I bought the one owner Beetle in the summer of 1976 from a dealer, it's a 1970 1300cc model. The original colour was Elm Green. Up until 1996 it was used daily then it was put in the garage and just left. By this time the engine had clocked up 350,000 trouble free miles. In fact the car had never caused us any problems and had never been off the road.

There's one or two pieces of advice I'd like to pass on to any owners, firstly I think having fitted a stainless steel fire wall without doubt delayed the spread of the fire and confined it to the engine compartment. Secondly, when you insure your prized vehicle make sure you get an agreed valuation. You may find the cost of any major repairs are more than the book valuation. These days she's semi-retired but we take her out whenever possible.