Thanks!

A big thank you to everyone who was a part of this great Type 3 weekend. Whether you drove a Type 3, rode shotgun, or lent a hand to help, you were an essential part of making it a success.

The 21 Type 3s that attended spanned the production run and model range:

'61 Type 34 cabriolet (Lee Hedges, Sabre Springs, CA)
'61 Notchback (Shin of TOA International, Yokohama, Japan)
'62 Notchback (Eric and Kathleen Hand, Lodi, CA)
'62 Notchback (Gizmo Bob Walton, Hacienda Heights, CA)
'63 Notchback (Alex of ISP West, Carson, CA)
'63 sunroof Notchback (Jason Weigel, Seattle, WA)
'64 Type 34 (Jack Fisher, Imperial Beach, CA)
'64 Type 34 (Gizmo Bob Walton, Hacienda Heights, CA)
'64 Type 34 (Dave Whitaker, Central Valley, CA)
'65 sunroof Type 34 (Larry Edson, Campbell, CA)
'65 Notchback (Eric Farnsworth, Arroyo Grande, CA)
'65 Notchback (Jimmynotch, Sacramento, CA)
'65 sunroof Type 34 (Tom Reay, Los Osos, CA)
'65 Squareback (Michael Runyon, Orange, CA)
'66 Fastback (Andy Kimball, Tustin, CA)
'66 turbo Fastback (A.J. Sims of Low Bugget, Orange, CA)
'67 sunroof Fastback (Jim Maljanian, Sierra Madre, CA)
'67 sunroof Fastback (Steve Noll, Santa Cruz, CA)
'68 sunroof Squareback (Josh Lewis, Orange County, CA)
'71 Squareback (David Aveson, West Covina, CA)
'73 RHD Notchback (Glenn, Huntington Beach, CA)

One of the best things about the weekend was how everyone pitched in to help. It was a truly collaborative effort. I was responsible for the graphics and some publicity and coordination, but Tom and Terri Reay did almost all of the heavy lifting -- the planning, coordinating, securing use of the Borradori Garage, the awesome BBQ and cooking, and bringing it all together -- a huge amount of work that really paid off. In addition to Tom and Terri’s efforts, the weekend could never have been the success it was without the help of:

• The Borradori Family and Stuart Selkirk of Cayucos Cellars -- making the garage available to us (and thanks to LJ for putting in the word for us)
• Lee Hedges, Jason Weigel, and Scott McWilliams -- advance publicity, getting the word out
• Mike Runyon -- getting the OC/South Bay caravan together
• Dave Whitaker -- BBQ transport
• Stuart Selkirk, Jason Weigel, Lee Hedges, Scott Perry, and Jack Fisher -- moving the old Mack truck inside the garage
• Lee Hedges -- car show judge and parking coordinator
• David Aveson, Lee Hedges, Larry Edson, Scott Perry, Eric and Suzanne Farnsworth, and Brian and Diana O'Kelly -- event set up for Saturday night
• Scott Perry, Lee Hedges, Larry Edson, Jack Fisher, and Jack's daughters Kendall and Emma -- food prep
• Terri Reay, Cathy Callahan, Suzanne Farnsworth, and Jack, Kendall, and Emma Fisher -- desserts and cake decoration
• Jimmynotch -- sound system, stunts, and general mayhem
• Larry Edson and Dave Whitaker -- Sunday morning grocery store run
• Brian and Diana O'Kelly -- video, overall event support, and clean up
• Gizmo Bob Walton -- for having the foresight to bring a tow vehicle and enough tools spare parts to build a Type 3 from scratch (and for letting me drive his Type 34!)
• Omni Design Group -- oversize printing and accommodating Tom's event planning hours
• Firestone Walker Brewing Company -- for all that they do
• Everybody -- great photo documentation, donations, and making the time and effort to be a part of it

Thanks everyone!

Type 3s heading north on Highway 1

Thanks to Brian O'Kelly (Chair, California Central Coast Chapter of the Vintage VW Club of America) for capturing this video of Friday's caravan heading north toward Big Sur. Brian and Diana O'Kelly provided great support for the event all weekend. Thanks!

The weekend wrapup

The 50 Years of the Type 3 weekend was an incredible 4 days of Type 3 driving centered around the historic Borradori Garage in Cayucos on California’s central coast. 21 Type 3s (8 notchbacks, 3 squarebacks, 4 fastbacks and 6 Type 34s) and about 50 people attended. A great time was had by all.

Early on Friday a caravan of 11 Type 3s drove up Highway 1 from Cayucos to the lower part of Big Sur and back, about a 120 mile round trip. We stopped at the Lucia Lodge for lunch and the beautiful view of the Pacific coastline.













On Saturday morning everyone met again at the garage — everyone meaning the 11 cars that had cruised up the coast on Friday and 9 more, including a caravan from Orange County. We headed up into the hills above Cayucos for a beautiful 30-mile drive through the countryside. Other than one car with a malfunctioning injection system, being hassled a little by the Five-O, and a stretch of rough road that vexed the lowered cars a bit, the drive was perfect. We then showed up at the Cambria Oktoberfest, where Type 3s totally dominated the all-German car show. Later in the afternoon we all headed back to the garage for a Santa Maria-style tri-tip barbeque thanks to grillmaster Tom Reay, Type 3-shaped desserts (!), and a champagne toast to the Type 3′s 50th birthday. Perfect ending to a perfect day.











On Sunday morning we all met again at the Borradori Garage for breakfast. A casual observer would assume this had been planned all along, but Terri Reay only came up with the idea of a tri-tip and egg burrito breakfast at about 10pm the night before. Everyone pitched in and it came together perfectly. After breakfast and some cleanup everyone began to go their separate ways. What a great weekend of driving!






Many more photos from the weekend can be seen here.

Meet at the Borradori Garage tomorrow

Tomorrow morning (Saturday) we'll be meeting at 10 a.m. at the Borradori Garage on N. Ocean instead of the Cayucos Pier parking lot as originally planned. They're pretty much right next to each other, but just want to avoid any potential confusion.

Today's drive up to Big Sur on Highway 1 was incredible. There will be a lot more (and better) photos to come, but here are a couple of cameraphone shots to hold you over:

Getting ready to roll

Just a few more days to go before the Central Coast cruise weekend! At this point we have over 20 cars and over 30 people confirmed.

If you don't already have a place to stay you may have to look outside of Cayucos to Morro Bay or San Luis Obispo for a place, since there are a number of Central Coast events over the weekend (including Sunset Magazine's "Savor the Central Coast" festival -- yes, we may be rubbing shoulders with some "foodies"), and there are always a lot of tourists, roadtrippers and weekenders on the coast this time of year, so most of the hotels are already booked solid. Tom alerted me to the possibility of a very limited number of tent camping spots at the Bella Vista in Cayucos, so if you're interested in finding out more you should contact Tom asap. There are also campsites available at Morro Strand State Park, which is at the very north end of Morro Bay, for about $36 a night (plus $10 for each additional vehicle). It's only 4 miles from Cayucos, so not bad option if you're into camping. Whether or not you plan to camp it would be a good idea for everyone to bring a folding camp chair or two.

There are a few things to be prepared for this weekend. One is the weather: the Central Coast is a little cooler than points south -- below 70°F during the day and low 50s at night. You San Diego dudes will probably wear shorts and flipflops no matter what, but as for the rest of you be advised that it might get a little chilly at night, so prepare accordingly. At least there's no rain in the forecast at this point.

Also, be prepared for higher gas prices than you might be used to, especially as we drive up the coast on Highway 1. The price for regular in Cayucos is about $4.20 and prices will go up as we go north. There are a limited number of gas stations between Cayucos and Big Sur so it's always a good idea to keep your tank topped up.

There's always the question of what tools and spare parts to bring. A basic road tool kit should be fine, and between all of us I'm sure we'll have the tools to handle whatever may come up. When it comes to parts and expendables it couldn't hurt to bring ignition parts (points, condenser, rotor, plugs), fuel hose, bulbs, and some oil. The better prepared among us might also consider a generator belt, clutch and accelerator cables, valve cover gaskets, etc. Again, between all of us we'll probably have everything covered.

Looking forward to seeing everyone there!

Route maps for Friday and Saturday

Here are the planned routes for Friday's and Saturday's cruises. Red indicates the drive to the day's destination and blue is the return trip (and purple is where the red and blue routes overlap).

Friday, September 29: Highway 1 to lower Big Sur and back


View 50 Years of the VW Type 3: Friday's route in a larger map

Saturday, October 1: Mountain roads to Cambria and back via the coast


View 50Years of the VW Type 3: Saturday's route in a larger map

If you can't start the cruise with the group please try to join us where you can.

Rare beasts on the California Central Coast

The steering wheel on the left is one hint that this photo wasn't taken in South Africa. Feral zebras descended from those released from William Randolph Hearst's private zoo over 60 years ago are often seen grazing with cattle in fields adjacent to Highway 1 near San Simeon. Tom Reay took these shots the other day while driving up the coast to Big Sur. Hopefully there will be some zebra sightings on the cruise!

Time to book your hotel for the weekend

It's time to make reservations for your Central Coast accommodations, especially if you're planning on being there for the whole weekend. Some hotels and motels in Cayucos are already getting booked up, so you should act now for the best options.


Photo of Cayucos by Adam Solen, courtesy of Wikipedia Commons.

Here are a couple of sites with local hotel listings:
cayucosbythesea.com
Cayucos Chamber of Commerce

If you're interested in camping you should look into the Bella Vista, a 1960s trailer park that's near the center of town in Cayucos and just around the corner from the Borridori Garage. Perfect for that vintage Eriba Puck. It may already be fully booked at this point, but it might be worth contacting them to see if there still are any openings.

If you can't find a place to stay in Cayucos, Morro Bay is very close by, and you'll find more options in San Luis Obispo and Cambria, which are only a little farther away.

The Borradori Garage

Big news: We are getting the Borradori Garage as the venue for Saturday night's activities! The iconic Borradori Garage has been a landmark overlooking the Pacific in Cayucos for over 60 years. It's a classic example of American roadside automobilia and it's almost never open to the public, so this is quite a big score!

Now's the time to start making plans to attend. Remember that there is no registration fee to participate — the only cost involved is the all-German car show and Oktoberfest in Cambria ($25) plus what ever you want to spend for hotel rooms and food. Hotel reservations should be made soon. It would be best to stay in Cayucos, but Morro Bay, San Luis Obispo, Los Osos and Cambria are not that far away either.

These pictures Tom shot today speak for themselves.

The Weekend Itinerary

The itinerary for the weekend is tightening up. Here’s what it looks like as of now:

Thursday, September 29
Thursday evening we meet up in Cayucos. We’ll probably get together at a restaurant and tavern called Schooner’s Wharf.

Friday, September 30
We start with a driver’s meeting at 10 a.m., and then head up Highway 1 toward Plaskett Creek in southern Big Sur. Along the way we’ll stop at San Simeon Bay and Piedras Blancas, home to the elephant seals. There’s a great beach at Plaskett Creek called Sand-Dollar, and we’re thinking about getting something to eat at the Lucia Lodge, a historic restaurant with a great view. On the way back we’ll stop at Ragged Point and Cambria, and we’ll be back in Cayucos by around 4 p.m. Then everyone will be on their own in the evening to see the sights, have dinner or just relax.


Elephant seals at Piedras Blancas

Saturday, October 1
We’ll meet up at 10:30 a.m. and head up Old Creek Road into the coastal mountains, then back down Santa Rosa Creek Road to Cambria by noon. There we’ll spend the afternoon at the German Car Show and Oktoberfest at the Cambria Veterans Hall. All Type 3s will be able to participate in the car show, and the entry fee also gets two people into the Oktoberfest for beer and brauts. There is a $25 entry fee for the car show, and you’ll need to submit an entry form to the Cambria Oktoberfest by September 18 (print out the entry form below).



Afterward we’ll head back down the coast to Cayucos, where we’ll have an evening get together and celebration. Still working out the evening details, but it’s going to be great.

Sunday, October 2
There will be a loosely organized drive through the San Luis Obispo wine country for some beautiful scenery and wine tasting.

We’ll post updates and much more information as things develop, so keep an eye on the blog. If you’re already planning to attend, please confirm by commenting on this post or contacting us by email. We hope we'll see you there!

Frankfurt Auto Show, September 1961

The VW 1500 range was first officially presented to the public at the 40th Internationale Automobil Austellung (IAA, informally known as the Frankfurt Auto Show), which was held from September 21–October 1, 1961.


A VW dealer showroom in September 1961. An IAA poster can be seen at the far right.



The Volkswagen presentation at the IAA.


The 1500 Ghia cabriolet is shown to German President Heinrich Lübke at Karmann's IAA display.

The Central Coast Type 3 Celebration coincides with the 50th anniversary of the last few days of the 1961 IAA. Don't miss the opportunity to mark this important milestone!

Get ready for an epic Type 3 weekend

What better way to mark the 50th anniversary of the introduction of the VW Type 3 than a cruise with friends along the beautiful Central California coast?