August 13, 2010

"I've got everything from a '55 split window Beetle to a 2002 turbocharged Beetle."



Moab, Utah, has been the pilgrimage location of outdoors enthusiasts for decades. Every summer visitors from around the world flock to the little city to enjoy hiking in the National Parks, off-road Jeep adventures or rafting on the Colorado River. The city also harbors a well-hidden secret that could make the city a place of pilgrimage for a different crowd: Volkswagen enthusiasts.

Located on the outskirts of Moab lies one of the largest Volkswagen shops in the United States: Tom Tom Foreign Car Parts & Service. Over a hundred air-cooled Volkswagens lurk behind the fence in the hot desert sun waiting for somebody to restore them. That is what the owner wants to happen with the cars: "I don't like selling parts from them", he explains, "I'd rather sell them whole so someone will fix them up." He continues: "a guy put up a wanted ad on The Samba, it said something like "wanted: a relatively rust-free split window Bus." I emailed him and said "I got fourteen of 'em, which one do you want?"

The lot isn't limited to cars that came out of Wolfsburg. "That Fiat 600 ran when I parked it. I didn't deal too much with Italian cars though, it was tough to find parts for them."

All the cars in the lot are for sale, though some are already spoken for. "I haven't sold a Bug in a while. These things go in trends; sometimes it's Ghias, sometimes it's Bugs. Right now the Buses are the most popular."

"The Citroen Ami 6 has been parked since 1971." The Ami 6 was imported to the US only for people high placed in Citroen and not available for the commonfolk to buy.

Several Type 3s of all body styles are waiting for somebody to pick them up and restore them, including two rare notchbacks:

Type 4s are also well represented:

A 911T, one of two Porsches in the lot:

A rusty single-cab:


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