‘It took lockdown to get it on the road - after 24 years in my garage!’
1978 VW Last Edition Beetle, Jonnie Turpie, Moseley, Birmingham
What’s a Last Edition Beetle? If that’s not a stupid question… 'Volkswagen made 300 run-out editions of the last Stuttgart-built, Ukspecification Beetles in 1978. They’re all on an ‘S’ plate, and each one was given a metal plaque on the dash. Mine is number 165. They all came in this silver paint with a blue cloth interior.'
How long have you had it?
'I saw it advertised on a card in a shop window in Stourbridge in 1993. It was just a second-hand car back then, with 71,000 on the clock, but it was in decent condition – the first owner was a nun! I used it as my daily driver for a couple of years, but we moved house as the kids grew and it languished indoors after about 1996. Eventually I got to know some ‘air-cooled’ people and I tried to get it moving again… only to find one of the brake drums was stuck and the engine wouldn’t start.'
Oh dear. Time for a helpful neighbour to lend a hand?
'Yes – my neighbour Phil Lynch helped me un-stick the drum and provided advice on getting it running, but all I could do was persuade it to idle for a few minutes and then it would cut out. So we backed off all the star adjusters for the brakes and moved it to Phil’s workshop, known as the Potting Shed. To start with it was just going to involve a thorough clean and a brake adjustment, but then lockdown happened.'
How did you cope with that?
'We didn’t feel we could do anything for a while, but once we’d found out what needed doing – and it was quite a lot – we developed a sociallydistanced way to work. For instance, Phil did much of the mechanical work and rust prevention in the workshop, while I did the prep, grinding, cleaning and polishing outside in the yard. Phil’s workshop is big enough for a few cars, so we could work in separate zones when we both had to be inside. We each had our own eye protection and welding masks and never shared any safety kit. Phil reckons we got through 300 nitrile gloves.'
So what did you end up fixing?
'The fuel pipe split as soon as Phil touched it, so we replaced that and removed the fuel tank too; with the wheels off we saw more rust than I’d expected.
All four wings came off to make the repairs, then the car was thoroughly rustproofed underneath. We changed the ignition to a modern electronic set-up, rebuilt the brakes and replaced dodgy wheel bearings. When the car was roadworthy again I took it up to Bromsgrove Autotrim who were able to find something very close to the original – and unobtainable – fabric trim. Now it’s as smart inside as it is outside, and it’s a joy to have it on the road again. So I’m very grateful to Phil, who only got paid in takeaway food!'