I posted this thread over on DDK and - as I know there are a lot of VW fans here on the world - am copy pasting it here for you guys to enjoy also...

My work/travel schedule has been pretty barmy lately.
In fact, since January I've spent a total of 11 weeks out of the country, going back and forth to the US, Europe, and to every corner of Asia.

When I get home from a trip I don't bother unpacking half the stuff from my suitcase, BA staff at Heathrow T5 have started to welcome me by name, and any day now I'm expecting poison pen letters from environmentalist groups about my carbon footprint.
(As a long time owner of classic Porsches, I'm surprised I didn't get those letters years ago )

I landed back in the UK on Sunday, after my most punishing trip yet: In the space of just 14 days I hopscotched London-Bangkok-Hong Kong-Kuala Lumpur-Manila-Jakarta-Bandung-Jakarta-Kuala Lumpur-London

All work and no play would make James a dull boy, and in February I started a policy of rounding off any long tours of duty with some R&R before coming home.
And this last trip was to be no different...

Last month I finished off a 3 week Asian trip by joining Tenn and the Renndrive crew, for a Sunday morning cars'n'coffee in Bangkok.
http://www.ddk-online.com/phpBB2/viewtopic...f=1&t=64686

Tenn knows Porsche freaks all across Asia. So before I set off on this month's trip, I asked Tenn if he could recommend something for me to do when I got to Indonesia.
Turns out Tenn knew just the guy to introduce me to...

And so that's how I found myself being woken by my alarm at 5am last Friday.
I rode a Grab through the already heavy traffic, and ended up standing in the dawn light, on the platform at Jakarta's Gambir railway station.



My father-in-law is an avid trainspotter, and I think he would have been happy enough to just stay here looking at the Indonesia rolling stock.

To be fair, he's a steam freak, and it's electrics only here at Gambir. (Indonesia is home to a popular steam railway museum, but that's not what I had planned for my day).

In the UK, a 3 1/2 hour train journey starting at 7am would normally best be spent either sleeping or reading.

But this train was taking me deep into West Java, and the view out of the window was worth the trip alone.

Basically it went: paddy fields - jungle - small village - paddy fields in jungle - small village in paddy fields - (repeat...).
All the while with prehistoric looking hills and mountains in the distance.

I'd managed to snag a seat on an Indonesian 'executive' train, meaning it was equipped with (freezing cold) AC.
So when I stepped off the train in Bandung the humid 35 degree heat was like a wet slap in the face, and I instantly regretted wearing a black DDK t-shirt.

Thankfully I didn't have to wait long before I was collected up by Michael, long term friend and business colleague of my host Yanto.

Now at this point I should share that I had deliberately avoided doing much googling about where I was going.
I had seen enough to know that Yanto had a car collection of some sort, VWs and Porsches. But that was pretty much it.
All I knew was that Tenn had assured me that a visit would be worth the 7 hour round trip from Jakarta.

Nonetheless, I was a bit concerned when Michael drove us to a residential street, swung suddenly off it, and parked up in front of a pretty run down looking house.

It got weirder when Michael led me in through the offset entrance.

What must have originally been the vestibule is now home to a Beetle, and the walls are adorned with car parts and memorabilia.




There are trinkets and car parts all over the hallway. Some of the parts at closer look may be pretty special (the VW parts I am only half aware of such things).

I made careful note of most of the details about everything I am going to share in this thread.

To kick off: Anybody care to comment on the type and age of these parts?



A closer look at one of the lids to help:

Michael led me up a half flight of stairs and into what must originally have been an office or sitting room.

It's now his office. "My car used to stand in the middle of this room. Then we needed the space so, before we moved it out, I put a light on the floor and painted the shadow across the wall and the door".... Curiouser and curiouser!

Any guesses on the car? (should be easy this one)



Off the office is a sitting room, or perhaps originally a bedroom, still decorated like a normal home, with curtains on rails etc.
That room now too is home to another Beetle.

No time to snap that, because at this point Yanto arrived.

"Photos later, let's eat". We jumped in Yanto's 4x4 and drove to a local eatery.

When we arrived I started to get the feeling that Yanto isn't a "normal" guy.
Despite it being Ramadan, the car park was rammed, but space was immediately made for us to park right at the door.

Turns out that Yanto (on the left) owns one of Indonesia's largest manufacturers of plastic containers for liquids.
He has plants across Indonesia and supplies bottles to Coca Cola, Aqua Water, and a bunch of others.

Michael is his friend of over 20 years.
Son of a famous Indonesian car designer, brother of a senior designer for VW, he too has spent his life working on cars, cars, cars.

The two of them are hilarious, a comedy double act. Together they run the infamous "Terror Garage"

(sorry for picture quality of some of the photos in this thread)

After lunch we head back to the same residential street but stop short of the first house, and instead wait for a gate to open at a house almost directly opposite.

Chalk and cheese, this place is super smart.
Out of the car and through a side gate, opening out to reveal an immaculate home that would not look out of place in LA.




And on the opposite side of that lawn, in full view of the 'veranda', on display are a few interesting cars...

Ever since I started travelling so much in Asia, I've been on the hunt for a RWB. And on Friday I hit the jackpot: Yanto has not one, but four of the things!

Now I know that RWB's attract a lot of mixed criticism. But you should alway see something up close before you can really judge.

So let me start with the RWB that is likely to cause most consternation, and work backwards from there.
Terror Garage is the official RWB builder for Indonesia, under approval from Akira Nakai

Yanto owns Indonesia RWB#1, #2, #3 and #4. All were built under the watchful direction of Michael, with all the signature RWB finishing touches completed by Nakai-san himself.

With the first 3 under their belt, when they started to think about what to build for #4, Michael and Yanto decided to go for something never done with an RWB before, something with an unusual, hard shell...

Say of it what you will, but the quality of craftsmanship cannot be denied.

Skipping ahead for a moment to the other house, here is the buck used to fashion the speedster roof:

Next up, RWB#3 "Terror Targa"

And RWB#2.

It's a 993 C4, which they built back in 2014:




I took my time sizing up this car. It looks rather different to the blue DDK cars of our Paul and MIke :brilsmurf:




In many ways it is the most vamped up of the 4, with all sorts of eye catching details.






Yanto and Michael are friends of Magnus Walker, you'll spot MW details in many of the photos in this thread.




But aside perhaps from the rear "Double Ladder" wing (which I'm not sure is ideal for the Mulsanne Straight!)
It's also not really that much whackier than a race car would seem if it was de-stickered, painted a flat colour and removed from the paddock.




Family ties are strong here, Yanto named RWB#2 "Ika Kartika", after his late mother

Finally, RWB#1.





Built in 2013, using a '91 964, I was of course instantly attracted to its Viper Green hue.









I can finally say that I have sat in an RWB:





"Erabareshi Mono"... "The Chosen One"

4 seriously "phat" cars, each one different, each one unmistakably Rauh Welt Begriff.

Stuck on the end of this line of pumped up Porsche, stands a Land Rover Defender.




I ask Michael "Why the Defender?"
Michael says "Look closer. It's defending"

Sure enough, on closer inspection, the Landie appears to be parked atop a movable platform, offering access to a space down below...

James.... you must of a great time ! What a collection. Hit us up again next time you’re in So cal.

Thanks for sharing James ! Fantastic

They lead me down a smart stairway to the side of the carport, and straight into an underground personal museum of 1940s, 50s and 60s VWs!



Kicking myself because I screwed up the settings on my camera for the cramped and low lit room... blurry sorry!

I count 14 cars (and a few Vespas).
All immaculate and mostly original:
A Rometsch Beeskow, a Hebmuller Roadster, 1 356, 4 or 5 Beetles, 4 Karmann Ghias, a Squareback, 2 campers, one a 23 window.
I lose track, but it seems like every other car had an Okrasa engine.










A Hebmuller Roadster is rare enough on its own.
But how about this: (so I understand it: ) a 1951 car, which should be considered a "one off".
It's the only one that was actually built by both Hebmuller and Karmann - Hebmuller starting the build in 1951 (after their factory had been fire damaged, and the company were on their uppers), Karmann retrieving the car and finishing the build in 52.























Slammed:







"They said about me 'Oh Michael, he can only do standard cars'... So I made this. For fun"

Yanto and Michael both have the collecting bug like an illness.

Parts and trinkets everywhere. Cases containing super old 356 radios, t-shirts, stuff...









Over 1000 model miniatures in display cases:





Yanto's wife is addicted to buying Hot Wheels off the internet.
He asks me to pick one for my son Jake: I go for a 917 LH 8)




We sit and take the view in for a while.
Michael tells how his father was one of the first "name" vehicle designers in Indonesia.

Yanto meanwhile sits beaming at his incredible treasure trove

We head back up the stairs, and across the street to the other "house".

There are piles of Indonesian wood cluttering the porticoed frontage.

One of Michael's guys is copying a part they have removed from another Rometsch car, which is being totally rebuilt, somewhere inside this whacked out place.

Michael leads me back into the house, past the rooms I'd already seen, containing the 2 Beetles, piles of NOS parts, and and his office area with the 356 "shadow painting".
And we walk thru through into a huge open plan area in the centre of the original house.

What's happened on this side of the road is now coming clear:
Yanto wanted somewhere close to his home, for Michael to work on projects.
So when a house opposite his own came up for sale, Yanto bought that and turned it into a unique (and rather eccentric) workshop and storage.

The haphazard feel is deliberate:
Internal walls have been roughly knocked down, with random parts of the old partition walls left in place.
Memorobilia, parts and and nick nacks are piled here, there and everywhere.
Details from the original house are simply left intact. Ceiling lights, curtains and curtain rails, even some of the old furniture.
Never seen anything like it. If you're going to wreck a house, this is the way to do it!

This snap of a yet another Beetle gives you some of that flavour (again, sorry for image quality on some of these shots, I was too involved in all the surprises to get the settings right):

If you had thought we were done with RWBs, think again. In the workshop today are customer cars RWB#5 and RWB#7. (RWB#6 lives in Jakarta).

I forget which is which, but what I do remember (purists get your smelling salts!) is that the red one is the first and only (so far) RWB built on an SWB 911 :shock:




The green one - in an old bedroom - is built on a G model 911, and it is painted a 1951 356 colour.
Its Magnus Walker rims are on the floor, out of shot, and are 17x11s and 17x12s: Michael persuaded Magnus to make 16inch versions of his trademark rims, because he didn't like the look of his 18s and 19s on the car, and felt the MW 16s were too small.

Annoyed I don't get more and/or better quality snaps of this one because, with its army-ish green exterior and all black interior, it is probably my favourite of the 6 RWBs I see today:

Yanto wanted a 'comfort' classic for cruising. So Michael is building a 912.

It's a slate grey car, rolling on gold Campags, fitted with a 1963 356 S engine:

OK then... onto something rarer... purer.
Remember the guy outside the front of the house, making not just bucks, but also copies of original wooden parts?

Well his work is crucial to this project. Another blindingly rare Rometsch, that is getting treated to a full rebuild:

Yanto imported this car from the US, and it was a mess.
These cars were built on Beetle floorpans, the Rometsch hand built aluminium body bolted on, and reinforced with wooden sections.

Michael estimates the hours required for this build will nudge into 4 figures. Lucky he's using Indonesian labour rates!

"Not easy build...Very hard!" he muses. "Lots of delicate details, all is handmade"




So inside there are the workshop and 'playrooms' - and other projects not photographed - but of course it doesn't end there.
Where once was surely a tropical Indonesian family garden is now a yard...

The yard pays host to about 20 vehicles.




How do you like your busses? Rat or mint?






In a very fetching pastel green, this crew cab is going to look gorgeous once finished:

What's this oddity in the corner? Oh yes, it's a Tempo Matador:




Oops... sorry... This is Yanto's Matador:

Heb fans, time to look lively again... Also in attendance, happily taking a sauna in the humid air, and gathering dust, is chassis# 14-00006.

1949 car, all matching numbers :drunken: :

Health & Safety may not pay much attention to Yanto's activities at the workshop.
Like I mentioned earlier, I think it fair to say that he is a man of influence in this town, and blind eyes are being turned to all sorts of things :wink:

That said, and for the record: when it comes to his plastics business Yanto is repeatedly at pains to make clear that commitment to the environment is of paramount importance.
So don't go looking for his imprint on Coke bottles when you are despairing at the state of the beaches next time you holiday in Bali, OK!


In total Michael employs 10 full-time staff at the workshop.
All there to support the hobbies of he, Yanto, and their friends with a similar shared passion for VW and Porsche.

After decades of collecting, this is the first 914 added to the collection. It's a 1975 1.7, which they recently swapped against one of Yanto's many Ghias.

At last, I think, it's my turn to teach Michael something:
"How's the hell hole?", I ask.
"The what?"
I open the engine lid and shine a torch into the notorious area low beneath the battery tray.
"Oh," says Michael, "I didn't know it was called that. Very rusty down there. But... no problem for my guys"

They drive on the left in Indonesia, and Yanto likes all his cars to be RHD.
I've given Michael a bunch of links info about RHD conversions on 914world, and this car will get the treatment once its time in the workshop comes up.

There are a heaps of other cars out here. Some owned by Michael, some by Yanto, and some by their friends.

Michael's pride and joy is his sunroof coupe 356, to which he has added a number of unique touches.
The "pill shaped" cut out engine grill is a Terror Garage signature detail, and is used on all the Indonesia RWBs too.





Look closely at the custom made roof-rack:
"People ask me, why's the roof rack offset like that?. I tell them: When I open the sunroof, do I want to look up and see the sky... or my luggage!?"

These guys are quite simply living the dream, and my kind of crazy.





This November, Jogja in Central Java pays host to the bi-annual classic “Jogja VW Festival”, visited by enthusiasts who drive from all over SE Asia, and normally attracts 400-500 cars.

Yanto and Michael will be taking a convoy of 4 cars from their collection, and I am honoured to be have been invited to hitch a lift with them.
As you can imagine, I'm already busy working out how to engineer a work trip to our Indonesia office that month :wink:

"Reise mit Terror Garage" would be a more fitting graphic here, methinks:




In the meantime, I'll be enjoying memories of another fantastic day out, making more new friends....

WOW!

Frikken incredible. Who’d imagine that somewhere in West Java there’d be such an insane collection. Having said that, I’m not into RWBs at all. Thanks for sharing though just amazing.

What a cool collection!! and great writeup, thanks for sharing. So many cool cars and they seem to be having fun with it.
The wall hanging vw decklids are split beetle, pre 50's I think. The one with vents is for a convertible. No idea on the bumper, probably some coachbuilt.

Very cool, thanks for sharing.

Absolutely amazing, Thank you so much for sharing.

Great collection. And I'm sure none of his plastic bottles are floating in the Pacific.

Nice collection, actually unbelievable.

I'm wondering if there are good roads on which to drive these cars? It seems like he lives way out in the sticks?

James, any idea how often the BKK group meets? I going there next week for a couple of weeks to visit my boy and his family. Cheers, H.

I'm not into the RWB's either...but it would be extra cool if Nakai San built these there in the Java workshop, and video'd the event !!

I'm not too crazy about RWBs either.
The performance...yes...the outlandish touches ...not for me.
The unusual early VWs and the NOSs tin on the walls.... mmmmm.
Thank you for posting
Unbelievable travel.
Unbelievable find.

They do Sunday morning coffee almost every week.

You can DM Tenn via instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tennster/

You'd be surprised... I mean: I was.
The roads are actually pretty good once you get out of the cities (where the traffic jams are so bad you wouldn't believe me if I told you).

Bandung is a schlep to get to, but is actually a well developed and relatively neat and tidy city.
Out in the sticks, yes... and also the capital of West Java, with a population of 1.7m
The architecture has a European feel, thanks to the colonial influences... they'll it "the Paris of Java'