COMMON.GEAR's "Current Feature Photo--Part 2"

Time for ANOTHER new Photo Page...presenting:
COMMON.GEAR's "Current Feature Photo--Part 2"

ANOTHER old VW-related feature photo that we'll hopefully change from time to time...

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CURRENT FEATURE (A new photo feature uploaded here as of 12/11/2005; significent updates added as of 10/18/2006):

Russo's Righteous Rabbit Featured in Hemmings Motor News!

Charlie Russo 1980 VW Rabbit, Hemmings Motor News, January 2006 edition, page 60 (entire page view) We consider ourselves very fortunate to know and be friends with Pennsylvania resident Charlie Russo. In my opinion his contribution to the "culture" of Antique Volkswagening cannot be over-stated.

Several years ago I became aware of Charlie's much-trusted, and much-referred-to web page, "East Coast USA VW Show Info." With this web project, Charlie sweated the details, and rooted out the garbage, in the process developing it into what many consider THE SOURCE for authoritative info on East Coast VW events.

Along the way, we got to know Charlie a little more, and also became aware of his project to authentically restore to stock condition a 1980 Volkswagen Rabbit. It wasn't quite 25 years old (a.k.a.: "antique") at the time Charlie started, but it was getting close.

Though it probably seems obvious to the casual observer of the old Volkswagen hobby, when one mentions "antique Volkswagens," it's most often air-cooled Volkswagens that are implied. The fact of the matter, however, is that as far as the authoritative institutions that matter in this discussion are concerned (namely the Antique Automobile Club of America, and the Vintage Volkswagen Club of America), the definition of "antique" has nothing to do with engine cooling method!

The other aspect of this issue that also bears highlighting concerns our observation of the current state of the water cooled Volkswagen hobby--that is, it appears primarily to be about modifying and/or customizing one's car. Custom wheels & tires, lowered suspensions, loud sound systems, and various engine modifications, all seem to be where the world of water cooled VW enthusiasm is at (mirroring, it appears, the general "import sport compact" scene). Fueling this cycle, it seems vendors serving the water-cooled VW hobby are all about customzing & hot rodding, as are the popular water-cooled VW-oriented magazines as well. Little, if any, it seems, regard to preserving the early water cooled Volkswagen models, exists--even though many years and models now, are well over 25 years old (i.e.: bona-fide "antiques").

Within this context, Mr. Russo's drive to authenticaly restore his 1980 Rabbit to 100% pure stock specifications is even more impressive. He has bucked the trend to customize & modify. He has persevered in his search for correct and authentic replacement parts--oftentimes scouring automotive dismantling yards and obsolete VW dealer inventories for just the right part--since "antique water cooled VW speciality parts houses" don't exist!

Charlie got interested in the AACA Hershey event ("Eastern Division National Fall Meet"), and knew that his 1980 Rabbit would eventually reach the 25-year mark, which would then allow him to enter it in the car show (since he was also an AACA member). Charlie set his sights on the October of 2005 event for his Rabbit's "Hershey debut."

It turned out to be a rainy one (as many Hershey events are, it seems!), but Charlie kept busy with his chamois cloth, to keep his clean Rabbit looking as spiffy as possible. Eventually the judges got around to all the cars in the field, and a few days later it was learned that Charlie's '80 had earned the very top award that it was possible to receive in it's first time out at an AACA National Meet: "First Junior!"

It was therefore gratifying, just a couple of weeks ago, now as this is being written (early December 2005), when the new issue of the noted antique auto hobby publication Hemmings Motor News (http://www.hemmings.com/) showed up in our snail-mail-box, to see that they also recognized the accomplishment of Charlie's 1980 Rabbit having achieved a First Junior award at Hershey 2005, via a very nice color picture & comment, within their coverage of the event!

We are very happy for our friend Charlie, to have been recognized by AACA for his Rabbit's outstanding restoration, and also by Hemmings Motor News! And we also wish to add our hearty "Congratulations and Great Job Charlie!"

ABOVE RIGHT: This is a reduced-size and reduced resolution scan of the entire page 60 of the January 2006 Hemmings Motor News--Charlie's white Rabbit is pictured in the left column, third picture down from the top. The next picture on this page (BELOW) provides a detail view...

BELOW: Here is a close-up of the shot of Charlie's 1980 VW Rabbit, as it appeared on page 60 of the January 2006 edition of Hemmings Motors News, within the "Hershey 2005" feature.

Charlie Russo 1980 VW Rabbit, Hemmings Motor News, January 2006 edition, page 60

BIG NEWS From Hershey 2006! (this section added as of 10/18/2006)

It wasn't too long after this year's (2006) Hershey Fall Meet when we learned that Charlie's Rabbit achieved AACA SENIOR AWARD STATUS (per the online results that are accessible from the AACA web site - www.aaca.org - and here is the URL of the actual published Hershey 2006 Car Show Results: http://www.aaca.org/meets/results/2006EastFall_HersheyPA.pdf ). We wish to sincerely congratulate Charlie on this most wonderful and impressive achievement with his magnificent VW Rabbit!

And in the AACA Forums, another person who appreciates Charlie's Rabbit, Mark DeFloria of the Western PA Region AACA, aaca.org/westernpa) chimed in with some very interesting historical background--and a PHOTO, in a posting dated October 13th, 2006 (this is from the AACA Forum thread: http://forums.aaca.org/showflat.php?Cat=0&Number=414986&an=0&page=0#Post414986 ):

"...Charlie - It was real nice to see your 1980 Rabbit. Congratulations! I am the fellow that admired your car and talked to you about building them in New Stanton, PA. It was my job to install the main wiring harness under the hood. Looking under your radiator, I think I may have had a hand in building it. I always placed the wires to the lights & horns in the clips with the thickest wire on the bottom to the thinnest (VW did not care how neat they were). I worked on 1 of 4 during the 1980 model year. It's hard to believe that the cars we built are now considered antiques. Seems like only yesterday...Attached is a photo I snapped of your car...." (which we've pasted-in BELOW):

Charlie Russo's '80 Rabbit at Hershey 2006, photo by Mark DeFloria , Western PA Region AACA

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