Ok, here's the deal.  I am a VW guy.  Not by choice, ...not that it's a bad thing, but ...  Let me start from the beginning~

Back in the day (something old people say), I used to feverishly churn through the pages of Hot Rod, Car Craft, Truckin' and Mini Truckin'.  I think that was almost all of the automotive magazines available (Except CARtoon's - sniff)...  Anyway, Boyd Coddington (RIP), Thom Taylor (hall-e-lu-jah), and Steve Stanford (!) was all I looked for.  Hot Rod, Street rods, Street Machines (yes, there's a difference), Pro-Street, ugh!  It was all there, with my drool plunging down on each and every page.

I wanted a muscle car or street rod like nobodies business.  Let's see though...  No disrespect to my folks intended, but we were exactly keeping up with the Jones', and I really ain't sure if they lived in the same city - Dude, we was broke!  But wait - Dad had just bought a new car and left the old family car for my oldest sister who hadn't long started driving.  A 1971 Ford Maverick.  What?  Oh, sorry, I thought I heard laughter (cough).  Anywho, It had possibilities, lower the front, throw in a 302, paint it black with flames.. Oh man, it was gonna be so cooool!  Problem was I was broke and it had to get through my 2 older sister before it got to me.  Uh, yeah, that didn't happen~

So, now what?  Well, a cousin had a '71 Superbeetle for sale.  He was working to transform it into a Baja but had only finished the drive train...  A slightly built 1641cc w/92mm pistons, a mild cam, upgraded single barrel (it's a VW OK?!) and a few other goodies like dual port heads and a heavy duty clutch with some chrome Porsche styled wheels.  I was kinda talked into it, and ended up buying it.  I don't think there was a straight panel on that car.  Well, after about a year or so scraping and saving, I dropped it and had it painted. 

In a sense it was my first design/build as well.  I had done a ga-jillion drawings of it until I found something simple but cool.  Lots of custom bodywork in the back, removed bumpers and smoothed out this and that...  Now, I do that same service for others who want to see what kinda potential their ride has.  Putting ideas on paper until the vision is complete.

It wasn't the '32 full fendered street rod, the '55 Chevy, or the '69 Chevelle I had always wanted (and still do), but it got me going as a designer/builder, and I have had many of those alluring little German machines since.  From the 3 Superbeetles, the '69 Bug, the '73 Mexican Bug, the '72 Van (with factory air), the '68 Double Cab pick-up or even my all time favorite - the '56 ragtop in Polar silver I sold like the idiot I am...  I can't help to love them all now and long to own even more.

..yeah, OK, I still want that '32, but...  Still haven't found the Jones'~

PBT