Recreating the Iconic Shot

Flashback to 1999, the end of the first era of Beetle restoration. Three Beetles and a Split Screen Camper faced the home their owners resided; the sun radiating off their roofs and looking glamorous all the while. In 1999, this seemed to be just any old photo that was taken in the midst of a summer's day.

However, this image stuck with me for many years as we'd dig out old memories from when we were young and looking at photo's of my family when I wasn't even born. I was very young when this photo was taken, around about four years old at that point and I'm not really sure why, but this photo stuck with me a lot. This photo was since used to show how our old fleet in my first ever blog post for Caught The VW Bug and also with my presentation I created for my college course this year.

You may be seeing just a photo, but this is an iconic shot that's been etched into my mind and resonated with me throughout growing up, happier times, and simple pleasures of life. That photo really responded to me in a way that summed all of those criteria up in a nutshell because owning Beetle's was something that we used to do when I was little and not now.

Although, when I started to get into the scene with the support of my family, who also got heavily involved and bought other projects, we'd finally have enough Beetles to do something I have always wanted. That was to recreate this iconic shot that meant a lot to me as we are arguably coming out of one of the toughest periods of life to grow up in and despite things still being quite tough, I am enduring one of happiest times of my life where I am doing something I love and could be proud to look back on at a later date or with my kids, much later down the line.

Therefore, I lined up our three best looking Bugs at this moment in time and took that shot, some 15 years later. Here was the result.

Show Report: Goodwood Festival of Speed

No Bugs. Nothing to report, but here's me and a Magic Tree.

I sit here. I sit...

I sit here. I sit... A sense of tranquility is certainly in the air and for the first time in a long time, a great weight has lifted off of my shoulders and I feel incredibly calm about the future proceedings, despite a peculiar situation that's unfolding in front of me.

I sit here. I sit... Not wanting to move away from this feeling that's overcome me, sprinkled with a sense of enormous well-being, forcing me to smile upon retrospect of the moment's I witnessed over the last few days and also the feeling of now, where I feel relaxed, content, confident in myself, making me smile yet again.

I sit here. I sit... enjoying every moment as I'm happy to foreclose a chapter of my life where the wrong people dominated each and every second, leaving you with nowhere to turn, nowhere to run, nowhere to hide but merely inside your lonely self. Yet, right this very second, that's okay with me because it's gone, done and dusted, finito. I smile once again.

I sit here. I sit... wondering where the catalyst lies inside all of these magical feelings that I'm feeling right now. Was it a few weeks back where I finally realised that my unfortunate job position wasn't that much of an issue, or was it that I met a girl who in the last week has showed me indirectly how to be free, calm, and collected. Was it the chance to work for VW Vibe and Rothfink and within that, allowed me to recognise my achievements and improvements made as a fledgling writer. Or was it the power of the little green thing last night, giving me a new sense of belief to feel like I can sing in front of my friends at the top of my voice, when midway through your moment to shine, the senses change and the adrenaline rushes through you as you shake all over, eradicating your woes and worries away in a mere flick of a switch.

I sit here. I sit... believing that every single factor mentioned has allowed me to simply not care about the confidence barriers we all have because people will always love you, whether that is your family, your best mate, a girlfriend or your pet, that inside we shouldn't worry because deep down we're all awesome.

I sit here. I sit... knowing that everything will be okay.

I sit here. I sit... Smiling. I'm happy in myself again.

Press Release #6: VW Vibe Magazine - Fledgling Blogger to Magazine Writer in Just 4 Months

I want to share some very good news to every reader, friend, and family member I haven't told yet.

"Keep it, together" Mimicked the words in my head, originally sung by London Grammar when the news came through at 9am this Friday morning. Already tired and in a bit of an indifferent mood. I lost it. A great weight has been lifted almost because another step in my career has been made and in very rapid pace too.

In just 4 months, I've gone from an occasional blogger to writing for a website, then now. Today. This moment. I've achieved another goal. I'm an actual magazine writer.

I'm actually kind of emotional because looking back from where it all started. It is mega. Absolutely mega. I am writing on a freelancing basis, dropping in stories month to month for the newest VW magazine on the market, VW Vibe. I will be writing on topics supplied to me, for which I'm incredibly pleased and excited to do, but moreover I'm allowed to make my mark as keen Beetle nut, writer and as young inspiration to readers of VW magazines.

This will be in the form of my own Bugs that we restore, but more importantly with a monthly build update on Jake Bugg in his bid to finish him for VolksWorld Show 2015. All this on top of writing articles for them, is incredible.

I'm so happy to be telling you this and I'm not going to say something cheesy like "follow your dream!" because that's what people say when they've completed their aims. My aim is to make my mark on this world, but in the nicest way possible. I am not out to tread on people as I want to see people succeed, I want to see this magazine succeed, and I want to be a part of that.

I would like to thank Jason from Rothfink for getting me in contact with VW Vibe. Rothfink are an incredible company and I'm really happy to be writing for them too!

In future, I will be writing as much as I can for every affiliate I write for, including Rothfink and the blog.

If you missed my first post for Rothfink, please view it here! Another will be on the way soon, getting us psyched for Bug Jam 28!

http://www.rothfink.com/dubs-at-the-park-2014/#.U62I87KPWeY

The Swede's Road Trip

DADosauraus - Rex.

ROAD TRIP! Whenever those two words are said, everyone in the 16-30 demographic immediately think about the 90's teen flick that's synonymous with any journey. Although we didn't travel the length of America to find a hot babe who I met over the internet, as we have Tinder and standards in 2014, I still went on a cheeky road trip with my family.

On the road ahead. #BAZINGA.

Pub action.

Our aim was to find that perfect, picturesque, and quaint setting that can tell a story through a few photo's, the decision was wise because the camera's we own are particularly substandard and cannot deliver the quality of some camera's that are higher in price, quality, and more technologically advanced then a small digital camera. Nonetheless, on a perfect Sunday evening with nothing but raw banter, my iPod, and excellent weather where I could let my hair down and enjoy myself with the wind hitting my face, subsequently pissing everyone off as they get cold in the back seats.

Father and Son. Two nutters at peace.

Heading to Madeira Drive, down the hill.

We decided on heading to Brighton and placed the man of the hour, The Swede 'Ikea' in various settings around the coast of the South East, especially in the quieter and lesser known towns around the vicinity. Much to my father's dismay who had to park the car, move the car, get out of the car, and get out of the shot  to make sure it was perfect was a minor ordeal because old Bug's don't particularly like being fired up a lot in a short space of time. But this was our summer photoshoot, so it was more than understandable.

Outside a pub; overlooking the coast.

Brighton Pier in the distance... and a statue of some runner.

The Swede in his element.

Brighton was simple in getting the images, but with five ravaging and hungry beasts in a Beetle, we NEEDED food. Thus, looking for a restaurant that we could safely park The Swede by, proved virtually impossible. Driving through numerous towns, some more desolate than others (sorry people of Southwick, it's a dump); in a bid to find somewhere to eat. Several pubs and restaurants were considered but we didn't want to consume food and receive a food coma, especially not another burger after we went out on the Friday to celebrate my sister's birthday. Before you ask, I didn't buy her anything alpaca related. Sadly.

A beautiful setting outside a pub, too bad they had NO food on a Sunday.

So as you'd expect, we end up in McDonald's because we hate burgers and that. What our family's thought processes are, I don't know because they certainly aren't like any other family's.  

The settings were lovely, as well as the photo's we ended up getting on our road trip. I will post the best one's here with every photo heading over to Pinterest (Hipstergram) for everyone's viewing. Thank you to my sister too who is handy with her iPhone, snapping the alternative angles to my images, giving us a further set of photo's to play around with.

DANGER, DANGER, HIGH VOLTAGE!

SCUM. GET HIM. CHARGEEEEEEE!

I'm really pleased with our images and it more than rounded off an excellent week.

TL;DR.Got cool pics and McDonald's is always a food safe haven, they even sleep there in Japan. Maybe I will set up a burger homeless shelter in a humanitarian project one day.

OK, we caved. Where the adventure concluded.

LENNON GOT SHOT #ProgressReport 1

Now I've captured your attention with a lovely and bold headline, I'll inform you of a progress report for Lennon, the new arrival.

As with any project, you need to start by getting your slobbery steed in the car and take photo's of him rolling around and jumping. Here's my dog Archie in his first snaps with Caught The VW Bug in the opening ceremony before the work takes place with my new car!

"Go on Archie, smile for the camera."

Man of the hour, Archie

After Archie had his fun rolling around, jumping on the seats and looking more excited than ever, I proceeded to start working on the car... RIGHT AFTER I hoovered the floor out for half an hour with all the hair. Hindsight really is a wonderful thing these days but I couldn't deny the chance of my dog riding shotgun like Smokey & The Bandit.

Apologies.

The interior that was in the car, before it was stripped out. (Horrible)

Firstly, I had to work on treating the rust. This involved removing the seats from their bases to have space to maneuver around the car, then cleaning the car with yet more vacuuming to clean up the cabin from any small pieces of loose, rusty metal which original formed part of the chassis before being eaten away by the elements over time.

Then it's time to paint the rusty spots with rust eater! This is a remarkable tool because after 24 hours, you're essentially ready to chip away at the rusty spots and fix'er'up! Painting in the heat on Sunday while your mates are sunning themselves, nursing a hangover was a necessity sadly as I am running a quick turnaround to get this car on the road. The quote of the weekend is best practice here, as I was painting in what felt like the "stlifling heat of Manaus".

The cum-my looking stuff is the rust eater after being painted. Rusty around that area could have meant a fire?

As soon as I had done that with several water breaks and a minute out to sell the PARTS WAGON, I was ready to rest for lunch. Smashing out a cheese toasty and a rather dull Austrian GP later (as they all are), I worked with my dad to rip out the engine. Why? The engine is making an awful popping sound, like a motocross bike so it wasn't running right at all and needed a once over. It was more than a once over when the 4 bolts holding the engine together were loosened and the Bug's heart was RIPPED OUT OF HIM with blood SPEWING EVERYWHERE AND NUMEROUS BYSTANDERS STOOD, SHOCKED AND STUNNED, CONSOLIDATING THEIR THOUGHTS ON THE EVENT THAT PROCEEDED THEM... and then voila, the engine was out.

HE'S OUT!

"Go on Christian, smile for the camera." Myself buoyant after ripping out the engine.

I have absolutely no idea which bolt goes where. Well Jeremy Clarkson built a car with no washers, what can possibly go wrong?

Hard at work in the sick bay.

 

From there, my dad spotted the problem.What happened was the cylinder head has been melted, thus warped in shape and from there letting air into the cylinders and valves, producing a misfire.

Note the wear on the right hand side, that's the issue at hand.

We later spotted that Lennon had a FIRE WITH PEOPLE TRAPPED, BEGGING FOR HELP from something as loose as a spark plug when he endured a torrid time with his previous, neanderthal of an owner. That then sparked, causing the engine to melt and sending a spark through to the battery which too caught light, thus melting the rear seat and kickplates and potentially smashing the windscreen in the rear, leading to a later replacement... I don't know, I might just be surmising.

Melted spark plug

See where the seat as been melted all along the back.

How the hell it still runs and looks good on the outside, I really don't know. But the problem has been sourced!

Overall, pretty pleased with the effort over the weekend! Thanks to handyman Dad!

Join me next time for a sick wicked road trip down south and the hunt for food that followed.

Need a Writer? I'm Your Man.

"If you're gonna do it, do it right, right, do it with me."

As you might have established, I am actually really enjoying writing. If you ever need a man that can write, let me know as I write just about anything you well want.

My contact is veedubdubdub@gmail.com. See you there.

Meet the Team: Lennon

"Imagine all the Beetle's, driving for today."

Meet Lennon. It's only natural that the naming of my cars after The Beatles has continued and this time, it's very, very fitting. 

McCartney went solo the other week and I'm sure he'll attend big events such as the Queen's 500th Jubilee and do just fine. However, living in the moment, Lennon has joined the team in the replacement of 'Daily Driver'.

Setting foot onto new territory. I'm glad he didn't piss himself or leak oil.

Why did I call him Lennon? I will explain the thought process:

• Numberplate letters are NYC, the place where we lost the great icon.
• Lennon's colour is lemon, similar sounding names there.
• His last owner lived on Abbey Road. 

THIS IS SO PERFECT.

There could be more variables somewhere, but I'm far too excited to truthfully think that deeply. I'm sure that more will pop up in future posts. 

ARRIVAL.

Lennon is a 1967 Bug, a 1500cc engine which McCartney had and what Jake's original engine was. Effectively, Jake and McCartney are loose relatives of Lennon and all three of my cars have been named after music stars; a coincidence mind you. He needs a little bit of work, but I'm so excited to get my hands dirty as soon as I can. I'm looking to get him on the road shortly, so if anyone wants a ride when he is ready please enquire within. (if you're reading and thinking unsavoury thoughts, shame on you.)

As Lennon is so similar to Jake's plan to be Cream, this does mean he will undergo a different colour in his respray, but that will all be revealed tomorrow. Therefore, I'm about 87.9% sure that I'm going to take the punt and stick some lime green interior in there to represent my quirks and outlandish style. It sounds a bit jazzy and it will probably look a bit jazzy, but believe me it will be a good one.

Lennon and Lime. There's another one.

Meet the Team: Ikea 'The Swede'

Ronnie Peterson.
Lisbeth Salander.
Benny.
Bjorn.
Eric Prydz.
Zlatan Ibrahimovic
Sven Goran Eriksson.
Ikea?

Yes, Ikea. I'll get onto that later...

It was just one year ago when I embarked on the wild journey ahead of my new hobby, starting out with the less desirable variants of the iconic Beetle, such as Parker and Lola to name a couple of projects. The family always had the dream of owning the earlier, more desired models of the Beetle family which are generally regarded as any Bug from the pre-1967 era in years to come. Years of experience in the previous chapter of the wild Beetle hobby which continued until the early 00's.


Our aims and dreams came true. My dad, the nutty professor got old. Apparently being old means you can have a present. Imagine a world when you get to the age where you've worked all your life and at the end of it you can have a really awesome present in the form of your wildest dream. Ah, me neither.

Setting the preface nicely, I'm extremely proud to reveal our latest arrival, a 1966 LHD (Left Hand Drive) 1300 Beetle who originally spent his days in Sweden. It was shipped to the UK in 2011 and lovingly looked after by their previous owners until today.

#CrapPhotoshop

You'd assume that I'd give it a strong, well thought of name with lots of reasons to why but not this time. He's dubbed as 'The Swede' but his official name is, Ikea. Ikea, wonderfully stereotypical but universally loved at the same time. Sadly this Bug didn't arrive on the trailer flat packed nor does he act as a piece of excellent furniture with a fancy name like Gävle, however, Ikea's a truly awful name. I like truly awful, although I do prefer questionably awful.

Bazinga! That's a keeper.

Original light blue paint, original headlining and patina, original wheels and several owners that loved and looked after this icon. The, to put it simply, incredible paintwork isn't the same shade of Doris, although the dark lighting doesn't truly represent the subtle change in hue of Ikea's paintwork in comparison to Doris. Ikea is more of a greener shade of the beautiful blue.

Because 'The Swede' came from Scandinavia, this means he's left hand drive. For anyone that's been in a left hand drive car, it's quite an experience to go for a quick spin round the town sitting in what is the drivers side in the UK (Right hand side) with nothing but a lap belt and the utmost trust in your chauffeur. In addition, 'The Swede' has extra accessories, such as a fuel heater for when the weather hit sub zero in the Nordic Winter's as well as the fuel cap is inside the boot, thus having to open up the hood to start filling; a novelty experience.

Original and rare seats. Note the steering wheel on the left hand side.

'The Swede' will be entered in shows and if I am truthfully honest, he's got a damn good chance of picking up some strong results, showing up the stalwarts of the scene in the process.

TL;DR - We got a new 1966 Bug, he looks awesome, pictures included.

Remember when I hit my sister with a fish in Ikea after the Ace Cafe event? Well if not, here was that magical moment again. I suppose that's where we got the name from. I had a flag from Ikea. I liked that. The meatballs are certainly recommended.

'AVE IT

Parker Successfully Completes Rehab

It's official. I'm happy to announce that Parker has been sold. He joined us in a quite a state and gained notoriety status for his entrance to our rehabilitation unit. It's been an interesting journey as Parker has been through our programme with a new heart transplant, skin grafting and a new stomach lining in the form of a brand new interior, with charcoal grey seat covers.

We didn't fully heal Parker. This doesn't mean we failed our objectives as we had a few issues with his new heart. Firstly, the blood wasn't getting to his heart with full flow and thus struggled to turn over when we fired the ignition up. After a while, Parker's blood transfusion did prove to be successful, but troubles with his camshaft means that he's going to be sold as seen, with a pacemaker attached. We could only do so much with the time frame allotted.




Fear not, Parker has been admitted with his new owners into a health clinic to monitor his progress and thus remove his pacemaker to allow him to become a fully restored Bug.

He's about 90% there, his rust has been repaired and a new paint job, interior, and engine. Parker was only ever going to be a project and I'm pleased we're at a stage, albeit not as far as we'd hoped, where we can send him on his way.

The decision to sell our Bugs sold as seen isn't one of poor finish quality, or reliability, but rather there are more, older, and far better Bugs on the way. I can't report on these yet. However, I'm really excited for their arrivals. I will be in a new Bug soon, we're unsure what that may be, but it's still very exciting to reveal. My dad, the mad scientist and handy man, will also be in a new Bug, adding to the roster a '65 Swedish LHD car in the process.

As a result, over the space of 14 months, 8 Beetles would have touched our illustrious driveway.

EIGHT.
.
.
.
.

YES, EIGHT.

This is an addiction in action.

In the coming days, I will be announcing their arrivals as and when (if I'm not busy down the pub or indulging in less than savory activities) they set their four tyres on the ground. In the meantime, unite in supporting your country for the World Cup.

See you then.

Going on a Road Trip? Alpaca Lunch.

Beetles and road trips go hand in hand like breakdowns and the RAC, it usually ends in disappointment. You worry more about your membership card over your wallet and house keys, and wonder why on earth did you even set out on the road when the World Cup is on.

HOWEVER. Road trips are always good fun, excellent fun in fact. Purely because the anticipation and rare celebration of your Beetle arriving to your destination is always a great reason to crack open a bottle of bubbly at every possible moment, if the heater channels haven't stuck on and warmed up your champagne upon arrival that is, which cannot be guaranteed.

Now the weather has started to pick up, giving us some marvelously hot days and beautiful sunsets, going out for a leisurely drive has never appealed to any classic VW owner more than ever. It's fantastic to see the classics out on the bumpy, cracked and pothole ridden roads of the United Kingdom on a Sunday morning, with your aftermarket speakers setting the atmosphere just right for the roads ahead.

I can imagine it now, driving really is a sensory experience right from the get go. Undoing the crusty lock, jumping into the cockpit that has that distinctive, church-y smell. Firing up the car (cursing profusely if it is slow in starting) and pulling away from the driveway, setting out on your travels.

It's awesome having the window down, with your hair in the wind and your stereo blaring out the latest tracks, guilty pleasures, or just Wham!, right down to the abrupt end where your car breaks down, three miles later with a camshaft failure and the strong smell of petrol blowing into the cabin, making you delirious to believing that you're rolling to a halt. OK, the last past never usually happens, but listening to Wham! usually does.

So every VW owner out this summer, dig out your pride and joy's, take your RAC card with you and travel the country far and wide! If you're reading this and own a Corsa or a KA, I strongly suggest you watch Game of Thrones, or the World Cup, or Countryfile.

P.S. I'm not sure where the Alpaca reference came from. I touched one once, that was a great day. I was happy.

Hipster Alpaca

Passion and Heartfelt

Warning, young man with beard wanting hook up.

Life has dealt all of us some pretty shitty hands over the years, whether that's a family loss, a termination of employment or seeing your home and all your property repossessed, it's a tough life. These setbacks are just part of who we are as people.

Myself for example, I could easily say that 2014 has been perhaps the toughest year yet after losing my job and being unsuccessful in finding a new one permanently. This has been tough for me as I'm still young and only completed my secondary school studies a year ago, so the fear of unknown is somewhat greater than someone who's been through these feelings before. I also haven't got the willpower or financial backing to complete further study after stories of the crippling debt that people live with and inevitably the worry that ensues.

Therefore, I turned to a hobby last year, in the form of... well, owning a car really. Not just any car, but a Beetle. Something that has surrounded me in my early years of life and certainly throughout my family's. That quickly turned into two, then three, then two again and then as many as six in the space of a year, with another two on the way. It's not just a hobby, it slowly turned into a passion of mine and something I love to do.

From that, I then turned to set up a blog. The blog was only for myself to read back in years to come, but even that has taken off to a level I would never have expected. The fact that even my family or just one person on the other side of this small world actually takes interest, brings a tear to my eye because that's an achievement to me. Someone else's day has been influenced by my rudimentary comments or the small insight into my life that I have divulged to the world on an idle Wednesday evening, filling the void of the lack of Eastenders in the week.

It's taken me about five months, no doubt some ups and some downs have been experienced although now I write for three websites as well as the blog and my name is slowly growing in the VW scene as a blogger and subject matter expert. We own some cars we can be certainly proud of and an interested and passionate family once again, running around and getting stuck in to the projects to ensure our pride and joy's authenticity.

Truthfully, I haven't seen a penny for anything I've written, and right now, it's the least of my woes. I'm happy because I have a hobby I enjoy and a channel of media that people are taking note of as the posts I write improve and this becomes more and more fun for me. Other cultural factors such as the change in commercial music and fashion has made me happier as well as the social side of my life, which is always a great asset to retain.

The first half of 2014 wasn't so bad after all, but never give up with what you want to do. This blog is only the start and those wild and inconceivable dreams might just come true at some point in life.

Press Release #5: My Buddy Rodrigo

I've been a very busy writer. An interest in blogging and writing has become more and more prevalent in my free time (and work time) and I'm excited to be spreading my name out as an editor and writer.

Last week, I announced I was writing for alternative giants in the VW scene, Rothfink.com, which at the time of writing, my first post has been sent over for moderation so I will be pleased to announce that soon!

This week, I am proud to announce that I am writing on a website with an excellent idea. If you've got the money but not the expertise then never fear. My buddy Rodrigo is the man with the plan. His idea at Volkswagen Project Build (www.vwprojectbuild.com) is a crowdfunded one. Simply donate a sum of money and Rodrigo gets the job done. This is an incredibly unique idea and nothing in the scene has ever been reported of crowdfunding a restoration of a car.

I will be on the site as the UK representative to provide an insight into restoration, with some tips and points to look out for, as well as a story from time to time. 

My first two posts has already been published as well as a post by Rodrigo himself. I provide the content and Rodrigo works his magic with a catchy title and placing the images.

Here's the links, show your support!

Welcome: http://www.vwprojectbuild.com/2014/06/welcome-to-crew-christian-tracey.html

Interview: http://www.vwprojectbuild.com/2014/06/watch-out-tracey-is-rollin.html

The Blank Canvas: http://www.vwprojectbuild.com/2014/06/a-blank-canvas-bring-em-back.html

All Done and Dusted

It's an end of the first chapter, the paintwork finished, the papers signed and handed over to the new owners, with McCartney firing up for the last time at our house, on his way to a new, loving family.

It's been fun, but it marks the start of a new era within Caught the VW Bug, with one new recruit arriving and more time to spend on the projects, it means that all is not lost. Rather, it's just beginning. 

Typically miserable teenager or sombre mood, make that of what you will.

Pay & Spray: McCartney's Home Respray

As announced earlier in the week, McCartney is off on his travels this Friday, which means he needs to be suitably repaired before he heads to his new home over in Kent, the garden of England (absolutely full of old people). This required a new in-house respray at home with our technical guru and my dad, Dad to sort the ageing and cracking paint job.

McCartney has always had a little problem with his paint as the primer on the car already, dating back from an original resto in 2003, had been left outside for far too long, leaving the car to get damp. This then meant that the paint has become porous, meaning that the dreaded rust has been coming back ever since and showing through the paint.

Although, we tackled the paint job and here he is, a few days into this busy week with McCartney cut back, rust removed from the body, and primed ready for respray. 

It's one more day before I truly say farewell, the interior has also been changed which we will hold on to, mainly because it's so goddamn gorgeous. 

More to follow!