Summer is in full swing and hopefully vacation, home improvement and any other plans are progressing well. It’s also a time in the auto industry when plans for the next model year come to reality and announcements are made. The one that many people are excited about is the announcement of the 2020 mid-engine Corvette. Tonya and I had a garage sale recently and in conversation, a couple of patrons made point of this car. Talk is also a buzz on the internet as many of you probably have noticed.
Another event was the production of the last Volkswagen Beetle. After 80 years, the Beetle was the longest running production model in automotive history and an icon in American culture. The car was designed by Ferdinand Porsche and apparently was conceived by Adolf Hitler. It was first produced in 1938 in Wolfsburg, Germany for a brief time before the factory that produced the car was converted to support the German military. After the war a British Army Major, Ivan Hirst, was sent to Wolfsburg to dismantle the remnants of the factory. There he discovered a Beetle and brought the car back into production. The number of Beetles made would total over 21 million, surpassing the 15 million Model T’s produced. Sales, however, would eventually decline and promotions such as in 2010 when Oprah Winfrey gave away 275 new Beetles to her studio audience would help, but not long term.
In April of this year, an all-electric concept dune buggy was revealed at the New York auto show raising speculation that an all-electric Beetle may follow. In May, though, VW said this was not going to happen. But I wonder what influence an all-electric Herbie The Love Bug would have on the next generation of movie goers!
Our 4th of July event was a big success. Thanks to everyone for bringing their cars out! And a special thanks to Julie and Brent for hosting. It was the perfect spot. Feedback on the food truck was positive. There are several great cooks in the club, but it was probably nice not worrying if a corner was taken too fast and there was a cleanup project waiting in the trunk. A food truck is something the club will consider for future events. And finally, a thank you to Wade for bringing his guitar and playing a few Beatles’ songs. That was a nice way to end the afternoon. And the trip to Ellsworth I heard was fun. We had good representation and plenty to eat.
We’ve had a busy summer so far and hopefully everyone is up for more! A number of activities are coming up, so please see the calendar of events in this BP edition. And as usual, if anything changes, an email will be sent out.
Keep on motoring!
Scott