New Volkswagen display coming

If you think the only vintage vehicles that attract plenty of attention are marquee names like Ferrari, Aston Martin, or Jaguar - think again.

Bill Richardson Transport World is excited to announce its next exhibit will focus on the quirky German marque Volkswagen: perhaps best known for their Kombi and Beetle models.

Transport World executive director Jocelyn O’Donnell says she expects the display to garner plenty of attention, with the German manufacturer’s vehicles soaring in popularity over the last decade.

“Vehicles like the Kombi and Beetle are immensely popular around the world, largely because of the sense of nostalgia they evoke particularly in the post-war generation,” 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, and is a truly retro display. Among the vintage vehicles will be an extremely rare 1955 barn-door Kombi (believed to be the only road-worthy one of its kind in New Zealand), 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 Bill Richardson 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 her renovation and interior fit-out for many months. Southlanders in particular have been eagerly anticipating her entry into the museum collection.

“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.

The Volkswagen exhibit will be on display for a limited time only. Visitors will be able to experience the new display at Bill Richardson Transport World between 10 April – 31 July 2020.