Classic
and Quirky
I
hate to start on such a stereotypical
opening but ever since I was a little
boy I've always loved VW Beetles. The
shape, the quirkiness and classic look.
I loved the Herbie films growing up
and I used to make Airfix models of
Beetles. I'm 17 now and about a year
and a half ago my Dad and myself decided
to invest in a project car. Hours were
spent on eBay and trips were made to
look at other classic cars (Morris Minor's)
but we never felt a spark, a proper
connection. I'd seen this advertisement
for a 73 Super Beetle on eBay so we
got in contact and went to have a look
at it.
We
met the owner and he took us to his
little workshop and showed us around
this stunning little beauty. I will
never forget listening to it start up
for the first time, it gave me chills!
There's something about the sound of
an engine that always excites me, but
this felt.. different. I've seen and
listened to many cars throughout my
life but there was something special
about this.. I knew from the second
I sat inside on the springy seats that
this is the car.. this is the one.
We
bought it and a few weeks later got
it back home. The previous owner had
done a few bits with it (repainted the
bodywork, from purple to blue, and swapped
the original 1300 engine with a 1600
and fitted some sporty wheels). When
we got it we knew there was a few more
bits that needed doing.
The
fuel tank had a nice little nail sticking
inside of it so that was refurbished,
the fuel lines were replaced, points,
spark plugs and condenser replaced,
the steering system needed replacing
along with majority of the electrics
as they were in a poor condition so
many, many hours were spent looking
at various wiring diagrams and images
from the internet, but now everything
works as it should (apart from the radio,
still on the look for a fully functioning
vintage one).
A
huge patch of rust and rot was found
behind the dashboard so new metal plates
were bolted and manipulated into shape
to support the structure. Majority of
this was done in the COVID lock down
and I've learnt (and still learning)
a great deal from this car along with
my Granddad and Dad. I've learnt more
about my family because of this car,
my Granddad first learned to drive in
a VW Beetle and one of his first jobs
was repairing and maintaining VW Vans
for a local pie factory!
In
my opinion this is THE greatest car
ever to be produced and my love still
grows for these fantastic cars! Its
definitely a great talking point and
there will always be little odd jobs
to do with this car (there always is
with a classic!). In the future I'm
planning on taking it to a few car shows
and I would love to be able to take
it on holiday one day! The coast would
be lovely, Cornwall at a push! But there
are endless possibilities with a car
like this and every moment will be cherished.
Joe
Hill
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