Latest Feature
Every Month, A New Super Beetle Story
The Features section showcases standout 1302 and 1303 Super Beetles from across the community, highlighting restorations, survivor cars, custom builds, and the personal stories behind them. Each feature offers a closer look at the craftsmanship and passion that define the Super Beetle. Explore the latest featured car below and revisit the stories that make these models so memorable.
A Family Story on Four Wheels - Owner: Lauren Danahy
Lauren Danahy’s connection to her Super Beetle began long before she ever sat behind the wheel. Growing up in New England, she was surrounded by the influence of her bonus dad, Jim, whose passion for vintage cars shaped the rhythm of family life. “He was always taking us to car shows,” Lauren recalls. “It felt normal to be around old cars.” Her mother Ellen was always by his side, and those early experiences planted the seeds for a love of classic machines that would eventually find its home in a bright yellow Volkswagen.
The story of the Beetle began on quiet Sunday drives through the winding country roads of Hamilton and Wenham. Ellen kept noticing a yellow Bug parked in the same spot inside a barn, untouched and unmoved. One day she and Jim finally knocked on the owner’s door. The older couple shared the car’s history, from its days as a schoolteacher’s daily driver to its long rest in the barn. When the woman mentioned the wiper fluid did not work, Jim immediately recognized the issue. “I knew right away it was the spare tire pressure,” he told them. A deal was made, and the Bug left the barn for a new life.
Ellen adored the car from the moment she drove it. Summers on the North Shore were short, but she made the most of every warm day with the top down. As a nurse who knew half the town, she could not go anywhere without being greeted by waves and beeps. “People would yell out, Ellen, I saw you coming from a mile away,” Lauren says with a smile. The Bug became part of her mother’s identity, and it created memories for the next generation as well. During family visits, Ellen took her grandchildren out for rides and even taught Lauren’s daughter how to drive a stick in the little yellow convertible.
Life changed in 2022 when Ellen became seriously ill, and the Bug sat untouched in the backyard lean to. Before she passed in January 2024, she made sure Lauren knew she wanted her to have the car. “She told me every detail about it,” Lauren says. “I promised her I would take care of it.” In May 2024, the Beetle was shipped from Massachusetts to Oregon. The arrival was memorable for all the wrong reasons. Lauren forgot where reverse was, the tires were dry rotted, and the car failed emissions because its original fuel injection had been removed years earlier. “I thought I broke it within five minutes,” she laughs. A crash course in Oregon’s classic car rules solved the problem, and the Bug was officially on the road again.
Before the car arrived, Lauren had already joined several online VW groups, including local VW clubs and Super Beetle communities. She learned about The Bug Run in Woodburn, Oregon, which happened to be only two weeks away. With new tires and a quick inspection, she joined a caravan from Vancouver, Washington, and made the trip. The Bug won second place in its class, a moment that convinced Lauren the car needed a name. Inspired by her mother’s childhood imaginary friends, she chose Bertha Bea. “She is bright, she brings joy, and she feels like Mom,” Lauren says. A custom front plate soon followed, created by an Etsy artist to match the car’s sunny personality.
Today, Bertha Bea continues to bring joy wherever she goes. Lauren has found a new community in the VW world, a group of people who share stories about the Bugs they once owned or wish they had kept. “Everyone has a Bug story,” she says. “People stop me all the time to tell me about the one that got away.” For Lauren, the car is more than a classic Volkswagen. It is a link to her mother, a reminder of family history, and a companion on the roads of Oregon and Washington. When she is behind the wheel, she feels Ellen beside her, smiling and saying, You go girl.
