Marla Aufmuth shares her lifelong passion for air-cooled Volkswagens, sparked by her father's 1976 Super Beetle named Moot. She discusses the challenges of maintaining vintage VWs, including California's strict smog tests, and her unique photography project capturing women and their stories in the Volkswagen community. The hosts also touch on personal car experiences, local car museums, and racing simulators, highlighting the deep cultural and emotional connections people have with their vehicles, especially Volkswagens.
“Every car tells a story, and those stories reveal exactly who we are.”
In this episode, Doug and Dave welcome professional corporate and lifestyle photographer Marla Aufmuth into the virtual garage. While Marla has documented landmark cultural events for brands like Nike and TED Talks, her heart belongs to the air-cooled Volkswagen community. 🏎️💨
Marla shares the history of "Muth"—the 1976 sunflower yellow Super Beetle convertible her father bought in Germany and shipped home nearly 50 years ago. Named after the German word for "strength" or "courage," the car became Marla’s classroom for life, where she mastered the clutch on the daunting hills of San Francisco. 🇩🇪✨
Inside This Episode:
📸 The VW Women Project: How Marla turned a pandemic hiatus into a mission to photograph and interview 40 women across 10 states to acknowledge their place in car culture.
🌻 Sensory Nostalgia: Why the smell of horsehair, vinyl, and a hint of gasoline serves as a sensory time machine for vintage VW owners.
🚐 Forbidden Fruit: Marla reveals her ultimate dream car: the European VW California—a hybrid "three-room" apartment on wheels that isn't available in the States.
🇯🇵 The 25-Year Rule: Dave explains how the 25-year cutoff allowed him to import his own Japanese Kei van and how others can do the same.
📐 Automotive Logistics: A hilarious debate on whether Marla's 6’3” husband can actually fit comfortably into a tiny Japanese Kei car.
Whether you are a lifelong "VW person" or just love a story about the metal that shapes our lives, this episode is a love letter to heritage, community, and the courage to stay in the driver's seat. 🎙️🛠️
If you enjoyed the trip down memory lane today, please follow us and tell a friend. With 71 episodes in the vault, we have a garage full of stories waiting for you! 🚗💨
Until next time, keep the windows down and the stories moving. 🌬️🏁
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"Whether it's your forgotten beater, a lifelong project, or the one that got away."
A 'beater' is a car that's old and maybe a little rough, but it still works well enough to drive every day. People use it without worrying too much about keeping it perfect.
A 'beater' is an informal term for an old, inexpensive car that is often used as a daily driver despite its worn condition. It usually requires minimal investment and is valued more for utility than appearance.
"...highlight of that trip for her was sitting in the Model T in the back with my son and I sitting up front, a..."
The Ford Model T is a very old car that was made over 100 years ago. It was special because it was the first car many people could afford to buy, changing how people traveled. Talking about it is like remembering an important piece of car history.
The Ford Model T, produced from 1908 to 1927, is one of the most significant cars in automotive history as it was the first affordable automobile that made car ownership accessible to the masses. Its simple design and mass production techniques revolutionized the industry and American society. It might be discussed for its historical importance or as a nostalgic experience.
"they had a Nash Metropolitan exhibit, they had a Dodge Viper exhibit going on."
The Dodge Viper is a fast and powerful car made in America. It has a big engine and is known for being very sporty and exciting to drive.
The Dodge Viper is an American sports car known for its powerful V10 engine and aggressive styling. It was produced from the early 1990s through 2017 and is famous for its raw performance and minimal electronic aids.
"they had a Nash Metropolitan exhibit, they had a Dodge Viper exhibit going on."
The Nash Metropolitan is a small and cute car made a long time ago. It was made to be easy to drive and park in cities.
The Nash Metropolitan is a small economy car produced in the 1950s and early 1960s, known for its compact size and unique styling. It was one of the first American cars designed specifically for urban use.
"...got to race a Cayman on a track and just me independently, but it was a lot of fun."
The Porsche Cayman is a sporty car with the engine placed in the middle, which helps it handle corners well. It's smaller than some other Porsches but still very fun to drive.
The Porsche Cayman is a mid-engine sports car known for its balanced handling and performance. It is part of Porsche's lineup of smaller sports cars, sharing many components with the 911 but with a different engine placement.
"...I had the option of stick shift or automatic, PDK."
PDK is a special kind of transmission in some Porsches that changes gears really fast and smoothly without you needing to use a clutch pedal. It makes driving easier and more fun.
PDK stands for Porsche Doppelkupplung, which is Porsche's dual-clutch transmission system. It allows for very fast and smooth gear changes, combining the convenience of an automatic with the control of a manual.
"They restored a 1998 Acura Integra and uh took it to Mount Evans."
Restoring a car means fixing it up so it looks and works like new again. People do this to old cars to enjoy driving them or keep them for a long time.
Restoring a car means repairing and refurbishing it to bring it back to good or original condition. This can involve mechanical repairs, bodywork, and cosmetic improvements to make the car functional and visually appealing again.
"They restored a 1998 Acura Integra and uh took it to Mount Evans."
The Acura Integra is a small sporty car made by Acura, which is Honda's fancy brand. The 1998 version is well-liked because it drives well and is reliable, so many people fix them up and enjoy driving them.
The Acura Integra is a compact sports car produced by Acura, Honda's luxury and performance division. The 1998 model is part of the third generation, known for its sporty handling and reliability, making it a popular choice for enthusiasts and restorers.
"And outside of her corporate work, she is a lifelong air-cooled Volkswagen enthusiast who has started her own Volkswagen-focused photography called You Can Find It Online, VWwomen.com."
Some old Volkswagens have engines that are cooled by air blowing over them instead of using water or liquid. These cars are special and have a big fan following.
Air-cooled Volkswagens refer to older Volkswagen models that use air to cool their engines instead of liquid coolant. This design is characteristic of classic cars like the Beetle and the Type 2 bus.
"When we talk to people, it's either Volkswagen or Jeep."
Jeep is a car brand from America that makes tough vehicles good for driving off-road and in rough places.
Jeep is an American automotive brand known for its rugged SUVs and off-road vehicles. It has a strong enthusiast base and is often associated with outdoor adventure.
"My dad flew to Germany, bought a sunflower yellow Volkswagen Super Beetle convertible, and spent that summer driving around Europe."
The Volkswagen Super Beetle convertible is a version of the Beetle that has a roof that can fold down and better front suspension, making it easier to drive and more fun to enjoy the open air.
The Volkswagen Super Beetle convertible is a variant of the classic Beetle with a redesigned front suspension and a convertible roof, produced mainly in the 1970s. It is known for its distinctive styling and improved handling compared to the original Beetle.
"I know of smog tests, but it is it that vigor uh rigorous that it's like hard to get the older cars through? Is are they never? Every county has different levels, so it depends on what county you're in."
Smog tests check if a car's exhaust smoke is clean enough to protect the air we breathe. Cars that pollute too much might not pass and need fixing.
Smog tests are emissions inspections required by many regions to ensure vehicles meet environmental standards. They measure pollutants emitted from the exhaust to reduce air pollution.
"every county has its own little regulations, which Maryland has some sections that have vehicle emissions and and other sections don't. So like where I'm living, I don't have vehicle emissions."
Vehicle emissions are the dirty gases cars put out when they run. Some places check cars to make sure they aren't polluting too much.
Vehicle emissions refer to the pollutants released into the air from a vehicle's exhaust system. Many regions require emissions testing to ensure cars meet environmental standards.
"I think number two was uh Model T Ford. Yeah, and the Beetle behind, but still, what and what a difference."
The Ford Model T was one of the first cars made for many people to buy. It was built using a fast way to make cars so they cost less money.
The Ford Model T is an early automobile produced by Ford from 1908 to 1927. It is famous for being the first mass-produced car using assembly line techniques, making cars affordable and accessible to many people.
""I've only seen a DeLorean from the outside. It has something to do with what's behind the driver's seat. Oh, I know. I get it. With the engines in the back? It is.","
The DeLorean is a special car that has its engine placed at the back, behind where the driver sits. This is different from most cars that have the engine in front.
The DeLorean DMC-12 is a sports car famous for its distinctive stainless steel body and gull-wing doors. It is notable for having its engine mounted in the rear, behind the driver, which is uncommon for many cars.
"Volkswagens are notorious for having rear engine, but I never like we looked at yours last time I saw it and you were showing me the stuff that you were doing, but I didn't it didn't click like, oh, look, it's a rear engine car too."
A rear engine means the car's engine is in the back instead of the front. This can make the car drive differently, sometimes making it easier to spin out if you're not careful.
A rear engine layout means the engine is mounted behind the rear axle of the vehicle. This design affects weight distribution and handling, often providing better traction but sometimes leading to oversteer.
"So my second car, I did inherit from my sister via my grandparents' uh Honda Accord. That became my work car."
The Honda Accord is a common car that many people use for daily driving. It's known for being dependable and easy to maintain.
The Honda Accord is a popular midsize sedan known for its reliability, fuel efficiency, and practicality. It has been a staple in the automotive market for decades, often praised for its balance of comfort and performance.
"So I ended up selling that and then have my Nissan Ultima now that I've had since 08."
The Nissan Altima is a common car that many people use for everyday driving because it is dependable and doesn't use too much gas.
The Nissan Altima is a mid-size sedan known for its reliability and fuel efficiency. It has been a popular choice for daily drivers since its introduction in the early 1990s.
"And the the battery drain is a thing in the Volkswagen world."
Battery drain means the car's battery loses power when the car is not being driven. If the battery loses too much power, the car might not start.
Battery drain refers to the gradual loss of electrical charge in a car's battery when the vehicle is not in use, often caused by electrical components drawing power. This can lead to a dead battery if the car is parked for extended periods.
"I have a marine battery disconnect on mine. So like if I know I'm gonna be parking it for more than a couple days, I go under the seat and I disconnect,"
A marine battery disconnect is a switch that you can use to turn off your car's battery easily. This helps keep the battery from losing power when you don't drive the car for a while.
A marine battery disconnect is a switch that allows a quick and easy way to disconnect a vehicle's battery to prevent power drain during long periods of inactivity. It is commonly used in boats and adapted for cars to preserve battery life.
"And I always joke, like people complain, like, I don't want to never want stick shift, there's too much traffic."
A stick shift is when you have to use a gear stick and a pedal called a clutch to change gears yourself while driving, instead of the car doing it automatically.
Stick shift refers to a manual transmission where the driver manually changes gears using a clutch and gear lever, as opposed to an automatic transmission.
"Nothing nothing beats a convertible, and I I own many and I don't want to take your thunder. But what I've said is like worst the worst car that's a convertible is the best car on a nice day. I don't care if you cut the roof off yourself, it's still the best car."
A convertible is a car where you can fold or take off the roof so you can drive with the top open and feel the air.
A convertible is a car with a roof structure that can be retracted or removed, allowing open-air driving. It offers a unique driving experience especially in good weather.
"In their buses, that I was like, I really want a Volkswagen bus. But honestly, like having two vintage cars keeps me busy enough, like taking care of him."
The Volkswagen Bus is a well-known old van that many people use for camping and traveling. It has a big inside space and a unique look that lots of people like.
The Volkswagen Bus is a classic van originally produced from the 1950s, known for its distinctive boxy shape and popularity among campers and road trippers. It has become an iconic symbol of the counterculture movement and is prized for its spacious interior and versatility.
"So I was like, I would love, I was like, okay, maybe the ID buzz will be cool, but I feel like Volkswagen did not quite pull that one off."
The Volkswagen ID. Buzz is a new electric van that looks like the old Volkswagen Bus. It's made to be better for the environment but some people think it could be better designed.
The Volkswagen ID. Buzz is an electric vehicle inspired by the classic Volkswagen Bus, designed as a modern, eco-friendly van with updated technology and styling. It aims to combine nostalgia with electric mobility but has received mixed reviews regarding its execution.
"And she always rents this Volkswagen, California. And so Volkswagen has basically done a hybrid version of like a modern version of the Volkswagen bus. So it has a pop-up top, it has a full kitchen inside, it has sliding doors on both sides."
The Volkswagen California is a van made for camping. It has a roof that can pop up, a small kitchen, and doors that slide open, making it easy to use on trips.
The Volkswagen California is a camper van version of the Volkswagen Transporter, featuring amenities like a pop-up roof, kitchen facilities, and sliding doors. It is popular among camping enthusiasts for its practicality and comfort on road trips.
"So it has a pop-up top, it has a full kitchen inside, it has sliding doors on both sides."
A pop-up top is a part of a camper van's roof that can be lifted up. This gives more space inside for standing or sleeping when parked.
A pop-up top is a roof section on camper vans that can be raised to provide additional headroom and sleeping space. It is a popular feature in camper conversions to increase livability without increasing the vehicle's footprint.
"And then it's a hybrid, so it's electric, but yet you could still go off-road or go wherever you need to go and not worry."
A hybrid car uses both gas and electricity to help it run. This means it can save gas and be better for the environment.
A hybrid vehicle uses two or more types of power sources, typically combining an internal combustion engine with an electric motor to improve fuel efficiency and reduce emissions.
"But we'll we'll add fuel injected. So that adds a little quirk to people fixing it."
Fuel injection is a way the car puts gas into the engine to make it run better. Older cars sometimes had simpler systems called carburetors, but fuel injection is more precise and can be trickier to fix.
Fuel injection is a system that delivers fuel directly into the engine's combustion chambers or intake manifold, improving efficiency and performance compared to older carburetor systems. Early air-cooled Porsches transitioned from carburetors to fuel injection, which introduced new maintenance challenges.
"Um I try to do a lot of it myself, but it is a it's a it's a dying art for the Volkswagen, the air-cooled world."
An air-cooled engine cools itself by air moving around it instead of using water or liquid. This makes it different from most modern car engines.
An air-cooled engine uses airflow to remove heat from the engine instead of liquid coolant. This design was common in older Volkswagen models like the Beetle and requires specific maintenance techniques.
"...man, and he's like, Oh, this is Brenda, she has a Carmen Gia. You guys should talk."
The Volkswagen Karmann Ghia is a pretty old car that looks like a small sports car. It was made a long time ago and is known for being both good-looking and easy to drive. People like to talk about it because it’s a cool and classic car.
The Volkswagen Karmann Ghia is a stylish sports coupe and convertible produced from the 1950s to the 1970s, combining Volkswagen's reliable mechanicals with Italian design flair by Ghia and German coachbuilder Karmann. It is often appreciated for its classic looks and smooth driving experience. It might be mentioned due to its unique blend of design and engineering or as a cherished classic car.
Select text to request an explanation
Welcome back to All the Cars I've Loved Before the podcast where we park the specs and the stats at the door to focus on the stories that really matter.
You know what time it is.
It's time to throw on that faded car t-shirt or hat.
Get a little grease under your nails and step back in time.
We're here to talk to you about that very first car.
A sense of pure freedom with the windows down, maybe the convertible top down, music pen, and your best friends piled in the back.
Every car tells a story, and those stories reveal exactly who we are.
Whether it's your forgotten beater, a lifelong project, or the one that got away.
And we're driving that personal history behind the metal.
I'm Doug, and I'm here with my co-host Dave.
Let's get into it.
Dave, how are you?
I am doing very well, thank you.
Thank you for having me back again, and I'm glad to be here.
Yeah.
Always a pleasure, sir.
Oh, of course.
What's new in your world?
Any car related activities?
Well, now that all the ice has melted, if anybody's on the East Coast, they know that it took a while for that to happen.
I've uh got to rearrange my parking situation, but I haven't actually turned any wrenches as of late.
Still waiting for it to warm up a little bit more, but at least now that the ice is gone, I can put vehicles back where they're supposed to be.
But uh how about you?
So I think two exciting things.
I went to the America on Wheels Museum in Allentown.
If anybody's never heard of Allentown PA, you probably know the Billy Joel song.
That's Allentown.
I brought my uh 14-year-old son and my 84-year-old mother.
I think the highlight of that trip for her was sitting in the Model T in the back with my son and I sitting up front, and they let you honk the horn and just a great picture experience.
But as I mentioned to you, Dave, on the on the uh they had a Nash Metropolitan exhibit, they had a Dodge Viper exhibit going on.
Those are from car clubs, but really nice small museum right near the w river.
So uh good times.
And then kind of the highlight of my weekend was yesterday I went to P1 Racing Simulator.
It's uh a digital racing like you see in the movies.
It's in Annapolis, Maryland, where I live, and uh got to race a Cayman on a track and just me independently, but it was a lot of fun.
I I wrecked the car a bunch of times, but I had the option of stick shift or automatic, PDK.
But there were siblings racing against each other.
There was a father-son doing like a F1 style setup, but you get a lot of feedback.
It really was a ton of fun.
I highly recommend it to anyone.
We're gonna have the guys on the show, so I don't want to reveal too much, the co-owners, but tons of fun.
I know seeing the pictures that you sent me made me want to go immediately.
So I'm definitely gonna be checking it out very soon.
And uh can't wait to talk to the guys from there too, because I'd I'd like to know how they got into that.
Super exciting.
I have a car themed article of clothing on today.
I have my Volkswagen hat because who we're talking to today is a big Volkswagen person, and we're gonna get into that in a minute.
And I know that Doug, if you're watching this on the YouTube, has a Beatles shirt on, which he got in California, and that actually also happens to be where our guest is from.
So it's all tying in together.
We got Volkswagens, we got California, we got everything coming together, and I can't wait to get into this.
So, speaking of, um, we're gonna do a real quick podcast update.
If you've listened uh to our podcast, the last one that just was released was a heartwarming uh father and son project who actually wrote a book about their experience called From Clunker to Summit.
Uh they restored a 1998 Acura Integra and uh took it to Mount Evans.
So um if you're back, thank you for coming back.
If you're new here, go back and listen when this one's over.
I think you'll really enjoy their story.
They were really uh good people to talk to.
And The Sun actually left a review after it and said uh this is a quote from the review: a super genuine and authentic host that makes the podcast feel like chat with friends.
Their content is easy to connect with and enjoyable, would highly recommend.
So thank you, Neil, for doing that for us.
And I appreciate the feedback.
It's gonna help us grow.
But uh now we got to get to the good stuff, and that's gonna be Doug.
How did this lovely guest get into our virtual garage?
Marla offmoot.
She was a referral from one of our wonderful other Volkswagen loving guests, Guinevere Fresha from Fresha Brothers in Connecticut.
And uh, I'll let Marla do a good intro, but just to pave the way, if you will.
Marla is a professional corporate portrait and lifestyle photographer who has documented landmark cultural events and figures for major brands, including Nike and TED Talks.
And outside of her corporate work, she is a lifelong air-cooled Volkswagen enthusiast who has started her own Volkswagen-focused photography called You Can Find It Online, VWwomen.com.
But let's introduce Marla.
Marla, thanks for coming to the show.
Thanks for having me.
We're very excited, as we were talking in the pre-show, about, you know, you have another, I haven't owned a Volkswagen, but I've heard great things.
And there is a cult, and that is a very common thing.
When we talk to people, it's either Volkswagen or Jeep.
Those are like the two very common cars, vehicles, if you will, that people want.
And uh we have Dave here, of course.
He's named his car as many, many of as you, as well as many of the women you've interviewed for your photographic site have also named.
Tell us more about yourself, what you do, how you got into the whole Volkswagen life, and then we'll jump into some questions.
Okay.
Well, it started, I think, in I guess the summer of 1976.
My dad flew to Germany, bought a sunflower yellow Volkswagen Super Beetle convertible, and spent that summer driving around Europe.
And then he shipped it back and he named it Moot, as in our last name Auf Moot, which also means of strength in German.
And um, so it was his daily driver for years.
So I grew up in the back of Moot.
I learned to drive on Moot in my 20s.
I mastered the clutch on the hills of San Francisco as I lived there.
And then eventually after university, he finally gave me the car, so it became mine.
And now every year I pray biannually as it will pass California smog tests because it's a 76.
I I was really pulling for that Leno's law.
I is it gonna go through?
I hope it goes through.
I I think I heard it didn't, that it but maybe maybe I'm wrong, maybe it's looped back through because uh as we mentioned earlier, I'd like to live in California and I want to bring my 1981 DeLorean out there, which maybe it could pass smog.
I doubt it would, but uh all my DeLorean buddies out there who live out there, that's like a common thing.
Oh, I just passed smog, like it's a it's a bragging rights, if you will.
So no, I spend probably two to three months and I go to the smog place and befriend them and I find the mechanic to go tweak it while it's on the smog machine.
Yep.
It's and it's uh probably anxiety provoking in some ways too.
You had a you had a challenge.
So I'm like, okay, I'm going to the mechanic, and my husband's like, okay, I'll see you at for dinner because he knows I'll be gone all day long.
I'm not 100%, I'm not 100% um familiar.
I know of smog tests, but it is it that vigor uh rigorous that it's like hard to get the older cars through?
Is are they never?
Every county has different levels, so it depends on what county you're in.
And the irony is the smog guy at the end, my car would barely run.
It was limping up.
The guy who tested it, oil is pouring out the back of the engine, and it passed smog.
Wow.
So even the smog guy was like, it's just a moneymaker for California.
Obviously, my car is not environmentally okay.
So oil is pouring out.
I learned um California was the first state in the country under Ronald Reagan as governor to implement that.
The uh CARP, California Air Resources Board, I think.
Well, it's kind of ironic if you're driving an old car, you're gonna keep it going no matter what, which I will do.
So they should just sort of grandfather them out.
Like, I just learned that my car is 50 years old this year.
So I feel like if you have a car that old, maybe they could just change those dates to be a little higher.
Because in Maryland, that would be his not even historic, it would be antique at that point.
I think um antique starts at the 30 or 35 year mark.
Um, and they're not sub, you know, subject to any tests or anything, as long as it can, you know, if you it has a steering wheel and a pedal and four wheels or even three wheels, depending on what kind of car it is.
Um, it you can drive it.
So like I'm I'm surprised that uh that California is so strict, even though it's a 50-year-old car.
But like you said, every every county has its own little regulations, which Maryland has some sections that have vehicle emissions and and other sections don't.
So like where I'm living, I don't have vehicle emissions.
But yeah, Doug.
Oh, yeah, I didn't know that.
In a in Annapolis we do, but between my all-electric car and my Goulorian, which does not have to be smog tested, it's has not been a problem for me.
Yeah.
Well, Dave, I might be hitting you up to register my car at your house.
There you go.
Dave, I see a scam going on here.
Hey, if she lives here part-time and that happens to be, you know, stop by that.
Dave, I see a side I see a side hustle brewing here.
That's what I meant to say.
Awesome, James.
You can come to California.
There you go.
Go uh go experience the uh the California hills for once in my life.
Exactly.
You might not want you might not want to come back.
It's a great place.
If um I don't know how far we got into your introduction with uh with all the nice chatter.
Did you did you talk about your Volkswagen photography?
No, so we didn't get there.
So I have a 76 Super Beetle.
And then um, during the pandemic, since I am a corporate photographer, my work just stopped.
So I had lots of time to think and lots of time to work on my Volkswagen.
And Dave, as you know, every time you're with a bug, someone comes up to tell you a story about a Volkswagen.
So I decided, I was like, why am I not photographing women in their air-cooled Volkswagens?
It seems like an obvious project.
So the idea was kind of conceived during COVID, and then I was like, okay, how do I find these women?
So I started going on Facebook, I've discovered the whole Volkswagen community, which is so expansive, and started reaching out to local clubs.
And someone put me in touch with a woman.
We did my first photo shoot.
It was awesome.
And then it just kind of has grown from there.
Over the last, I think, three years, I've photographed 40 different women in 10 states.
Um, there's five different models of Volkswagens from the buses to the Beatles to the things, squarebacks, and Gias.
Um, and then it's just keep going.
And every time I meet a woman, I'm just so amazed by their story, their love for their car.
And everyone has a Volkswagen story to tell.
So they do.
Maybe we should change the podcast, Dave, to be every Volkswagen has a story.
Everybody has a Volkswagen story.
But that's just because they were so prevalent everywhere you went.
It didn't matter if you were in Europe or America.
Like those when they when they made their their debut in the gas uh shortage era, they they stuck because they were so reliable, being air cooled, they were easy to keep running.
Like, you know, my story about keeping it mine running with a literal penny and a piece of duct tape because they're that resilient that you know you can figure it out.
And since then it it started, as you mentioned, kind of like that cult following, even though we never try to, you know, we don't lean into that.
We just go, oh, look, another Volkswagen.
But 100% every time you're out driving, somebody's gonna have a story or a question or a comment or something, or even just a smile and a wave because they love them, right?
The Beetle was the most longest produced car and best-selling car ever.
23 million Beatles were produced.
Like that's a crazy amount of cars.
I think number two was uh Model T Ford.
Yeah, and the Beetle behind, but still, what and what it what a difference.
We're talking about polar opposites.
So uh I do have to just throw out, since even though I'm not a Volkswagen guy, I don't own a Volkswagen, my DeLorean does have something common in common with the Volkswagen.
This is a quiz.
What do you guys think?
I'm gonna let Marla go first.
In common.
Something in common.
I've only seen a DeLorean from the outside.
Okay.
It has something to do with what's behind the driver's seat.
Oh, I know.
I I get it.
With the engines in the back?
It is.
Okay.
I I actually went to a car show uh just downtown Annapolis, Cars and Coffee, and somebody said, I thought the I thought the DeLorean engine was in the front.
I'm like, no.
He's like, Are you sure?
I'm like, that's the way it came.
From the factory.
So anyway.
I don't think I'd ever put two and two together on that myself.
Like, I of course, you know, Volkswagens are notorious for having rear engine, but I never like we looked at yours last time I saw it and you were showing me the stuff that you were doing, but I didn't it didn't click like, oh, look, it's a rear engine car too.
Marla, maybe we can uh chat about your first car a little bit, how you got it, you know, our our standard uh spiel, if you will, for the podcast, and we'll we'll dive into some more questions.
So my first car was moot.
I learned to drive on him.
And it was interesting hearing people talk about learning to drive on stick shift.
And I don't remember we just did it.
I don't think it was really a thought since it was my dad's main car.
Like we just got in and I learned it.
We went.
So I wasn't allowed to drive moot to high school, but I could drive him to work after that.
So that was my car, and then when it became mine around 94-5, my dad actually his co-worker was selling the 77 Super Beetle that was orange convertible.
So he actually bought that.
So even though he gave me the yellow bug, he ended up with an orange bug.
So I might get rid of the Beatles.
So he kind of traded up.
Yeah, yeah, one year.
And uh in the meantime, right, you did have another car, period.
So I moved to San Francisco, was driving it there, was working as a photo assistant, and I would show up on photo shoots to assist photographers.
And an assistant goes, they go to the equipment rental store and gets all this heavy equipment and piles it in their car.
And I remember showing up to a chute with my top down with five 10-foot holes for lighting and gear just piled in there.
Because when you put the top down, you can actually put a lot of stuff in there.
But I was like, okay, maybe I shouldn't be going to photo shoots in my bug with all this gear piled in there.
The photographers thought it was funny, but you know, you can't lock it, it could fly out.
There's lots of things that could go wrong.
So my second car, I did inherit from my sister via my grandparents' uh Honda Accord.
Okay.
That became my work car.
Keeping it in the family again.
And that car was jinxed.
It got in so many accidents.
I think it was champagne colored that no one could see.
Two people you turn into me.
I had someone parked in front of me at a light or stopped at a light just back into me, like just weird accidents.
So I ended up selling that and then have my Nissan Ultima now that I've had since 08.
Okay.
That's it.
That's it.
So you've had the Volkswagen Super Beetle the whole time.
Uh and that's it.
Yeah.
Three year, three cars in your whole life.
Three cars in my whole life.
Yeah.
Um, I think living in the city, in a city, you don't you don't really have room to have more.
I mean, I already have two.
Um, I go and visit these women that live out in Nevada that have like they basically bought plots of land so that they can have their 28 buses and whatnot.
Um, we just don't have that space.
So does you do you have a garage for a moot?
No.
So I have room in the driveway.
Okay.
Well, you know, hey, you gotta do what you gotta do.
I was just curious because my Alice has never really seen an inside of a garage either.
But, you know, it's one of those things where you gotta do what you gotta do.
Right?
How often do you get moot out?
So usually when it's nicer weather, like it's raining right now, he's having a bit of a battery drain issue.
So I kind of like unplugged the battery, like we've just been gone for two weeks, so I haven't plugged him quite back in because it's pouring rain.
But definitely a lot more in the summer.
Although he doesn't like to go very far, so it's more like 10 block radius right now.
And definitely less of a less of a rust issue out there.
I know in I know in SoCal, Southern California, it's like you see cars just last forever that would have disintegrated on the East Coast long ago.
He's rusted on one paint job, but nothing like you guys have on the east coast because we don't have salt humidity or anything like that.
Man.
Like it was funny because I was I whenever I travel for work or my corporate jobs, I always tag on some Volkswagen women.
And I started late fall.
And luckily last year, like organized some women, and this weather was really nice because they're like, Yeah, we put our cars away.
And I was like, Oh, I didn't realize that's what you have to do on them away.
Yeah.
And the the battery drain is a thing in the Volkswagen world.
I have a marine battery disconnect on mine.
So like if I know I'm gonna be parking it for more than a couple days, I go under the seat and I disconnect, and it's it's a quick disconnect, so it's you know, just stops the battery from draining.
Oh, maybe I need to do that.
Look into the marine battery disconnect.
It's it works really well.
I've gotten a solar, like slow trickle charge that I'm it's kind of more of a pain.
So thinking back, Dave and I were talking about this earlier.
I I know you grew up with moot.
Is there something that you just loved about it, like that attracted in my case, pop-up headlights, and that was a big thing.
But is it is there something about moot, whether it's the basic dash, the round headlights?
Uh I feel like when I get in moot, I you're driving.
You're actually driving a car.
And I always joke, like people complain, like, I don't want to never want stick shift, there's too much traffic.
But I am convinced that if everyone drove stick shift, traffic would flow more fluidly because people just like slam on the gas and then the brake now, so it's all like but if you have to shift and actually get up to something, I think traffic would just like ebb and flow in a much more fluid, lovely way.
I love driving.
I love and then I love putting on a winter jacket, putting the top down, and just driving with that air.
And that just there's nothing else like that.
Nothing nothing beats a convertible, and I I own many and I don't want to take your thunder.
But what I've said is like worst the worst car that's a convertible is the best car on a nice day.
I don't care if you cut the roof off yourself, it's still the best car.
I've never owned a convertible, so I can't speak to that.
Well, Dave, we could cut the roof off your car if you like.
I I think I know somebody.
I was gonna say, not Alice, but we could definitely get a different car and cut the roof off.
You could just get a convertible.
Or we could do that too.
It it it is funny, and I just remembered this story when I was probably post-high school.
I had the opportunity to buy a five Beetle convertible.
Uh and my dad, who helped me with so many different things, his comment was I don't know anything about Volkswagens.
And he's a smart guy.
It just he was a you know, American V8 front engine, rear-wheel drive guy, and it was just so foreign to him.
Of course, it's the simplest car in the world to work on.
I feel like there is that divide though between the American cars and then the old vintage Volkswagens.
I had a cousin that was um a lifelong mechanic.
Well, he's still alive, but he's retired now.
Um, but he uh he would refuse to work on a Volkswagen.
And it wasn't a big because of it was a Volkswagen, it was because of the way that it was engineered.
Because, you know, like the passenger side um lug nuts, you'll turn one way, and then the driver's side turn another, you know, and like those kind of things.
And he was just like, no, I won't work on a Volkswagen.
And so I had to work on my Volkswagen by myself, but he would work on every other car with me, just not the not the Volkswagen.
You gotta know the ins and outs of the Volkswagens, as you know.
You can you can get yourself in in a heap of trouble if you don't know what you're doing, but at the same time, once you learn it and find the simplest the simplicity, it's like, oh, well, that was you know, super simple.
Though you've only had three cars, you did mention what your dream car is, and uh then I want to circle back to talk more about your photography.
Tell everybody about your dream car because I hadn't heard of this particular model.
Okay, so talking to all these women who have buses, they have so much fun camping and road trips.
In their buses, that I was like, I really want a Volkswagen bus.
But honestly, like having two vintage cars keeps me busy enough, like taking care of him.
So I was like, I would love, I was like, okay, maybe the ID buzz will be cool, but I feel like Volkswagen did not quite pull that one off.
And one of the women actually goes to a lot of the Volkswagen shows over in Europe.
And she always rents this Volkswagen, California.
And so Volkswagen has basically done a hybrid version of like a modern version of the Volkswagen bus.
So it has a pop-up top, it has a full kitchen inside, it has sliding doors on both sides.
So you can like go through all the whole bus.
They call it like three rooms.
So like both side awnings become living spaces with the Volkswagen camper van itself as like part of your home.
And so to have something that's modern but still actually reflect those earlier buses in Westphalia's and Riviera's like that you could sleep in would be ideal.
And then it's a hybrid, so it's electric, but yet you could still go off-road or go wherever you need to go and not worry.
So that would be my dream car.
Actually, I was looking at those earlier myself, and it, you know, it does definitely hail back to the Westphalia days with the, you know, the square nose volt vans, the vanigans, which you know, because they changed it to the vanigan after a while.
And it would be cool to have one of those myself, but at the same time, I don't go far enough that I would need it.
But it it's a Volkswagen, so I'd own it anyway.
And you can't get them here because they're only in Europe.
You could definitely import one of the older ones now, uh, because if it's over uh 25 is the cutoff.
So if it came out in in twin 2000, 2000, uh you can own one of the old ones, ship it over.
Actually, that's a good idea.
That's how I got my little van.
I uh shipped it from Japanese.
Oh, I know.
I went on that website that you had talked about to look at all the K cars.
It's it's dangerous.
And uh of course when the tariffs went up, that was like I was thinking about buying one.
I'm like, nah, this is a re good reason not to.
So my husband's 6'3, do you think he'd fit in one of those K cars?
Ooh, depends on which one, because my my van, the seats all the way back, I'm six foot, so he's got and my knees just brush the the dashboard.
So six three might be might be a touch and like a little bit mate mainly uncomfortable.
He could definitely fit, just not for a long period of time.
We'll put it that way.
Yeah.
For sure.
Well, you never know.
We might we might have to have Marla back with the maybe with her husband.
One more question about the vintage Volkswagen.
I'm curious.
So we've talked about all the positives.
What's one thing you wish would be different or like the worst part of owning an old old air-cooled?
And I'm pretty sure I know the answer.
But we'll we'll add fuel injected.
Okay.
So that adds a little quirk to people fixing it.
Um, I don't work on my own engine, so it's finding the mechanics who actually won't lie to you and say they don't know how to work on them, and we'll actually do it.
Because I know I've been driving that car for what, I don't know, 40 plus years.
So I know every sound it makes, so I know when it's not running right.
So it's finding that person, and they have to be like in their 70s or 80s.
I feel like those old mechanics are the only ones that know.
And luckily I have one right now, so knock on wood.
Around for a while longer, but it's probably me not knowing how to do enough to tweak it to keep it going.
Understood.
That's it, that's a solid answer.
Not what I was thinking, actually, but uh solid answer.
I was thinking it was gonna be the trying to get it through smog every year or every two years, like you were talking about.
Obviously, the newer the car is probably gonna be easier because the computers are worrying about getting it through where this one is somebody's gonna have to turn a wrench or a screwdriver somewhere and get it through.
Um, but that makes a lot of sense.
I'm a little blessed because less than probably 20 minutes or 30 minutes drive from me is an actual Volkswagen specialist.
And uh he has what's called the the auto house, and he only works on old Volkswagens.
So, like now, granted, he's getting up in age, like you mentioned.
So at the moment, knock on wood, I have somebody that I can call and and or take my Beetle to if I need it.
Um I try to do a lot of it myself, but it is a it's a it's a dying art for the Volkswagen, the air-cooled world.
I wanted to loop back and hear more about the BWwomen.com.
You started sharing about it being a pandemic endeavor, right?
Taken off since then and continue.
It's totally grown, and it's been great because through these different clubs, I'll find women who I will reach out to, see if they're interested, share with them the project.
And you know, it takes a lot of trust to have some strangers show up with you in your car and interview you and photograph you.
And so so many women have trusted me to like tell their story, right, and for them to share their story with me.
So that's just been lovely.
And what's great is I never really know their story beforehand.
I just kind of go on a leap of faith that this will work out.
So, and having no idea what these stories are, I am always so excited.
I get in the car after, I like call my husband.
I'm like, you're not gonna believe this story.
Blah, blah, blah, blah, blah.
And so it's just been really fun to slowly roll these stories out from Guinevere, who you met, who's fifth generation repair Volkswagen repair shop owner.
Um, and she actually had a fear of driving her car until she started getting in her beetle and could just like concentrate on driving.
So to see her kind of persevere and work through that has been amazing.
Um, another woman is um Sarah, and she has a, what does she have?
A 67 Riviera conversion bus named River, and she drives the Shasta snow trip every year.
Um, do you guys know what that is?
I've never heard of that myself.
Okay, so every February, it just actually happened.
So during in California winter, all these old buses, all air-cooled buses, get together and they drive 300 to 500 miles all off-road around Sha Mount Shasta.
So it's through snow, it's through rivers, buses are sliding off the hillsides.
Like it's crazy and off the grid.
And they've been doing it for a long time, like 25 years now or something.
And she's one of the few women that does it.
And she's like dropped her engine in the middle of like some dirt road to fix something.
Like, she's amazing.
I meet people like that, and I'm like, oh wow, okay, I got a lot to do.
It's intimidating when you have people like that too, because you're thinking, like, I know some stuff, and then you hear, oh, well, I was, you know, 300 miles deep in the wood and did this.
I was like, you know what?
Never mind.
She does it by herself, which is even more incredible.
Like lots of couples go and she's doing it by herself.
And where is Mount Shasta?
So it's in Northern California.
I'm just amazed thinking about the buses.
I always think about the the 60s and whatnot.
Like, what was it like to take one of those on a road trip?
They're underpowered, they're not safe.
Nothing was safe back then by by today's standards, of course.
But no air conditioning, right?
Just little stick shift and going uphill.
I can just imagine.
Maybe that's why the 60s worked out so well.
It's that people were not in a rush, whether chemically induced rush or or not.
They were just very laid back.
Just doesn't sound like a uh fun travel vehicle, but back in the day they they made it work and uh they continue doing it.
It's still in homage.
I'm look I'm looking at your site while we're talking.
I'm sure Dave have had I think Dave mentioned Cora and the double cab.
No, yeah.
One that caught his eye.
Yeah.
My dream caught.
She started collecting Volkswagens.
She got into them because of her brother, and then ended up with eight buses, and then met Mitch, who she ended up marrying, and they ended up with 28 buses, and now they have a whole restoration shop they've built on this piece of land.
And when where where is that?
Where outside of Reno in Nevada.
Okay.
Um, it's a really pretty valley up there.
Um, and they have like a Volkswagen camp out that they invite all their friends in their Volkswagens every, I think, August or spring, and just have really delved into the whole Volkswagen community, and they do drives and they go to gentle car shows together.
Um it's pretty cool to see what they've built.
Wow.
That's awesome.
And it's the sanctuary for Volkswagens too, because you know, Nevada is famous for having some of the cleanest Volkswagens, because like we were talking about with no rust, you know, like it's such a dry environment and everything.
So I'm sure all of their their buses are gorgeous.
But the ones that were restored.
There's some yass shells out there too.
The the donor ones aren't as pretty, but they're still in my world, they're still like, yeah, they we could do something with that.
They'll get used in somehow, some way.
Right.
And there's a wonderful sisterhood from looking at your looking at your website, vwwomen.com,
of you know, all different ages who love these cars and they've found something common, whether it's growing up with one like you did.
Or Cora mentioned that her brother was interested in in Volkswagens, and that's how she got kind of pulled into it.
And he ended up living with her, and that made the connection stronger with Volkswagens.
And uh, she met her husband, and he liked Volkswagen buses, so 28 buses later, there you go.
But where where do you see your hobby going?
It does doesn't seem to be stopping anytime soon.
Uh yeah, I mean, there's so many more women.
I have a list of women I haven't even met yet, so it'll definitely keep going.
I would love to see it be in a book so that more access to these stories.
I think it'd be really fun to go to car shows and camp outs and everything in the Volkswagen community and like sell the book and share these stories.
Yeah.
Monterey here has Monterey Car Week in August where the concourse to elegance is.
And it's a whole week of events.
And I would love to be part of the like the little car show and have a bunch of women show up in their Volkswagens and men too, and show up with these Volkswagens that are kind of the opposite of what shows up at the Concourse to Elegance, but still I think to be respected in their own right and do a parade out there.
So I think that would be my where I'd love to see it go.
That sounds pretty exciting.
I was hoping you would say starting a cars and coffee, right?
Just something something fun that just spreads the word and continues the love of Volkswagen.
Bring the community together.
I really appreciate you.
Of course, I'm a Volkswagen fan, but even if you were doing just bringing more acknowledgement and notoriety to the the females in our in our car cultures that are out there doing their own thing, like your friend that does the the snow drive, like that's amazing that she's out there, even if it, you know, it for anybody going out there alone is is impressive.
But someone that you mentioned in your bio on your website that a lot of times in the car culture it feels like women are minimized or even sexualized.
And there's a lot of us out there that that appreciate that there's more than just the typical car show mentality where we try to be as welcoming as we can for everybody.
It's one of those things where I I really love your project and I'm I can't wait to keep following it along myself just to see who else you meet and their stories, because obviously I'm a big fan of car stories anyway.
Here we are right now.
I Dave, um, I guess we just need to have keep having more Voltwogging people on to keep keep you entertained.
Here's the next one.
I did want to ask before uh Dave does the window, how does your husband feel about this?
Is he allowed and is he allowed to drive up?
So I don't think he's ever driven my Volkswagen.
But he's been a passenger, right?
He's been a passenger plenty of times.
I think I even asked he knows how to drive stick.
I've even asked once, and I think he's kind of like, no.
Um, but he has actually been my biggest advocate for this project.
I bet.
Um, so it's been you know hard to find some women at first, and then once I figured it out, they've come together.
But we'll go to a coffee shop and I'll come out with our coffees and he'll be talking to some woman, and he's like, Oh, this is Brenda, she has a Carmen Gia.
You guys should talk.
Or he'll be on a bike ride and he'll be like, Oh, I found the square back in the shed.
It's Lynette's, you got a caller.
And I'm like, So it's been great to have him be so excited and supportive.
But he but he is not a car guy, but he is a Marla guy.
He likes his cars in his own way, so we talked about the two cars you have is the Ultima his as well, or he has his own.
No, he has a big uh Toyota truck that's even older than my Nissan.
But in preparation for this, I was like, what is your dream car?
And he to have a Volvo, like a late 60s Volvo, the really boxy square ones, and he's decided that's what he'd like to find again.
Okay.
They're still around.
Volvo did have that P1600, which looked a lot like uh Carmingia.
I always I always think they look very similar.
There's a few I feel like that kind of look similar of that era, and I can't remember what else, but yeah.
Maybe maybe we'll have your husband on next time.
Maybe we could do a joint joint interview if he'd like to join us.
We'll ask him.
He is a little shy, so we'll just hopefully uh you can uh twist his twist his arm now that we broke the ice a little bit.
But but yeah, we'd love we'd love to have him, if if anything, just to talk about how much he enjoys helping you.
Yeah, it was great.
He actually got to come and witness one of my interviews.
And sometimes, you know, the women get really emotional and cry, and I've done this.
And then he actually witnessed it and he was like, wow, like those wagons mean so much to so many people, and to see that it's just incredible.
So that's funny because that was going to be my follow-up question.
Is when you go traveling to do these interviews and photo shoots, does he go with you?
No, I do most of them on my own.
He's only been to one.
Yeah, no, it they take a lot of time.
So like I have to meet the person, kind of build their trust, and then I go to wherever they are, scout the location because I want it to be easy for them.
So somewhere close.
I need to find a location where I won't get like run over or I won't get squid.
Which is actually a lot harder than I thought it would be.
Like I didn't really kind of think that part through when I came up with this idea.
And then, you know, they take like an hour or an hour and a half sometimes.
Sometimes the Volkswagens don't run.
Like I had one woman call her neighbors first thing in the morning to push it out of her driveway or out of her garage up the driveway so we could do the shoot because she wanted to be part of the project so much.
So people have been through a lot of effort to make this happen, and I need to thank them all.
Well, the uh the adventure is is part of that too.
If you don't know what to expect, then you're going into it knowing what you want the outcome to be, but how we get there is the adventure too, and that's my outlook on it, at least.
Oh, it's so true.
And this one woman who pushed it up the driveway, she's like, Well, it's not starting, so if it works, it works.
If not, then just come over and I'll make you some beignets and we'll have coffee.
And I'm like, okay, yeah, you say go to bed.
Great deal.
I feel like it's time to head towards the proverbial off-ramp.
I want to say thank you to Marla for coming on the show with us and having this wonderful conversation.
Please keep up the good work that what you're doing.
And if anybody, I encourage everybody listening, go to vwwomen.com,
read these stories, see the gorgeous pictures that Marla's taking.
She really does have a knack for her photography.
She's doing good things and having awesome stories.
So thank you for Marla for being here and check out vwwomen.com.
And that has been uh the show.
You've been riding shotgun with to all the cars I've loved before, the podcast celebrating the metal that shapes our lives and the stories that keep them running.
If today's episode sparked a memory of your own first ride or a project gathering dust in the garage, we want to hear about it.
He's Doug.
Reach him at Doug at Carslove.com.
And I'm Dave.
You can find me at Dave at Carslove.com.
Again, special thanks to Marla.
Check out her cool stories, pictures, and stories.
And if you enjoyed the trip down memory lane today, please follow us and tell a friend.
Leave a review on the Apple Podcast is the best way to help our community grow.
And you can find everything you need from us and our social links and everything to our pod, our past pod episodes at our link tree, L I N K T R dot E slash Cars Loved.
And until next time, keep the windows down and the stories moving.
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