Kristy Berry from Parkes comes from a family of car enthusiasts so it was inevitable that she would end up with something unique and it's in the form of this Volkswagen Kombi called "Mabel".
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Mabel is her 1975 VW Kombi Deluxe Microbus, named after her favourite nan whose nickname was Mabel.
The Volkswagen Type two, known officially as the Transporter, Kombi or Microbus was introduced in 1950 as the second car model initially deriving from Volkswagen's first model, the Beetle.
“I've always loved Kombi's so have yearned to get one for years,” Kristy said.
Kristy is aso a big fan of vintage caravans and she and her husband Col have restored a couple of caravans including "Violet" which some people may recall as a popular feature on Elvis Boulevarde at the Parkes Elvis Festival. It was thoughts of setting up a Kombi in a similar style as a food van that lead Kristy to her first Kombi.
“That van hadn't quite progressed much when I came across this one in Bathurst in 2016,” Kristy said.
“It was a good runner and while I liked the original colour, Martini Olive, I didn't love it, so I decided on a fresh change.”
The new colour is still a Volkswagen combination with Avocado on the body and Lotus White for the roof and bumpers, with the restoration work being done by Travis Beaton at Ratbag Customs in Parkes.
Being a 1975 model, Mabel is classed as a bay window as compared to the earlier lowlight and split window Kombi's. It has the original 1600cc air cooled engine with a four speed manual transmission. Inside the Kombi it's an eight seater with two rows of rear seats in the original vinyl upholstery.
That's next on the restoration plans for Kristy but for now the colour scheme blends well with the new exterior colours. For Kristy it's all about having the Kombi on the road.
“It's already been to Melbourne and back last year,” she said.
“What I love best about driving it is seeing the smiles it puts on peoples faces and everybody seems to have a story about the one they had or the one they wish they had.”
Kristy and her husband Col have been members of the Central West Car Club for the past two years.
The club is based in Parkes but welcomes members and guests from all over the Central West to their regular monthly meetings on the first Wednesday of each month at Parkes Leagues Club. Visit www.centralwestcarclub.com
