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Larry & Linda's 1966 Beetle

We have always loved the Beetle. My first car was a Beetle and we all have had our laughs and thoroughly enjoyed all the Herbie movies. When I came to Vietnam from Singapore 15 years ago, there were quite a few Beetles around. Most of them were not in very good condition and being used as long as they could last. Now the situation is very much better, but a few are well kept as parts are difficult to come by. Importation of this is very costly as duty and freight could come to an additional 65% of the cost. I had never thought of owning another Beetle after enjoying the speed of much faster cars like the BMWs and the RS Cosworth, but my friend Linda pointed one out to me when we were out in the ever crowded streets of Saigon. It was a really an eye sore but somehow it just got that special 'character' which craves for attention. This somehow mad me think of my first Beetle more than 30 years ago. From that day on I looked at magazines of Beetles (very hard to come by here) and started asking around if someone wanted to sell one. At the same time Linda passed her driving test and we went around together looking for that Beetle. I finally ended up meeting Mr. Nguyen Hung who does restoration of old classic cars, especially VW Beetles. Mr. Hung collects classic cars and he buys cars that nobody wants, then restores them and sells to someone who appreciates them. He arranges outings and a whole convoy of VW Beetles will head off to another province for a few days of fun together. Sort of like a club activities. In his workshop he was in the process of restoring a 1966 model and I persuaded him to sell it to me when it was all done. Not much had been done, but I promised myself I will slowly but surely make it a beauty. The price was arranged and that was how we got ourselves a 1966 model Beetle. From the day I got the car and up to the present moment, I have been spending time and quite a lot of money on replacing parts, most of which comes from Cip1. Through this company we managed to help others to acquire parts for their cars.

Mr. Hung and I became good friends and we now spend time together in the restoration workshop which I thoroughly enjoy. The car has now an air-conditioning unit. This is very necessary as the weather can be very hot here. Rear visibility is not very good for the Beetle so the car now has an additional two mirrors, with the extra two of them on the fenders. I love white wall tires, but the right size tires are not available here (Don't even think of getting white walls), so I brought four white inserts (to add to classic look) from Singapore to Vietnam. I have since given orders for four new rims complete with white wall tires and we hope to get these soon. To double the voltage the electrical system has been converted to a 12V alternator with new wiring complete with all new parts to complement this. I read somewhere that the best gift you could give to a VW is a pair of disc brakes and this we did, together with new shocks, tie rods and ball joints. The assurance of additional safety was well worth it.

The 40 year old carburetor was discarded and in place is a brand new 31 PICT Solex which should improve performance with a good drive ability and gas mileage. Together with the replacement of the old ignition system/muffler with new ones the car just loves to be driven. All worn accessory parts were replaced for both interior and exterior - Knobs, handles, emblems, beading, upholstery, trims etc. Everything that needs to be changed had been or will be changed if ever possible. What we really like is the pair of Rossi headlights with the cat's eye and the front and back German made vintage gravel guards. The Rossi headlights are the first seen here and many enthusiasts are asking me to order for them, as they are real cool. We have now installed a Hi Fi CD system and with the air-condition and night driving I am seriously considering upgrading the alternator to a 75amp. The local transport authorities does not allow any modifications to engine capacity, tire specifications etc. This does not allow us much room for improvements/upgrading, but we believe we still could make our Beetle pleasurable to drive within the rules allowed. We are also inquiring to get a birth certificate from the VW museum. This 40 year old People's Car with the most recognized shape in the world is our pride and joy. Creates 'wow' wherever it is seen and through 'her' we made many friends locally and overseas. We are now thinking of an appropriate name for this love of ours, any suggestions?