A beautiful day with eight air-cooled Volkswagens.

You have those days when everything comes together. Companionship, eight favorite cars and ideal reporting conditions. We experienced such a day with Thomas and Peter de Roy, fervent fans of air-cooled Volkswagens and now together account for nine units. One of which is under construction. The other eight find a place under the breaking sun on the site of the North Netherlands Scrap Processing in Franeker. Not to breathe their last there, but for an extensive double report for Keverwereld and Auto Motor Klassiek.

The double report is an idea of ​​Thomas and Peter. They were approached by Beetle World for a story about the air-cooled Volkswagens. Moreover, I have known them for years, and from the first report a nice form of camaraderie has developed. We also see each other regularly between the reports, which is always fun and good for beautiful stories and classic enthusiasm. Thomas comes to me with the question if I want to write the story and Bart take pictures. Yes of course. This is how we help each other. Because don't forget: both Peter and Thomas also regularly make a classic available to tell a nice story Auto Motor Klassiek to write about.

So we are not only working for Beetle World, but also for Auto Motor Klassiek. For our magazine, we set out in the afternoon with two of the eight air-cooled Volkswagens. These are two copies of the Typ 3: the Ulmen green VW 1600 TL Automatic and the VW 1500 Variant painted in Colorado red. In this way we will soon filter two stories from the extensive collection. A busy and unforgettable day lies ahead. Yes, this is one of those again.

The village garage in Schalsum is, as always, the meeting point, and there is that pleasant uncomplicated atmosphere. Also now photographer Spijker and I are present. Peter and Thomas are there too, of course, and a little later Johan and Arnold also join them. The collection of VWs must be taken from Schalsum to the recycling company. And that means we go back and forth a few times, because there are six of us. And in total, eight VWs must be brought to the photo location. Of course that works.

No half measures are taken for the photography accompanying the stories. Thomas takes a drone with him, Bart has his entire photo equipment with him. For example, the cars are captured one by one and together against the background of large Liebherr cranes with grabs and neatly sorted mountains of recycling material. The sun is starting to break through and the difference between immortal classics and the material intended for new purposes in the background is gradually becoming clear. The symbolic value is great, at least for me. Here they are, the Beetles and the Typ 3 models that made Volkswagen a manufacturer after the Second World War that is still one of the largest in the world.

So it is such a day. It runs smoothly, everyone is having fun and is working in their own way to get things properly recorded and arranged. The result is beautiful pictures, and in the end eight air-cooled Volkswagens stand next to each other. Eternity contrasts with the stock of materials on site. Before noon we are ready in Franeker. Eight VWs have to return to Schalsum. On the way there I had already driven a piece in the green 1600 TL. And now we are going back to Schalsum in a first column.

I take a seat behind the wheel of the 1302 VW 1971 L, Thomas' latest acquisition. The sunroof opens, the window down. We make a show of it, and drive straight through the old center of Franeker, where the old facades and walls absorb and reverberate those wonderful sounding boxer sounds. There is an audience, and they usually respond enthusiastically to the Volkswagen column. Waving, a thumbs up, children pointing: it's a party of recognition. And we all enjoy it.

It's remarkable how easily I always find my way around a Beetle. I know Beetles like the back of my hand, I also had one myself, the Senegalrode 1303 with AB engine. I still have it, only in an 18 times reduced form, from NOREV. In addition, I drove countless Type 1 copies. But the Typ 1 never gets boring. That typical atmosphere on board, the shapes, that strikingly friendly and oh so recognizable sound: I love it. And that never changes.

In Schalsum I get in with Thomas, because we are going to pick up the stragglers: a VW 1500 Cabriolet in a nice patina condition and the really beautiful Sumatra green VW 1303 keep watch in Franeker and are now going back with me. I get into the 1500 Cabriolet, which is perhaps the least mint condition in terms of condition. And at the same time I also have a soft spot for the VW, whose hood goes down. The scene that forced itself upon me in the 1302 repeats itself. This 1500 also grabs me, and with that old single-port H-engine in the back and the box that is the middle between short and long, it appeals to me very much. I've known the car for years, but never drove it. Now I do, and I enjoy the oldie in optima forma under the open air.

Meanwhile, Mia - Peter's wife and Thomas' mother - has prepared delicious soup and ditto sandwiches for the company. That is the welcome intermezzo on the grounds of garage De Roy in Schalsum, while enjoying beautiful shared memories and reflections on classic Volkswagens. A large part of the stuff goes back inside, to keep imaginary company with the 1600 VW 1972 TL under restoration, the Renault 4 GTL and the first-generation VW Scirocco.

After lunch we take another piece in the area. Bart and I drive the 1600 1970 TL Automatic to the photo location. This Typ 3, delivered new in the Netherlands, is a unique and original car, with all accessories and documentation from the date of first admission. He played a role in a Dutch TV series, and soon he will also appear in the magazine Auto Motor Klassiek. Thomas follows later with the Variant, he first drives to his mother. The automatic transmission in the 1600 TL does its job smoothly, especially if you touch the accelerator normally. The engine runs beautifully and cleanly. The Typ 3 drives lazily, and so does it steer. Loom is something other than vague, because the response of all technology is fine, especially if you dose things well. This car is really cut from a completely different cloth than the Beetles, which also present their own characteristic and history. But they all evoke the same feeling in me.

This is how the day runs relaxed to the end. Peter reports for a few more photos, and has to go on to Leeuwarden. We return to Schalsum for the last time. There is a beer, there is coffee, Oane joins us and we have known him for a long time. This is how the day comes to a nice end. A day when we all enjoyed old-fashioned camaraderie, air-cooled love and eternal value. Because the love for air-cooled is well defined in most of us. Just like the camaraderie, which was partly thanks to these evergreen classics. You have those days when everything comes together. This was one of them.