Mary recently became a new customer of Lane Russell. After looking over a few photos, I knew this was a gem we’ve seen before. As it turns out, our good pal Mark Massey over at Old VWS had restored her. A good ’67 Beetle never gets past Jay and I. This ’67 is an example of doing it right. Kudos to Mark for paying close attention to the small details that matter; the details that make the ’67 the “best year vintage VW.”
Hello, 1967beetle.com.
I thought I would take the time to tell you my story concerning the 1967 Beetle. When I was a little girl I fell in love with cars. I was only 5 years old and I could Tell you every make and model. It was much easier then. Any work on a car From changing oil to changing flat tires I was with my dad wanting to learn about.
By the time I reached adulthood, I knew exactly what I wanted. I 1966 was working by then for a retailer in data processing. I had my heart set on a SS 396 Burgundy Chevelle Convertible. I went car shopping alone. I can home with one of those yellow sheets with an out the door price. It was around $3800, Which I thought was’t bad. My dad said Flatly no it was too much. So I began to look for other options. I checked out the Mustangs…..I wasn’t a fan. I finally ended up at HILLTOP VOLKSWAGEN in Virginia Beach.
In that day I had to order to get what I wanted. I loved The Zenith Blue color so I ordered It in a convertible. It arrived probably in January. It was very cold. They took it to Pembrooke Mall. It was there a couple of weeks Before I even knew it had arrived. Finally the day came and we went to pick her up. My dad asked if I would like for him to drive her home, since it was a manual and I was rusty.I declined of course and that is when the love affair began. I had a ball with friends going all over Virginia Beach to the beach, to party and of course to work. The year of 1968 was a major change for me. My fiancee’ came back from Vietnam and we were soon married. We had an issue with the governor sticking. I would put it in neutral pull over and flip it back. At times it wouldn’t crank and we would push it off and pop the clutch. He grew weary of the antics and pushed me to trade her. We did and I have regretted it ever since. The 70 Duster was junk and my regrets grew.
Over the years I never got over it. I even bought the 2013 tribune car to the 60’s that VW made….it still didn’t satisfy. I started a relentless search for a 67 like mine. I finally ran across Mark Massey at Old VW Restoration. There was an immediate connection of trust. He agreed to find a suitable 67 convertible to do a frame off restoration on. Soon he found one in Sun Valley California. I sent him the money and he bought it for me and had it shipped to WI for me. It was magical. The transformation. Who would have thought this was possible. He did all the work and I went and picked it up about a year later. He had entered it in the local VW car show and not only did she win best convertible she won best of show.
Very respectfully,
Mary Ellen Tousineau
Comments are closed.
Simply beautiful – congratulations!
Beautiful beautiful beautiful!
It truly is. Sorry for the photo goof, internets. I fixed, as it’s best to tell the story in the right way. This ’67 is such a great example.
Very nice, I could see myself driving that car..
Mary I went to their site to check out their work. Looks like these guys are serious restoration guys! Your final product looks stunning! Congratulations on owning and driving one very beautiful 1967 Convertible!
I would like to thank Mary Ellen for giving me the opportunity to restore this car for her. Doing a restoration like this is like art work for me.I love getting the details right.
If you would like to see more photos of the car you can visit the page on my site at http://oldvws.com/Cars.aspx?ID=73
Mark Massey
OldVWs Restoration
Lucky girl.
I love such stories of resurrecting these old vehicles. What a stunning Beetle–in the “right” color too. LOL Seems like everyone is wanting a Zenith Blue Bug. Enjoy your car, Mary Ellen! jay
A gorgeous Vdub! Congratulations Mary Ellen!! I had the great pleasure of speaking to Mark Massey today. I learned his shop is located relatively close to my home in Michigan. We spoke about future arrangements to restore my other 67′ Beetle that has been waiting patiently for attention in a dry garage. It goes without saying Mark is very nice, professional and accommodating answering all my obscure questions and willing to work with my timeline, very refreshing! Looking forward to it….
That is a very nice restoration of an early 67 convertible. Congratulations, great looking 67 Vert!!!
Does the owner have the Birth Cert for the car?
Such a beautiful car!
I’m new to this website, and have owned and driven a 67 convertible myself for over 28 years. I’m a little late to this article, but I feel I must comment on how such meticulous attention to every small detail in the restoration of this 67 convertible is very impressive! It is a most stunning and beautiful example. Mary Ellen is a lucky lady, indeed! The only thing that I couldn’t help but notice that drives me ‘crazy’ (and I can’t wrap my head around) after the concours level of attention to the restoration details- is why the decision to was made to use the “seam at the top, one size fits all” seat upholstery out of the box for front, and the rears with incorrect heat seams extending all the way over the top of backrest and down below under the rear seat cushion…?!? Otherwise, probably one of the finest 67 convertible restorations out there!