My most unforgettable VW

[Blue Baron]

We all have our most unforgettable VW story. I've had VWs since I was in high school, but my most unforgettable VW wasn't one of my own pampered cars. It was an urban warrior VW that refused to die.

Back when these cars were new, the dealers put the cars on a strict maintenance regiment. Mechanics would pour over the things, checking everything from clutch adjustment to oiling the door hinges, and woe to the owner who didn't adhere to this strict schedule. He would get blacklisted! But the amazing thing about the Beetle was how it held on to life long after this schedule had been forgotten. I remember one such tenacious Beetle ...

The time was the mid 1980s and the place was the City of Buffalo. There was a bohemian crowd of poor musicians who lived in the university district, and one was a guy named John who liked VWs. He drove around in one of the most clapped out Volkswagens I'd ever seen. It was a 1965 Beetle that was painted rattlecan red and was completely rusted out. It had no hubcaps or rear bumper, the fenders flapped in the wind and I remember John showing me how he could lift the headlights out of the fenders because the attachments had rusted off.

You had to lift the doors to close them because the body was sagging. There were no floors, and riders had to straddle the sides with their feet, watching the street go by below. The clutch and brake pedals were wired to the steering column with coat hangers to keep them from falling to the floor. There was no working foot brake, and the car could only be stopped with the handbrake. Of course it was totally illegal, with no insurance, registration or state inspection. I wondered how he got away with driving it for so long.

The engine had no exhaust, just open ports on the heads. Everything had rusted and fallen off. I'm sure it hadn't had a valve adjustment in years. But the car always started and always ran, and wouldn't die. I still recall seeing it clattering along at night, 6-volt lights dimly glowing, always full of people with the windows frosting up in the dead of winter. It ran and ran.

Eventually the city cops got wise. This was not an easy car to overlook, and I'm sure the tickets must have piled up. I don't know what ever happened to the car, but wherever it went, I'm certain it didn't go quietly and resisted to the very end.
_________________
We are striving for perfection, to make our cars run forever, if possible.

Heinz Nordhoff

[Mike Fisher]

My first VW was a '60 bus in 1968. Tom & I went partners in to do a trip around the USA before we got drafted for Vietnam. We drove it for a few months around Redding, CA before we took off with a "good used engine" in it. We blew it up in Lodi and hitchhiked back to Redding. Another high school friend gave us $100 for it and towed it to San Francisco, where he was a lineman for PG&E. He put a $300 stolen 912 engine in it and drove it down there for the next few years. A second friend had one in his 356 & a third Redding boy has one in his Speedster to this day.
_________________
https://imgur.com/user/FisherSquareback/posts
69 FI/AT square Daily Driver
66 sunroof,67,70,71,71,71AT,72,72AT,73 Parts
two 57 oval ragtops sold
'68 Karmann Ghia sold

Society is like stew. If you don't keep it stirred up you end up with a lot of scum on the top! - Russ_Wolfe/Edward Abbey

[[email protected]]

I had a 1973 Metallic Blue Sports Bug, bought in 74 with 12,000 miles from a local dealer. Went all over the east coast with that for 8 years. Had many since then, but I would love to have that one back to enjoy in my old age.