Matthew Hajimomen’s L282 Lotus White ’67 Beetle

I purchased my ’67 from a family friend that bought the car new. It was an afternoon in the Summer of 2012. He drove it in high school and to college, after 1989 he parked it in the garage, drained the fluids and put a cover over it- It did not see the light of day until 2001, when he attempted to strip and restore. It had been painted after a front end collision in the early 70’s, a really burnt orange, from the original Lotus White when made in Germany. Remnants of this backyard paint job shined through after he primed and sanded the body, glass etc. It was a mess!

After getting her home, I started disassembling- who knew a VW beetle could be so dirty! Countless night in the garage, led to small victories in finding some really neat one off parts- he had kept almost everything original.

After stripping down, and getting to the bare bones, I sent the car off to paint- 3 1/2 weeks later, primer was applied after body work.

2 weeks after that, paint and clear- it was time to come home after the cut & buff. I chose a early Agave paint code for the job.

Slowly over the course of the next months I literally changed every single nut, bolt, wire, glass, rubber, etc. what a grueling process- hunting down the right parts, keeping the OE .67 pieces that I could- and replacing others with OEM or aftermarket components. I managed to store a majority of the unique ’67 components for future use if ever fully restored.

Then came a point where the stock engine was not cutting it- It was time to build big, and I did. 2332 stroker, Billet Scat Flange crank, Forged H-Beam Rods, Mahle pistons & cylinders- custom Steve Tim’s heads, A-1 SS Hide Away Exhaust etc. Wrapping all the components together led to 210HP and enough torque to be scary.

At the same time I had the under carriage coated, disc brakes on all 4 corners installed- new suspension- bushings, front beam narrowed, sway bar etc. A complete overhaul to match the new found power.

A custom Pro-Comp trans built by Transwest- Billet side plate, Billet adjustable drop plates, Shortened axles- sway-away axles- 3.88 r/p and the list goes on! Power now is distributed to the rubber efficiently.

After sourcing some nice BRM reps. off a Samba member- the tires weren’t going to cut it that I had originally ran. Swapped over to a Firestone Phoenix on the rear 275’s & F-560 145’s up front. makes for a nice period correct Cal Looker-

Interior wise- I ran a Scat VW interior kit- Pro90 Red vinyl low backs, Red Vinyl matching rear seat cover, bolt in ready adapters and sliders- and matching door panels and quarters. TMI carpet kit throughout- Nardi wheel, Short shifter, Vintage sound radio- all the amenities one could want in a classic.

In a nutshell, I love the way my ’67 turned out- it may not be the purist example of a ’67- but it’s mine.. and my style and passion for all things VW shines through its unique style- its my weekend choice when a cruise down PCH for some therapy is needed.

Thanks, Matthew, for sharing your ’67 with 1967beetle.com.