Lets Talk Dubs Classic The Classic VW podcast

On this episode, we discuss Bill's Euro-trip 2026. Starting in England, then onto Hessisch Oldendorf in Germany for HO26. Then numerous Shop tours throughout the week before European bug in. We discussed the day by the events plus the all the shops we stopped at and museum tours all VW connec, if you haven't gone, you gotta go totally worth it. www.vwtrends.com www.rosswulf.com www.damvolks.com ww...

For over 40 years, Mark Prosser has been proving that you don't have to build a split-window Bus to create something truly unforgettable. While most enthusiasts chase the iconic early buses, Mark has dedicated his career to transforming 1968-and-later Bay Window Buses into some of the coolest, most performance-oriented Volkswagens on the road. Think slammed stance, serious horsepower, perfectly di...

If you've spent any time watching the popular how-to videos from JBugs , you've probably seen Sam Mebane and his son Nathan working side-by-side, sharing their passion for air-cooled Volkswagens while helping enthusiasts keep their classic VWs on the road. From restoration projects and maintenance tutorials to building Nathan's own Volkswagen, the father-and-son team has become a familiar and trus...

The 2026 VW show season is officially underway, and Bill is gearing up for one of the biggest Volkswagen adventures of the year. Before heading overseas, Bill will be taking the legendary Type 34 Karmann Ghia "Zorba" to two major events: Luft Zeigen on June 13th and the EMPI 70th Anniversary Celebration on June 20th . From there, the journey continues across the Atlantic to the United Kingdom, whe...

What started as a great weekend at the drag strip quickly turned into a moment no racer ever wants to experience. Longtime Volkswagen enthusiast and drag racer Tony Moreci joins us to share the story behind the crash that damaged his iconic 1954 Ragtop Beetle during a recent racing event. Tony has spent decades behind the wheel of this legendary Oval-window Beetle, campaigning it at tracks across...

On this episode, Bill and George catch up on projects that they're currently working on. George is in the shop busy working on a 21 window Bus super Beatles and producing videos for his YouTube channel. Bill talks about the existing status of his projects plus Pookie's dream what's happening with that and One cra Luft Ziegen Car Show Registration zy weekend talk the weekend with the off-road ride...

On this episode Bill reviews the latest shows coming up for this summer in the never-ending SoCal weekend festival of shows throughout the entire summer. Lol I talk about the shows I will be at which is gonna be Luft Zegen and also Empy 70th anniversary happening June 20th. Also discuss the passing of Takashi Komori of Flat 4, Japan. I didn't get a chance to mention before I finish the recording t...

Rick Sadler is one of those names you may not always hear first—but if you've been around the vintage Volkswagen scene long enough, you've definitely seen him. A member of the legendary Der Kleiner Panzers (DKP), Rick is what you'd call the Forrest Gump of the VW world—always there, always involved, and somehow part of some of the most iconic moments in VW history. In this episode, Rick takes us  ...

Supercharging a classic Volkswagen isn't a new idea—it's been around since the 1960s—but today's technology is taking air-cooled performance to a whole new level. With the rise of modern kits like the AMR500, more VW enthusiasts are exploring forced induction as a serious upgrade for their street and performance builds. In this episode of Let's Talk Dubs , we welcome back Ron and Kevin Trewhella f...

   What does it really take to build a true street Volkswagen that can survive the cruise… and then go heads-up on the drag strip? On this episode of Let's Talk Dubs , we sit down with Dino Mendoza — one of the driving forces behind the VW Real Street racing scene — to break down one of the most exciting and authentic forms of air-cooled Volkswagen drag racing happening today. Dino gives us an ins...

One of my favorite parts of doing this podcast is preserving the history of the Volkswagen scene—and sometimes, that history shows up in ways you don't expect. While catching up with my friend Dean Kirsten, I was blown away to learn he had a collection of long-form digital interviews he recorded back in the early 2000s for Hot VWs Magazine . These weren't just quick quotes for print—they were deep...

Super Beetles have long been one of the most misunderstood—and often underappreciated—air-cooled Volkswagens here in the United States. But if you look across the pond, or even dig into certain corners of the hardcore VW scene, the story is completely different. Built from 1971 to 1977, the Super Beetle was actually Volkswagen's most advanced evolution of the classic Beetle platform. With its MacP...

He's not dead… and neither is true VW innovation. In the world of classic Volkswagens, creativity has always been part of the DNA. From backyard builders to full-blown innovators, the VW scene thrives on people who see a problem—and build something better. That's exactly what happened with Kent Wallace and Dave Patten . Frustrated with the messy, outdated process of filling oil in their VW engines...

Carburetors have long been one of the very first performance upgrades people make to their classic Volkswagens. But with so many choices out there—Weber DCNFs, IDAs, IDFs, and the various Dellorto options in 36, 40, and 45mm—it can be hard to know which setup is right for your engine. In this episode, we sit down with Rick Hunt of Rick Hunt Industries , a man who rebuilds carburetors every single...

On this episode of Let's Talk Dubs , Bill breaks down his latest Volkswagen marketplace find — a 1973 VW Sport Bug , one of the coolest factory special editions Volkswagen produced in the early '70s. These cars were offered in just two colors, Marathon Blue Metallic or Saturn Yellow , and came from the factory with a unique package that included wider sport wheels, close-ratio steering, Recaro spo...

  "Karma" is the latest ground-breaking creation from Type 1 Restoration — Dennis Troggio's 1955 Lowlight Karmann Ghia that just captured the coveted  Al Slonaker Award at the Grand National Roadster Show, the highest honor for non-roadster vehicles at the most prestigious indoor custom car show in the world. This wasn't their first shot at Slonaker glory. We get into the second attempt — and how...

On this episode, Bill dives headfirst into One Crazy Weekend 2026 and what you can expect from what's shaping up to be the biggest, baddest weekend of the year. If you're planning to attend, now's the time to start saving, booking rooms, and getting mentally prepared—this one's going to be special. Bill breaks down the latest updates, including the new Sunday Cool-Down Pool Party , presented by Sp...

There's been a lot of noise lately about engine performance, dyno numbers, and expectations—and instead of adding to the speculation, I brought in someone who actually lives this stuff. This week, I sit down with Fred Simpson for a good conversation on cylinder head technology, porting and polishing, and how all of it really translates into horsepower. Fred breaks down engine combinations, airflow...

I made it a whole two weeks into the new year without buying a new project… and then I blew it 😆. This episode kicks off with the story of how I ended up with "Pookie's Dream," the iconic VW Trends August 1991 cover car . We touch on what that car meant to the hobby back then and why it still matters today. But the real heart of this episode is The Great Engine Debate . A recent dyno session spar...

The baddest "Kat" in the Chevy truck world might surprise you—because it all started with Volkswagens. In this episode, we sit down with  "Dino Battilana , the mastermind behind the world-famous Dino Git Down Chevy truck show in Phoenix, Arizona , one of the largest and most influential classic Chevy C10 events in the country. For more than 10 years, Dino Git Down has drawn Chevy pickup trucks fro...

Jake Raby is widely regarded as one of the world's leading experts on the Volkswagen Type 4 engine , with more than 30 years of hands-on experience building, developing, and refining air-cooled Type 4 VW engines . Since the late 1990s, Jake has been deeply involved in Type 4 engine rebuilding , performance development, and long-term reliability testing for platforms used in VW Bus, Porsche 914, an...

San Leandro, California—an industrial Bay Area city shaped by its Portuguese community and a deep-rooted Volkswagen culture—holds a story few outside the neighborhood ever knew. Tucked away behind an unassuming fence was a Volkswagen collection unlike anything else in the region. For years, local kids would stop, peer through the slats, and take it all in: early Beetles, split windows, rare conver...

2025 was a huge year for documenting Volkswagen history—and in this episode, we take a full look back. We review the entire 2025 podcast episode list , breaking down highlights and key moments from nearly every show in case you missed an episode or two along the way. From early Volkswagen drag racing history and legendary builders, to modern VW product development , fresh builds, and stories shapi...

What if the Volkswagen you built as a teenager never really left you? In this episode, we get into the incredible full-circle story of  David Lawler and his 1971 Volkswagen Beetle from Southeast England. David bought his very first VW at just 14 years old , poured years into building it, and saw that dream rewarded when the car landed in a Volkswagen magazine in 1995 . But life changes. Priorities...

The East Coast of Canada is cold, and the car season is short — usually May through October. New Brunswick isn't known as a hotbed for the air-cooled Volkswagen scene, but when the VW bug bites you out there, you're all in . Terry grew up in a drag-racing family, and everything changed the day his father gifted him a convertible Karmann Ghia . That single car sparked a lifelong obsession with all...