Where to find the right car?

We started talking to Beetle owners at old car events, and attended Miami-V-Dubs events to gain inside knowledge. In talking to Miami based VW experts Jim Lowery and Marshall Painter, and others in the know, we soon discovered that the two production years best suited to our needs were 1969 and 1970.  In 1968 VW switched from a 6- to a 12-volt system and in 1969 introduced the independent rear suspension (IRS), superior to the previous swing axle.  In 1971, however, bowing to U.S. Federal requirements, a small cabin vent was added behind the rear side windows, which, combined with insulation used on the inside of the sheet metal, attracted condensation which allows for 1971 and later VW Beetles to rust from the inside. The hunt for a 1969/70 Beetle was on!

On eBay, we found, located in central Florida, an ideal, suitably upgraded red 1969 Beetle, which certainly fit the bill.  We won the bid and made arrangements to travel by Amtrak to collect the car.  The day before the trip, the seller suffered seller’s remorse and reneged on the deal!  Bummer! 

That same week, in Hemmings magazine, we found a remarkably similar red 1970 Beetle coming up for auction in Palm Springs, California.  Many positively answered questions later, we registered as an absentee bidder with our maximum bid. Celia and I were sent a CCTV link to watch the auction in progress.  Imagine our emotions as we won “Little Red” for a few hundred dollars less than the maximum bid. 

Once the sale was complete I was able to talk with the seller, Rod Koch. Turns out that Rod is a 10 time Baja 1000 competitor, 8 time finisher and one-time winner, all in Volkswagen Beetles!  He captured his racing and rally adventures in two fantastic books: “7 Years from Start to Finish: The Baja 1000--The Early Years” and “When the Green Flag Drops.”  Little Red was Rod’s weekend driver project for 14 years and he had significantly upgraded from standard specs.  When Rod learned the reason behind Little Red’s purchase he became super excited and immediately assumed the role of advisor, coach, guru and VW Jedi Knight – “Obi Wan Rod”.  We are so fortunate to have Rod’s guidance through the whole preparation period.  This car was just meant to be!

By the beginning of March, 2012, Little Red was in Miami.