We had a tailgate party last weekend, prior to watching the hapless Oakland A's get shellacked by some team from behind the Orange Curtain. In attendance were the usual suspects: Belvedere Adrian's wagon, my '97 P71 Crown Vic, and the most reliable vehicle I've ever known.

Naturally, while we brought a dozen different types of gourmet sausages to put on the grille, we sorta spaced on an opener for the elitist non-twist-off beer we prefer for such occasions. No problem, though- the late-80s Toyota pickup's door latch makes an excellent bottle opener. I know that our readers will have many useful vehicular-bottle-opening tips for us, so let's have 'em!

But first, what's that vehicle driven by our tailgate neighbors?

Why, it's a veteran mid-60s Transporter pickup! Good tailgating vehicle choice, we say.

Since this is Oakland, I didn't have to go far to find a donk. How about a mid-70s Malibu with the crypto-donk treatment?

We've picked out 20 of our favorite VW ads from the Classic Ad Watch series for your enjoyment. From the 1950s through the current decade, from the USA, Germany, South Africa, China, Mexico, and Brazil, these ads cover the highlights of the Volkswagen product line in entertaining fashion

1984 Rabbit	1987 GTI	2005 Caddy	Beetle
1984 GTI	1998 Transporter Syncro	1984 Vanagon	1979 Scirocco
1968 Beetle	1979 Rabbit	1972 Beetle	1981 Vanagon
1970 Karmann Ghia	1958 Beetle	1976 Transporter	1958 Transporter
1955 Beetle	1971 Karmann Ghia	1983 Beetle	1966 Fastback

We'll start off with an octet from Discontinuuity, who has a knack for finding some great machinery down on the streets of the home of Coors: Golden, Colorado. Discontinuuity brought us these eight Golden vehicles plus this dignified Golden Mercedes-Benz Ponton a while back, and now we've got another round for you:

Nova Station Wagon: I've got a couple of good DOTS cars here for you. First up is a 1962 (or maybe '63) Chevrolet Nova station wagon gasser. I talked to the owner, Mike, who also owns a 1946 Austin hot rod and takes both cars out to the local Bandimere Speedway for Wednesday night drag races. The Chevy sports a 327 small block, not the stock I6, and has a killer stance in my opinion. More photos of an IH Scout coming soon.
International Harvester Scout: About a block away from the Chevy was this International Harvester Scout in fairly good condition. All I know is that it's driven by a School of Mines student and that it was probably built between 1965 and 1970.
Subaru Leone: I finally got around to photographing this Subaru today. From what I can tell, it was made between 1975 and 1978 and has every Malaise-tastic tape stripe and chrome option checked off (along with "5 speeds" and "Front Wheel Drive"). It looks like a pretty competent little daily driver though. Now I just need pictures of the much rustier BRAT last spotted at Taco Bell.
Volkwsagen Beetle: I saw the Beetle you posted for DOTS a few days ago with the engine cover propped open, and it reminded me that I needed to photograph this flat-black Beetle. I'm not sure of the year; it's probably from the mid 70s. Whatever the vintage, I think it captures the spirit of a college car pretty well: the Libertarian party bumper stickers, subtle yet somewhat half-assed mods, and the pile of crap where the back seat used to be. You also might note that it's parked on Illinois St, right in front of the MG from the original DOTS Golden post.
Toyota Starlet: I saw this Starlet parked on the street while on my way to a friend's house, and knowing the love that many Jalops have for the little Toyota I had to snap a few pictures. From what Wikipedia tells me this is an 81-84 model, and from what the bumper sticker and rust can tell me this little car has been driven hard through Alaska and Colorado since the Reagan years.
Ford Model A: I hope I'm not sending you too many photos from Golden, but I couldn't pass up this great vintage-styled hot rod I saw in a parking lot today. It's a 1931 Ford Model A (although the owner wasn't sure exactly what year it is, the title is for '31) with a chopped top, a 302 Ford V8, and some sweet pinstriping, all sitting on a '32 Ford frame and bias plys. I love all of the little details like the structural wood and fabric in the roof, flat green paint, dropped axle with hairpins, and the lakes-style pipes. Probably one of the oldest cars I've seen around Golden this year, and definitely one of the coolest.
Ford Thunderbird: I've got a couple more DOTSBE cars here for ya. The first is a beat to hell old Thunderbird I caught being transported on a flatbed, parked in front of this creepy industrial building. Whether its destiny is a full restoration or The Crusher, we can only guess.
Volkswagen Transporter: The second car is a newer VW Bus with a wikkid flame paint job, photographed near where I found the MG previously. The paint and aftermarket exhaust give it cool points in my book; however it also looses a few points because of the PRNDL between the seats. From the stickers on the back window, I infer that the owner (or previous owner) is a Christian, works on power lines, and has been a student at the Colorado School of Mines for the last three years or so.

I found this Volks in a Northern California self-service yard while searching for a parts-donor Midget for my 20R Sprite Project (found the Midget, but it had been stripped clean). Yes, its last owner painted a big pot leaf and the word STONE on the side. You've got to admire the screw-the-Man spirit behind the paint job; let's hope the driver miraculously walked away from the wreck (or, better still, that the influence of 19 bowls of Northern Lights caused the parking brake to be forgotten, with the van rolling unoccupied down some Trinity County fire trail and into a tree).


At first glance, I wasn't quite sure what sort of object had been struck by the bus. Light pole? Utility pole? Tree? Ah yes, a tree… and here's the evidence that it was a redwood tree. That's like a Hummer being destroyed in a wreck with an Iraqi oil refinery!

We've seen many roof-rack-equipped Transporters in this series, including this '56, this '57, this '60, and this '66. Since this chalkboard-patina example is parked at the beach, I suspect its roof rack is often used to secure boards, sails, etc., leaving room for the bongs wetsuits inside.


Look, nice view of San Francisco through the windshield! And, of course, we must have my usual Old VW Disclaimer: I chose 1959 as the model year of this bus more or less by picking numbers out of a bong hat; I know it's got to be in the 1956-62 range, but that's the best I can do. Experts?

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Kombat T-98
What would you ever want with a stinky old Volvo XC90 when something like the Kombat T-98 exists? It's an armored luxury SUV available with either an 8.1-liter GM V8 or the Duramax 6.6-liter turbodiesel. The hardware is somewhat awesome, but the interior wins our hearts, featuring steel booze glasses in a chilled glovebox — perfect for keeping your vodka close at hand. [AllCarNews]

Vityaz Transporter
Russia is big, covering a sixth of the Earth and encompassing virtually every type of ecosystem. What better way to get absolutely anywhere under any circumstances than in the totally wicked Vityaz Transporter? Land, sea, arctic permafrost and bog, the Vityaz will get you there and back — the ultimate SUV. [Vityaz]

Porsche Touregenne

When great taste meets fabrication prowess and oil-baron money, the result is a thing like this VW/Porsche Touareg/Cayenne, whatever it is. We all marveled at its breathtaking coachwork and inspired styling updates. For the truly exclusive sets of Russian playboys, this baby is hot to trot. [Porsche Toureg]

GAZ Tiger-2
The GAZ Tiger-2 seems like the Russian version of a Chinese knock-off of the Humvee, but it's complete with space-age plastic hubcaps, multiple shift knobs and luxurious pleather seating surfaces. The Tiger built for the public is a definite choice for all but the most discerning customers. [Tiger 2]

GAZ 59037A
For so many Russians, the Vityaz is just too big to fit in the garage, so a compact, go-anywhere vehicle is definitely in order. The GAZ 59037 will go virtually anywhere the big Vit will, but also offers the convenience of tires and fits nicely into a standard heavy-lift military cargo plane. With convenience like that, its hard to believe the Volvo actually took home the prize. [GAZ 59037A]

Oh, and, if you are interested in the Volvo press release on the actual winner, check it out in all its glory below.

The Volvo XC90 - SUV of the Year in Russia for the third time

Volvo Cars received several prestigious awards in Russia in 2007 and to date in 2008. The most recent is for the Volvo XC90, which was crowned best crossover - "2008 SUV of the Year".

"There was immensely tough competition and we are very proud over this prestigious award," says Volvo Car Russia's PR director, Alexei Kozhukhov, who received the award at a ceremony in Moscow.

Russian car owners voted the Volvo XC90 the best choice on the market.

Motoring organisation Club 4x4 runs the competition, in which eight categories are featured.
Of 101 models in the competition, 16 went on to the finals. Car owners voted via a website or sent in SMS text messages with their votes and Volvo XC90 emerged the winner in the category "Full-size SUV".
That the Volvo XC90 came out on top is by now something of a tradition. The Volvo XC90 received awards in this contest in 2005 and 2006 too.

"Russia has been the European market N1 in the Volvo SUV sales in 2007, so the contest "SUV of the Year" is an important event in this country", says Volvo Car Russia's President, David Thomas. "Russians traditionally like big cars - this is the reason why Russia takes the second place right after the USA in the global sales chart of Volvo XC90. So, we are looking forward to the launch of our new crossover, the Volvo XC60", concludes David Thomas.

This '60 parks very close to the 1960 Studebaker Lark and the 1955 Plymouth Savoy.


Vintage VW Type 2 owners will spend the rest of eternity screaming about how they're not hippies. Hell, real hippies haven't been able to afford these things for many years- they're driving 20-year-old Tercels now.


These vintage travel stickers are great, but I can't help but wonder if they've been there all along or are reproductions.

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It's true, the builder claims a 0-100 km of 5.1 seconds and a top speed is above 270 km/h. That's crazy talk if you ask us. Such creations should be turning circles at the local 7-11 and rockin' out all night to bad remakes of German techno classics. Of course, you'd do that in a hammered out jalopy, but this sucker will run you 145,000€, so it damn well better be a runner. (Yes we know the engine shot is from the more pedestrian Transporter van version) [via ]

It's got what appears to be every available factory and aftermarket option, including roof rack, headlight shades, and passenger step.


And speaking of the step, is it really helpful on a vehicle that is only about 8" from ground to floor? I bet the owner has to take it real easy on the left turns.


It's hard to say whether it's midway through extensive bodywork or just supposed to look this mean.


The interior is pretty minimalist, but it does have a suicide knob and an 8-track player.

Once again, I'm stymied by the German reluctance to change a vehicle's design (just for the sake of change) when it comes time to tell you the year of this bus; the rear door size tells me it's from the 1956-62 period, but that's as close as I can get without spending the next 10 hours researching turn-signal lens differences. So, VWologists, what year is it?


The spotlight is a nice touch, although I shudder to think of the injuries that would result from slamming into the handle during a minor wreck. Oh, wait, there's no such thing as a minor wreck in one of these things.


It's got the sunroof, which is nice, and the roof rack, which probably isn't of much use on a vehicle with zero load capacity. Still, the rack looks cool.


The owner of this Type 2 also has an equally low right-hand-drive Thing, which I'm going to photograph one of these days. Hey, he knows how he likes his Volkswagens: low, lower, lowest.


The visor definitely works here, though I think a vintage Borgward or Glas steering wheel is called for.


It's literally in the weeds!

You know how some vehicles are on the dangerous side? You make a mistake while driving and you're in trouble? Well, how about a vehicle that will kill you, no doubt about it? Such as, say, this here '74 VW Transporter with a 911 engine? Yes, we dare you to give this monster a whole bunch of throttle heading into a turn... but first, be sure you have the whole next-of-kin thing all sorted out. We don't know what year 911 engine this thing has, but the seller says it runs "XLNT" and even has air conditioning! How well was the swap done? What's broken? Who knows? What we do know is that the seller hopes to get $5750. By the way, if you've already bought the Turbo Corvair Transporter, you need to add this vehicle to your fleet.

All right, nitpickers; technically, this 1968 Porsche 911 Targa has a 914 engine, not a VW Bus engine as stated in the headline. But come on, what's the essential difference between the VW Type 4 used in the 914 and the one that went in the VW Transporter? The seller seems to feel the swap is kosher, because he found the Type 4 in a different 911; you know, sort of picked up the 911 seasoning or something. Anyway, this project is going to require that you obtain a proper 911 engine, and that won't be cheap. When you're done with that, you can start on the riveted sheet-metal patches put over the rusty floorpan. Then you can fix all the other rust. And the paint. And... well, you want a classic 911, don't you? Only 4 grand- $1750 cheaper than the bus!

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