They say it always pays to advertise and I can truly attest to the saying. Being an
avid VW (air-cooled) admirer and collector it would be difficult for my neighbours and
friends not to notice my passion for the humble Beetle. On the average weekend the front
lawn looks like a VW car lot with visits from other enthusiasts adding to the three
resident bugs 1974, 1972 and now a 1965.
The five remaining days are used as opportunities to drive my white Aussie convertible to and from work. This usually draws attention because of the appearance of the car itself but more the old bloke driving it! My story started around November 1994 when university applications were being processed and it looked certain that my daughter would be leaving home for the cooler climate of Canberra. Although she is very attached to her 1972 beetle (first car) she had decided not to take it with her. This posed quite a problem, mainly where to store it, with its mileage of 39000 genuine miles it warranted undercover storage.
After one month of anguish I decided my 1965 project car of 2 years had to go to make way for the 72 Bug. My project car was slowly heading for a 1995 arrival ready for vintage plates however it had progressively got further and further behind, it had sat resprayed, no glass, no engine and with partial rust repairs for far too long.
Utilising the best advertising I know (word of mouth) it took 5 days to find a buyer. It turned out to be the son of a good friend who was very keen to get stuck in and finish the project as he had just got his L plates and was determined to have a car of his own ready for his P s. What a solemn day it turned out to be when my project car was transported to his house. I had lost a valued possession and it was hard to explain the feeling of loss.
Well the festive season approached and 1 found myself visiting an empty garage, tidying up the odd spares that 1 had collected and delivering them to the new owner. The enthusiasm of this teenager astounded me as he rapidly completed rust repairs and spoke of transformation of my once 65 stocker into a drop front super slick street machine.
After enjoying the Christmas holidays we returned home to the usual string of messages on the answering machine. One, however, was of particular interest. It was from a family friend telling me that their son was offered a beetle by one of their friends, but he was not interested and they had told them I may be interested. My first thoughts were of spares and towing the wreck home because the only beetles I had come across being given away were full of rust with blown up engines and only good for spares.
When I returned the call very little was known about the car and I was given the phone number of the owners. After the very informal introduction of a friend told me you had a beetle you wanted to get rid of , I asked the usual questions - 'What year was it?' ... Answer 1967! 'What condition was it in?,, Answer needs a lot of work! 'Is it driveable?' Answer IT'S STILL REGISTERED! 'SORRY, I THOUGHT YOU SAID IT WAS STILL REGISTERED, THAT'S RIGHT, BUT I THOUGHT YOU WANTED TO GIVE IT AWAY! Answer that's right, we want it to go to a good home and we were told you have a liking for them. Well you can see how the call changed and it wasn’t long before I found the full history for the 20 years they had owned it and I was on my way, with wife in tow, to collect my next beetle.
As I pulled into the street my eyes were greeted by a polar white beetle with 14" diameter wide wheels that looked very straight and original. The owners were out there with the key, registration papers and camera.
Family photos were taken of mum with her arms over her beetle (it looked like someone else was feeling the eminent loss of a dearly loved friend).
Well I can tell you Christmas came again to me and my family in January 1995 as I excitedly drove my new toy home.
After checking the chassis number and engine number with Dave Birchall it turned out my treasure was a 1965 Beetle with original 1200 motor still fitted. It also had its original owners manual handbook and a 1972 NRMA report in the glove box. It now wears a set of vintage plates numbered 015 and to the great pleasure of the previous owners and myself, it now enjoys a retired lifestyle, so fitting such a trusted and loved car.
I wish to express my sincere thanks to the Eurell family for their care and kindness shown to their beetle reg no. DYZ 809.
Phillip A Zuber