Member: Jim Altemus                 

Location: Bristol, CT

Member Since: March 2000

VW/Audi's Owned: 2003 Golf TDI, 2003 Jetta TDI (wife’s car) 1968 Type 3 Fastback (the money pit in the garage), 1981 diesel pickup,1990 Jetta, twin 1986 Golfs (one project car for the website, one rally/IT car), 1985 Jetta (my first VW), 1974 Audi 100 (the first car I ever put a temp plate on.)

Wasserwerks: How long have you been involved in the VW/Audi hobby?

Jim Altemus: 14 years

WW: What first got your interest in these types of cars?

JA: My father had the occasional VWs throughout his life.

WW: What cars do you presently own?

JA: The two TDIs and the Fastback
 

WW: What cars do you wish you owned?

JA: I would love an old oval window Beetle, or perhaps a UR Quattro. I really like the Lotus Elise, but I have a friend who owns one and lets me drive it enough to scratch the itch.
 

WW: What cars do you wish you still owned?

JA: While I miss the ’86 Golf website project car, the car I really miss is this ’72 Ford Maverick we had about 18 years ago. Two door base model (rubber floor covering instead of carpet) with a 302 and an automatic. We bought it from this woman that ran a hobby store in town. It was literally the car that an old lady drove to church on Sundays. She drove it until she didn’t have the strength to work the manual steering and brakes. Her friend drove her around in it for a while until the friend went blind. When we bought it in 1989, it had about 11,000 original miles (!) on it. Ran great, and apart from the rusted hood and front fenders it was a survivor. Unfortunately in the days before the internet and eBay, parts were impossible to find. We eventually sold it to a friend who pulled the drivetrain for his truck and junked the body. Too bad.
 

WW: What do you like to do with your car(s) (show/race/etc.)?

JA: I’m putting the Fastback back together to go drag racing. I’m having a big motor built as we speak.
 

WW: What are your future plans for your car(s)?

JA: Kind of up in the air. The Fastback is a work in progress, I’m probably going to replace my Golf by the end of the year with a Saturn Astra, and Aimee will run her Jetta into the ground. I might swap my chipped ECU over to her car so she can enjoy the extra oomph it provides.

WW: What other hobbies do you have?

JA: Home improvement. I work in racing so the car thing is pretty much a constant.

WW: What is your best personal VW/Audi Story?

JA: When I was a kid, we had a Mexican beige ’79 Rabbit C that my dad bought new to commute between his new job in Connecticut and the house we had on Cape Cod. Not the most reliable car ever built, but after a lifetime of GM products (my dad worked for the General on and off again over the years) it was new and different to me. The thing I remember most about this car was after getting fed up “riding the hump” (the middle of the rear seat in any car) between my brother and sister, I VOLUNTARILY started riding in the cargo area behind the rear seat. At night I’d read by the glow of the taillights through the different little openings back there. Try doing that today. We only had it for a couple of years before trading it in on a 1981 Olds Cutlass wagon. The day we went down to pick up the new car, not 2 minutes after completing the paperwork, the dealer’s tow truck driver ran into the Rabbit. Took the side right off. Ah, good memories.