Kai’s Collection
Hello Kai. I’ve no idea why it’s taken quite so many years to talk to you officially for Hayburner. I guess we’ve been friends socially and through parts trading for over a decade now; I think it’s a good time for me to say how much I respect what you do. I know exactly how much knowledge and determination it takes to hunt these rare items down and I also know how difficult it is to make anything that’s close to a profit. I also feel like you’re providing a much-needed service for the worldwide air-cooled community. There are a lot of vehicles out there that would remain incomplete or missing their period accessories if it weren’t for what you do. … So thank you. Thank you for your work, your friendship, and for taking the time to speak to us today.
Q: Let’s start with your name, the name of your business and where you are from.
A: Thanks for the kind words, Ned! My name is Kai Schilders, I’m 47 years young and I am the owner of Kai’s Collection, where I deal in Vintage Treasures out of Rockanje, The Netherlands.
Q: You’re a family man, right? I seem to remember a cute little boy in a Hayburner hat. I guess he’s not that little any more. Feel free to give your family a shout out.
A: Yes, my son Ruben is 12 now – not so cute anymore but still a blast to have around! He lives with me all the even weeks, and in the odd weeks he has a loving home at his mom’s nearby. I’m thankful for that. He wore that Hayburner hat that you so kindly gave him for many years. He lost many of my Kai’s Collection hats but never lost that one. I’m not sure what to think of that.
Q: Is Kai’s Collection Vintage Treasures full time or do you have a day job as well?
A: I used to work as a back office manager at a big importer of LED lighting, and did the VW parts on the side. That job was very stressful, so after I had my second burnout within six years at that company, I knew I had to turn my life around if I didn’t want a third. That’s when I quit my job and started Kai’s Collection (in 2017) as my full-time occupation, and it’s still going strong.
Q: How did you get into all this? Where did your passion for old Volkswagens come from?
A: I wasn’t a car guy at all, but in my mid-20s my then-girlfriend was gifted some money by her aunt for a used car. I said, let’s get one of those old Saab 900s – they look cool! But she wanted a Beetle, so not long after we bought a pretty cool mostly original paint 1966 Sea-sand Beige Beetle and we both loved it. As I didn’t know anything about cars, I joined some VW forums to get information and that’s how I came in contact with other VW people and we started going to shows like Budel with them. That’s where I learned about all the cool accessories that were made for these cars, and another passion was born.
Q: What classic cars have you had in the past and do you have any projects on the go currently?
A: After we broke up, my ex kept the ’66 so then I saved up some money and bought a slammed ’59 and drove it like I stole it. A few years later I traded that up for a ’57 Oval Ragtop and then a nice ’63 Ragtop, and few years later I saved enough to trade that up for a ’58 Lowlight Ghia. The Ghia was unwelded, one old respray, original interior and matching 30hp engine – killer car! So I slammed that on original Ansens, put in an Empi Universal steering wheel and a Hurst shifter, and drove it for many years. I also took it to many European shows like Hessisch Oldendorf, Spa, European Bug-In, Budel of course, VolksWorld Show, etc. Although it looked really cool, it wasn’t a prize winner at shows, but that’s not my thing anyway. Literally every time I parked that car and walked away I looked around and thought, “damn that’s a badass Ghia”, so to me it won first prize every day! I also had some other cars over the years like a few Bay Windows and more Beetles, a 1953 Barndoor Kombi (big project), 1950 Split Beetle, a very early 911 (May ’66) pre-production Porsche 944, 1971 Audi 100LS. But last year I sold my last hobby car, a cool stock 1960 Beetle that had been my daily driver for about four years. I’m saving up for a house so I need the money for that. When the house has been sorted I’ll start looking for another air-cooled. I’ve always loved the ’58/’59 Ragtop Beetles with semaphores and the 30hp engine, so hopefully I’ll find a nice unrestored one.
Q: When did you begin buying and selling parts?
A: Very soon after we got our ’66 Beetle, I started browsing eBay for cool stuff to dress it up a bit. One of the first things I found was an NOS Please Pass sign to mount on the back, which would light up with the press of a button. Unfortunately it went over my budget, but the seller listed another one after that. Long story short, he had found a pallet full of them and was selling them one by one on eBay. I bought the ones that went cheap, and then sold them for a bit more online and at shows. All in all I bought and sold about 40–50 of these, and that’s how it all started. I also got the original cardboard Please Pass advertising sign from him, which I still have to this day and will probably never sell.
Q: You seem to keep to the really old vintage and rare items. Are you not interested in more generic parts?
A: Ever since my mom told me I was special, I’ve had an interest in special stuff. It still gives me a kick when I find a rare part that no one else can find, much more than a generic part that can be found anywhere. I do sell generic parts sometimes, but then usually they’re NOS high quality items. I’m happy to supply those to keep our beautiful cars on the roads worldwide.
Q: What is the best haul (job lot) of parts that you’ve found?
A: This must be what I call my “Sweden-find”. I have a long-time VW collector friend in Sweden who had been telling me he might want to start selling his VW parts collection of 35 years. He’s always been into rare accessories like me so he had a crazy collection! He was still pretty emotionally attached to the parts though, which is understandable after 35 years of passionate collecting. So over the next few years, I drove up to Sweden a few times and bought everything he was willing to let go at that moment. And last year I bought the last part of it, which were his beloved steering wheels and radios – 23 Split Beetle radios and over 20 rare accessory steering wheels with horn rings and the coolest horn buttons – the find of a lifetime for me! Never say never, but this will be very hard to beat!
Q: Do you have parts you’d never sell for any reason? If so, would you mind telling us about a couple of them?
A: I’m not a hardcore collector, actually. It’s the hunt that gives me the thrill, not so much the actual owning. After I’ve owned anything for a while I can usually let it go again quite easily. I do have a small box of not for sale parts that are correct for a ’58/’59 Ragtop, as I know I will own one at some point in my life and will put these on that car. One of those items is an NOS Wegu rubber marked VW 1200 hinter mitte (centre rear) that looks like the accessory rubbers on the bumper guards, only this one mounts horizontally in the centre of the rear bumper. I found a box of these 15 years ago, and no one I’ve talked to since has ever seen them elsewhere – not in pictures, not on any Beetle in the world, not in accessory catalogues, nowhere! I will probably sell a few of them, but definitely not all because this will 100% get mounted on my bumper!
Q: Could you run us through the top 10 favourite parts you’ve ever acquired.
A: That’s a tough question, really. For starters, because I sometimes scroll through old pictures and get surprised by how many parts I have forgotten about finding. I guess that comes with age. Also, 10 years ago I got excited about different parts than now, for example. But I’ll share 10 cool ones with you:
1. All VW enamel signs, but especially the Cremona and the Tax Free Cars.
2. Rosenthal matching porcelain vase & ashtray pairs.
3. Petri Pealit steering wheel with horn ring and St Christopher horn button.
4. Albert swan neck mirrors with the early hooded mirror heads.
5. Original VW logo’d glovebox pull, one of 12 ever made.
6. My three Hazet VW toolboards (1951, mid-50s, 1961).
7. Pre-’56 California large plate VW dealer licence plate frames.
8. Zwitter wingnut air filter.
9. Prototype Kamei gas pedal cover in red – never went into production.
10. Becker Monza radio with the grills instead of clock.
Q: Anyone you’d like to thank?
A: First of all I’d like to thank you and Vic and the rest of the Hayburner crew for doing what you do in such a warm and giving way. I know I’ve told you this before in person, but I still think that’s very special in today’s world! Also my parents for helping out when needed. I couldn’t have done it without them. Thanks to everyone who’s ever bought parts from me, or sold me parts. I couldn’t have done it without you either. And many friends who have helped me with part details, leads, at swapmeets – too many to mention but you all know who you are! Last but not least, I want to thank all the customers and other VW folks worldwide who have become friends over the years. It’s the cars that started the connections but it’s the people who make them special. Thank you all for making my life so much happier!
