Seen in Florida -- '41 Kubel

[Rome]

Yeah, just Kuebel chariots.

Were the owners of the Kuebel in Florida even interested in attending a VW meet? A fella right here in my office (northern NJ) also is an active WW2 reenactment fan, who also has a supposedly very nice genuine Kuebel. Buddy of his has a Schwimmwagen... He's showed me photos of the Kuebel but I've never seen it in person. Over the years I've encouraged him to bring it to some of the larger VW meets like Terryville or Litchfield in CT but he prefers to stay with the reenactments. Office guy recently bought a KoobleKar (replica Kuebel based on a modern Beetle pan) to "fool" most "outsiders" while cruising and to "protect" his real one.

[Blue Baron]

Nope. Absolutely no interest in the VW scene or the Samba. These guys have their own network, and apparently can find cars and parts as easy as we can. (Or easier.) But that doesn't mean they don't love VWs. The owner of the Kubel was coveting my split.

[52HoffmanSplit]

[FreakCitySF]

So they have the authentic cars,uniforms and weapons

but what they really need is an authentic bunker.

I don't think foamcore scene in the photo is realistic enough.

http://cgi.ebay.com/German-Bunker-with-unknown-con...dZViewItem

[Towel Rail]

[bgs]

Gosh I wonder if that motorcycle is an orig Axis BMW R71
or the R75 with a true Axis BMW sidecar. Or the Zundapp
KS 750..Either way, one doesn't see many of those anymore.

Sorry to go off-topic.
_________________
Hmm, ruff.

[ScrapJunkie]

[coad]

[53 0val]

[John Moxon]

[UZI]

[John Moxon]

[Blue Baron]

Hey John, your avatar image looks suspiciously like a swastika when it stops spinning. (Cue Twilight Zone theme.)

[John Moxon]

[Blue Baron]

I'm familiar with the sliding vanes, John.

Greg

[overrestored]

When I had my 42 kubel... while just driving around... I found that the car made a few older people VERY VERY VERY unhappy. It was full of bullet holes and schrapnel scars. One older woman started crying and couldn't even speak to me to explain. An old man got up from an outdoor cafe and started yelling at me leaning on his cane...."BOY...the last time I saw one of them I was SHOOTING at it!". etc etc.

Think twice before buying a Kubel. Yes... they are interesting and fun... until the pain caused by the people who drove them overcomes you.

That is when I sold mine.

[RAMZROD]

[Blue Baron]

Very well stated. I think these cars can be owned and preserved while staying respectful toward the history, but this is a very valid point. It was a cruel killing war, and the Germans were the "bad guys."

And going back to the re-enactment for a moment, it was basically a demonstration of how our grandparents lived, coped and fought. It was a very moving tribute. The Germans were just a footnote of the presentation.

Sometimes when I take my car out I'll have somebody come up and call it Hitler's car. Usually it's a drive-by, but if they care to engage me in debate, I'll remind them that the success of the Volkswagen was a major part of the German economic miracle, which through economics, eventually won the cold war by bringing East Germany to its knees.

[John Moxon]

[Blue Baron]

the deliniation between the soldiers and the ideology is right on the mark, and I went back and put "bad guys" in quotation marks.

Chalk the comments I've heard up to ignorance and a lack of decorum. They are usually muttered as drive-by comments at all-makes car shows by some neanderthal who has nothing better to do than run somebody else's car down. Most of the time these winners don't even have a car of their own.