Volkswagen fans bring out their Beetles for World VW Day

To commemorate World Volkswagen Day, classic car enthusiasts brought out their classic VWs at a car show on the grounds of the Quezon City Hall on Sunday.

Not all of the classic cars displayed at the Volkswagen Club of the Philippines-sponsored event were Beetles. There were also 1970s VW Camper buses, including one adorned with Rolling Stones decals and another decorated with images of Audrey Hepburn and Marilyn Monroe and converted into a rolling store of vinyl records and other memorabilia from the decade.

The cars ranged from vintage to modern: the oldest Beetle exhibited was a 1951 model, while others were relaunched Beetles from the mid-2000s.

But while the Beetle had evolved over decades since it was first launched in 1937, it remains a classic icon, said VW Club of the Philippines president Doy Bondoc.

"The Beetle is something very simple, very economical, and the model has not changed in 50 years. It's the same shape that Ferdinand Porsche refused to alter. The alterations are very small—the headlights, the taillights—and the basic eggshell shape has remained from inception," Bondoc said.

But in a time where the beauty of a car is measured by its speed and modern-day amenities, what place do classic cars take in the modern road?

More than nostalgia, Bondoc said, classic cars are reflective of what the modern motorist needs in their own modern cars.

"[Classic car enthusiasts] go for the simplicity of the vintage cars like the Beetle, the Mini Cooper, the [Ford] Mustang. Anything old, and reliable, and in good condition, commands a good price, sometimes even more than the modern Japanese or German cars," Bondoc said.

A classic car can still hold its own today, even in inclement weather, he added.

"Mechanically, it's so simple, no computers. If it goes through floods, shake it down. If it's a terrible flood, change the oil, dry it out, and the day after it will run.

"It is so simple mechanically, it is so simple to maintain, and it is inexpensive to maintain. That's what makes it beautiful: it's simple, it's iconic, it has character over time," Bondoc said. — BM, GMA News