VW North West 2011

Off and running then ... time to start another album showcasing another of the many car shows I've attended over the years. Staged within the grounds of Tatton Park on the outskirts of Knutsford, VW North West is one of the best VW related events to be staged in the UK as I hope my photos will show. First to be uploaded from when I visited it in 2011 is this very tidy looking Mk2 Golf, which I think must be from the North of England as I've also come across it at some of the smaller local shows in recent years.

Another beautiful Mk2 Golf as seen at VW North West 2011 . Can't confirm the precise year for this one as official records now show the registration assigned to a Vauxhall Combo van, but the plate at the time would suggest it was either 1987 or 1988. Hope the car is still around though as it was an absolute stunner.

Yet another black Golf GTI as seen at VW North West 2011 , but this time a Mk1 from 1983.

Another black Golf GTI as seen at VW North West 2011 , but this time a Mk2 from 1991. Interesting to compare it to the Mk1 from earlier ...

The Volkswagen Corrado is a sport compact car developed by Volkswagen and built at the Karmann factory in Osnabrück, Germany. Launched in late 1988 (three years before the end of Scirocco production) until 1995, it was seen by many as being the Mk3 Scirocco that never was. They even produced a limited edition model, which carried the 'Storm' badge that had previously been seen on ... you guessed it, the Scirocco. This particular one seen on the VW Corrado Club of Great Britain stand at VW North West 2011 is the much sought after VR6.

Yet another beautiful Corrado as seen at VW North West 2011 . This an example of the 16V model and this particular car was manufactured and registered back in 1990 ... and it's red too!

Detail of the front end of a 16V Corrado as seen at VW North West 2011 .

Perhaps not old enough for some to be considered a classic, but this 2.8 litre powered VR6 is now over 20 years old and looked absolutely stunning.

Feast your eyes on this terrific collection of old Beetles as spotted at VW North West 2011 . The green one nearest the camera is from 1952 whilst the beige one next to it is a 1956 model ... absolutely beautiful. Couple of alternative versions from the 'processing room', one HDR and the other in a painterly style, can be found in the Notes.

The unmistakable lines of the Rallye Golf, which first appeared in 1989. Distinguishable by its box-flared wheel arches (similar to the Audi quattro, BMW E30 M3 and Lancia Delta Integrale) and rectangular projector headlamps. Only around 5,000 of these very powerful Golf variants were built and they cost twice as much as a base Golf GTI. Not too sure about the wheels the owner had fitted, but otherwise an exceptional looking car. Sadly, it no longer shows up on the DVLA records so it may not be around anymore.

If I could marry a Beetle ...

Yet another gorgeous looking old Bug as seen at VW North West 2011 .

This one looked the part, but I did wonder if it might be a replica. However, for the sake of tagging it I'm giving it the benefit of the doubt ... unless you know otherwise.

Detail shot of the Porsche Speedster from earlier.

The Karmann Ghia, a 2+2 coupé first introduced in 1955 and manufactured until 1974, must surely go down as one of the most attractive looking cars VW ever made. It cleverly combined the chassis and mechanicals of the Type 1 (Beetle) with Italian styling (courtesy of Luigi Segre) and hand-built bodywork by the German coach-builder Karmann.

Another shot of that beautiful 1968 Karmann Ghia.

Yet another beautiful Karmann Ghia. Sadly, this one no longer comes up on the DVLA records ... so let's hope that means it's just been sold overseas rather than it having come to a sticky end.

Described as being 'blue' on the DVLA records, this rusting, ratty-lookin' splitty was only registered here in October 2003, but having been built in 1954 it's one of the oldest examples I've come across.