As a vintage and classic car enthusiast, I am usually interested in anything remotely old and on four wheels, so I have to be honest and say that I was not particularly looking for a VW, much less a Beetle to restore.  In fact, my little collection includes a Triumph Spitfire, a Herald convertible and a Fiat 600.  I knew Beetles were rear-engined, air-cooled and Hitler had something to do with it, but that was all.  Still, in 1993, when a friend told me that there was a rather sorry example sitting on a roundabout in Mosta, and which was about to be hauled off to the St Andrews compound.  I went to have a look.  The rest, as they say, is history.

The car was a prime contender for inclusion under the National Disasters Act.  The list of missing or damaged parts reads like a parts catalogue - it had dents on the bonnet and two mudguards, while the decklid had been crudely modified for an alternator to be fitted.  The engine, incidentally, was a 1500cc unit which had overheated when the fanbelt snapped.  In his wisdom, the previous owner drove from Qormi to Luqa to buy a new one…. The car was missing a headlining, carpets, a handbrake boot, an indicator switch, door upholstery, window winders and interior door handles.  The speedo didn’t work (optional Extra), the seats were torn and sagged beyond hope and the steering wheel (non-original) seemed to have been gnawed by some hungry animal. On the outside, the car sported three bald tyres plus one massive one, there were no bumpers or even their brackets, no chrome trim, no wipers, no running boards and no hubcaps.  The driver’s door was hand-painted black to match the rest of the bodywork.  I could probably use the car as an example to write a book called “How not to pass your VRT”.  On the plus side, the car did not seem to have much rust, although the paintwork seemed to have been applied with a broom on a windy day, and was covered with about three months’ worth of pigeon droppings.

I towed the car to my parents’ house and hosed it down.  It didn’t look much better after that!  As I was about to get married at the time and the car was something of an eyesore, I hauled it to my new home in Msida where I could hide it from the neighbours!  I discovered that the car was probably a 1960 model, but which had only been registered in 1961, hence its VWB 061 tag.  A body-off restoration was unnecessary, but the car was completely stripped to assess what needed to be done.  Very little rust was found, with only a couple of small holes where the running boards fit and in the rear wheelarches, as well as in the doors.  A small plate had been welded in the driver’s side footwell, but this was left alone.  The paintwork was completely stripped, underside and all.  I discovered that the car had, in previous re-incarnations, been red, yellow and green, apart from its black overcoat.  The original colour was light pea green.

Bodywise, I replaced all four mudguards, the bonnet and the decklid.  I am not one of those people who insist that a car remains original, dents and all, hence I prefer buying new parts or good seond-hand ones if these are easily available.  I did most of the work myself, while a friend carried out the respray.  I was actually going to paint the car black, but while reading a book on Beetles I spotted a good-looking one in black with red sides , and this was the final colour scheme chosen.  The engine was swapped for a correct version, checked over and dressed up with chrome fittings.  A new silencer was fitted.  I decided to risk leaving the gearbox in place, merely cleaning it up and fitting a new mounting.  The front axle was removed, overhauled and repainted.  Complete new wiring was fitted. All four shock absorbers were replaced, as was the entire braking system.  New trim was fitted all round, with parts being sourced both locally and from England.  The all-red rear lights were obtained from an uncle who had replaced his for larger versions (incidentally, this car still exists - it’s the black one with Starsky and Hutch white stripes, formerly K-1233), while the front ones were bought new in a fit of extravagance.

A new headlining was fitted, while the seats were rebuilt in red.  New door and rear trims were made to match.  New interior and exterior handles were fitted.  A steering wheel was found and repainted, as was the gearlever.  New switches and black carpets completed the interior. A new rear bumper was purchased, while a good secondhand one was found for the front.  Even the hubcap springs  were replaced!  The finishing touch was a set of crossply tyres, finished with whitewalls.  New hubcaps, windscreen and window rubbers, window trim and badges added to the mounting costs.

The whole project took the best part of five years of weekend work, although I was abroad for a couple of years, which was good for buying parts but not for progress.  The VW has only been out once, during a trip to Gozo as part of an Old Motors Club contingent.  Midway through the restoration, it was also displayed at the Trade Fair show held in March 1997, where, in its dismantled state, it attracted much attention. The car drives well but there seems to be a problem with the charging system, which is now being seen to.  (It has, in fact - Editor)  Otherwise, I have found it comfortable, although the handling takes some getting used to.  I am also paranoid about the noisy engine, but this is part of the Beetle’s character.  The VW will now lead a sheltered life and is to be used mainly for classic car events and the odd Sunday drive.
 
 

In late summer, Konrad was planning to venture onto the Continent in his recently restored Beetle.  Good luck goes to Konrad from all the club and Happy Beetling.
 

Konrad Blackman