Bill Locke, Pops Announcer .. for the day!
Bill took over duties for Mike Ferguson, the official Pops announcer when Mike was out of town attending his daughter, Lindsey's wedding. Bill is no stranger to holding a microphone so his duties on that day were taken in stride. The Pops presented the 50 year celebration of Woodstock with a 60s era car show and a Back to the Garden concert performed on the floating stage. It was a day filled with Pops fans dressed in nostaglic clothing listening to nostalgic music and viewing nostalgic cars which included a VW bus!
1963 VW 23 Window Samba Bus
Often referred to as simply a "bus", Volkswagen's iconic forward-control van was initially introduced in 1950. It was available in a variety of configurations, ranging from a bare-bones panel van for commerical use to a full-on camper complete with a pop-top roof.
The most popular and desirable of all was the Deluxe Microbu, also known as the Samba. It was considered the most luxurious version, equipped with a large fabric sunroof, two-tone paint, decorative trim and two pivoting "barn" doors instead of one sliding door. Most notably, they featured 8 additional panoramic windows in the roof, earning the nickname of a "23-window" in reference to the total number of windows.
Sambas were painted in two colors. Usually, the upper body was painted white. The lower painted sections were separated by a decorative strip. In addition, the bus had a so-alled "hat" at the front of the van where the roof was just a little longer than the bus itself to block the sun for the driver. The front windows that opened were a particularly unique feature!
1963 was the last year of the 23-window versions as later years only had 21 windows. The striking 23-window featured above is finished with a top in Classic White and a body in Sealing Wax Red. The interior is in an attractive cream white.
No doubt, if you had one of these you know the 1500 engine ran strong and was a fun "bus" to drive and to own! If you had a restored one today, it would be considered "a desirable collectible" worth far more than the "bus" cost new .. in 1963.
Video by Pat Locke
"I enjoyed filling in for Mike Ferguson on that fun day in August of 2019 for Dan and his Chautauqua Lake Pops! I am familiar with holding and speaking into a microphone having been the Special Collection Director at a large Corvette show held in Indianapolis Indiana at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway each June called Bloomington Gold."
Bill Locke
1963 Corvette Split Window Coupe
Peace,
Pat Locke
Maestro Muse
