Car meeting Costa Brava

tossa de mar — An event with long traditions

A little show, a little circus, full street cafes with happy people, loud music and lots of people.

Two years ago last time

Covid put an end to the event last year. This year the event was toned down – from a weekend get-together to a one-day event limited to 150 cars. the organizer, Friends of Volkswagen de Catalunya, had gained access to the city's main street. There, the exhibition was to take place with sales stalls on the sides, as well as the acceleration competitions. Whether it was fear of Covid or dissatisfaction with the downscaling of the event is not known - but this year's event was only a shadow of previous events. Nevertheless, it was bigger than any other Volkswagen meeting I have seen in Norway.

Tossa de Mar

Tossa de Mar is a small town of 5600 inhabitants on the coast just outside Girona. During the holiday season there are far more people here. The city is visited year after year by regular holidaymakers – the majority Spanish. Residents who do not work with tourists probably commute about 2 miles to Girona. I think Tossa is a good place to live. Low heart rate and lowered shoulders with many opportunities for outdoor interests on land and in water.

vw t3 — The cars were carefully "leaned" up

Bubbles and buses

I recognize several of the cars from last time. They were more beautiful than ever. It is difficult to take pictures because of the crowd, but at the same time it is nice to see so many enthusiasts of all ages. This year as last year, all cars parked on one side of the street and buses and pickups on the other side. It is hard to believe that several of the buses on display are probably worth more than 1 million Norwegian kroner - also in the country of cars, Spain.

Feel the atmosphere!

We ourselves made the trip from France. One of the prized cars – a gorgeous Karmann Ghia – was actually French. From what I could see, it was the only French car to participate this year. I have captured some of the cars "on film". Join us for a trip up the city's main street, which was allocated to friends of Volkswagen for the occasion!

Pictures from Aircooled Tossa

vw t1 — Early 50s Hebmüller – convertible with special lines. After 1953, the cabriolets were built by Karmann.

vw t2 — Karmann Ghia in great color combination

hermaphrodite — The elders gathered. The black folk wagon in the background is a "zwitter". The others have an oval rear window.

vw karmann ghia — The T3 Caravelle Westfalia looks completely modern, but is actually both a veteran and a classic

karmann ghia — A camping-equipped T1 offers many possibilities

tossa de mar karmann ghia — Single cabins are rare. Here a T2.

See

At its 26th annual gathering of air-cooled folk wagons, the organizer used, Friends of Volkswagen de Catalunya, the occasion to celebrate Herbie. This year marks 50 years since it was first shown in Catalan cinemas. The film about the charming and self-willed bubble premiered in 1968, but did not reach Catalan cinemas until 17 September 1969. In Norway, Herbie appeared in October '69. The film "On two wheels in the swing" was a box office success for Walt Disney.

Who really was Herbie?

As in all movies, it's not about a single car. The Herbie that was used on the track, for example, had a chassis and engine from a Porsche 356. Other Herbies were used in various stunts. The model used in the quiet action was a completely stock 1963 model with California roll on the front bumper, sport wheels and sport seats. It is the we associate with Herbie. In 2015, it went to auction for a staggering 126 US dollars and set a record at auction house Hemmings.

Precision

It was the Catalan resort town Tossa de Mar which was to receive hundreds of people's wagons this autumnal Sunday. We arrived in town 10 minutes before the event was due to start. The main street was closed, but could we see any air-cooled public transports? Where were they? Had we got the time wrong?

Looking for a parking space, we were left waiting at a roundabout. Then they came - a whole column of people's wagons and buses from a campsite a couple of kilometers further south. In an instant the main street became Avinguda de Catalunya filled up by bubbles on one side and buses and pickups on the other. The upper part of the avenue was reserved for "drag races". The precision was due to the fact that the city's police only allowed the closure of the main street between 10.30 and 13.00. If the convoy had arrived earlier, there could have been traffic chaos.

cool aircooled — Impressive collection of folk wagons. Type 1 on one side of the avenue – and Type 2 on the other.

Lots of public transport in Catalonia

Catalonia is a region in Spain that includes the city of Barcelona, as well as Tarragona in the south and Girona in the north. On the French side, large parts of the French region of Occitanie are referred to as Catalan Country. Catalonia has its own flag and its own language. Last year, Spanish Catalonia made an attempt to secede from Spain. The attempt was put down by force. Madrid never supports separatists.

On the Spanish and French sides, there are around 10 million people who call themselves Catalans. As a car enthusiast, this crowd can be described by the number of cars that took part in this event. I am sure that at no time would it have been possible to collect as many air-cooled passenger cars in, for example, Norway.