Volkswagens are a brand of car made in Germany. During and after World War II, they became extremely popular across Europe and soon in the US. My dad, Darrell Land, is one of many fans. He owned them overseas and here at home. Currently, his prized possession is an orange 1973 Volkswagen bus.
She was originally named Clementine because of the color, but one day at the Reynold’s Silver Dollar Showdown car show, my dad and a few of his friends were laughing about a stranger saying he should try and buff out most of the patina (rust) on the bus. Jokingly, while we were walking by a booth that created European style nameplates, I said, “Hey dad, why don’t you name her Platina, you know, because of the rust and license plates?” Without hesitation or even a word, my dad made a u-turn and bought a plate with the name. Now the name Platina is coined to me and the entire Volkswagen community has fallen in love with it. She even tends to win Most Original at the shows my dad attends, much like he did at Reynold’s.
You’ll see why the name and awards are special in the coming paragraphs.
Buses are one of the most uncommon, yet sought after Volkswagens off the market. Already unique, Dad’s bus has a little something extra that makes it special. The headliner (roof) inside Platina is completely made out of license plates from across the country. We have all 50 states and even a few of the US territories represented in the bus. As far as we could tell, no one had ever created a headline out of license plates before and the family thought it would be a cool idea to make it our own, seeing as it’s technically the whole family’s. The idea came when my stepmom, Tracy Land, suggested we redo the interior with fabric and lights and put the license plates of my dad’s mom and stepmom’s granddad in a special place. They now sit over above the back hatch for all to see. Dad also created a special dedication to the military with a few plates dedicated to the missing and fallen soldiers of the US wars.
(Photo By Darrell Land)
The first time anyone sees the plates, they ask if we’ve traveled everywhere we have a plate for. Sadly we haven’t been everywhere yet, but we are working on it. How we managed to get all of these license plates is actually the best part of the story of Platina.
When we came up with the idea, we had my late grandmother’s plate from her old Mustang and a box of Georgia and Florida license plates. The Volkswagen community is extremely social and connects through social media. The primary source my dad uses is Facebook because it can reach more people. He uses his personal page as well as Volkswagen group pages to spread the news of his idea with the Volkswagen community. He showed our progress and what plates we already owned. He then asked for recommendations of where to find other plates for the states we lacked or if anyone would be willing to donate old plates to our family. To our surprise, we received all but a Delaware plate within a few months. My parents posted my siblings and me holding all of the plates we were receiving and thanking the community for contributing. The bus became a Facebook marvel that all Volkswagen fanatics came to know and recognize on the spot if they ever saw it in person.
In case the connection wasn’t made, the license plate ceiling and the aged rust of the bus are what warranted the name. The creation of Patina was a family affair and one of my favorite stories to tell.
(Photo by Darrell Land)