Miguel Sánchez
PHOTOS: STRICTLY VINTAGE VOLKSWAGEN MEETING ORGANIZATION
If you take a walk around our calendar you will see that Volkswagen events are commonplace. From the frequent stops of vans on the Catalan coast to the numerous Beetle or Golf concentrations the love for the brand in Spain has a good muscle. However, what we bring you today is quite special. It's about the only national concentration of VW until 1957/59 in origin configuration.
An event that, in its third call, has gathered jewels as difficult to see as a Hebmuller or a Split Standard 1951. Both came from Switzerland for this meeting. So until a total of 25 vehicles at a meeting at the height of the best Volkswagen specialists. And wow, they warn you from the name ... Because we are talking about the III Strictly Vintage Volkswagen Meeting, which was held from May 31 to June 2 in Santa María del Olivar, Teruel.
Regarding the Beetles, Splits and Oval models were accepted until 1957. While a representative attended the T1 vans. The two Karmann Ghia - prior to 1959 - and the one that was to be the star car of the event also stood out. Unfortunately it could not arrive due to mechanical problems. We will talk about him later, but at first you see that The Strictly Vintage Volkswagen is air-cooled rear engine devotees heaven.
HEBMULLER AND KARMANN UNCAPERS
Organized by Rubén Bastida and Pau Casas, this VW meeting began on the afternoon of May 31 with the arrival of 25 participants. The welcome dinner was held at the Monastery of Santa María del Olivar -Estercuel-. Gathered around the two vehicles from Switzerland for the occasion: The Hebmuller and the Split Standard.
The truth is that they are two quite rare models. For instance of the Hebmuller it is speculated that there are only about 100 units left of the little more than 600 built. It is one of the most striking convertible versions of the Beetle, easily identifiable as a two-seater. Today the interpretation made by the German bodybuilder - at the behest of Volkswagen itself - is still - with its 1-liter 1 hp engine - one of the most striking variants of the model.
Continuing with the convertibles they also stood out two oval convertibles from 1954 and 1955. Curiously, both were released in Spain, which makes these units even more special. While the two-seater convertible was awarded to Hebmuller, Volkswagen commissioned the manufacturing of these 4-seaters to Karmann. Company that was also represented by two Karmann Ghia, one coupe and the other convertible.
BEESKOW, 'THE BEETLE FOR HIGH SOCIETY'
Even though the VW rally had some really hard-to-see gems. The one who was to be the star of the meeting could not attend finally due to mechanical problems. It's about a Rometsch Beeskow, 1954. Belonging to Gilles Dallest -who was finally able to arrive although in another car- this curious model is known as "The Beetle for high society".
Presented at the 1951 Geneva Motor Show, the Beeskow took most of the mechanical elements and chassis from the Beetle. From there the engineer Johannes Beeskow - who would end up in Karmann a few years later - developed an attractive two-seater that caught the attention of stars of the time such as Audrey Hepbrun and Gregory Peck. It cost about the same as a Porsche 356 and only about 175 units were built, in its largest number convertibles.
We will have to be very attentive to the next edition of the Strictly Vintage Volkswagen Meeting, because the Rometsch Beeskow… It is one of those cars that if you have the opportunity to see you should not miss it. You go down apart the concentration continued on Saturday linking curves along La Ruta del Silencio, at which time these classics were able to devour kilometers along the roads of the Maestrazgo and then return to the base point to celebrate the awards ceremony.
As a culmination of this weekend full of passion for motorsports, the participants visited Alcaniz. One of the Spanish towns where you can notice the weight of motor racing more thanks to the long history of its urban circuit. In sum, a reunion we'll have to keep track of for years to come. It is not easy at all to see such a special selection of classics!
