YourVolkswagen One Owner From New (Almost)

Read about the story of one family and the Beetle that has been with them for almost 50 years

For the month of July our Millbay showroom has a very special guest, amongst all the new 2024 models is Herbie, an original Volkswagen Beetle first delivered to it's first owner in 1974!

Herbie has kindly been loaned to us by Richard and his wife, the car has an incredible story of being with their family for nearly all of it's 50 years truly being part of the furniture as their family grew up with Herbie.

Read on below to read Herbie's full story:

We took delivery of our brand new 1300 Beetle on August 7th 1974, exactly 11 days after our wedding. The movie "Herbie Rides Again" had been released earlier that year and our car had been used to publicise the film in the VW dealership showroom with No 53 decals and red white and blue stripes.

We naturally named the car Herbie.
The car was supplied by Renwicks Garages Bristol and cost £1,147. It was my daily drive for work as well as taking us on holiday from the Midlands to Cornwall several times. As children came along we fitted a tow bar and used a small trailer to carry pushchairs and all the other necessary paraphernalia.

Front seatbelts were not a legal requirement until 1983 although we had them in Herbie from new at a cost of £15. It was not until 1989 that children under 14 were required to wear them in the rear seats (if fitted).

After a few years I was fortunate enough to acquire a company car and Herbie became a second car used by my wife for ferrying the kids around.

She later worked at the local primary school and even today former pupils come up to her and tell her they remember her for her Beetle. The years passed and our children grew up until they reached an age where they wanted to learn to drive, and we weren't sure if the Beetle was right for them (or were we more worried about the Beetle getting damaged?)

Anyway we bought a VW Polo from a family member and being reluctant to part with Herbie he was partly retired in 1995 and spent 5 years resting in a neighbour's garage. He was resurrected in 2000 and became a hobby car but unfortunately saw little use.

In 2011 I sold Herbie to a friend - it was a difficult decision but he just wasn't being used enough to justify the cost of keeping him. Our friend used him daily and looked after him well until he decided to part with it in 2016 when he offered it back to me for the same price he paid. Needless to say I jumped at the opportunity.

Once Herbie was back with us we decided to spend some money on restoring him to his former glory and arranged for a full body respray and some replacement wings at Quayside Autos in Plymouth. Now he spends his time attending classic car shows and bringing smiles to our faces.

Herbie has been a constant throughout our marriage and on July 27th 2024 my wife and I celebrate our Golden Wedding anniversary. 11 days later we celebrate Herbie's 50th birthday.

Come visit Herbie!

Pop into the showroom before 1st August to get a closer look at an iconic piece of Volkswagen and motoring history.

Published: 16 July 2024