Bill Richardson Transport World is announcing that its next exhibition opening in April will focus on the quirky Volkswagen Kombi and Beetle models.
Transport World executive director Jocelyn O’Donnell says she expects the display to garner plenty of attention.
“Vehicles like the Kombi and Beetle are immensely popular around the world, largely because of the sense of nostalgia they evoke,” she says. “You can’t help but smile when you see a Volkswagen – and we’re looking forward to bringing together a display that will leave visitors grinning long after they leave our collection.”
The Volkswagen exhibit at Bill Richardson Transport World will focus on pre-1975 vehicles. Among the vintage vehicles will be an extremely rare 1955 barn-door Kombi, as well as a 1961 model of the lesser-known Volkswagen Karmann Ghia coupe, only six were ever sold new in New Zealand.
The exhibit will also be the official launch of Transport World’s ‘Florence the Ambulance’. The 1959 Volkswagen Kombi ambulance served the Southland community throughout the 1960s and the Transport World workshop team has been painstakingly completing its renovation and interior fit-out for many months.
“Each vehicle really does tell a story, worthy of being shared with our visitors,” O’Donnell says.
Among the stories is the tale of the Kombi’s personal significance to Jocelyn and her husband Scott O’Donnell: details of their connection to one vehicle in particular will be among the stories visitors can experience when the Volkswagen exhibit is opened.
Visitors will be able to experience the new display at Bill Richardson Transport World between 10 April – 31 July 2020.
