Was it Wild enough for you? OK, it's taken me a few days to get my thoughts together enough to write about our 'LITTLE!" VW Annual Extravaganza...

           Friday nite, my son Jamison, Larz Gilbert and his brother James (see pic below), arrived at the track as only the 2nd aircooled there... Meanwhile, as the waterboxers poured in, the sparsely sprinkled-in aircooled VWs parked on the west side of the track. The night was off to a great start when about 15 minutes of the wet stuff started falling out of the sky! The race track people did a great job of drying out the track, and racing got back underway...



           My highlight of the evening had to be JBbug's 1960 BUS, tearing up the track all night! Geat job guys! We got out of there by 11pm, because the AM would come very fast, and it did! We were on the Pier, setting up by 7:30AM... Now, if you've ever been to the Pier show, you know, "SPACE" is in great demand... with only 140 or so places to park VWs, our event sold out in about 1 1/2 hours! I HATE turning away anyone, but many NICE VWs did NOT make it into the show... (something I will address in a later update!) But, for those who were lucky enough to spend the day in the Florida sun on our beloved Pier, MUCHO fun was had by everyone... The VW tatoo contest went off with the best female tat going to local favorite Bluma(Blu), with her John Meirs inspired, VW firing order on the back of her neck, and the best male tat going to (), with his way cool, flamming VW cog on his elbow tatoo. The kids, both young and old, enjoyed Hotwheel diecast racing for cash, sponsored by the Pier's own, Joe & Bonnie Madonia! From a balloon/stilt-walker tieing up ballons for the kids, to the just old school fun of throwing a fishing line over the seawall behind your favorite VW, this venue just ROCKS!

           Im proud to say that we have a really unique location for a car show, a real winner! And speaking of car show winners, they were the following:

Sven's Top 25:
Jeanie Byrd's 1970 Ghia
Milton Humphaey's 1967 Rail Buggy
Micheal Sabin Jr.'s 1967 Bus
Jerad Pitts' 1966 Beatle
Eric Hovland's 1973 Thing,
Vicky Kogel's 1958 type-1 Cabriolet
Edwin Cuencu's 1966 Dune Buggy
Jose Cuenca's 1967 Dune Buggy
Brian Mayhue's 1972 Super Beatle
Perry Burns' 1956 Oval Bug
Martin Nielsen's 1960 Dblecab
Dan Mortensen's 1965 Bug
Jeffery Brown's 1966 Bug
Ian Kogel's 1963 Crewcab
Jose & Mildred Molina's 1971 Ghia
Roberto Rodriguez's 1961 Vert
Ted Hart's 1968 Bug,
Kip Zimmerman's 1957 Singlecab
Joe Morton's 1969 Bus,
Ray & Jan Schmidt's 1968 Citation Kitcar
Pete Blanco's 1966 Bus
Jim Stevens' 1971 Westy Bus
Ricardo Francos' 1993 Westy Eurovan
Ashlie Fisher's 1968 Notchback
Kevin Arseneau's 1965 21-Window Delux Bus

People's Choice Award:
Felix Rodriguez's 1978 Westy Bus

Best Hood Ride:
Matt Galbraith's 1967 Squareback

           Sunday's Skyway convoy was 225 VWs-long!... Yeah, that's down a few from last year, but hey, with the price of gas at record numbers, I'm sure that had something to do with it... Anyhow, the amount of NEW people to this event was awesome! Boyd Hill Park was peaceful and full VW and VW families... Thanks to everyone who cleaned up after themselves... Sorry the bathrooms ran out of toilet paper. I will talk with the Park people about that! Anyhow, look for links to photos and videos soon... Thanks to ALL of my SPACE Sponsors and all of the helpers who made this weekend what it was, FUN!!!....and a little wild, eh?...
Oh yeah, go here to see some pictures: ashim1.net
Sven out...

PS, I've got extra Tshirts, if you're interested... $10 each.

           Well, its 2000 and friiging eight! and Im still not done with my restoration on Hilda (my 1970 bus)... Oh she's close to getting her 1st coat of primer, but the swiss cheese kacoon that we had to put her through is almost over! ( See Hilda Pics HERE )... It was over 3 months ago, when Chopper Joe and I rolled her into his shop, and the "to do" list was WAY-LONG! Now, we're close to the end, and my main driving force is local favorite "Oval D"... that guy can do wonders with a welder and grinder!... I thought he was a top notch motor guy, but woooow, he can do it all!!! Team him up with Chopper Joe and back up!! because here comes the magic!!... "Volkswagens Rejoice!"... Yes someone does know what they're doing and YES they can restore that old bug or bus!!... or weld in those repair panels that you've had for too many years now!.... If this is starting to sound a little like a commercial, then sorry, but I gotta get the word out, NOW!.... Call "Chopper Joe" if you have any questions about services or pricing @727-542-5267.... Oval D and him are planning a new shop together on the horizon, but for now its "Chop's Shop"....they are located in North Largo, off Alt19 and Bellaire Blvd. Your VW will thank you!

...now back to our regular scheduled update...

So, what do you call 2 Honda drivers in a shoe box?
A pair of loafers!


Click Here For The Results Of
The 2007 Greatest Ass in the World Contest!


Have a safe new year. Party on!....Svenout

           1-Hot Summer and a 1-Hot VW issue?Hello SPACE cadets and welcome back,boy its sure hot ugh? and speaking of HOT have ya seen the latest issue of HotVWs yet?You havent well then check this out!....We got 4 pages of stellar coverage from Bruce and the boys out in California who put this great magizine together.Go out right now and get your own copy because they are sure to sell out!....Total preformance/Classic Camber gottum and so does Fischer Buggies,I got mine @ Barnes and Noble so get out and buy 1.sVENOUT

           The Birthday Bash was a BLAST! Thanks to the 40 or so VWs who came out to the Hymie Ranch and took in a beautiful day of sunshine, food and VWs...oh and 2 gallons of BEER!!! YUMMY! Big thanks goes out to Ollie Parker, who is the clubs official beer brewer, you da man! Those of us who consumed it, are looking forward to the next batch (my B-day party BASH July 21st @ Tombstone! More info coming!). Anyhow, I always look forward to hanging out with you all, and Sunday was a real good time. I hope you feel the same!
           Click the thumbnails below to view some pics from the Party!

           The last 10 years in this scene have changed my life in so many ways, I can only imagine what the next 10 will bring. I'm already planning next year's Wild Weekend flyer...! Yeah, I'm thinking about a vintage "VW BUS model kit-look"... Stay tuned...

           Hey, do you live in the St Pete area and need a VW mechanic who makes house calls? Well then, you should call my friend (& Club Member) Duane Yarbrough (aka, Oval "D") He is the BEST @ what he does... He knows these motors from front to back, and only charges $25 per hour! (2 hour minimum.) Call him @ 727-501-3798, and tell him Sven sent ya!
           Or hey, do you need some BODY work? Need some pans welded in, or RUST cut out and replaced with METAL? Hey, you & I both know that shit happens, right? Then, you need my other best friend, Joe Morton. He has opened a small shop called, "Chops Shop". He drives that black 1969 baywindow bus with air, that was on the Pier Show! If you saw it, you know what I mean when I say that it's some of the best paint & body work I have ever seen! Call Joe @ 727-542-5267. Oh yeah, he also makes custom roof racks, too!
           Both of these guys will NOT do you wrong! And, your VW will thank you!!!

           Peace @ you all,
           -Sven out

           Well, it was good for me! Was it good for you? Man, it sure was WILD! It was the Best 3 Days yet!
           Let's review... On Friday nite, we saw some REALLY fast Volkswagens, both air and water-cooled, tearing up the 1/4 mile Drag strip. Now, after watching local favorite, "Singlecab Dave", drive his turbo charged Heribie at 109 MPH, with a 12.81 sec. ET, I said, "Too cool!" The fastest VW of the nite, an R32 going 121 MPH, was mind boggling. This car is street legal and is a daily driver. WOW! And, the crowd turnout was great, also. Everyone was partying and taking in all the varieties of VWs. Hey, did anyone see the late-model Cabriolet that was turned into a BBQ? Yeah, they were cooking burgers under the hood and even had a beer tap coming out of the gas cap!!! We left by 11:30, but a lot of people were there for the night, with the whole camping site up and running, taking advantage of the FREE overnight camping...
           Then, the following morning, we arrived @ The Pier around 10AM and started setting up. With the 1st cars arriving by 1PM, we quickly filled up! Yep, I was forced to turn away way too many Volkswagens, because we were SOLD OUT!!! Sorry... The official number was 129 VWs, and the crowd was off the hook! We did the Van Cram and broke another record, with 59 people getting into a late model Bus!

The trophy winners are as follows:

Buses on the Pier 9
Best of Show - People's Choice:
           Monica Cummings, Bradenton, FL - '73 Baja

Sven's Top 25:

           25 - Bill Wallace, West Palm Beach, FL - '63 Beetle
           24 - Duane DeFretas, St. Petersburg, FL - '69 Buggy
           23 - John Olsen, Okeechobee, FL - '63 Beetle
           22 - Brenda Young, Riverview, FL - '72 Super Beetle
           21 - Martin Wil Nielsen, West Melbourne, FL - '60 Double Cab
           20 - Smokey Smeja, Rockford, IL - '65 21-Window
           19 - Luke Gradys, Cape Coral, FL - '63 Single Cab
           18 - Patricia Gomez, Miami, FL - '60 Single Cab
           17 - Stefan Cerf, St. Petersburg, FL - '66 Bus
           16 - Ryan Kiatti, Ft. Myers, FL - '65 Type 34 Karmann Ghia
           15 - John Mihaly, Seminole, FL - '60 Euro Beetle
           14 - Matt Cerone, Brandon, FL - '71 Beetle
           13 - Wendy Martinez, Ocoee, FL - '66 Convertible
           12 - Gus Chennells, Gotha, FL - '75 Type 2
           11 - Corey Hamburg, Fernandina Beach, FL - '58 Beetle
           10 - John & Tamiijo Robinson, St. Petersburg, FL - '67 Westy
             9 - Darrin Mercaho, Holiday, FL - '77 Short Bus
             8 - Joseph Morton, Dunedin, FL - '69 Bus
             7 - Kevin Kopper, Plant City, FL - '57 Beetle
             6 - Ashlie Briggs, Clearwater, FL - '61 Beetle
             5 - John Hudson, Largo, FL - '32 Ford Custom
             4 - Shawn Henry, Riverview, FL - '04 GTI
             3 - Garrett Carpenter, St. Petersburg, FL - No Vehicle
             2 - Pete Caesser, No Fixed Address - '56 Beetle
             1 - Monica Cummings, Bradenton, FL - '73 Baja


           And then, Sunday, we headed off to the Skyway bridge for the mother of all VW convoys. Yeah, I'm talking about "VWs Over the Skyway", and my hopes were set high! I was hoping for a turnout of over 300...! But, this was not the year for that! Though, we did have over 240 VWs in this year's convoy! And, the enthusiasm was off the scale, too! After the trip over the bridge, we arrived at the Boyd Hill Nature Park, in St. Pete, around 12:45PM, which will be called "Volksburg", from now on!!! Yep, we had Busland, Bugville and the Type 3 Zone, all populated with some mighty fine looking vehicles. And, let's not forget our water-cooled brothers... Yes, they were also well represented with some really nice rides! Look for some photos real soon on this Web site, or... go to this link, right now, for over 400 Pier shots! StephensHerbie.com Thanks to everyone who helped make this year's event such a success! See ya next year!

PRETEND MUSIC... IT'S REAL!            Hey, go to PretendMusic.com to checkout & buy some great "Space Music" CDs by my friend, Chris Duffecy. He's just released his 9th CD of original music, titled "A Trick Of Light". It's really great music to get **** to...      Chill.

           Have you heard of Brandon Volkswagen? They are located at 9816 E. Adamo Drive, Tampa, Florida, and if you live in the East Tampa area, this should be your source for parts and service. My wife & I recently purchased a 2004 Passat - 4motion, and let me tell you this, they treated us RIGHT! Sure, it was a long drive from St. Pete to Brandon, just to buy our car... but it was WORTH IT!!! S-E-R-V-I-C-E!!! Our salesman's name was "Reggie", ask for him by name... and, tell him Sven & Gina sent ya!!!

           Have any of you heard about a Web site called, MySpace.com? Chances are, if you have teenagers, they have... It's a place for anyone to connect and network with other people who think alike! Sounds cool, right? Well, they have a HUGE VW fan base, too. The Clubs and Groups Section has a VW Forum for its members to post to and use. And, the whole thing is FREE! Now, it's NO Samba, I'll tell ya right now. But, it is a whole new world for us VW FREAKS who just can't seem to get enough of all things VW! ("Yes Honey, I'll be off the computer soon!")

           And, while you're on the MySpace site, click on the Music Section... It's huge, too! Note: My band has a Page on MySpace! Click this link to view the Page and download MP3s of some of our songs and jamms! MySpace.com/3tribesofthemoon

           Again, it's all about MY SPACE and YOUR SPACE! So, go out there & explore the cyber world around us... This digital domain is yours to control and use!!!

PEACE@you all,
Sven-out

           If your looking for a coool VW gift, then check out this VW-Partsman! They're perfect for the garden, or front yard. They're made out of 100% VW motor parts and will last a lifetime. The creator of these little works of art is "5$ Robb", or Robert Webb, as his mother calls him! The going rate is only a mere $50 each. Call him NOW to reserve yours... He's only gonna make a few, so call NOW... Operators are standing by... Call 727-544-3690... (Also, ask about the "$350 turnkey 1600 rebuilt-motor" special!!!)

The VW-Partsman by Robert Webb

And, if you want a cool Web Site Design for your business, Contact my friend, Chris Duffecy, at CJD Productions / Lucrative Internet Services. He does our Web site.