The 2026 VW show season is officially underway, and Bill is gearing up for one of the biggest Volkswagen adventures of the year.
Before heading overseas, Bill will be taking the legendary Type 34 Karmann Ghia "Zorba" to two major events: Luft Zeigen on June 13th and the EMPI 70th Anniversary Celebration on June 20th. From there, the journey continues across the Atlantic to the United Kingdom, where he'll pick up the famous orange Katastrophenschutz Bus and begin an epic European road trip.
The route will take Bill and friends from the UK across the Netherlands and into Germany for the world-famous Hessisch Oldendorf Volkswagen Treffen, one of the most significant vintage VW events on the planet. After Germany, the adventure continues through Europe before arriving in Belgium for the legendary European Bug-In at Chimay, where thousands of air-cooled Volkswagen enthusiasts gather each year.
Joining Bill this week is longtime friend and VW builder Andy Finch, who shares the details of the upcoming trip, the planning involved in driving a classic Volkswagen across multiple countries, and some of the incredible destinations, collections, and VW enthusiasts they'll be visiting along the way.
Andy also gives listeners an inside look at what's happening at his shop, including several exciting restoration projects, new builds, and some fresh equipment and products he'll be unveiling this season. The conversation dives into vintage Volkswagen culture, European road-tripping, restoration craftsmanship, and the friendships that make the VW community unlike any other automotive hobby in the world.
Whether you're dreaming about driving a split-window Bus across Europe, attending Hessisch Oldendorf, or simply love hearing stories about classic Volkswagens and the people who keep them alive, this episode is packed with adventure, history, and plenty of VW talk. We can also never thank Russel Richie enough for being so involved in the VW seem to put so much of this together. We'll have him on the podcast real soon.
In This Episode:
- Bill's 2026 European VW road trip plans
- Taking Zorba to Luft Zeigen and the EMPI 70th Anniversary
- Picking up the Katastrophenschutz Bus in the UK
- Driving across England, the Netherlands, Germany, and Belgium
- Hessisch Oldendorf Volkswagen Treffen preview
- European Bug-In at Chimay
- Andy Finch's latest restoration projects
- New shop developments and upcoming debuts
- Vintage VW travel tips and road trip preparation
- Why the European VW scene is unlike anywhere else in the world
