VOLKSWAGEN TYPE 3
RUN BY Damon Cogman OWNED SINCE 2003 PREVIOUS REPORT April
Since my previous report, the Type 3 has spent the summer months racking up the miles and providing me with reliable, trouble-free transport. How very typical Volkswagen of it. Ahem…
Not only have I been able to fit in a decent selection of classic car events this year, but I also even managed to fill both my boots with camping gear and spent a long weekend in the New Forest as the only classic in the village.
Surrounded by huge modern, purpose-built motorhomes and tents that looked like citadels
from a future planet, my little three-person tent pitched alongside the Type 3 looked
a bit lost. But come the end of the weekend, I enjoyed the five-minute disassembly
and packing it all into the VW, while the other campsite townsfolk barely had time
to undo the myriad guyropes from their über-
tentsʼ perimeters before I cheerily waved them goodbye.
What this minor adventure reinforced was the idea that classics remain ultimately just cars, and as such can be used as something to enjoy all the time, not just reserved for trips to the pub on sunny days. Iʼm sanguine about the odd stone-chip and general wear and tear that come from regular use, and remain committed to using my old VW as much as possible in any weather. The idea that the best form of maintenance is regular exercise seems about right here.
A more conventional use of my classic car was required for the grandly titled ʻClassics at the Clubhouse – Aircooled Editionʼ back in late June. Surrounded by Volkswagens and early Porsches of all sorts, we suprisingly parked on a very exclusive golf course. A very welcome distraction was provided by a smattering of Fiat 500s and a lone Citroën Ami. My usual hit rate at shows of not seeing another Type 3 Fastback was, however, pleasantly ruined by the sighting of a slightly later one to keep mine company.
Next on the Fastyʼs summer calendar was the wonderful Festival of the Unexceptional. Although my 1968 car is about 25 years too old to be part of the cool gang here, it happily sped up the A1 to Grimsthorpe Castle in Lincolnshire to join in with the fun. Modern classics kept their VW grandfather company, while I wandered around doing what everyone does there by saying “I used to have one of those” over and over again. While itʼs perhaps not everyoneʼs cup of hipster mint-and-raspberry tea, FotU is undoubtedly a huge hit for the under 30s and that, in my book, is a fine thing. Iʼm almost sure
