The eyes on the tarpaulin of the Ford Nugget look defiantly at a Bulli competitor.
Image: Frank Rumpenhorst
Almost everyone knows the competitor from VW, the Ford Westfalia Nugget stands in its shadow. Entirely wrong, say the fans of the small mobile home. Visiting the Gederner See, at the world’s largest nugget meeting.
There is no useless knowledge. At least not with the “Nerdy Nugget Quiz”. About 100 puzzlers sit in the shade of a sprawling black alder on the shore of Lake Gederner and answer the moderator’s questions. They begin quite generally with: “In which year was the first nugget delivered?” Answer: 1986, everyone knows that. Or: “What’s the base vehicle of the nugget since 2014?” Ford Transit Custom V362, of course. Then it becomes more difficult. “How much does a full Campinggaz R907 weigh?” Don’t be too hasty in answering 2.75 kilograms, because that’s just the filling weight of the butane gas bottle for the nugget stove. Of course, the bottle’s own weight is still missing. So plus 3.96 kilograms, a total of 6.71 kilograms.
The “Nerdy Nugget Quiz” is part of the program of the Nugget Festival, which took place on the long weekend of Corpus Christi at the campsite on the edge of the Vogelsberg. More than 150 Ford Westfalia Nugget mobile homes are parked on the bank and on the upper meadow. It’s all there, from the veteran whose red paint is so faded it looks like it’s been on a Portuguese beach since the 80’s, to the jet black polished, lavishly tuned example with a shiny chrome bull catcher, wide steps and oversized rims studded with ornamental screws gives the impression that Vin Diesel is about to get out and stroll down the red carpet.