however, it has become a rarity!”
The fire-ravaged Fridolin will hopefully gleam again soon in lead-tin-yellow.
Creative modifications, contemporary accessories, rat look, lowered chassis and exquisite aluminium wheels are an inherent part of the event, particularly at the younger end of the air-cooled scene. Many vehicles at the extensive site were evidence that non-original vehicles can also be the subject of extremely attractive designs.
Customised cars and visible patinas were clear trends.
Daniel Szyra presented his recently-completed stockcar conversion with a Audi V8 engine.
People like Daniel Szyra are living proof that, even 16 years after production ended, the complete reconstruction of Beetles is more alive than ever. The “Mexico Beetle”, recently converted to a V8 stockcar by the man from Hambühren, was one of this year’s favourites with the crowds. Szyra viewed the project to assemble his car all on his own as a real challenge: “I prefer to drive rear-wheel drive cars and particularly appreciate something that nobody else has.” His complete reconstruction with high-performance Audi V8 technology weighs 1,600 kilograms and took him one year. The only original Beetle parts on the unique, 218-centimetre-wide car are the roof, doors and steering gear.
The May Bug Meet is traditionally a magnet for Volkswagen fans from neighbouring European countries. Automobile museum director Carsten Andersen, from West Jutland in Denmark, and his wife Susi made the 550-kilometre trip under their own steam, in a lovingly furnished 1963 T1 Camper. Visiting the Meet for the 16th time, the couple came straight to the point: “The first of May has become a sacred day for us!”
Cosy and hyggelig: the Andersen family’s T1 Camper.
In the midst of the diverse rows of exhibits were a few real surprises, even for seasoned connoisseurs of Volkswagen history. Lars Lueder from Hannover had made the trip with his flat wedge, a Martaré GT: precisely three examples of the exotic rear-engine sports car, with its idiosyncratic flip front, still exist in Germany. A total of eight were built in Amstel in the Netherlands. Designer Martaré assembled just one car per year, until production fell victim to a fire and the company went bankrupt.
An old trade fair prototype from the Geneva Motor Show? No, this GT flounder with Volkswagen technology was actually available to purchase – but only eight of them.
Volkswagen Martaré GT: Lars Lueders is proud of his exotic car.
Michael Steiner’s fantastic T2b Champaign Edition was one of the highlights – and not just for Bulli fans.
A glance at the front windscreen of his Volkswagen Bulli T2 immediately reveals that Michael Steiner is a May Bug pro: the circular stickers, in different colours, have been issued to visitors for years. Steiner and his friends were attending this year’s event in an Agate Brown Volkswagen T2b, the luxury Champaign Edition. His US special edition, which was delivered on the American east coast in 1977, is fully equipped – apart from a missing automatic gearbox – and looks as good as new. Steiner placed great importance on getting every little detail correct during the restoration: “The varnisher painted the car with nitrocellulose lacquer in the original colour. This way we could get the same aesthetic of the varnish as when it left the factory. Otherwise, the overall impression would not be so consistent today.”
No May Bug Meet would be complete without the traditionalists. Klaus Meyer travelled to the get-together for the sixth time in his Beetle 1200 Export from 1960: the model has been in his possession for 30 years. The Rotenburg resident not only sports Beetle spectacles, but is also particularly proud of the gleaming colour scheme of his car, which was only available for a few short months. “Furthermore, my Beetle has not had any welding done to this day! I bought it in 1989 for 2,600 Deutschmarks. A long time later, in 2005, I carefully restored it. My reward was a dream mark of 1.3 in the vintage car assessment,” he says proudly.
True colours: the Beetle 1200 from 1960. Klaus Meyer lovingly restored it 14 years ago.
