Date:         22 Sep 96 16:16:16 EDT
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@vanagon.com>
From:         "Turner,Ronald L." <102660.66@CompuServe.COM>
Subject:      Hot VW's "Type2 the series"- what happened?

Hi, all-  I just got my new November issue of Hot VW's, you know, the one with
the bikini clad blonde with the huge ..... uh, uh, hair ( yeah that's it , huge
hair?) standing in front of the red Notch, on the cover. (whew!)  Anyway, I was
hoping for sure Rich Kimball was going to resume his "Type2, the series" article
in this issue,after a 2 month unexplained hiatus. But upon thumbing thru the
contents,I was again disappointed. What's up Rich, and Bruce Simurda? Don't VW
buses exist after 1971? I really get the impression that the SoCal VW "Gurus"
don't acknowledge, and look down upon the type 4 engined buses.  This series
started by going over a year of the type2 each month, starting with the early
'50 model type2's. Each month there was a description of that particular year
bus and all body / mechanical changes from the previous year.  Charlie Hamill
oversaw the splittie years, and every detail from year to year was scrutinized,
never missing an issue. The series was supposed to continue to the '79 model,
but I detected a loss of interest on the writer's part (Bruce) in the last
bug-engined bus, '71 model.  A '72 description did follow, but '73's - 2 months
overdue and riddled with incorrect information, was the last one ever written.
Unfortuneately, this seems to exemplify a bias among the writing staff. I, for
one, have buses of all years, from my '67 deluxe splitty to my late '70's
baywindow type 4 engined Westy's, on up to my '84 and '87 wasserboxers, and
accept each one for what it is - a VW van- regardless of engine type and cooling
methods. ( I am even starting to get used to the front engined EV's though it
took awhile)  Anyway, I was looking forward to following the series thru the
late '70's and up to '79, and am very disappointed that the writer has lost
interest. In fact, it was the late bus that has gone thru more technological
changes thany any other bus prior, and so on the contrary, there should be even
more info to write about.

If the writer has lost interest, or if those years are not his particular field
of expertise, then get somebody else to finish the job, and continue the series.

chris