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Fri Sep 18, 2009 12:45 am

Hey all,

I've never been one for naming my cars or buses. But I think my 55 Deluxe might be the exception. I bought it here almost a month before the VW Classic this year and as always was curious about the history. There's a sticker in the rear window that reads "Kershaw Knives" and I got a copy of the original title which had the name Pete Kershaw on it. So I thought I'd use these here intarwebs to poke around a bit and see what I could uncover.

I easily found kershawknives.com which is still very much in business. I couldn't find any email addresses though, so I tried spamming to every variation of pete@, peter@, pete.kershaw@, etc...but they all bounced back. So as a last ditch effort I used the contact form on the site. I basically said "Hi, I've got your old bus. I'm trying to find any info you might have on it" (but in a nicer way).

Just a day later I got a reply! I thought I'd share it with you. I've added some commentary in blue.

Hi Scott,

I'm so glad that you made the effort to contact me. I have been retired from Kershaw Knives for more than ten years. Fortunately some of my old staff are still around so your email was sent to me.

I do have a few old black and white pictures and will gladly send copies to you. Woohoo!!!

Here is a short history of "Vern" Volkswagen.

My dad bought it in Aug. 1955 from Morse Motors in Medford. Price $2,700. Note...the value has gone up just a touch :) Actually a high price for a car at that time considering a '55 Chevy Bel Air sold for around $2,000. I was 16 at the time and my dad also bought for me a VW sedan with a sun roof as my first car. It was $1,800. so you can see that the Micro Bus was sold for a premium price.

As far as I know, this van was the second one delivered in Oregon. The importer and distributor was Riveria Motors in Portland. The owner/pres. Knute Kavale kept the first one. Holy crap! Anyone have large format Riviera plate frames?

Yes, the original color was brown on top and reddish orange on the bottom. Very unique colors at the time. And even now!

My dad owned pear orchards near Medford and he drove it for many years. While I was still at home in the late 50's I used it a lot for fishing and skiing. I can still remember freezing cold nights sleeping in it up at Crater Lake during the winter. yikes...no kidding!

Later on when my wife and I started our company, Kershaw Knives in 1974, I brought it to Portland and had it repainted the yellow and white. Don't ask me why those colors. We used it for a few years as a local pickup and delivery van.

From about 1980 until I sold it in about '96 it resided quietly inside our warehouse. I would start it every six months or so and on several occasions won small bets from the lads in our company who said that it wouldn't fire up. In my reply I told him he could still be winning those bets!

I hated to sell old Vern...and turned down a much higher price form a guy who wanted to turn it into a "Hippie Van". Back off, Hippie! Without looking it up, I can't rember the name of the nice young fellow I sold it to, but I had his word that he would treat it with respect.

I would love to see your progress and how old Vern looks. I'm so pleased that such a special old vehicle is in good hands.

Cheers, Pete Kershaw

Anyway, I'll post any photos I get from him up here as well as keep track of the progress. So far I've just put on the bias-plys and gone through the brakes. I've gathered a couple of small parts that it needs. I've also been slowly trying to strip the yellow/white paint away. So far any paint I've removed has left amazing original color underneath. It's very encouraging to see what's still there.

Vern - 2009

Fri Sep 18, 2009 12:59 am

Great story !!

Fri Sep 18, 2009 2:04 am

Thanks for sharing, I really enjoy these type of stories. Please share more pics. The bus looks super solid!

Cris

Fri Sep 18, 2009 6:35 am

That's awesome, Scott!

Not sure Oregon had oversized plates in the 50s. I've got a Riviera Motors frame on my camper, tho.

Fri Sep 18, 2009 6:44 am

I believe I met the guy who bought that bus from the old guy.
He told me he tried for years to buy it, until the guy finally sold it to him. This was some years ago.
I saw him again after he got back from some years overseas in the Peace Corps or some such, and was thinking of 'restoring' it. But I think his priorities really were elsewhere.

Was that who you got it from?

Glad it has gone to a good home!

Fri Sep 18, 2009 6:50 am

It's always great to find the real history on any vehicle but specially cool to get it from the original source! 8)

Fri Sep 18, 2009 7:10 am

Hey Clara,

No, as far as I can tell I'm at LEAST owner #3, but more likely #4. At the Treffen last weekend I found a stack of old registrations in the passenger door pocket, so I need to record those as well. Of course it was Greg that inspired me to even attempt this with those amazing photos he found of the Westy. I think my search was a LOT easier than his, though.

Can't wait to see some of this history!

Fri Sep 18, 2009 7:14 am

Cool story, I have a couple Kershaw knifes: that makes it even cooler!

Fri Sep 18, 2009 7:53 am

Good work Scott! That is awesome.

You are #4 I believe, because the guy in Portland sold it to a guy in L.A..

Fri Sep 18, 2009 8:05 am

that is awesome. I have always been a huge fan of kershaw knives, i have one in my pocket as we speak. This story makes me even more loyal to those blades. congrats scott!

Fri Sep 18, 2009 8:40 am

Great story. Post up some paint removal pics!! (bigger ones!)

Fri Sep 18, 2009 8:46 am

A 1955 Oregon license plate is the same size as they are now.

Fri Sep 18, 2009 9:11 am

Darn Oregon and their standardization!! :)

Fri Sep 18, 2009 9:32 am

Awesome story Scott.

I thought you were owner #5?
Original Owner
Seller in Portland - "Peace Corps guy"
Buyer in S. CA
Richard in S. CA (seller to you)
You

Fri Sep 18, 2009 9:38 am

Nice story. I really think you should repaint it to the original Brown and Orange, that color combination would seem sick on a bus. The fact that it was the 2nd bus ever in Oregon, congrats man. Something very unique. "Oh yeah, well I own the second 55 to ever grace the state of Oregon" Truely unique. I wish I could dig up some back story on my bus, as it doesn't seem to have ever been a true hippy bus, or it probably wouldn't have survived. Great read.

Fri Sep 18, 2009 9:43 am

ScottMcW wrote: As far as I know, this van was the second one delivered in Oregon. The importer and distributor was Riveria Motors in Portland. The owner/pres. Knute Kavale kept the first one.
Scott, I don't think this is true as I'm sure there were a few Barndoor Deluxes delivered to Portland?

Major Woody wrote: A 1955 Oregon license plate is the same size as they are now.
I am not a license plate expert but:
This plate is 5 7/16" x 11 15/16" which is smaller than a modern plate.
Modern plates are approx. 6" x 12".
http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/album_page.php?pic_id=598230

The holes don't line up with a later VW plate frame.

Fri Sep 18, 2009 10:27 am

Major Woody wrote: A 1955 Oregon license plate is the same size as they are now.

no they are not. They are actually shorter than standard plates

52-55 Oregon plated were the only early plate with just standard circle holes with smaller spacing until they switched to the blue oregon standard size plates
51 and earlier oregon plats have slots so you can center the plate on frames.
Alot of 52-55 oregon plates I get have been modified with slots like the earlier ones

look at the differences on my plates on my garage wall compared to the one everett posted

and yes there is a "early" riviera frame, I own it along with the 50's key fob

Riviera Motors use to be on Market and Front street( now named naito parkway) where Portland Mercedes Benz is located now.
They were the main dealer in the area and even some buses came to that dealership before shipped off to other locations (seattle, san fransisco, etc)

My frame with early plate I have never seen another and probably is pretty rare considering the Oregon plate change from 55 and earlier to 56 standard size plates.

My Key Fob from Riviera motors, says Market and front street

Here is a Costumer Identification card i have from them before moving strictly to beaverton

Riviera later moved out to the beaverton location and moved out of portland completely around 64-65 when they started producing the famous "Riviera camper" conversions on buses.

Plate frame history

Early Riviera frame 55 earlier

56 to 60 around there

61 to 64-65 before switching to beaverton location

Fri Sep 18, 2009 10:29 am

Great story! Please post some pics as you work on it.

Thornton, your collection is very cool!

Fri Sep 18, 2009 11:01 am

EverettB wrote: ScottMcW wrote: As far as I know, this van was the second one delivered in Oregon. The importer and distributor was Riveria Motors in Portland. The owner/pres. Knute Kavale kept the first one.
Scott, I don't think this is true as I'm sure there were a few Barndoor Deluxes delivered to Portland?

It very well could have been the second one delivered through Riviera...?
Prior to the Riviera distributorship being built right in that time frame the
dealerships in Southern Oregon got their cars from Rey Johnson in San Francisco...

Sun Sep 20, 2009 12:23 am

Thanks for all of the info above. Thornton, those are very cool items. I'll have to keep my eyes open for the fob!

Everett, I think you're right that I'm probably owner #5.

So, as you can expect I wrote back to Pete after that email. I told him thanks for everything he'd told me and sent him a photo (same one I posted above). He wrote me back! (I've added a few notes in blue again)

Hi Scott...If you will give me your snail mail address I have a couple of vintage pictures to send you. Yeah, I think I'll be able to do that! :) Today my wife Judy and I have had some good old fun trying to find some old pictures for you. We discovered that most of the photos were Poloroid shots of some of us clowning around with the VW in the background. No full on views except for the two color shots I have to send to you. In the 50's we just didn't record to eternal memory every moment like it is done today.

I'll keep looking.

It is just super to see all the pictures you sent. When you get my pictures you will see the proper '55 bumpers. They had rubber inserts in the middle. I had to replace them when I took Vern over from my dad, Gordon. Couldn't find the originals so settled on the solid steel '60's version. Hmm, maybe those are the bumpers in the old old Samba ads posted?

Dad replaced the original 36hp engine in the late 60's. I think the new engine was around 40hp. and that one very likely could be the one you have. I would guess that we put around 300,000 miles total on both engines. ah-ha! I knew that wasn't the real motor, good to hear that HE replaced it, not one of the other owners. The motor that's in there now is actually 36hp, and it appears to be a 59 factory rebuild.

The nose was not dented while we owned it. I told him about the slight hit on the nose that has bondo. I figured it had happened after him. I do recall problems with the brakes. They pulled hard to the left. Heh, yep...those would be VW brakes! The original upholstery was tan for the seats and the door panels. And it will be again!

My dad was the greatest....but he didn't have a clue on how to take good care of equipment. He was a good farmer who ran everything hard. To wash a car was unheard of.

I'm the complete opposite.

I'm in the 3rd year of a complete restoration of a 1931 International one ton truck that dad bought new. It sat out in a field for more than thirty years. Parts are nearly non existent but the old boy is starting to look good. We call it "Gordon". It should be a "parade truck" by next summer.

We will welcome you and look forward to your visit up here in Central Oregon one day. Remember....once you hit the Oregon boarder old Vern will know the way.

I've always said that I regretted selling every car that I have owned and old Vern tops that list. Your contact brings me back in touch with a good old member of our family. Thanks.

Pete

This is very cool. I'm glad he was happy to hear from me. You know that I'll post any photos that I get once I get some!

Also, I'll post photos of the paint removal as it goes along. Very slow process as you can imagine. So far it's been a plastic scraper and razor blades!