2008 Woodie Awards
Volkswagen club lets love of car come alive
Sean Boone / Staff Writer
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The word enthusiast is defined in the English dictionary as one with great excitement or having a stimulation or interest in a subject. To Volkswagen enthusiasts such as "Wild" Bill Tucker of Pensacola, it means something a little different.
"When you see a Volkswagen broken down on the side of the road, you to stop to help them," Tucker said. "Even if you just see a Volkswagen driving, you wave or acknowledge them because you know the hard work and passion they have for their automobile."
Tucker is the president of the Rare Air Volkswagen Club in Pensacola. The club was founded as the Emerald Coast VW Club in 1984 and collaborated with the Rare Air Volkswagen Club in 1993 to bring Volkswagen fans closer together in the area.
"We have members that live in Fairhope (Ala.), Brewton (Ala.), Defuniak Springs and so on that drive to the events and meetings every month," Tucker said.
Tucker owns four Volkswagens, including a 1976 Beetle hot rod that he has worked on for more than five years and a 1978 bus called "Rusty" that resembles its nickname. He has placed his vehicles in more than a dozen shows and events.
Tucker said anyone can be part of the club. Members as young as 7 and as old as 70 show up at the monthly meetings. There are members with brand new vehicles such as Bugs or Passats, but the majority have older Volkswagens that are air-cooled. The air-cooled models were discontinued in 1979 but are very popular among Volkswagen collectors and enthusiasts.
The club has about 100 show cars, including classic Rail Buggies, Dune Buggies, Squarebacks, Fastbacks, Karmann Ghias and trucks.
Every Wednesday, member James Berry hosts a workshop at his home from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. that teaches members how to work on their Volkswagen engines.
"We started taking engines apart in my shop about a year ago," Berry said. "A lot of people don't know that Volkswagens are quite easy to repair in relation to any modern vehicle. I can fix this car in the middle of the road. A modern car, I couldn't even see the engine."
Berry is a retired Navy submariner who has been working with Volkswagens since the early 60s when he bought a 1961 Karmann Ghia. Today, he owns five classic Volkswagen vehicles and is very much involved with the Rare Air Club's technical sessions.
"The vehicles are well put together and last a long time," Berry said. "They are unique in the fact that they are air-cooled. The traction is good because the engine is in the rear. And the gas mileage is not bad at all, especially for the day in which they were made."
"When I heard that they were coming, I made a few phone calls and ended up getting 45 Bugs to escort Herbie and his crew down the interstate," Tucker said.
Police escorted the group from the Milton exit all the way to Pete Moore Chevrolet in West Pensacola. Pete Moore had the entire lot cleared out for the vehicle's arrival.
"We ended up picking up even more cars when we went escorted Herbie all the way to Louisiana," Tucker said. "It was very exciting."
Every year the Rare Air Club plays host to a Volkswagen show at University Mall that brings in contestants and sightseers from throughout the Southeast.
The ninth annual car show will take place on Saturday Oct. 1.
Tucker said that last year's show was canceled because of Hurricane Ivan, but he said he believes luck will be on their side this time around.
"Last year, we had people show up at the mall parking lot after the storm with debris and everything else messed up," Tucker said. "Hopefully this year we won't have any rain or hurricanes to deal with."
The Rare Air Club is open to everyone with an interest in Volkswagens. There is a $15 annual fee to help finance functions and workshops.
For more information on the group, visit their Web site at http://www.devoted.to/rareair.