Author |
Message |
Spezialist Banned
Joined: July 01, 2005 Posts: 1941
|
Posted: Tue Jun 12, 2018 9:44 am Post subject: My SOTO collection, show me your S.O.T.O. Memories |
|
|
This is not a bash that guy thread, so be polite. This club was the first and I was there in Nor, Central and Southenrn Cal shows,
And shameless as I am, I’ll pay stupid money for an NOS SOTO Tee in XL
I rocked one like this for awhile
Close up of my ole 59 walkthrough my finger prints are locked in there.
My Old 65ish westy, cruised the Southwest in that Bus, Taos Ceremony Day even! Pretty sure I know where it is still, hiding in Saratoga.
Last splitty I built for myself.
I’ve had many others, spent more time ruining my SOTO tee shirts working on them instead of taking pictures of them. What’s your good times story? _________________
Last edited by Spezialist on Sun Jul 01, 2018 3:18 pm; edited 1 time in total |
|
Back to top |
|
|
Lind Samba Member
Joined: November 06, 2000 Posts: 9905 Location: idaho
|
Posted: Tue Jun 12, 2018 10:52 am Post subject: Re: My SOTO collection, show me your S.O.T.O. Memories |
|
|
SOTO was great. Its funny timing that it went away just a few years before split buses went crazy. So everything and everyone who was involved with SOTO is officially old school, and from that era, where everything was very different. Buses were cheap. They were in every junkyard. There was no internet. I had to walk to school uphill in the snow, but there were splits parked on the street, so it was OK. (there was a 23 that parked across the street from my house when I was in high school)
The last SOTO show that I went to was in 1998 at the long beach veterans stadium. I saw an unrestored '58 westy there. Last saturday, I drove that same bus (now restored) to the OCTO show, and parked it very close to the same place I first saw it nearly 20 years ago to the day. _________________ .
Wanted:
Idaho VW license plate frames or other dealership items.
VWoA literature and early dealership or distributor literature/pictures/information
. |
|
Back to top |
|
|
mandraks Samba Member
Joined: November 28, 2004 Posts: 7045 Location: Lawrenceville, Ga
|
Posted: Tue Jun 12, 2018 11:20 am Post subject: Re: My SOTO collection, show me your S.O.T.O. Memories |
|
|
i remember writing, the old-fashioned way on paper, to both NEATO and SOTO, some 25 years ago i am guessing. They wrote back, too. I think i still have the envelope i got back, should probably pull it out some time and re-read. _________________ regards
Uli
----------------------------------------
'53 3-Fold Oval, L35 Metallic Blue, looking for a narrow hatch panel |
|
Back to top |
|
|
Skim Rants Master
Joined: April 15, 2001 Posts: 17081 Location: GFK 31 Year Vet
|
Posted: Tue Jun 12, 2018 12:06 pm Post subject: Re: My SOTO collection, show me your S.O.T.O. Memories |
|
|
In 1993 I drove my Turkis 63 23 window to a SOTO meet it was down toward San Diego, maybe Deer Park or something. Very fun event at a really shady park with a lot of trees but man that was so long ago I cant remember exactly what the place was called. I caravan'd down there with Russ Nave and several others from Lancaster / Palmdale then on the way home we hit Intershows indoor VW swap meet at OC fairgrounds. That was a night time swap meet. Fun times. _________________ GFK
Samba since before the towers collapsed. Still here.
1953 Kabriolet
1954 Sunroof
1959 Lowlight Ghia vert
1960 Lt Grey Double Cab SMZ LEGIT
1963 Deluxe Turkis Walk Thru 15 Window OG Paint |
|
Back to top |
|
|
western auto Samba Member
Joined: July 20, 2013 Posts: 293 Location: yuma,az
|
Posted: Tue Jun 12, 2018 1:06 pm Post subject: Re: My SOTO collection, show me your S.O.T.O. Memories |
|
|
soto was before my time but im sure these 2 vw’s had a great time
|
|
Back to top |
|
|
mandraks Samba Member
Joined: November 28, 2004 Posts: 7045 Location: Lawrenceville, Ga
|
Posted: Tue Jun 12, 2018 1:13 pm Post subject: Re: My SOTO collection, show me your S.O.T.O. Memories |
|
|
western auto wrote: |
soto was before my time but im sure these 2 vw’s had a great time
|
those 2 are awesome. hard to say which one i like better. _________________ regards
Uli
----------------------------------------
'53 3-Fold Oval, L35 Metallic Blue, looking for a narrow hatch panel |
|
Back to top |
|
|
Braukuche Samba Member
Joined: September 03, 2004 Posts: 10965
|
Posted: Tue Jun 12, 2018 2:48 pm Post subject: Re: My SOTO collection, show me your S.O.T.O. Memories |
|
|
Used to go to the shows at Deer Park and went to one in LA area, maybe Long Beach shortly before it disappeared.
The Deer Park shows were great, nothing but splits in a shady park setting if you were lucky, or you ended up in the upper lot or across the street in the dirt. _________________ Go Reds! Smash state!
Retirement is here!
1956 Ghia
1959 SO-23 Westfalia
1960 double cab
1960 Baja Bug
1963 stretched double cab
1962 Golde sunroof Ghia
1963 356 B coupe
1963 Notchback
1967 21 window less rusty now
1973 Ghia convertible |
|
Back to top |
|
|
G-wood Todd Samba Member
Joined: January 11, 2005 Posts: 1047 Location: Colorado
|
Posted: Tue Jun 12, 2018 3:29 pm Post subject: Re: My SOTO collection, show me your S.O.T.O. Memories |
|
|
Good memories of the SOTO events. Picked this up in the early 90s.
_________________ and take the kids for instance "Are we going in the Volkswagen bus?" and they say "Yay!" and clap their hands and if it's a glorious day you can slide the sunroof back and let a little of the glory in and all of a sudden, it stops looking funny.
-Volkswagen ad |
|
Back to top |
|
|
obus Samba Member
Joined: March 08, 2001 Posts: 11040 Location: just off Garden State Parkway Exit 81
|
|
Back to top |
|
|
crukab Samba Chef
Joined: December 13, 2002 Posts: 6114 Location: Vermont
|
Posted: Tue Jun 12, 2018 5:13 pm Post subject: Re: My SOTO collection, show me your S.O.T.O. Memories |
|
|
I know I have a file w/ all the news letters from 1983 on, plus a few stickers off past Buses, Jeff turned me on to the John Chipps stash in Delhi Ont., which I checked out in '84... I guess I am an old Phart....
This is John Chipps at his place:
_________________ Tom
My Pops:
http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=604100&highlight=
I know you will always be with me, rest in peace with no more pain. 8/13/14.....
In the yard right now:
'51 Dodge 5 window truck
'65 Bug
'66 Singlecab
'82 Rabbit Truck Diesel from CALI
'86 Doublecab W/T
'91 Vanagon carat/wolfsbrg.Tiico
'88 Dodge Ram pickup
'11 Jetta Wagon |
|
Back to top |
|
|
Don66bus Samba Member
Joined: January 11, 2006 Posts: 401
|
Posted: Wed Jun 13, 2018 9:25 am Post subject: Re: My SOTO collection, show me your S.O.T.O. Memories |
|
|
I followed SOTO in the eighties and used the classified ads to find my 1967 21 window. My current bus, bought in California in 2004, still proudly wears SOTO and NEATO stickers, which are very durable. The back window parking pass looks a bit strange on a Canadian bus.
|
|
Back to top |
|
|
Homeresque Samba Member
Joined: November 11, 2013 Posts: 90 Location: Hippy-Dippy Fruitcake Land
|
Posted: Wed Jun 13, 2018 11:38 am Post subject: Re: My SOTO collection, show me your S.O.T.O. Memories |
|
|
Well I guess I'm a really really old fart.
I was in SOTO back at the very beginning. In '83 I mixed up my stable of type I's by picking up a Dec '58 oxidized dove blue panel from Bob Scott (only $500 as opposed to the $750 Bob wanted for a SWR/CB piano-hinge barndoor 23-window ). I made that my daily runner and prolly put 10k miles on it from just rolling from Monrovia to Newport Beach alone. At the same time Kimball opened up BFY and it was sheer VW-heaven (Bob Scotts place was starting to fade). Jeff Walters worked there and pimped SOTO to anyone looking at bus parts so me and my friend joined and I think we were like member #s 19/20. The first meets were at El Dorado park along the 605. My friends SC looked like he pulled out of the dump, and my panel I had lowered ala the current technology...bust the welds and drive out some leaves in the front and turn the rear down a notch or two and run some Mich 135zx/165xzx. It actually rolled pretty nice but scraped the shit out of the steering box. Mine was only the second lowered bus I ever saw, the first being a guy at Bug-In 30 in a lowered SWR/BG 21-window who I think had a shop in San Gabriel, when I saw that in the pit line I think I lost my mind! Anyway, those first meets were kinda mindblowing seeing so many rare parts/buses we had only seen in old books and manuals and such (safari windshields were like owning the Holy Grail!), but mine was the only lowered bus there and his was so ratty we kinda got the vibe that we were from a different planet and everyone wished we'd leave. Later there was meet at a different location, I think it was Garbage Grove?...at a private facility like a VFW or something? That was better, his SC was now lowered too and there were many lowered cars there now, it was becoming a thing.
I sold that panel in '84 and didn't have a bus again until '89 when I picked up a 23-window ('62 SWR/BG 16k miles OG paint/int...$750 ). Now I was into stock rides and even ruined that bus by putting on those hideous Firestone WWs, looked like I was driving around in the WeinerMobile. Walters had left the scene to go hide in the hills but SOTO was still there so I joined again and went to one of the Deer Park meets, that was a nice show except it rained for about half the morning. After that I drove it to a couple of Classics and VW Jams but then sold it in '91 to pick up a low mileage '57 Ghia and sold that in '97 to get into '32 Fords.
I used to have a 6" tall stack of photos off all my cars and events back in the day but it all got thrown in the trash when I moved homes back in '02.
All my SOTO t-shirts eventually made their way into the garage rag pile.
I suck. _________________ "Do you see what happens Larry?!?!" |
|
Back to top |
|
|
John Ghia Samba Member
Joined: April 13, 2004 Posts: 277
|
Posted: Wed Jun 13, 2018 2:23 pm Post subject: Re: My SOTO collection, show me your S.O.T.O. Memories |
|
|
_________________ BUS BOYZ |
|
Back to top |
|
|
L.A.B. Samba Member
Joined: March 13, 2005 Posts: 70 Location: L.A.
|
Posted: Thu Jun 14, 2018 2:27 am Post subject: Re: My SOTO collection, show me your S.O.T.O. Memories |
|
|
_________________ Los Angeles Bastard |
|
Back to top |
|
|
Bulli Klinik Samba Member
Joined: January 16, 2005 Posts: 2065 Location: Bulli Klinik, Colorado Springs
|
Posted: Thu Jun 14, 2018 8:11 am Post subject: Re: My SOTO collection, show me your S.O.T.O. Memories |
|
|
I was the SOTO rep when I moved to Colorado back in 91. It's amazing to think how you could get the word out for events and folks would come back in the pre-cell/internet days. We would get a pretty good turnout for get-together's back then. Fliers, phone calls, letters and word of mouth...
Most definitely a different era. Buses and their owners were the anomaly back then. For $1500 you could buy a pretty nice Bus. _________________ I've never met a Bus I didn't like.
Mike K
Bulli Klinik
Colorado Springs |
|
Back to top |
|
|
EverettB Administrator
Joined: April 11, 2000 Posts: 69733 Location: Phoenix Metro
|
|
Back to top |
|
|
crofty Judas of the North
Joined: August 09, 2000 Posts: 19670 Location: Land of Whine and Phonies
|
|
Back to top |
|
|
Big Bill Samba Member
Joined: June 21, 2005 Posts: 1782 Location: Santa Rosa, Ca
|
Posted: Thu Jun 14, 2018 3:07 pm Post subject: Re: My SOTO collection, show me your S.O.T.O. Memories |
|
|
I think your are right crofty, Monterey Chapter of Soto. I was there. |
|
Back to top |
|
|
Wolfsburg Classics Banned
Joined: October 17, 2003 Posts: 326 Location: Christchurch,New Zealand.
|
Posted: Fri Jun 15, 2018 2:34 pm Post subject: Re: My SOTO collection, show me your S.O.T.O. Memories |
|
|
NOS Coffe Mug and three different coloured pins from my SOTO collection.
|
|
Back to top |
|
|
AC Samba Member
Joined: August 14, 2005 Posts: 89
|
Posted: Fri Jun 15, 2018 7:53 pm Post subject: Re: My SOTO collection, show me your S.O.T.O. Memories |
|
|
My sticker and decal collection, I know I have some T-shirts some where. Albert |
|
Back to top |
|
|
|