It was on my first official assignment working for Bugorama Promotions that I spotted this incredible Karman Kreation while walking through the spring show field in Sacramento.  I snapped a few photos of the car and met the owner, John Towers.  After speaking with John for a few minutes and he revealing some of the car’s intricacies, I knew right then a car of John's caliber definitely needed to be on display.  Not only at the center of the car show, but also in the center spread of a magazine.  In fact, even that would not do this car justice, because the level of craftsmanship in this project could never be revealed in such a small allotment of page space.

         I knew John's Ghia would be a great addition to our featured galleries here on German-Pride.com!   I contacted John Towers and asked him if he had a series of photos from his build.  Well folks, we are all in luck.  John agreed to share his complete photo line up of over 200 images of the build up of one of the nicest custom ghias on the planet!  To view John Towers’ featured gallery, please click here!  You can also ask John questions about his car by posting your question in our Karman Ghia Forum!

         A big thank you to John for sharing his hard work with all of us!

Drag In 2008 Fontana, California

Can you imagine the pain felt of watching your house and most of what you own go up in flames?  That’s exactly what happened to Corrie Sachettie.  By the graces of God, no one lost their life, and no one was hurt.  But the house was burnt to the ground.

What does Sacchette's story have to do with a VW show?  Well each year for the past 3 Lance Gregory and the Silver Bugget team have hosted a party at Lance's ranch in Mira Loma.  Last year they instituted a charity raffle which benefited my good friends Ruben and Grace Zamora who tragically lost their 8 year old daughter.  We were able to raise $1500 for the Zamora's and the Silver Bugget crew set their goal higher this year to help a fellow VW brother in his time of need.

The guys got together and solicited prizes and donations from whomever they came in contact with.  In the end, collectively we raised $2500 for Corrie!  That should be enough money to replace his VW T-shirt collection. LOL!  Well done guys!

The party was a blast!  Food, beverages, and great conversation were abundantly supplied.  This year I was partnered up with non other than Ester Hollister in the annual Horseshoe pitching contest.  Ester and I went round after round, making our

Bugorama 61 Sacramento, CA

            Let me first start off by saying that it feels great to be reporting again for German-Pride.com!  I took a few months off due to a career change, and boy was it great to get back in touch with my passion for Volkswagens!  I’m back now and hopefully stronger than ever!

            I guess I’ve represented myself pretty well online and through German-Pride.com, because after our inaugural Dyno Session in the Desert in October of 2007, I was approached by Bugorama Promotions to revamp their website.  In addition, I was asked to photograph and write a report following each of their events.  As you can tell, this is a dream job for me!

             Bugorama 61 was all about “firsts”. This was my first assignment for Bugorama Promotions, my first VW event of 2008, and it was my first trip to Sacramento!  Nestled among the farmlands of Sacramento is Sacramento Raceway Park.  The rural scenery made for a wonderful backdrop for the hundreds of VW campers that filed in one after another when the gates opened on Saturday afternoon.  Although the skies had opened up earlier that morning, all the crossed-fingers, and anti-rain dances performed by

Insuring your VW. 

Being an insurance broker and a VW enthusiast for the past 20 yrs has been a great combination for me as I have been able to help many to properly insure their investments.  That’s right, an investment.  Most of us don’t actually know how much we have invested in our cars (probably too scared to know) and when a claim happens we scramble to get receipts and photos to try to provide a value for the loss.  This in my opinion is why people have negative feelings towards the insurance industry.  They are not properly prepared.   

If you know up front what kind of insurance you are buying, what is covered and what isn’t, and you have an certified appraised value, then presenting a claim will be easy.  In speaking with many claims adjusters over the years, they tell me that the best claims they have ever had to take care of were those in which the client had everything ready.  Then it simply becomes an exercise and the settlement is quick and painless.  Putting a claim into your insurance company should be a pleasant experience.   

If you have ever put in a fraudulent claim then you no longer have an opinion and should be ashamed of yourself.  I have had situations where clients have tried and succeeded in defrauding an insurance company.  These are people that actually think it’s ok to do this because insurance companies have millions and they won’t even notice.  Then they are the first to complain when the rates go up.  And we all know that the biggest reason for rate increases is fraud.  If everyone was honest our rates would be at least 25% lower. 

For those of you who have unfinished projects, expensive parts and race cars with no titles, there are options.  Most antique and classis car insurance companies offer coverage for vehicles and parts which are in the restoration stage.  The rate is usually lower as the risk of road cover isn’t there.  Race cars are different as most don’t have titles.  You must tag the vehicle with some sort of identification number and then have it appraised.  There are specialty insurance companies that offer coverage for race cars.  Most often the client will only buy fire & theft so they don’t have to worry about their huge investment getting swiped when they are not around.  You can also buy collision insurance in case of an accident on the track (expensive).  Then you have to think about liability coverage.  Imagine you are backing out of your pit spot and you hit someone.  There are injuries and they are suing.  You are driving a race car with no insurance.  You are now faced with the cost of defending yourself in court and then having to pay a claim out of your own pocket if they plaintiff is successful in winning the case.  This happens all too often at the track.         

Prepare yourself for the worst case scenario (theft, fire, accident, liability) and you will feel that you are ready for anything.  The insurance company will respect you and provide you with the service you deserve. 

Remember…. You get what you pay for.  Buy coverage from a respected insurance broker in your community.  Drive safe and enjoy your hobby. 

Best regards,
Terry Gaudet