Love
Bug Q&A with Harley and Nathan
This 1974 Special Edition Love Bug in
Luscious Lime Green is owned by fiancés,
Nathan Huff and Harley Motsinger located
in Whittier, California USA.
What
started your passion for Volkswagens?
"For Nathan, his father would
always reminisce on VW vehicles he used
to own. His father had owned a 1960's
Bug and loved to talk about it. Hearing
his father's passion in his voice about
his VW, only ensured Nathan's love for
Volkswagen. Nathan's grandfather worked
in a chop shop, which only grew his
love for vehicles even more. He knew
deep down in his heart, that he would
own one in his lifetime. Harley would
always dream about owning a VW Bus when
she was younger. She loved the hippie
feel of the vehicle and loved the feeling
of almost being in a time capsule when
driving in a VW. There has always just
been something so magical about owning
a Volkswagen to both of us, and we both
dreamed about being a part of the VW
lifestyle one day."
What
are some or your fondest VW memories?
" Nathan's first car was 1966 VW
Bug. It wasn't much to look at, but
when he drove it he felt like he was
driving a Porsche. The confidence it
inspired in his was second to none.
Nathan has always been a huge history
buff and loves to associate the history
of VW with his love for driving. What
Volkswagen means to him is Freedom.
The freedom of being able to have a
vehicle that could go long distances
and the freedom that the open road gives
you. For Harley, she would always remember
cruising around with her friends in
high school in a beat up Bug. It was
similar to Nathan's memory, not much
to look at, but there was something
magical about driving in a Volkswagen.
Harley had always associated Volkswagen
with the music and free love moments
associated with Hippie Revolution. Volkswagen
meant to her to be alternative and different.
Volkswagen is the people's car, so no
matter what you are doing or where you're
going, Volkswagen can get you there."
How
did you find your VW? "Nathan
was having a itch for another VW, since
he no longer had his first car. We had
searched OfferUp and other online sites,
and even checked out a few details.
We asked our go to mechanic to look
over some potential buys. He was the
same mechanic who took care of Nathan's
dads vehicles. He's the premiere Air
Cooled mechanic in Whittier area. He
told us we didn't want any of those
VWs we found online because of all the
time, money, and resources we would
have to put back into the car. He told
us, "I know the one for you."
He told us of another client who's vehicle
he worked on for the last 30 years who
was looking to potentially get rid of
their Bug, to the right person. The
"matchmaker" mechanic, got
his customer and us in contact. The
customer was located in the city next
to us located in Pico Rivera, California.
We went down and checked it out. The
customer had a feel for us. We went
home but quickly after the meet, we
got in contact quickly to purchase.
The deal was done and paid 5K for the
vehicle. We found the original owner
(VW originally purchased in Downey at
a dealership) in Pico Rivera, California
USA in 2019."
What
have you done to your VW? "To
be honest, there want really much that
needed to be done. The original owner
kept the Bug in wonderful condition,
so there was only a few things we had
left to do. We sourced the original
Lemmerz GT Wheels. We found these from
a contact from our mechanic located
in Whittier. We purchased, them went
to another mechanic's contact to get
the Lemmerz GT Wheels powder coated.
We went with VW silver metallic. On
the Samba, we scored some original NOS
center caps. Over time, the moldings
had faded due to sun damage. After purchasing
back up clips, we took off the moldings
and repainted black. Lastly, we discovered
a Holographic Walnut Shift Knob on the
Samba that matched our wood inserts
perfectly. We purchased and overall
was the final touch that completed this
vehicle. The biggest secret is sweat
and love. We detail and upkeep our ride
weekly to keep our car looking its best,
starting and cruising around in often,
and just enjoying our best life with
our 1974 Limited Edition Love Bug."
Any
future plans for your Bug? "We
plan on taking it to lots of car shows
and sharing with the world our Limited
Edition treasure and its history. We
plan on taking it out for lots of cruises
and drive time. We plan on loving it
and up keeping it to look it's best.
We own a small clothing business, so
photo shoot with our Love Bug every
opportunity we can get! No one really
knows what the future holds, so we are
holding on to it for the time being
and enjoy the most this Bug has to offer."
Have
you owned any other Volkswagens?
"Besides Nates first car that was
a 1966 VW Bug, this is our first VW
vehicle together. We are hoping to purchase
an early 60's Westfalia Bus one day."
Harley
Motsinger
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