Volkswagen Group Components and electrification specialist eClassics are introducing a “near-production version” of an electric-powered vintage Beetle at the IAA Frankfurt Motor Show, which opened Thursday and runs through September 22.

“The concept allows for the electrification of many different historic vehicles,” VW Group Components said in its announcement, which called it “a holistic concept” for the electrification of vintage VWs Beetles.

VW Group Components provides a complete and new electric drive system from the new VW e-up!1 vehicle and eClassics does the conversion.

The e-up!1 is an electric-powered microcar that seats three up front and one behind and that is designed for an urban environment.

“The electrified Beetle combines the charm of our classic car with the mobility of the future,” said Thomas Schmall, member of the board of management of VW Group Components. 

“Innovative e-components from Volkswagen Group Components are under the bonnet – we work with them to electrify historically important vehicles, in what is an emotional process.

“We are also providing Beetle owners with a professional conversion solution, using production parts of the highest quality.”

The conversion equips the cars with a 60 kW/82 horsepower system, as well as reinforcing the chassis and upgrading the brakes. Even with the extra weight, the cars can accelerate to 50 km/h (31 mph) in less than 4 seconds and to 80 (50 mph) in just over 8, VW said. The car has a top speed of 150 km/h (93  mph) and a range of 200 km (125 miles), “a comfortable distance for a relaxing day out in an electrified classic car.”

A fast-charging system can provide enough power for more than 150 km in about an hour, VW added.

“Based on this concept, the subsequent electrification of other historic vehicles will also be possible. 

“We are already working together to prepare the platform for the Bus,” said Schmall. “An e-Porsche 356 could also be pursued in the future.” 

The vehicles are not yet available for sale and pricing is yet to be announced.

The use of the modular electric drive matrix (MEB) is also being considered. This creates additional opportunities regarding performance and range.

A 1954 Wolseley 4/44 that has been parked for 30 years has been refurbished by Sweden’s Nostalgia Magazine and will be driven from Scandinavia to England this week to take part in the “Golden Oldies” display at the International Autojumble, September 7-8 at the National Motor Museum in Beaulieu, England.

The car was sold new in Sweden but for three decades has been unused and rusting. But the worst of the rust has been repaired, the brakes refurbished and the carburetor rebuilt and the car is ready — hopefully — for the road trip across northern Europe. It is one of more than 50 pre-1970s classics that will be featured at the annual car show and swap meet.

Others already registered include a 1922 Bentley 3/4.5 liter with racing history, was converted to a fire-fighting vehicle during World War II and now is back in its pre-war specification. Also, a 1969 Marcos 3 liter, 1927 Delage DMS, 1959 Ashley Special, 1928 Cadillac LaSalle 7-seat sedan, 1952 Lane Rover Series 1 originally used on RAF airfields for towing gliders and a 1963 Ford Consul Cortina Mk1.

In addition to more than 2,000 vendor stands, the weekend includes a Bonhams collector car auction featuring a 1927 Rolls-Royce originally owned by King Edward VIII, the 1952 Rover from All Creatures Great and Small, and the 1908 Napier from Downton Abbey.

Indy museum joins Revolanté

The Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum has announced its involvement in a new concours-style event scheduled for August 23, 2020 when the annual Artmobilia event in Carmel, Indiana, launches its inaugural “Revolanté: A Celebration of Revolutionary Automobiles.”

Ticket sales from the concours-style event will benefit the museum. 

“After a decade of growth in the Artmobilia concept, we were eager to add the perfect Sunday finale to one of Central Indiana’s best outdoor events,” said John Leonard, Artmobilia co-founder. “The IMS Museum has big plans for future exhibits and educational programming, so I’m pleased to have the museum as our benefactor.”

“The timing for Revolanté is perfect,” said Gene Perkins, car collector and IMS Foundation board member. “Taking place soon after the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance, we will invite not only the Midwest’s best car collectors, but aficionados traveling to the east coast from California.”

The weekend program also will include a driving tour of southern Indiana and a culinary and automotive celebration at the Lucas Estate.

‘Universo Ferrari’ exhibit open through September

The first exhibit dedicated to the “world of Ferrari” and staged in the brand’s historic home in Maranello, Italy, will offer special weekend tours throughout the month of September, the Ferrari Museum announced.

“A long-awaited event for customers, fans and Ferrari enthusiasts alike, the exhibition will take place on the Fiorano race circuit, in a large structure where the various activities that render Ferrari so unique are represented in all their glory,” the museum announced.

“An unprecedented exhibition itinerary offers visitors a fully immersive experience, enabling them to gain a close-up of a legend and universal symbol that is amongst the strongest brands in the world.”

Exhibits include those related to Formula 1 racing, to the Ferrari Classiche restoration shop, the Ferrari lifestyle and to vehicle performance and customer racing programs. Also featured is Ferrari’s racing history at Le Mans and a complete lineup of current Ferrari vehicles.

For more information, visit the Ferrari museum website.

Auction cars boost museum’s education fund

Three cars donated to the Studebaker National Museum in South Bend, Indiana, crossed the auction block during the Labor Day weekend in Auburn, Indiana, generating money for the museum’s new education fund.

The cars were a 1955 Studebaker President Speedster, a 1951 Studebaker Commander convertible and a 1982 Avanti II.

End of ‘Time,’ at least for now

The Miles Through Time museum in Toccoa, Georgia, is open only through September 28, when it closes for the winter. 

Mullin hosts ‘The Lady of Lake Maggiore’

On display at the Mullin Automotive Museum in Oxnard, California, is an art collage by Heidi Mraz that tells the story of the “Lady of the Lake,” a 1925 Bugatti Type 22 Brescia roadster that spend nearly 75 years on the bottom of Italy’s Lake Maggiore. Mraz also will feature the car in her upcoming documentary film Automotive Artifacts.

The car was recovered and also is on display at the museum.

“The tale of the ‘Lady of the Lake’ tugs at the heartstrings of anyone who hears it,” said Peter Mullin.“The vehicle is a prime example of painstakingly crafted artwork created by Ettore Bugatti and finished by the likes of Mother Nature. Heidi Mraz interpreted the incredible story, made it her own and turned it into an impressive piece of art which is displayed proudly in the museum.”

The artwork was an 18-month project that involved 1,500 hand-cut elements relating to the car, mounted on a painted canvas that Mraz took to Lake Maggiore and submerged to let the water wash away part of the paintings.

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Special events this weekend

“Proof & Prototype” is the name of an exhibit that opens September 7 and runs through November 24 at the A+D Museum in Los Angeles. The exhibit focuses on the parallels between developing a Porsche vehicle and an issue of the 000 magazine about Porsche, and about how the magazine moved beyond the printed word to bring together a car community.

A “Stampede After the Storm” weekend is planned for the Charlotte, North Carolina, area with the Mustang Owner’s Museum open Friday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., a cruise-in in Harrisburg Friday evening at 5 p.m. with The Basement Vintage Arcade Bar open until midnight, and with a Fox Mustang Restoration open house and swap on Saturday from 10 a.m to 5 p.m. 

The Henry Ford museum and Greenfield Village host the annual Old Car Festival in Dearborn, Michigan, on September 7-8. The longest-running antique car show in the U.S. is open to vehicles from the 1890s through 1932

LeMay – America’s Car Museum in Tacoma, Washington, hosts its annual Wheels & Heels Gala on September 7 from 6:30 to 11:30 p.m.

Autobooks-Aerobooks in Burbank, California, hosts author John Nikas, Petersen historian Leslie Kendall and Art Center College of Design head Stewart Reed for a discussion of The Face of Change: Portraits of Automotive Evolution from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m. on September 7.

The British Motor Museum at Gaydon hosts the ninth annual Retro Truck Show on September 7-8 and expects around 400 classic and modern trucks produced between 1970 and 2000 to be displayed.

In conjunction with the RI Chevy Owners, the Newport Car Museum in Rhode Island hosts a Chevy corral & coffee event from 10 a.m. until 1 p.m. on September 8.

The Gilmore Car Museum in Hickory Corners, Michigan, hosts its 25th annual Muscle Cars Plus show and swap meet from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on September 8. The show is co-hosted by the CATS Classic Cougar Club.

The Crawford Auto-Aviation Museum hosts a special Crawford, Coffee & Cars event from 8 until 11 a.m. on September 11 at the Western Reserve Historical Society Preservation & Restoration Facility in Macedonia, Ohio.

The Auburn Cord Duesenberg Museum in northeast Indiana offers a special  program on September 8, Grandparents Day, with grandparents and their grandchildren invited to experiment with clay sculpting, race track design and to hear the reading of If I Built a Car by Chris Van Dusen. 

LeMay Collections at Marymount in Tacoma, Washington, offers a Model T driving experience on September 8.

Mark your calendar

LeMay – America’s Car Museum in Tacoma, Washington, is participating in the Concours d’Mariners, a car show at 5:10 p.m. before the Seattle Mariners game on September 13 at T-Mobile Park. People showing their cars get discounted game tickets and a special Mariners license plate.

The Crawford Auto-Aviation Museum hosts a coffee and cars cruise-in show from 8 a.m. until 11 a.m. on September 14 at its preservation and storage facility in Macedonia, Ohio.

The Newport Car Museum in Rhode Island will have a “hoods up” weekend September 14-15.

Autobooks-Aerobooks in Burbank, California, hosts Art Evans and Tony Baker and their books World War II Veterans in Motorsports and Southern California Road Racing from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m. on September 14.

Owls Head Transportation Museum in Maine stages its Foreign Auto Festival from 10 a.m. until 3 p.m. on September 14-15.

The AACA Museum in Hershey, Pennsylvania, will be the site of the Road Map Collectors Association convention and show on September 20-21. On September 21, it hosts a Matchbox car show from 9 a.m. until 3 p.m.

The Mustang Owner’s Museum in Concord, North Carolina, hosts a 1969 Mustang Reunion on September 20-21 featuring a special display of ’69 Mustangs, a cruise to Petty’s Garage, a ’69 Mustang car show and a presentation by Don Eichstaedt, who worked at Kar Kraft as an engineer developing the Boss 302, Boss 429 and Trans Am race cars.

The National Motor Museum at Beaulieu, England, has set the schedule for its Autumn Series, which begins September 21 with David Bremner firing up the re-creation of the 1915 Bristol Scout flown by his grandfather during World War I. Bremner will start the plane at 6:15 p.m. and then will show a documentary movie about the build. Other Autumn Series events are racer and Bugatti restoration specialist Ivan Dutton talking about his career and his work on October 19, pilot Paul Catanach and his Gone Bush adventure in Australia on November 16, and Pat and Ness Garrod and their around-the-world motorcycle trip on December 6.

Italy’s Museo Nazionale dell’Automobile in Torino opens its new permanent exhibition area on September 24.

The Audrain Auto Museum in Newport, Rhode Island, will be host to the inaugural Audrain’s Newport Concours & Motor Week from October 3-6 with car collector and new Newport resident Jay Leno as chairman of the inaugural motor week and with his TV show partner and well-known vehicle valuation expert Donald Osborne as chairman for the concours. Also during “motor week,” the Newport Car Museum will have extended hours, open from 10 a.m. until 8 p.m. daily from October 2-6.

The Murphy Auto Museum in Oxnard, California, resumes its “Muscles & Mojo” morning car shows on October 6. 

The AACA Library in Hershey, Pennsylvania, is holding a yard sale from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. on October 8 in conjunction with its move to a new building. All book prices will be reduced 20 percent during the sale, and several special bundles focusing on a particular make or model year have been created for the sale.

The AACA Museum in Hershey, Pennsylvania, will present its Automotive Heritage Award to Carlisle Events founders Bill Miller Jr. and the late Elliot “Chip” Miller at the Night at the Museum gala October 9.

The Blackhawk Museum in Danville, California, stages its Night at the Museum gala on October 13. The theme is “Diamonds in Danville.”

It’s the “Tractors & Brews” party night at 6 p.m. on October 18 at the California Agriculture Museum in Woodland

An All-British Motor Show will be staged October 20 at the Blackhawk Museum in Danville, California.

The Revs Institute and Collier Collection in Naples, Florida, will host its inaugural Cars & Coffee at Revs from 7 a.m. until 11 a.m. on October 26. 

October 27 is the third annual Legends Day at the North East Motor Sports Museum in Loudon, New Hampshire, where Ollie Silva, Bentley Warren and Ed West will be honored in a ceremony beginning at 11 a.m.

“Legends of Speed,” a showcase of nearly two dozen historic racing cars, opens November 2 at the Phoenix Art Museum.

The California Automobile Museum in Sacramento joins with the Sacramento Area Miata Owners Association to offer “An Evening with Tom Matano, The Father of the Miata” from 4:30 p.m. to 7 p.m.

Does your local car museum have special events or exhibitions planned? Let us know. Email [email protected].