Funkengroovin Wednesday - Borgward

Today, a break from VW's.

I see a lot of other cars around Cairo that are in pretty good condition, considering how old they are. In addition, I see cars here, that I probably would not see back in the States, unless it's at a car show. Again, the Cairenes take wonderful care of their cars, which they continue to drive long after we Americans would. So today's focus is on something entirely different, and a car I had never heard of, until I saw one.

I found this amazing little car sitting on a street in Maadi Digla. Sometimes it would be parked in the exact same spot, and at other times (like when I had my camera) it would be gone. After finally getting some photos, I looked it up on the Internet to find out what it is. VW lovers will be happy to hear, it's a German car, called a Borgward.



The Boss Man and I looked up "Isabella," and "car" to find it on the web.


We're not sure if the hood ornament is original. I haven't been able to find any other Borgwards with it, but that doesn't mean it isn't.



I love this car. I love the two tone, red and white (actually, the Boss Man's thinkin' of doing a red and white interior to our burned out '65 beetle convertible, back in the States. He's convinced me!). It's got a creamy white interior, and even though the hubcaps look rusty and it has a few dents, overall it's a hot little number. If there was ever a car that I would like to bring back to the States with me it would be this one. Make sure to click on the photos to enlarge them, so you can see the interior better. I think you VW lovers will like this car as much as I do, and forgive me for focusing on a car other than bugs and buses.

There will be more posts (occasionally) forthcoming focusing on some other car finds here in Cairo. Vagabondblogger loves beetles and buses, but given the fact that the car scene in the States is so boring these days, she enjoys having the opportunity to see a variety of old cars, and share it with her readers.
























On another note, our '87 Vanagon goes to Jon up in Maine this week to have a 5-speed installed. Number One Son has promised to try to get some photos for us.



ARTICLES:
Download 2007 Announces Impressive Slate of Sponsors for its Acclaimed Interactive Festival

Live Nation, the world's largest
live music company, announced featured interactive experiences in
cooperation with premiere sponsors for Download 2007 today. The acclaimed
music festival, scheduled this year in Boston, Washington State, Chicago
and San Francisco, attracted sponsors specifically interested in developing
unique ways to incorporate their brand into the festival programming and
truly deliver on Download's mission to be the "ultimate interactive
festival."

Volkswagen returns for the second consecutive year of a three-year
sponsorship as the exclusive automotive sponsor for Download and the V-dub
Road to Download club-events (concerts in club venues interspersed between
the Download Festival dates). VW will host the V-dub Garage, an authentic
garage-style environment where festival attendees can jam with supplied
instruments and have their music digitally recorded and spotlighted on
vw.com. Volkswagen will also be hosting an artist interaction stage where
select Download bands extend to the fans a rare look into their lives on
the road during free form Q & A sessions.


"The Volkswagen/Download music partnership is a logical extension to
our history of supporting emerging musical artists," said Keith Price,
Public Relations Manager, Volkswagen of America, Inc. "The Download
Festival is innovative in combining music with technology, and directly
speaks to the people who buy Volkswagens."

Check out the van:
Flower Power: Music Of The Love Generation - Review


Exploring Hawaii's Big Island by Volkswagen

Next time you visit the Big Island, why not skip the fancy resort and hop in a VW camper van?

Sharon and Gary Berg, owners of Hilo-based G.B. Adventures, rent out a fleet of pop-top camper vans that are ideal for touring the island's stunning beaches, parks and volcanoes. With names like Whitey and Tolula Blue, the mint-condition Vanagons sleep four and are equipped with sinks, stoves, and mini-fridges -- even beach towels and island maps.

"All you need is your swimsuit and flip-flops," says Sharon, who's lived on the island for more than 20 years.

Unadorned VW buses preferred

This year marks the 40th anniversary of the Summer of Love, and nothing says Haight-Ashbury quite like a psychedelia-bedecked VW bus.

As it happens, interest in the iconic hippie-wagon has been expanding among collectors over the last decade, right along with baby boomers' midsections, says Phil Skinner, collector car market editor for Kelley Blue Book in Irvine.

Skinner likens the growing affection for VW buses to the popularity among collectors and nostalgia buffs for "woodies," the wood-sided station wagons that were favored by California surfers in the late 1950s and early 1960s.

"You bring in a hippie version and it's a novelty," Skinner says. "You bring in a restored version and its a collectible."

The difference in value goes way beyond spare change. A "novelty" bus might be worth $12,000 at auction, whereas an original version can fetch $45,000 or $50,000, he says.

In other words, if you're going to San Francisco, wear some flowers in your hair -- but don't paint any on your VW bus.

Question of the Month: Bring back VW vans, sports cars and Cords




Kansas pastor sets example with energy-saving VW Beetle

McGuire spent about six-thousand dollars converting a rusty used car to run on 72 volts of electricity. He was motivated by the war in Iraq. “We really do need to get away from our dependence on foreign oil," he says.

The electric Beetle’s top speed is more than 50 miles an hour, and it travels up to 30 miles between charges. “I’m spending probably three to six cents per mile,” he adds.

Lake Land VW Bug

Six instructors have spent their hot summer days in the Lake Land auto shop. Their goal is to turn an old beetle into a "pimped out" one. They're updating the body of the car, and welding rusted holes. But that's not all. "We've taken and removed the gasoline engine because we wanna make old technology new again with an electric motor," says Tim VanDyke, Division Chair of Technology.

Check out the video available on the article link above.


Auto makers' total recalls

Cruise control problem dogs Ford, but 2007 has also been bad for VW

Volkswagen’s Wildest Bug

Bugatti’s parent is in the record book for producing the world’s fastest production car. But there’s always another contender around the corner. Just ask Hank Aaron.
IN terms of sheer speed, power and history-making levels of engineering excess, the Bugatti Veyron is a success. Bugatti’s parent, Volkswagen, set out to build the fastest production car in the world, and it did. There is a photo of the thing right there in the 2007 edition of the Guinness Book of World Records, under the heading, Fastest Production Car. It is said to achieve a top speed of 253 miles an hour, and that’s faster than any production car ever.

But here’s the problem with setting out to conquer a superlative: there’s always someone lurking around the corner, drawing a target on your back. Ask the Petronas Twin Towers (at 1,483 feet, the world’s tallest buildings for six years, until the Taipei 101 tower went to 1,671 feet in 2004). Or Hank Aaron.

Once the bar is moved, you’re a historical footnote. That might be why, despite a total run of only 300 cars, half of the Bugatti Veyrons scheduled for production are still unsold.

Oh, sure, the price might be a factor, too. The Veyron is rather expensive — about $1.4 million, although sometimes the price is quoted at $1.3 million or $1.5 million, depending on the exchange rate. (At this level, the price should be quoted in terms of a larger monetary unit anyway, like Ferrari F430s or Christie Brinkley divorce settlements.)

Little Miss Sunshine Music Video