OVERVIEWCOMMON.GEAR presents:
A Review of Antique Volkswagen
Participation at the "Time Machines 2005" Antique Auto
Show & Flea Market, Sunday, July 24, 2005, Durham,
Connecticut
(This page created 12/31/2005;
minor update--feedback from Mr. Jackey of New York--posted as of
3/18/2006)
Navigational Links for this page: Overview | List of 2005 Car Show Winners for the Antique VW Class | Some Old VW PEOPLE Who Were Also In Attendance | Time Machines 2005 Antique Volkswagens Image Gallery | Related Internet Links of Interest
IMPORTANT DISCLAI5ER: 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 activities, auto-related or otherwise, in which you may wish to engage.
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Well, it wasn't intentional for this page to be finally completed (at least for first-draft status, since it's not unusual for there to be updates--and especially corrections--after the "first draft" has been published...) as of THE LAST DAY OF THE YEAR (Saturday evening, the 31st of December, 2005!).
If you've read these reviews in years passed (I'm sure we've been doing this for at least the last 15 or so years--I've never kept exact track...), you already know that the "VW-Only" class within the Time Machines car show is unique in that ALL ANTIQUE VOLKSWAGENS are welcomed to participate, including stock, modified, and everything in between--AND that when we say all Antique Volkswagens, that is without regard to engine cooling method--rather, a strict interpretation of "antique" (or "vintage" as per VVWCA nomenclature) to mean any old VW that is 25 years old or older (for 2005 that obviously included the 1980 model year VWs). My family started out sponsoring the class long before there was a "Common Gear," and then we continued doing it, but lending the "Common Gear" name as the sponsor, since it was now developing into a somewhat recognisable "name" in the VW hobby world. And so, with the 2005 event, there was absolutely no question we'd continue with sponsorship for the VW Class!
The Time Machines Show Chairman, Mr. Fred Klaus, is a super person and really does a super job. It has been my pleasure to work with him on the VW input into the Time Machines event now over many years. He's always receptive, and does whatever he can to accommodate our needs. Over the past several years that has included supplying us with a "ton" of official Time Machines show flyers, which we've in turn been very happy to distribute at many CT Shoreline-area car shows & cruise nights, and especially for the VWs, our friends at the CVA and also Mr. Chuck Pisconski of "Litchfield Bug-In" fame, have very graciously "stuffed" the flyers within their car show goodie bags--thereby greatly enhancing the "spreading of the word" within the Connecticut VW hobby community about the Time Machines VW-participation opportunity.
Another thing we've had a lot of fun doing over the past several years of our Time Machines "VW-involvement" is to get our own VW dash plaques made up--to hand out ourselves to the VW class participants when we're out on the field (this is totally separate from the overall event dash plaques that come in the official show goodie bag). We started doing this for the Time Machines 2000 show, so the 2005 version marks the 6th year we've produced our own dash plaques to hand out. We chose a VW Type 181 "Thing" this year, as we've done Bugs, a Ghia, an early Type II, and a Squareback already. They've all been magnetic type plaques--one color imprint (a different color each year) on white backgrounds. If you click HERE you can see what our 2005 VW dash plaques looked like.
As the show date drew closer, though, it began to be apparent that Mrs. Webmaster wasn't going to be able to attend--though she had been working diligently on her recently-acquired (Spring of 2004) 1973 Ford Pinto Squire station wagon, to get it detailed-out and ready to go for the Time Machines 2005 car show. If she had been able to go, obviously she would've been the one to drive it (which would've freed me up to drive a VW). Alas, as she wasn't able to go, but her car was, I was elected to drive the Pinto to Time Machines 2005--which was a thrill in itself, as the car turned 20,000 miles on the way up to Durham (yes, it's a seriously low-miles original Pinto!).
The day of the
show turned out perfectly, with pleasantly warm summer temps, and
clear skies--perfect car show weather! The Pinto ran great
getting up to Durham, and once there I quickly got it parked, and
headed over to the VWs, to start taking pictures and handing out
those VW dash plaques. It was a busy and fun time! There were a
ton of really beautiful old VWs, and an equally great number of
of enthusiastic owners; I had fun checking in with many old
friends, and met several new ones as well. Rather than list the
participating VWs here, I'll refer you to the Time
Machines 2005 Antique Volkswagens Image Gallery section of
this page, where I'll post the images of the cars in
age-descending order (starting with the oldest participating VW).
Around noon or so, the loudspeaker directs all of the car show judges to the main tent, for last-minute instructions from Mr. Klaus, and then it's back out to the fields, with clipboards in hand. As always, I did the VW class judging, and with the unique mix of stock & modified in the VW class (the only class in the entire Time Machines car show where this is so!), there were no points deducted for any modifications, with overall quality, fit, finish, and detail being the key factors in accumulating points (on the CT Area Classic Thunderbirds official judging form). It was not an easy job by any means (it never is!). And it's always disappointing that more of the outstanding quality VWs couldn't be honored with car show trophies. But it's three awards per class, and so the top three have to be determined by the rigorous judging process. It is my hope that the VW folks who come & participate don't do it solely for the trophies anyway--I think the Time Machines experience is unique and fun--even if you're not showing a car. Anyway, please be sure to go and review the List of 2005 Car Show Winners for the Antique VW Class section on this page, to find out who were this year's honorees.
Later on, there was a bit of time left to go and so I was happy to go and check in with some perennial flea market VW friends, Chuck Pisconski, Tom Matulis, and Dan Climan, over in their respective flea market spaces. It was good to see them all, and catch up a bit--and also snap a couple of pictures. I don't think that there are three better people involved in this hobby! And speaking of great Connecticut VW people, we were also very pleased to run into our long-time old-VW friend from eastern Connecticut (and proprietor of the well-known Eastford, CT-based automotive miniatures "dealership," known as "Munchkin Motors") Jack Larson, who had his very cool MINI also on display in the show--great seeing you also, Jack!
Finally, it was one more
swing through the show field, to snap a few more pictures, and
then I had to be on my way (slightly before the end of the show,
due to some other afternoon commitments I had), unfortunately
missing the actual car show awards presentation. I left knowing,
however, that the three VW class award winners had their cars
very fairly and throroughly scrutinized, and having taken my own
notes, I can report them here--I refer you back to the List
of 2005 Car Show Winners for the Antique VW Class section on
this page. From what I could see, the VW class within Time
Machines 2005 was one of the best ever, with a fantastic turnout
of beautiful antique VWs (make sure to browse our Time
Machines 2005 Antique Volkswagens Image Gallery section on
this page), and many friends old and new!
As for the success of the overall 2005 Time Machines event, here is a quote from Show Chairman Fred Klaus (flklaus@comcast.net) of the Connecticut Area Classic T-Bird Club (which is the overall organization that produces the Time Machines shows these days), excerpted from his e-mail message dated 7/30/2005:
"...Thanks to all the hard working CT Area Classic Thunderbird Club members, their families and friends, we had a record breaking show in all respects. There were approximately 900 show cars on the field. There were over 200 vendor spaces occupied. In addition, our new Car Corral this year had 45 cars for sale. The weather certainly cooperated with a break in the heat and humidity. The Bench Warmers also broke all records with their food concession that benefits sports teams at Coginchaug High School in Durham. We look forward to next year's show scheduled for July 23, 2006, with enthusiasm..."
Speaking for Common Gear Antique Volkswagen Society, we wish to thank the Mr. Klaus and all of the CT Area Classic Thunderbird Club for their welcoming us old VW people to be a part of their wonderful event, and we also wish to thank all the wonderful old VW participants, who turned out with their beautiful antique VWs, that really made the show extra-special this year! Hope to see you all again in '06!
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LIST OF 2005 CAR SHOW WINNERS FOR THE ANTIQUE VW CLASS
All registered show cars received a blank judging form within their goodie bags, upon entering the Time Machines car show. Those show car owners who desired having their car judged for awards were instructed to fill out the top portion of the form, and then place it beneath the windshield card on their car. When the judges (or in this case, yours truly) came around, it was easy to see who wanted their car judged, and then take from off the windshield and fill out the judging portion while evaluating the car. Afterwards, the cars with top three highest point totals were determined to be the award winners for the class. So, for Time Machines 2005, the winners of the VW-only class were as follow:
1st Place = 1963 VW Sunroof Beetle,
Alan Bish, Essex, CT
2nd Place = 1972 VW Baja SE Super Beetle, Dan Cornish,
Torrington, CT
3rd Place = 1975 VW Beetle, Gene Jackey, Schenectady, NY
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SOME OLD VW PEOPLE OF NOTE WHO WERE ALSO IN ATTENDANCE
BELOW: Some Connecticut Old-VW Hobby Heavy-Hitters were in attendance! I caught these three hanging out over in the car show area--left to right, it's John Intagliata, Don Cartsounis, and Matt Hermann.
BELOW: A couple of guys who might appropriately called "Rust's Worst Enemies"--it's "Mr. Masterseries" himself Chuck Pisconski (left, in light shirt and ball cap), and "Mr. VolksRods.com" himself Dan Climan (right, in dark shirt and stylish fedora). I caught this image of Chuck and Dan over in Chuck's "Masterseries" flea market space. If you need some top-shelf anti-rust automotive restoration coatings, look no further than Chuck's "Masterseries" business, located in northwestern Connecticut--on the web at: http://www.MasterSeriesCT.com/ . And if you're into some serious "old school" rat rodding with your VW, check out Dan and his cohorts "worldwide"--on the web at: http://www.volksrods.com/ .
BELOW: Another very good long-time old VW buddy, Tom Matulis, was also out at Time Machines, selling stuff in his flea market space, which was adjacent to the Masterseries space. That's Tom, left, and Dan Climan, right, in this view.
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TIME MACHINES 2005 ANTIQUE VOLKSWAGEN IMAGE GALLERY
Ok, let's go from the oldest to the newest...
BELOW: The Hal Jordan 1960 Beetle Cabriolet from Cheshire, CT.
BELOW: The 1961 Dune Buggy of Rob & Pam Priest from Wallingford, CT.
BELOW: The 1962 Hot Rod Beetle of Don Cartsounis from Windsor Locks, CT.
BELOW: Alan Bish poses with his 1963 Sunroof Sedan Beetle from Essex, CT. This car was the day's 1st Place Award Winner.
BELOW: Dave Casolino poses with his 1963 Baja Bug from Orange, CT.
BELOW: Pete Cayer and his 1965 Panel Bug from New Britain, CT. Pete, who often goes by "pEtE," is a well-known "regular" at the popular Northeast Aircooled VW Performance Forum.
BELOW: The 1969 VW Type II Camper of Ted Walls from Guilford, CT.
BELOW: The 1971 Standard Beetle of Mark Lawrence from Glastonbury, CT.
BELOW: The 1971 Super Beetle Convertible of Christopher Pannoni from Waterbury, CT.
BELOW: Milt McDonald poses with his 1972 Super Beetle from Granby, CT. Milt is one of the dedicated volunteer staffers of the long-running hobby organization, Connecticut Volkswagen Association, not to mention being a great all-around guy!
BELOW: Dan Cornish and his family from Torrington, CT pose with their 1972 Baja SE Super Beetle. This car was the day's 2nd Place Award Winner.
BELOW: The 1973 Standard Beetle of Matt Cizauskas from Wisted, CT.
BELOW: The 1974 Super Beetle of Laura Bohrman from Durham, CT.
BELOW: The 1975 Standard Beetle of Gene Jackey from Schenectady, NY. This car was the day's 3rd Place Award Winner. UPDATE: Here is a very nice note we received, dated 2/21/2006, from Mr. Jackey: "...Dear Fellow VW lovers, I was on the internet looking for VW shows/events to attend in 2006, when I came across the write up of the 2005 Time Machines show. Much to my surprise, I see that I won 3rd place. I left before the awards were given; since I had a long ride ahead of me and also had my daughter with me. Thank you very much for honoring my car with this award. Sincerely, Gene Jackey..." And THANK YOU, Mr. Jackey, for coming all the way out from Schnectedy, NY, with your magnificent Beetle to participate in the Time Machines 2005 car show! (this update was posted as of 3/18/2006)
BELOW: The 1975 Super Beetle Convertible of Matt Hermann from Marion, CT. Matt's standing at the rear of the car in this view, along with John Intagliata and Don Cartsounis--there's another image of these three hobby good-guys in the Some Old VW PEOPLE Who Were Also In Attendance section of this page.
BELOW: The 1980 Rabbit Cabriolet of Gerald Pannoni from Waterbury, CT.
BELOW: Not technically "antique" yet, but unique & interesting nontheless--Bob Rice's 1982 Electic-powered Rabbit from Haddam, CT.
BELOW: And finally, over in the Car Corral area, Ted Olenski's 1968 VW Beetle Cabriolet from Ansonia, CT. It was for sale at the time--if you're interested, please e-mail us and we'll send you Ted's contact info...
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RELATED INTERNET LINKS OF INTEREST
Common Gear's Time Machines News & Info Page (where to go for info on next year's Time Machines VW participation opportunity & other recommended VW coming events resources--has yet to be updated with '06 info as of this writing): http://members.aol.com/CommonGear/Calendar.html
Connecticut Area Classic Thunderbird Club's Official Time Machines Info Page (includes links to class sponsors & winners lists, lists of recipients of show proceeds, info on next year's show, and much more): http://www.geocities.com/tbirdsofconn/timemach.html
Time Machines 2004 Review of Antique Volkswagen Participation Feature Page: http://members.aol.com/foxcraft/TM2004VWsReview.html
Time Machines 2003 Review of Antique Volkswagen Participation Feature Page: http://members.aol.com/cgextras/TM2003VWs.html
Authoritative source for definition of "Antique" as applies to old automobiles--The Antique Automobile Club of America: http://www.aaca.org/
Authoritative source for definition of "Vintage" as applies to Old Volkswagens--The Vintage Volkswagen Club of America: http://www.vvwca.com/
For Connecticut Volkswagen Hobby info, state-wide--Connecticut Volkswagen Association: http://www.ctvwa.com/
Questions, Problems, Suggestions, etc., relating to Antique Volkswagen Participation in the Time Machines Car Shows, and/or anything related to THIS PAGE--we always welcome your e-mail at Common Gear Antique Volkswagen Society: CommonGear@aol.com
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