VW enthusiasts roll out cars for Foodbank benefit
By Karen Blakeman
Advertiser Staff Writer
They came as dune buggies, tricycle-shaped racers and two-door domes.
Deborah Booker • The Honolulu Advertiser
They were big and boxy, small and cherry red, low and lean in classy metallic shades or convertible and painted with textured stripes and geometric patterns.
Warren Hassett of Kailua and his son, Kamalei, 2, look over a vehicle that's part motorcycle, part Volkswagen at the VW auto show at Ala Moana Beach Park.
Yesterday marked the second annual VW Club of Hawai'i Car Show at Ala Moana Beach Park, and the bug lovers were out in force, bringing food and cash to benefit the Hawai'i Foodbank.
"We were driving past and saw it," said Shelley Enevoldson as she and her husband walked from an afternoon at the show. "We're both longtime Volkswagen fans."
"There is so much you can do with them," Danny Enevoldson said. "From dune buggies to family cars — they're easy to work on and fun to drive."
"And they're cute," Shelley said.
The dune buggies came in black, metallic purple, and bright colors decorated with even brighter flames. They had names like "Angie's Toy," "Beast," and "Ms. Pac Man."
The Things were there, still looking like the hapa offspring of a military jeep and a fruit bowl, and the buses were boxy fortresses.
But the Karmann Ghias seemed determined to put their junker-car days behind them.
Junior and Shayne Ader's 1970 Karmann Ghia, with its smooth, oyster-pearl paint job and coordinated textured upholstery, won best in show.
Under the hood, the spare tire gleamed untarnished rubber, out-shown only by the contents of the trunk: an all chrome engine that Junior assembled himself.
It took him nine months and $15,000 to trick out the car, he said.
Reach Karen Blakeman at 535-2430 or kblakeman@honoluluadvertiser.com.
