Up until last year, many SoCal Vee-Dub gearheads made room in their summer schedule for the VW Jamboree, traditionally held in August. This
happening ceased to exist for a long list of reasons, and a few of our readers may lament its demise--the Jamborees from the early '90s were
especially awesome! But events like the VW Panic organized in July fortunately fill the gap with great success. Thanks to the hard work of
promoter Gary Justus and his crew, the Panic has in fact evolved into what many consider as the best gathering of Volkswagens in Southern
California.
Gary's fascination for the German marque can be traced back to the '70s, and he still owns a very cool Sahara Beige '64 Sunroof Bug, a rare Cal
Look survivor from the infamous Orange County Bug-Ins. His son Eric has followed dad's footsteps, choosing to wrench on a Type 34 Ghia.
While still lacking paint, the latter debuted at this year's show with a monster 2332cc motor fitted with Weber IDAs. Killer ride, Eric!
The Justus family and its friends has put together the VW Panic since 1998. This non-profit event started as a small 100-car affair held in Orange
County, before moving to old-town Upland located 40 miles east of Los Angeles. Participants and spectators love the current location, where
you can find plenty of shade under the trees or in front of the long-standing buildings. They came in handy this year, as the temperature reached
close to 100F degrees! Some of the stores and restaurants remained open, thus allowing families especially to enjoy the day without a moment of
boredom. Kids could also take part in the Panic's drawing contest, while adults had the opportunity to browse through the swap meet.
Most Volkswagens invaded the streets leading to a small circle on which stands a gazebo. For a few hours, the latter became the command
center for Dyno Don Chamberlin, the show's official emcee. He certainly knows how to entertain a VW crowd, thanks to three decades of
experience! About 240 vehicles joined the excitement, a slightly higher figure than in 2002. But keep in mind that only about 20 New Beetles
showed up this year (half the number of the 2002 edition), hence, the aircooled participation was definitely on the rise! As usual, the Southern
California clubs cruised en force, and to spice up the event, one specific area welcomed several vintage race cars.
An impressive lineup of trophies was awarded to some lucky Vee-Dub owners. To give a fair chance to everybody, Gary set up two separate
types of judging: People's Choice (participants vote for their peers) and Judged Awards (the verdict comes from a panel of Volkswagen
enthusiasts). The big winner of the day was Steven Ephraim, who went home with the Best of Show award--you may remember his
highly-customized '61 Bug from our June 2003 issue. This piece of machinery definitely impressed the crowd!
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