When the original Bug-In event, which started in 1968, ceased operations in 1983, no one could figure out where in Southern California to have a VW drag race, car show, and swap meet all in one place. Other events sprang up across the country (indeed, around the world), but the Bug-In eventually reached fabled status as the best VW event ever held, and then it was gone.
But one event, the VW Classic held in Irvine, California, and organized by some of the Bug-In crew, was a close second to the original event-it just didn't feature drag racing. For the past 21 years, the Classic event has been physically split into two camps: the restored crowd and the custom crowd, with a few Porsche replicas, dune buggys, and one-off kits thrown in for good measure.
With the Classic becoming the center of the VW universe, other events have popped up and are held concurrently, with a cruise/ poker run the Thursday night before, VW parts stores' open houses, a Saturday gathering of early VW Busses (numbering around 300!), a toy and literature show, plus a VW rally-and this is all before the Classic show itself!
Suffice it to say that if you're into VWs, kits or otherwise, then a pilgrimage to where the customized VW craze started is in order. Get more info on the next Classic Weekend at www.vwclassic.com.