When Country Cars visited Peter Bruty's shed in November we were a bit in awe. And not just because of the rare and special Volkswagens within.
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Sure there were plenty of lovingly cared for cars but it was everything else within the garage which really tickled our fancy.
However it was everything else within the garage which really tickled our fancy. Items such as a VW coffee machine (made by Peter himself), a Kombi fridge, Volkswagen-powered compressors and dozens of other amazing things made using Volkswagen parts and technology.
Peter’s shed is truly a shrine to all things Volkswagen.
Mr Bruty’s love of the German “people’s car” spans nearly four decades.
“When I was 15 I got involved with Volkswagens through off-road racing,” Mr Bruty said as he poured us a cappuccino, complete with a powdered chocolate VW logo on the froth. “Kerry, my brother, was into it so I went from there.
“I built my first Volkswagen between the ages of 16 and 18. It was the one I raced. My first daily driver was also a Beetle - maybe a ‘62 model.
“On and off, I’ve had VWs ever since. I had a Golf which was my daily driver for some time. It was pretty sluggish but it was very economical. It was great on the pocket.”
While Kerry turned his attention to Japanese cars like the Isuzu Bellett, Peter stayed true to his first love. For many years his story was not dissimilar to many car enthusiasts who love one particular brand. That was until he built his shed about 10 years ago and the cars and toys started to accumulate.
“I didn’t know this was going to happen. It just evolved,” Mr Bruty said. “I built the shed because I wanted to have a good shed. I didn’t have this in mind. When I built it I thought I’d never fill it but in the past 10 years or so it has just kind of happened.”
The cars themselves are, naturally enough, the centrepiece. They include the 1960 Karmann Ghia; a 1954-model Beetle; a 1962 Beetle; 1957 Transporter split screen single cap pick-up; a very rare 1951 Tempo Matador truck powered by a VW motor; and various other assorted vehicles that include a VW-powered street sweeper and a VW-powered milk truck.
Thanks to his long association with the brand, Mr Bruty was able to do a lot of the restoration work himself.
“Every Volkswagen I’ve got is six volts (as opposed to 12 volts), which means they are all pre-1967,” he said.
“I like the early stuff. For most people a Beetle is a Beetle, but for me it’s not.
“None of my cars are hot rods. I did that when I was 18. I’m now 52. All of them are returned to original rather than souped up.”
So what about the other stuff?
“When I got the coffee machine I thought ‘I should really do something with that’,” Mr Bruty said.
“So I made a body out of steel and a mate did the fibreglass work. I’m happy with it. Even the inside trim is proper Volkswagen trim.
“The fridge is a 1950s Hallstrom fridge painted up as an early 50s Kombi van (complete with working tail lights). My compressor is powered by a VW 1200 engine and I have 14 ride-on pedal and electric cars.”
Even some of the lighting for the shed is provided by a real Kombi on the office roof with working headlights (operated from the shed’s main switch) and indicators, while the foot button for the water tap is a headlight dimmer switch from an early Beetle.
Some of the signs come from John Emery’s old dealership in Ballarat.
It is most fortunate for Peter that his wife Margaret is a good sport about everything. In fact she is the secretary of the Ballarat Volkswagen Club Inc, while the family pet is a Jack Russell named Karmann.
They have hosted other VW clubs across the state at their shed with their “petrol and pancakes” day (complete with oval pancakes featuring a VW logo in the centre).
The Ballarat Volkswagen Club Inc welcomes owners of all Volkswagen vehicles. Anyone wishing to get in touch with the club should call 0448 845 455.