In 1989, I was a tubby little six-year-old with almost no adult supervision worth mentioning and all the freedom in the world. The only thing that kept me from being considered feral by the local dogcatcher was the supervisory eye of my grandfather, Ken. I’d go with him to church, to the Air Force Academy when he needed to pick up his medications, and every morning, when he pulled his yellow windbreaker that proudly proclaimed his “WØTGL” ham radio call sign and his “Two Gun Louie” cartoon (picture: Yosemite Sam from Looney Tunes, with guns aimed, and Pikes Peak in the background) on the back, it was my cue to get dressed, because I was going to go with Grandpa for his walk. Since he was easing into his seventies about this timeframe, these walks were critical for him to maintain his range of motion and his strength. And they worked…I last saw Ken in 2005 and it was only that year that he finally caved in and got himself a cane that he used only when he really needed it.
As we would walk around Columbine Road and Westmoreland, taking in the view of the Front Range along the way, I’d kick crabapples and admire the vehicles in the driveways. At the time, the neighborhood was upper-middle class, and we had quite a few professors that taught at nearby UCCS living in the neighborhood. One family in particular, who I remember having an FJ-40 parked behind their house in the alley, had a brown Vanagon Westfalia that they would take out often in the summer to parts unknown. Were they in the mountains? Did they go up to Wyoming or down to Arizona for the winter? Couldn’t tell you. But I remember thinking that it was a cool idea then…smaller than an RV, but still capable of sleeping, cooking, and camping. I just wasn’t sold on the idea of a Volkswagen being that machine.
Other vans can do it better. The whole “van life” movement of the last ten years has proven that anything from a Dodge Ram Van to a Ford Transit can be a sweet little mobile apartment with a license plate if you really go for it. Hell, Jason “Wee Man” Acuña from Jackass is living in a Mercedes Sprinter last we checked. But what is it about Westfalias that keep a charm? Everybody I know that has an affection for a Westy have an almost mythical view on them…they go full starry-eyed when they talk about how awesome they are. The only other time I see that look is when they talk about visiting relatives that they miss who are no longer around. It’s strange.
Regular Car Reviews takes a crack at explaining the Westy wistfulness in what is their most well-crafted video to date. Seriously…Mr. Regular and his crew have stepped up on this one, and The Roman’s singing isn’t just his usual spoofing. It’s actually badass. Check this one out!
