Volkswagen owners show their stuff

The ninth annual Mother Lode VW Show and Swap Meet on Saturday drew people and cars from throughout California, as well as at least one competitor from Nevada.

“We always come to this show,” said David Ortiz, of Gardnerville, Nev. “This is a good show. One of the best.”
  

He was showing a “Volks Rod,” he is still building. It is a modified 1970 VW bug with a 1957 rear window, a 1962 rag-top, 1933 Ford wire wheels and suicide doors from the 1930s.

“This is totally a street machine,” he said. “I drive it every day.”

The show drew 103 show vehicles, ranging from VW buses to stock cars, VW Things, dune buggies, and more.

The swap meet portion included parts, whole cars, mementos and curios.

Bianca Mancuso moved to Tracy six years ago but maintains her membership in the Mother Lode VW Club and came back to help with the show. She has also founded a club in Tracy called the V Dub Club.    

Lee and Karen Corsy, of the La Grange area, admired a 1959 bus that was new the year Karen Corsy graduated from high school.

“It brings back memories,” Lee Corsy said. “The closest I came to owning a VW was a 356A Porsche. I bought it in boxes and built it all myself.

“But, eventually, we had to move, and it got sold.”

Jason Neufeld and his son, Connor, of Fairfield, brought their 1962 rebuilt VW bug to the show. Jason has owned the car for 16 years. He rebuilt and painted it himself.

The Mother Lode VW Club was founded in 2001 by Jennifer Goerlitz, of Vallecito, and held its first car show the same year.

It has members from Tuolumne, Calaveras, Amador, Stanislaus and San Joaquin counties.

The social club organizes runs and other functions, holds the annual show and donates to local charities.