This adorable little 1971 Volkswagen Type 3 has such an excellent story.
About 20 years ago, it was abandoned at a hotel in Vegas. A towing company carted it away and notified the Californian owner, but the owner didn’t want to bother with it. It was broken down, had a flat tire, dents and dings all over.
It sold at auction for $75.
Most $75 cars are destined for scrap or being sold as parts, but this one got lucky. Its next two decades were spent under the ownership of VW fanatics who saw its potential. A Porsche 914 2.0L engine and 5-speed transmission went in along with an air suspension, new seats, and most recently, an amazing one-of-a-kind paint job.
Photos don’t do justice – it looks like it’s worn out and rusted, but that’s a brand new paint job with four coats of clearcoat. In person, it looks soaking wet, like it’s coated with shiny water.
Why now? Well, it’s about the time of year to take Sabine, my Porsche Speedster replica, out of the dining room for the summer driving season, and I wanted something else to put in there instead. I’d originally wanted to put the Ferrari in there, but Donnie Callaway is still restoring that, so this VW will go in. That’s perfect because there are a bunch of little things I want to do to make it my own before I take it out in the fall and hit car shows with it.
The interior is definitely nice, but I think I can take it to the next level with a beach/Hawaii/tiki theme. Let’s have some fun with this one.