Guitar Gear

Fender and Volkswagen came out with this last year, and Fender’s plugging it again. I dismissed it at first as a gimmick, but it looks like it’s here for another round for this year’s Beetle, Passat, and Jetta, though the premier plug is for the Beetle. As both Fender and Volkwagen put it, “the best seat in the house behind the wheel of a Volkswagen.” This time I watched videos, and sure, it’s a pretty cool system. But despite that, I still have a beef: An American guitar icon in a German vehicle? At least for me, when I think rock and roll and cars, I picture an American muscle, bad-ass, pussy-wagon like a Camaro SS, Shelby, Charger, or a Corvette. But a Beetle? I don’t give a rat’s ass if it has a turbo-charger. It ain’t a bad-ass American muscle car!

Think about it yourself. Think of rock and roll and then picture a car that goes with that rock and roll ideal. It’s quite likely that it’s not a Euro-bred exotic like a Lambo or Ferrari or Mercedes. Or if you’re into bikes, it’s a Harley, not a Gold Wing. Even if you compare drivers and rock and roll, who pops into your mind? It ain’t Michael Schumacher. It’s John Force or Don Garlitz (goin’ old-school here) or Paul Tracy or Dale Earnhardt (Senior and Junior).

Fender and Volkswagen don’t seem to fit to me. The brand targets are so different. Look, I had a New Beetle when they first came out. It was a fun, cruiser-mobile. I even had a daisy that I put in the mini flower vase on the control panel. But in no way would I consider it to be a rock and roll vehicle. I always knew while I had it that the New Beetle was for 20- or 30-something chicks who were into or needed something eclectic in their lives, or techno-geeks like me who didn’t want to buy a beemer with their high-tech winnings (thank gawd the Prius wasn’t out then).