OUR CLASSICS
James shuns reason, seduced by his ’58 Beetle’s looks, but which Bug will stay?
JAMES PEENE CONTENT EDITOR
1958 VOLKSWAGEN BEETLE
Reading a line in a recent Next Generation Diariespiece in CCWreally struck a chord. The owner of an Escort MkI said: ‘Find the right car from the start because you’ll never be satisfied otherwise.’ And you know what? She’s 100 per cent correct. Which is why I find myself with a first-world problem…
I’ve finally been reunited with my black ’58 Beetle and it’s now parked alongside my white ’61, which I bought back when I discovered how much welding the ’58 was likely to need.
The ’61 is the better car in as much as it’s totally solid, driveable and a car that I always regretted selling. In contrast, the black ’58 isn’t registered, currently has a generator that isn’t charging the battery and as mentioned, will need a tickle from a welder.
However the heart wants what the heart wants and now the ’58 is finally with me in Somerset I can’t help but think that I might regret selling it more than the ’61.
Part of the problem is that the ’61 didn’t come back to me in the same state in which I sold it. It’s been returned to stock, which is a huge backwards step because the expensive suspension upgrades, better wheels and superior disc brakes are long gone. These are all things that I can rectify – with time and money – but I’ve already fitted a narrowed beam and fresh brakes to the ’58. It also has a better, much peppier 30hp engine, has been converted to 12-volt electrics and, well, just look at it. It looks bang on to me, with its wheel and suspension set-up.
To explain how I came to own both Beetles I need to wind the clock back a bit. You see I owned a Porsche 912 and the white ’61 Beetle back when I was a bit flusher than Iam today. Due to loss of earnings during Covid – and a hefty tax bill – I found myself needing funds, so put them both up for sale, thinking that I’d keep whichever one didn’t sell. But they both ended up selling within weeks
