2016 Beetle Sunshine Tour

For 12 years now, Beetle nuts have been gathering in the northern German port town of Travemünde. Together, they celebrate, admire, and share their passion for the car that is more closely tied to Volkswagen’s image than any other.

This year, on the occasion of the reveal of the refreshed European Beetle, VW Vortex was the brand’s guest at the event and we got to participate in all the fun of the Beetle Sunshine Tour.

It all started when one Beetle enthusiast, Gaby Kraft, bought a New Beetle of her own. She was impressed with the car and decided that she would like to go to an enthusiast show. Unfortunately, there was none to go to.

Fortunately for Beetle enthusiasts, Kraft decided to start her own. Now, more than a decade later, the show bills itself as the largest private Beetle gathering on earth and this year featured more than 600 Beetles, countless visitors, and even a couple of (German) celebrities.

MC Fitti and Sidney Hoffman were the headliners at this year’s tour, as they were last year. Fitti is a YouTube star who has become associated with Volkswagen. This year, he even showed up to the Sunshine Tour with a Beetle emblazoned with his face. By contrast, Hoffman is a tuner and television personality.

As the owner of Sidney Industries, Hoffman sells aftermarket parts for all sorts of German cars, including Volkswagens. This year he showed up with a flat white (and black and grey and red and blue) Beetle that featured prominently next to MC Fitti’s. The two were the Masters of Ceremonies for the event and introduced the newly updated models.

The Beetle Sunshine Tour is more about the owners than it is about new models, though.

The show’s highlights include Beetle RSI number 001, a Beetle pick up, and a new Beetle made to look just like a classic Beetle; seriously, that last sounds like the least exciting, but was one of most impressive cars at the show not just for its attention to detail, but because it also looked really good despite the fact that the owners, Sebulla and Bjeorn, had just finished the build a week earlier.

Overall, the show skews more to the new Beetle, which is actually kind of charming. Although the original Beetle has a bigger following, the New Beetle and new Beetle are somewhat under represented in the enthusiast community. It’s charming to meet the wacky people who opt for a Beetle over a Golf or Jetta, or whatever else would be a more common choice. Clearly, they feel passionately about the car, and that really comes across in both their conduct and their customizing.

So have a look at the gallery above and enjoy the weirdness.

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