I purchased this car in 1992 for $200 in Anacortes, Washington from the mother of a friend. After learning of the car and how my friend's mother, Susan, would only sell it to a friend who would restore it, I asked him to mention me to her as a potential buyer. She offered me the car over the phone without mentioning a price. Without ever having seen the car, I drove across the state from Pullman with a tow bar and some cash. The car had been idle since 1983 and a small tree had grown up between the rear bumper and body. As a graduate student, I had little money, but lots of enthusiasm for vintage aircooled bugs. Apparently, Susan saw the genuine nature of my love for these cars and, with a hefty appreciation for my financial condition, she agreed on a very modest price. She provided the original bill of sale dated November 1961. After towing it back across the state, I changed the oil, tuned it up and drove it down a gravel road grinning ear to ear!
I dissasembled the car in hopes of restoring it to original condition. The major obstacles to restoration were cash, time and rust- all of which I am beginning to address. The history of the car is documented, it's all original (except for the paint on door and rear quarter), and it's very sound mechanically. My father reluctantly supported the project by repairing and rechroming the original bumpers, and my mother has gifted me new interior seat coverings and headliner. Sadly, the original radio was lost in a house fire in December of 2000. Luckily, the majority of the original interior switches and components were stored at a separate location.
