Dozens of colorful Volkswagen cars were passing along the highway connecting Surakarta and Tawangmangu, smoothly prevailing over steep slopes and sharp bends on the route.

The parade of the cars, mostly over 30 years old, appealed to road users because of their age and attractive variations. Beetle VW cars in Indonesia are commonly called, among other things, the VW Kodok (frog), the VW Safari and the Combi (van).

Driving the cars were members of the Solo Volkswagen Club (SVC), a community of VW enthusiasts in the city. They were celebrating the club'€™s 27th anniversary in Tawangmangu, Karanganyar in Central Java, on Nov. 23.

'€œWithout our noticing it, this club is now 27 years old, with a growing number of members and their classic cars,'€ said the club'€™s chairman Eko Setyawan.

Set up on Nov. 22, 1987 with 15 hobbyists, the SVC today has around 250 members, 50 of whom are active ones. They include entrepreneurs, civil servants, private employees, professionals and even teachers.

'€œOur daily routine prevents most us from becoming active members. But when the club organizes an event like this, about 200 participants join in,'€ added Eko, who has been familiar with his father'€™s VW car since childhood.

He said VW aficionados love this brand for its classic and unique models, as well as for the greater comfort it offers.

The VW Safari, for instance, was the type regularly associated with district heads, or camat, in the 1970s, making it more popularly known as the VW Camat. The VW Combi was considered the official vehicle for the 1977 general elections.

This combi or van model also contributed to the health sector as it once belonged to the inventory of the Health Ministry. During the early period of independence, these vans served as ambulances in the Indonesian Military (TNI).

Bambang Kribo, a VW buff in Surakarta, has seven variants of different years, comprising three VW Combi, two Kodok and two Safari units. The Safari cars were inherited from his father, who was in 1977 a 1977 district head and in 1978 a sub-district head.

'€œThe Safaris are still original, without any modification,'€ he said. But his Combi and Kodok units have been modified to enhance their interior comfort and a more convenient use of their pedals, besides their shock absorbers and wheels.

'€œI'€™ve modified them for the greatest ease because I drive the cars for daily activities and sometimes for traveling out of town. As long as they'€™re properly maintained, I guarantee they won'€™t cause any trouble,'€ he said.

VW classic car lovers have a high sense of solidarity as club members, even with those they haven'€™t met before.

'€œVW buffs never let VW cars stall on the road. They will surely offer some help or at least call mechanics or tow trucks,'€ said Quirinto, who collects several variants.

Quirinto indicated that VW lovers'€™ relations had gone beyond sharing a common interest in classic cars to also covering social ties between them. Becoming members of the SVC, therefore, is like joining a big family.

'€œThe SVC was founded with the aim of seeking more friends and broader relations. The VW cars are only a means of gathering and holding beneficial events,'€ he said.

Suryo, another Volkswagen collector, said the club had so far arranged many social activities, especially in Surakarta, while many members also became volunteers when floods hit the city or when earthquakes jolted nearby towns like Klaten and Yogyakarta and at the time when the Merapi volcano erupted several years ago.

'€œThe two-day tour to commemorate the 27th anniversary was also marked with the donation of blood, decent clothing and food to local people,'€ said Suryo, a civil servant of the city'€™s Transportation, Communication and Information Office.

Car affairs, notably car transactions, have certainly remained the primary activity of the German car fanatics. '€œCar business contributes to the relations between club members, boosting their friendships,'€ said Eko, who owns two Combis and a Kodok.

The ties between buyers and sellers continue following the transfer of cars. '€œVW lovers never hesitate to share their knowledge and information,'€ he remarked.

According to Ony, a VW buff and mechanic, Indonesia has a larger number of people who own VWs than other old cars. Nearly all regencies have their VW clubs, which means there must be VW service stations, thus facilitating their maintenance.

VW classic car enthusiasts, he said, did not have to worry about spare parts as there are many suppliers of parts produced by China, Thailand, Mexico, Brazil and America. What they call new old stocks (NOS), or new goods from old German stocks, are also available, although they are far costlier.

Unlike most antique products, VW cars are indeed still relatively easy to find at varying prices, depending on their conditions. '€œAs they'€™re under the hobby category, no market prices apply. But generally the prices are reasonable and affordable, except for rare and specific ones,'€ said Eko.

He put prices of unrestored VW cars at Rp 20 million (US$1,626) for a VW Safari, Rp 30 million for a VW Kodok and Rp 40 million for a VW Combi. Hobbyists will restore the cars at a cost of Rp 10 million to Rp 20 million to form the actual prices of the respective types.

'€œRare VW models can fetch as much as Rp 300 million, such as a 1950 VW Combi Dakota, the first combi generation. This type is rarely found in Indonesia,'€ said Eko, who spent Rp 70 million to restore his 1972 Combi Kumis (moustache).

'€” Photos by
Ganug Nugroho Adi

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