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Eircooled | Issue 1 | february 2013

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Eircooled | Issue 1 | February 2013


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Welcome to the first ever Eircooled Car Club Newsletter. We


are very proud of our club and although most of our activity
happens in our playroom, the forum, we have had to come to
the realisation that not everyone who is a paid up member has
internet access or even has the time to logon to eircooled.com
which means there is disparity in what happens. This newsletter
will hopefully go some way towards bridging the gap between
website based users and non website users. After all, we all
have a shared passion and are all members of the one club.

History Lesson

So what have we got in this newsletter? Well, for one, were


going to have a look at some of the most memorable cars
to come to light in 2012 as well as highlighting some of the
current projects people have on the go. There are two cars
that we simply have to show you, one will simply blow you
away with the history it holds, right back to day one when this
Type 3 Karmann Ghia left the dealership in Dublin in 1968.
The second car is simply daft. Its an insane car and we can
guarantee you that you havent seen one in the flesh at your
local show. The Tatra is full of wacky styling and oodles of
patina. We love it! Well have a review of some of the shows
that happened in 2012 and despite the weather not being on our
side we had a good turnout at most shows and if performance
is your thing then you need to meet Britt Grannis, who is a club
member whose right foot is firmly planted into the floorpan of
his Karmann Ghia. Why not check out his record breaking salt
flats run. With an invitation to take part in drag racing events,
salt flat runs and the number of new projects about to hit the
road 2013 is looking great already!
Happy reading!
PS: If you would like to submit something for the next issue
(article, show report, photos, or have your car featured etc.)
please email newsletter@eircooled.com

Here is something that proves that


gems are still out there. When shows
are full of ZV registered cars we can
easily be fooled into thinking that
all of our Irish registered cars have
gone to the scrapyard in the sky but
Wexford native Michael Higgins has
proven that theory is so not the case.
He has unearthed not only a rare car,
correction, a seriously rare car but one
that has a paperwork file to make any
historian weak at the knees.

Eircooled | Issue 1 | February 2013


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The car itself is a Type 3 Karmann


Ghia or Razor Edge Ghia depending on
your persuasion. The model itself was
launched in 1961 at the Frankfurt Motor
Show and was well received although
the price tag was not in its favour. The
most expensive car in the VW fleet and
when compared to the comparatively
priced Porsche models its performance
didnt match and therefore sales figures
were low.
On the upside, the most luxurious
and highly specd VW is now a proper
collectors piece. In fact, the majority of
collectors seeking out quality Type 3
Ghias are not generally VW enthusiasts
but are generic classic car enthusiasts
who appreciate the bold lines and
striking design features of the Razor
Edge. Add to the mix that the factory

only produced a smidgen over 45k


cars within the eight years production
run and you should see that Michaels
Karmann Ghia is possibly one of the
rarest VWs in Ireland.
Apart from the facts and figures making Michaels Razor Edge a rare beast
its the history that sets it apart from
everything else we have seen before.
He can literally trace the car back to
the day it first hit the road. Built in late
1968 the Ghia was a special order model
being a 1600cc automatic with electric
sunroof which is one of only three,
possible four Type 3 Ghias sold new in
Ireland. As Michael says, it has changed
slightly over the years, the car was
originally white with a black roof and
black interior. The long term plan will
be to return to that combination but

for now it will be driven as it is and


worry about any paint flaws later.
Registered on December 12th 1968 to
a Peter Odlum who was the Managing
Director of one of the most familiar
company names in Ireland; Odlums
Mills. This was to be his company car
and even when he retired in 1974 he
took the car with him. The car stayed
in loyal service with Peter Odlum until
his death in 1983 but the Ghia was not
sold, instead staying in the garage for
another three years at which time
Peters neighbours in Blackrock, the
Fenning family purchased it.
The Fenning family clearly loved this
Ghia as much as Peter did as they
kept the car for a staggering 22 years.
Within those years the family moved
around the world quite a bit and they

took their Karmann Ghia with them. In


1990 the family moved to South Africa
where it served them well for the four
years they were there. Next up was
another container trip for the Karmann
with Egypt being the destination
however due to the Egyptian law of
not allowing anything other than LHD
vehicles to be licensed the Razor was
given a two year hiatus.
Goodbye Egypt, hello Cyprus and now
back in action on the road again the
Cypriot sunshine helped preserve the
usually rust prone T34 model. After a
short stint in Cyprus the family moved
once more, this time to England which
was home until, twelve years after
loading the Ghia into a container, it
came home. At some point in 2002 the
original paintwork was seeing better
days and in an effort to preserve their
treasured posession the Fennings
treated their old friend to the paint
scheme you see here after carrying

out some rust repair. After three more


years of faithful service the Razor was
put into storage in 2005. Thats where
it stayed until Toirleal ODubhlainn
bought it in 2008. Toirleal actually used
it as his daily driver until this year when
he felt the time was right to sell it on

due to a lack of storage.


For anyone that knows Michael Higgins
knows he is Irelands biggest Karmann
Ghia fan so its only right that he is the
now very proud owner of what has to
be Irelands rarest Karmann Ghia.

Eircooled | Issue 1 | February 2013


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Czech it out...
PART 1:

I have an incurable affliction; anything


that can transport a man, woman
or child from A to B in style leaves
me weak at the knees. In particular,
the right car can make me stop and
stare at ten paces if its got drop-dead
gorgeous curves, or the noise from its
exhaust sounds like a banshee on a shot
of petrol-fume steroids.

aircooled cars led to a searching out of


other model types that embraced the
same layout and motivation. It was easy
enough to read about and discard some
variants (thanks, Ralph Nader) but one
spicy variety from another European
manufacturer caught my eye the
Tatraplan T600.
Right the hunt was onand after about
twelve months the hunt was back off

Maybe its just the pillow-talk moment


when its at rest and Im listening to the
gentle ticking of its engine as it cools
after a hard runbliss.
For me, Ive always been drawn to the
curves of fifties era cars, with their
designs influenced by the new world
optimism after the World War and
unhindered by later safety legislation.
While manufacturers from the US
focused on adding fins and sparkling
chrome to their cars to mimic the
emerging jet age, most European
manufacturers took a slightly different
approach. They wanted to produce a
car that would be aerodynamic, light
in construction and would go around
corners (as opposed to cruising around
shopping malls and going in a straight
line as quickly as possible down the
quarter mile).
I subscribed to this idea by scraping the
funds together at the age of twentythree to buy a Porsche -not quite from
the fifties at the time (even though
its original design stretched back to
then). This purchase sat on a bedrock
of VW Beetles and Ghias that stretched
back seven years previous and I guess
all this time of driving rear-engined,

again. I was focussing the hunt on the


circa 1950 Tatra T600; prices for the
earlier T87 had gone stratospheric and
the later T603 would scare too many
children if I ever brought one home.
Problem was where to find one? It was
never officially exported to the US
or the UK, so the usual sources were
effectively written off. Portugal got one
export so probably not the best place
to start either
I began browsing Central European
websites and occasionally came across
the odd lead that usually led to a dead
end. Plenty of T603s available but no
T600s to be seen in decent condition.
I had just about given up on the idea
when, out of the blue I came across an
old feature on Bring-A-Trailer about a
car that was up for sale in Canada along
with a big cache of parts. The owner
hailed from British Columbia in Canada
and apparently had it in the same family
for years. Even though the US never
got any official imports Canada did get
168 for some strange reason only best
known to men wearing ushankas.
I was too slow on that occasion but
as it turned out, it was Randy Carlson
of Oldbug fame that had snapped it

up. He had bought it for himself with


the intention of getting it back on the
road so he had kept it for a year or two,
doing a little bit here and there to it. He
used the spare parts car to outfit any
missing bits on the main car, stuck a set
of 17 Escras on the front and turned a
few heads at VW Classic in 2010.
I agreed a sale with Randy in mid-2011
and then spent a tortuous eighteen

1950 Tatraplan

T600
months trying to sort out a Title
and then ship car and all of its cache
of parts home. It finally arrived to
Galway in August 2012, a 1950 T600
that proudly took up residence next
to a few other aircooled brethren
that were waiting patiently for it. First
impressions? Worth waiting for, it
commands unyielding respect in the
garage and now appears to stand watch
over its younger upstart siblings, just
daring them to put a foot out of line

Padraig Kelleher
(kvinyl)

Eircooled | Issue 1 | February 2013


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Oxo 2012
If youve never been to Oxo then we
wholeheartedly recommend you add it
to your 2013 show calendar!

If you were out and about in the Lurgan


area over the weekend of May 12th-14th
2012 you probably saw quite a number
of extremely well turned out VWs
heading for the annual Oxo Show which
is held at Oxford Island, Lurgan on the
shores of Lough Neagh in Northern
Ireland. Northern Beetle Owners Club
(NBOC) organises and run this event
which originated as the clubs inaugural
meet shortly after its formation in
2000. Now in its 12th year it has now
grown into Northern Irelands largest
aircooled show, now running over
three days. Over the years camping
and the family friendly atmosphere of
the campsite more so lead the NBOC to
move the entire show to the camp site.
This change of venue has
made what was already a very chilled
out show into an event or gathering

of what feels more like family getting


together around a BBQ than a show.
Eamon Winters was one of the Friday
arrivals who has supported this
show for many years. His Karmann
Ghia looked striking with his Eriba
Puck in tow and was our Eircooled
representative for the weekend. Chris
Kerr was determined to have his Ruby
Red steel sunroof Beetle at the show
despite the body only arriving ack from

the paint shop two days previously


but he spent those two days frantically
bolting everything back together and
he managed to get the car there against
all the odds. Richard Brown arrived
on Sunday with his freshly restored
1303 Karmann Cabriolet after spending
the last few months in the garage. Jim
McCallum brought along his 67 1500
which he has owned for 17yrs but this
year its sitting closer to the tarmac

thanks to a lowering over winter.


Prizes were presented but the public were
asked to vote for their favourite VW with the
emphasis being on their favourite VW and not
necessarily the best on show which I think is fair
especially for a family focussed event like this.
One such prize winner was Russ Owens for his
Cyber Green 1966 Split Screen Bus.

Eircooled | Issue 1 | February 2013


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For those of us old farts, its hard to think that the Limerick Show
was 20yrs old in 2012. The old Beetles Reunion has come a long way!

Limerick show 2012


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Eircooled | Issue 1 | February 2013


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2012 was the year of the Oval window Beetle


with RestoCal to Cal Look to any old look,
they were there. Wayne McCarthy brought
along his Fendered 57 and no surprise
won Best of Show. Parked beside Waynes
Oval was Diarmid Doodys bagged Oval
and beside that again was Eamon McEvoys
56. Michael Higgins from Aircooled
Technology and his son arrived in a fresh
Type 3 Squareback, the only Type 3 at the
show too. A recently painted Trekker with
chromed EMPIs popped in the sun. The VW
Spares team made an entrance with Tom
Roberts arriving in his Bay while Jon White
drove his T25. Davey McCarthys Samba and
Darren Harris 13 Window Split Buses won
prizes and were deserved winners. Liam
Cummins Late Bay was the chill out zone
for the day for many Eircooled folks as his
awning provided the perfect shade. Our
own DJ Kev entertained the troops for the
day with the decks set up at the side of his
Bay Window.

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The Williams Brothers and the Limerick Classic Car and Vintage Club can
certainly hold their head up high as
the 2012 Limerick Show was a great
success, but then again, we werent
surprised as they always pull out all the
stops to make it a memorable show.
They even go as far as booking the
sunshine! Sunburn all round for every
Eircooler!
Eircooled cars in attendance were
Eamon Winters with his lovely Karmann
Ghia. Alice Gervin rocked up with
her RHD 1302LS Cabriolet which is a
rare beast, especially in RHD format.
The Limerick Show seemed to be
sponsored by Oval Window Beetles in
2012! Graham Cullens ex-Volksworld
featured RHD Resto-Cal Ragtop which
was parked beside Brian Mahers exUltra VW cover car and beside that
was Tsar Sheanes ground scraping,
chromed Fuch wearing Resto-Cal Oval.

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Eircooled | Issue 1 | February 2013


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Bonneville Ghia

This all started last November when


I was talking to Ronnie, Matt, and
Geoff Hart in Havasu. Wed just set the
record for the First Air-cooled VW into
the 130 Club at Bonneville 2 months
prior and were bench racing. Id sold
the Ghia and was planning on running
something different when Matt asked
why I didnt want to run the 150 mph
club this year. My answer was it
will cost too much for me. It would
require a greater entrance fee, a roll
cage, and a racing suit, I just didnt have
the money. Well Matt chimes in a I bet
we could get some of the guys to toss
in $ 200 each to get you an entrance
fee covered. Then another friend
Chucky arrives at Matts house ( Its
about 10:30 pm) and Matt says Hey
Chucky didnt you just put a roll cage
into a Bug a few weeks ago? He says

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yes and Matt asks how much were the


parts? About $750 answers Chuck.
How would you like to donate the labor
( another $750) to install one in Britts
Ghia? No problem says Chuck! We talk
some more and Matt asks Chuck Hey,
how would you like to donate the cage
and install it into Britts Ghia? Sure
comes the reply !!! ( I swear that this
wasnt the copious amounts of Beer
consumed by Chuck talking). I instantly
offer Chuck the opportunity to race
the Ghia at Bonneville, which he gladly
accepts. That is how racing in the 150
mph class began.
While I was in Ireland over Christmas
I found a 1969 Autostick Ghia for sale
in Concord, Calif. It had been sitting
for over 10 years and it was cheap! I
bought the car via email and had my
good friend Mario pay the deposit. I

had to wait 2 weeks before I got home


and could pick it up. It was tan and
had no interior so it was a perfect car
to make a race car. I brought the car
home and steam cleaned it and got
the screwdriver out and dug about 4
pounds of bondo off of the doors
and drivers rear and passenger front
wings. Oh well it wasnt going to be a
beauty queen and I could fix most of
the bad work. The drivers rear wing
had been replaces earlier in its life
and as with all Ghias it seems the nose
had been punched. I hooked it up to
a tow bar and towed it back down to
Lake Havasu City in Arizona for Buses
by the Bridge in January and left it for
Chuck to install the roll bar. I picked the
Ghia up in June and took it home and
started the body work. I was told by
Burly Burlile that the car needed to be

a bright color so it showed up well on


the salt for magazine pictures ( not that
I believed that 2 years in a row it could
be chosen for a mag) and I wanted to
paint it Black. Yellow with a Black racing
stripe with Flat black front bonnet ( to
reduce glare off of the Salt early in the
morning when I like to run because of
the dense cool air and no wind). With
the car painted and the Tach, 150 mph
Speedo, and drivers seat installed I
drove to Havasu towing the Ghia on
a trailer for the first time because it
had my Goodyear frontrunner tires
on it. Now this was the week before
Bonneville and we still had to wire the
car, install the engine and 5 point seat
belts and install the drop spindles. Id
also installed a clutch tube from a
donor pan, and new shift bushings on
the shift rod. ( more about that later.) I

almost died in Arizona with the temps


pushing 109 F ( almost 43 Cel.) and
me in coveralls I was just wring wet
with sweat. The water comes out HOT
even on the cold side when you take
a shower! Ronnie cleared his home
garage for me to work on the Ghia, he
has a cool scissor lift. Ronnie helped
me install the 2.5 drop spindles on
the adjustable front beam, he provided
at no cost to me rear CV joints and
brake parts, and both Matt and Geoff
Hart worked on the car along side me.
I lost the bearings in a CV joint Friday
night and was frustrated on Saturday
morning and was at my wits end when
Matt came by and in about 5 minutes
had it all back together and greased.
Matt custom fabed a wiring harness
and was a great help. This was last years
engine with my new 3.44 R&P gear box

to replace the 3.88 R&P box from last


year ( against the advice from both
Matt and Geoff). We got the car up and
running on Monday and I made a few
passes down Ronnies street (neighbors
are really cool ) as well as Ronnie in his
124 Hp 36er powered 1960 Single cab
and it was on to the trailer. I drove out
20 miles to the interstate and stopped
for cheap fuel at 10:30 pm and it was
still 106 F in the dark!!! I drove to my
friend Daves house in Utah where he
let me keep the car and install the Duck
tail rear spoiler and put on some of the
sponsors Decals. Thursday morning
I drove over to Burlies ( he is the 36
HP challenge founder) and met up
with the other racers from Ohio. We
caravanned out to the Salt stopping for
pictures at Salt Air turn out by the
great Salt lake. Arriving at the Bend in

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Eircooled | Issue 1 | February 2013


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the road on the way to the track we
saw several VW campers already set
up, the Blackline Boys with Art Thraen
and RK Smyth of HVWs were there
also. At the end of the road we were
greeted with about 200 of 8 deep salt
water! On to the salt and I pulled the car
off of the trailer and set up the easy up.
Then on to Tech inspection. Now here
is where they inspect your brakes, seat
belts, tires, roll cage, suspension ( OK
its just like a MOT!). I flew through tech
then went and waited in registration
for 2 hours to get my number and
paid my fees. Now is when the fun
began. Upon trying to drive the car (
remember I just made a couple of 1st
gear passes on a city street) we found
out that I only had 1st and 2nd gear or
after adjusting 2nd and 4th it seemed.
Come to find out an Auto stick shift
rod is about 7/16th of an inch shorter
than a 4 speed shift rod! Crud! Nobody
had told me this and it was my first
conversion. We looked for a welder as
Ronnie gave me another shift coupler
and we cut off the end of it and were
going to weld it to the new one I had
just installed to make up the length
needed but the generator we borrowed
just didnt have enough grunt. Colton
McAllister of Blackline had suggested
that fix by the way, thanks Colton. Oh I
had to buy a new starter motor from
Colton also because mine just wasnt
strong enough to turn over the 13.2 to
1 comp. ratio beast of an engine I had.
So we tried re drilling the Hockey stick
on the trans and it was a very shaky fix
at best but it seemed to work. I lined up
on the Starting line for my first run. I
fired the engine and was waved off by
the starter, the adrenaline was pumping
as the car accelerated like a rocket. I
shifted into second and was again
pushed back into my seat by the 270+
HP of the Geoff Hart and Matt Adragna

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built engine. Every thing was going


great until I shifted into 3rd, the coupler
had come loose and I had nothing, no
gears at all. I looked at the GPS and it
said 87 mph in second gear at the .2
mile marker and I coasted to a stop. My
day was over. We towed the car to the
pits and wondered what to do. This was
Saturday and I dont race on Sunday,
the meet went until Monday so I still
had hope that a fix or replacement shift
rod could be found. I knew that Burly
had one in his stash 150 miles away that
I could use if need be. Then Tom Simon
one of the other drivers of my car (
and last years car too) found the fix. We
took out the urethane shift coupler side
blocks and drilled the bolt holes 7/16th
of an inch back so the shifter holes and
the Hockey stick lined up. By this time
it was late and I knew that I wouldnt
be able to make 2 runs before Sunday
( you have to back up a run to get into
the club) so I let Tom run the car back
through tech ( new driver new tech)
and he lined up for his first run at about
5 pm. He blasted off a 150 mph run!!!
We were very excited. He tried another
run but the wind came up and he ran
a 149.6 mph run that time. I said OK
take the Bumpers off of the car and we
did, the front nose had already been
taped up and Tom went out and ran 156
mph at 6500 rpm in 4th gear! Now he
would have gone faster with the 3.88
trans from last year had I listened. My
engine had seen 9100 rpm on the Dyno
and Geoff was shifting the other engine
he had built for the Cheetle at 9300
rpm. I gave away 2500 rpm with that
tall geared 3.44 R&P trans. At the 1 mile
the car was doing 144 mph and it only
gained 12 mph in the second mile, we
were just getting into the power band.
The next day was Sunday and since I
wasnt racing I said that a fellow who
had donated the adjustable front beam

could drive the car. It was a disaster,


he couldnt get the car off of the line
without stalling it several times. I was fit
to be tied and he missed the shift from
1st into second and came to a complete
stop and still managed a 145 mph run.
After he killed the engine he didnt turn
off the electric fuel pump and he flood
the car on his second pass. We tried
to bump start the car on the starting
line but to no avail. We towed the car
to the pits where Tom Simon adjusted
the valves and found 2 tight valves (
titanium) and pulled the plugs and jets
from the 52mm Webers and cleaned
them. A quick call to Geoff Hart who
had left for home and the consensus
was that I could run it but experience
says that Titanium valves tend to let
go after they shrink, not usually on the
first run, but soon after. Geoff said that
I should run it but I said no, it wasnt
worth the risk. So there you have it,
after almost 9 months of sweat and toil
I didnt get to race my car, but it did get
into the re cord books as the first and
only VW air-cooled car to get into the
150mph club and the fastest Air-Cooled
VW of the meet. Ill be back next year
with another engine, which one? I may
try and build a Turbo 2332cc monster
of over 550 Hp and run over 200 mph
or aI may try to build a Turbo 3
36 Hp engine and be the first 36 Hp
powered VW into the 130mph and who
knows maybe into the 150 mph club!!!
One thing for certain...
IM DRIVING THE CAR FIRST!
Britt Grannis
(Roadcow)

BREAKFAST ROLL
The February Brekkie Roll is quickly
becoming the season starter here in
Ireland and is a gentle way to ease yourself, and your VW back into regular
service.
2012 saw an open invitation going out
to all VW owners through a DoneDeal
advert as well as the usual online club
promotion. The response was the best
yet with an impressive (by Irish standards anyway) number of enthusiasts
from not only the Munster area but
much further afield making the trip
to the Plaza Building on the Tipperary
road in Limerick on February 4th. The
large car park provided for a mini show
in itself with the onsite shop and caf
dishing out coffee and breakfast rolls
aplenty.
Kieran brought out his POS for the
day which was the car of the show for
many. It really looked amazing and is a
crowd pleaser for sure. The Williams
brothers arrived in their pseudo Oval
which, despite its age is still as good as
it was when it first hit the show scene
back in the 90s. Many Type 2 Ireland
members also joined in after Kev posted
up an invitation on their forum. There
were stock and modified VWs from the
50s, 60s, 70s and even the 80s, well
parts of a car from the 80s anyway, so
there was something for everyones
taste. For the first time ever we had
non club members attending just to sell
their VWs and one such attendee was
driving an orange 78 Beetle that made
its way from Cork which was in impeccable condition, although the price tag
was putting people off making an offer.
The car had original paint and uphol-

stery, came complete with a full service


history as well as all of its original owners manuals. It was a perfect collector
car if the price was right.
Another first for a small meeting like
this were the spot prizes which were
provided by Jon Whites VW Spares,
Aircooled Accessories in the UK and
VW Heritage. Aircooled Accessories
also offered a 15% discount card to all
who attended. There was no competition and all prizes were given out based
on the old favourite method of names
pulled from a hat! Liam Cummins was
the name-picker-outer on the day!
Damien Pollock was on site to capture
the event for Retro Magazine and when
it did go to print they also ran a piece
on Eircooled.com too.
Club spirit prevailed again when it was
time to hit the minty highway as Diarmid Doodys Beetle decided to throw a
tantrum as he was about to drive home.
Graham Cullen and Padraig Kelleher
could have scooted off in their nice
warm and dry cars but chose to stay
back to get him rolling again. Nothing
unusual there you might say but if you
saw how heavy and constant the rain
was you would definitely tip your hat in
their honour. Club spirit and just genuinely nice folks at their best. The boys
were not alone in their endeavours
as John Murray supplied his T25 as a
whiteboard so they could sketch a wiring diagram however he is still traumatised by what exactly was sketched on
there which is why well move on quite
quickly now!
Thanks to CM Signs in Thurles for supplying the event car stickers. They also
supplied a new number plate to Padraig
Kelleher for his 1959 Porsche 356.
Being extremely vocal on the governments lack of action and foresight
regarding the issuing of vintage number plates gave Graham and Brian the

perfect opportunity to for a giggle and


thankfully Padraig saw the funny side
too which is why the oversized plate
is now proudly hanging on his garage
wall.
This was a superbly supported event
by Eircooled members as well as non
members so were hoping that 2013 will
see an even larger turnout especially as
the format will be changing to a midmorning meet-up at the Plaza Building
followed by a cruise and a lunch stop.
If were lucky we may get a few more
prizes sponsored too! We will also have
a peoples choice award for the first
time.
The next date is Sunday February 24th,
The Plaza Building, Ballysimon Road,
Limerick. Were meeting @ 11am for a
coffee and then the cruise will roll out
@ 12noon.

19

www.bugbitz.com

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www.kildareclassiccarstorage.com

www.krazykombis.com

www.vwspares.ie

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