As everyone probably knows by now, I own my Grandfather’s very original L620 savanna beige ’67 Beetle. Bill Treadway neighbored my family when I was a child. Just recently, he found me because of 1967beetle.com. He sent the above photo, and illustrated quite the story about my ’67 Beetle’s alleged wild past. If you look in the background, you’ll notice my ’67 in all its glory. At that time, it was only 1-year-old!
A huge thanks to everyone that came out today to the 2012 Alameda Classic. I had a really good time showing my ’67 Beetle. It seems everyone I spoke with had their own unique vintage Volkswagen story that connected them to nostalgic memories. Their stories are the main reason 1967beetle.com started in the first place.
Well, Dad’s in town. He always loves to go over to NAS Alameda. One of the hangars has a group of guy’s that restore old fighter planes. If you’re lucky, they have the huge hangar door open while they are doing their work.
My Dad, being the adventurous guy he is always walks right in to talk about the restoration going on. I walked in, shook the guys hand and kindly joked about pulling my Beetle in. He laughed and said, “sure, but only if it’s a classic!” I doubt many people actually get in these old NAS hangars to shoot photos, let alone of classic cars!
It’s a rare occasion I remember to pause from managing, writing articles, etc., for 1967beetle.com to post a few shots of my own ’67. Here are a few from a foggy morning drive around the Alameda island.
Earlier this morning, I was going through an archive of my ’67 photos. Who knew 7+ years ago I’d become so interested in my grandfather’s old ’67. I’m just now able to say that things are close to being complete; well, at least in terms of the engine. Notice the grin on my face below in this archived photo. I had just picked up the car and had no idea of the work that was before me.
At first, I had no intentions of doing a full restoration. It all came out of necessity to keep the car on the road. The more I learned, the more passionate I became about Vintage VWs. Working as a visual designer for the last 10 years has made me enjoy the craft at an even deeper level. I’ve always seen the ’67 as a work of art. Although in rough shape at first, I knew I could make it beautiful again. I’ve done it mostly with my own two hands.