Mr Nicolson unpacked his boxed collection for the first time, for the Western Region Alcohol and Drug Centre's Rotary Collecta-Bool exhibition, which was held over the weekend, at the Warrnambool Civic Hall.

"This is the first time I've seen it out. I've got a token display at home," Mr Nicolson said.

Mr Nicolson was happy with the discovery which saw the two vehicles out of storage, albeit one in better condition than the other.

The car and motorbike enthusiast's VW collection ranged from micromodels from the mid-to-late 1950s to a Lego Volkswagen Beetle, released in early 2009, which took Mr Nicolson 15 hours to build, using a 120 page instruction booklet.

The WRAD fund-raiser showcased about 35 private collections, with more than 30 new exhibits at the event, which is in its second year.

Organiser Rick Bayne said it was important that the exhibits changed annually so spectators could see something different each year.

Other collections included blow torches, pedal cars, kerosene lamps, swap cards and music memorabilia from bands such as Kiss, AC/DC and The Beatles

Mr Nicolson said the first Volkswagen item he owned was a red VW model which he got in 1970, around the age of 13.

The collecting went up a notch when he purchased a 1972 Superbug. "Twenty-five years ago. That's when the collection kicked into gear," he said.

He has a collection of magazines from the late 1960s, including French, US and the UK titles and copies of Hot VWs "the international bible" of VW fans. The oldest copy of Hot VWs was from 1971.

"I'm pretty happy to see it all out. I've discovered the odd gem," he said.

Now that Mr Nicolson knows what his collection includes, he said he would choose his favourites to display at home, but most of the collection would be packed away again.

Mr Bayne said Collecta-Bool was unique as it displayed the private collections of south-west residents. He said about $4000 was raised for WRAD.