If you’re looking for a car club where you can relax, share an afternoon of good fun, great outdoor barbecue along with learning how to change your oil, tune up your engine, and customize your car without the need of
If you’re looking for a car club where you can relax, share an afternoon of good fun, great outdoor barbecue along with learning how to change your oil, tune up your engine, and customize your car without the need of a bank bailout loan, then look no further than the Kaua‘i Volkswagen club.
David Tao started the club “back when I needed some help with my VW,” he laughs as he turns a nicely browned chicken breast over on the barbecue grill. Tao said it was the best thing he ever did because the club brought together people who were willing to share both their knowledge of engine and body repair and also eager assistance in restoring older cars.
One day, Tao decided to put an ad in the paper and the first person to answer the ad was a fellow named Marlone. Together Tao and his new partner set a meeting times and invited more and more VW owners as they ran into them on the street. New members brought with them new tips and tricks for VW restore and repair.
Larry Miller, John Medieros and Dale Sato, just to name a few, have each brought their special expertise to the club and everyone was the better for it.
When asked why they choose to drive VWs, Tao said the answer probably begins in high school and that holds true for almost every other car club. Tao said the Kaua‘i Classic Auto Club members are mostly in their late 40s and up. The VW club members are the next generation down and the “rice burner” enthusiasts are guys in their teens, 20s and 30s.
Members of the VW club help each other work on their cars, making the process easier and faster to finish, as is the case with Darrell Borrero and his 1957 oval window VW bug.
Both Borrero and his wife have previously owned VWs, and when he suggested the idea of buying this 1957 oval, she readily agreed.
He also thought it might be a good way to teach his son about auto repair while he was still in high school. He rebuilt his purple ‘57 from the ground up, including engine overhaul, new interior, carpeting, window seals and finished it off with a Napa PPG special effect series paint job. He refers to his labor of love as a “weekend warrior” because Monday through Friday, he drives his other car. His “warrior” now sports dual carburetors making the original gas efficiency model only a distant memory.
Another VW weekend warrior is Kepa Nakahiki’s White 1969 VW rebuilt in Las Vegas and brought to Kauai three years ago when it was purchased by Nakahiki for his thirteenth birthday. Nakahiki is a recent member of the club and his weekday car is a Toyota 4Runner.
Al Carbonell’s 1956 beetle was restored in 1979 by Dave Fast, a well known builder/designer in Washington State. Carbonell owned his first squareback bug in 1975 followed by a ‘72 and ‘71 VW. Carbonell said, “I love the bugs because they are nice to look at and fun to drive, and, I think you can do a lot more with a beetle than a Nissan, Toyota or Honda.” Carbonell only drives his classic ‘56 on sunny days but whenever he does people usually have a smile and a memory to share about the older VW beetles.
David Manguchei knows of only three 1985 VW transporters on Kauai and his particular transporter was stripped down and the body restored to a like new finish. The interior is in stock condition and sports a hula girl on the dashboard. The VW has drop down sides to accommodate fork-lift deliveries and the body contains storage areas as well. The transporter uses a water-cooled boxer motor and can also be added to the list of weekend warriors.
Rodney Kapuy has a rare silver VW notchback with an air-ride independent suspension system that allows him to raise or lower his car on a whim. He purchased his car from a friend shortly after the hurricane and since then made quite a few changes to his ride. The dual carburetors on his Sandrail engine bring on that extra speed when he needs it, but Kapuy says with a smile, “I don’t even like to think about my gas mileage.”
Lemuel Soria owns a 1967 VW beetle he bought from a friend and the PPG paint job changes color from green to blue depending on the angle of light shining on it. Once again we discover a car that holds to the warrior code and is brought out only on sunny days. To preserve his VW collectable, Soria prefers to drive his Ford Wrangler Monday through Friday.
Guy Miller drives to Kaua`i High School everyday and bought his canary yellow 1973 beetle for a mere $500. Both he and his dad Larry, worked on his car as a weekend project and finally got it in good enough shape to drive it to the prom.
Miller takes great pride in sharing his McGuyver-budgeted upgrade methods on his ‘73 VW. Miller calls his beetle a work-in-progress and sports a clever sound system, with a sub in the rear connected to his iPod in the front which was purchased for under $100. Miller said his VW is cheap on gas and he gets excited every time he takes it for a drive.
Miller joined the club after getting to know many of the members through his father, who is referred to by some members as Kaua`i’s foremost VW guru.
Tao and all the Kaua`i Volkswagen members agree that their club is all about having fun and staying as casual as a “rubbah slippah.” Tao concluded, “We welcome all new members and have lots of knowledge to share with other VW owners.
For more information contact Tao at 652-0056
• Leo DuBois, contributor, can be reached via interim managing editor Nathan Eagle at 245-3681 (ext. 224) or via e-mail at neagle@kauaipubco.com
