Air-Cooled Culture: Building the "Small Car Company" Club & The 200HP "German Look" 1972 Beetle 🇩🇪🔧

Click here to share your favorite car, car story or any automotive trivia!Some car enthusiasts are born; others—like Dave's father—need convincing. It took five decades and seven different VW Beetles to turn his dad from a skeptic into a believer. 🐞✨In this episode, we sit down with Dave, the founder of the Small Car Company, a unique car club in Connecticut with "no dues, no minutes, and no politics." Dave shares his lifelong obsession with air-cooled Volkswagens, from the "German Look" 200-horsepower 1972 Super Beetle that surprises everyone to the grassroots community he built from scratch.We also dive into his powerful initiative, Mentors and Motors, which connects vocational students with classic car restoration skills, teaching them not just how to fix a flat-six engine, but how to navigate life.In this episode, you’ll hear:🐞 The "German Look" Beetle: The specs on Dave’s 1972 Super Beetle, modified with a 200HP engine and Porsche-style suspension that got him invited into a classroom.🤝 The Small Car Company: How a casual breakfast with a neighbor turned into a massive club named after a defunct local VW dealership.🎓 Mentors and Motors: The inspiring story of partnering with Bullard-Havens Technical High School to open doors for inner-city auto tech students.🏎️ Car Show Culture: Why the best car clubs happen organically (without Robert's Rules of Order) and stories of Rod Emery Porsches showing up at local meets.👨‍👦 The Dad Conversion: The decades-long journey of sharing the air-cooled passion with a father who didn't initially "get it."Don't forget to listen to Dave's favorite episode with Guinevere of Freccia Brothers Air Cooled Specialists: https://buzzsprout.com/2316026/episodes/16886205Whether you're a diehard VW fan, a Porsche purist, or just someone who believes in the power of cars to build community, this episode is a heartwarming ride.🔗 Links & Resources:Find our 60+ episodes on LinkTree 🔗🌲 https://linktr.ee/carslovedCheck out our Guest Road Trip Playlist on Spotify📢 Join the Conversation: Have you ever convinced a family member to love a car they hated? Let us know on Instagram @toallthecarsivelovedbefore⭐ Love these father-son car stories? Leave us a review!Connect with Us: Got a great car story? Email us at [email protected]. Find all our content and social links here: linktr.ee/carsloved.Podcast News:Our co-host, Doug was a guest on the Driven Radio Show Podcast to share the origin story of our podcast and connecting with his late father through his DeLorean project.Check out the amazing article about the podcast by Elevate Society and Tal Gur, author of "The Art of Fully Living"Feedspot selected To All The Cars I've Loved Before in their list of Top 100 Car Podcasts and 31 Best Road Trip Podcasts For Your DriveOur co-host, Doug was featured in this magazine article along with his DeLore...