How I became interested in Volkswagens:

I came back to Ventura County in 1966 after my discharge from the US Army. I needed a car, so I cashed in a $750.00 life insurance policy that my parents purchased for me during World War II and I bought a 1958 VW Bug right about the time I became engaged to my beautiful wife of 34 years, Mary. I drove the `58 for two years and one day I was passing Armstrong Motors in Oxnard, CA and I saw a 1958 Porsche 1600cc Coupe sitting in the lot with my name emblazoned on the windshield.

I traded it in and stepped up to a Porsche and I drove that until 1971 when I sold it and bought a pristine, 1960 Porsche 1600SC Cabriolet from it's original owner. Everybody has a car that was sold or lost that they wish that they could call back and this is the one for me! Sold it in 1974 for a $4,000.00 profit and thought I was making a killing! YEAH RIGHT!!

I'm also a Ford fan and we own a very nice 1966 Fairlane 500 that made the cover of the Fairlane Club of America's national magazine last summer and we're very proud of that! But these odd little air cooled cars piqued my interest in VW/Porsche and since 1966, I've owned several including a 1961 Ragtop. Right now, my “little baby” is a 1964 Bug with a factory sunroof that I purchased from the original owner in June, 2001 in Oxnard.

There's something about these revolutionary vehicles that goes way beyond the ordinary and I've had a love affair with air cooled Volkswagens ever since my test drive in that little '58 Type I. There's also a lot to be said about the owners and enthusiasts of Volkswagens and in all of the car shows and car clubs that I've been in since my Army days, it's the VW crowd that freely shares information and are probably the most fun and wholesome people I've encountered. Another great merit that I've noticed is at car shows, where members actually vote for a car on it's own merits, not because it belongs to their friend or some clique.

Mechanical history:

The original owners of this '64, worked at the Port Hueneme SeaBee base and it was parked daily at the docks in the harbor. The paint is only five years old but with that steady salt air, it has oxidized pretty bad but everything else has been done, so the last part of the project will be a new coat of paint. The original 40hp motor was blown right after I purchased it going up the “Calabasas Grade” on the 101 South coming into Woodland Hills. It was replaced with a 1600cc single port completely rebuilt by Larry Stiles of Larry's Foreign Auto in Ventura, CA. Larry also did a new, complete brake job on it also. It has been converted to a 12 volt system and all of the electrical work has been done by Dave Foltz at Auto Electric of Ventura.

It has a very nice Alpine CD/Stereo (under dash) done by Audio Experts of Ventura.

It also has a very early “Verb-A-Tone” under the dash to compliment the stereo. These units were done in the early sixties to add a “reverb” effect to your car's radio and are quite rare. Just about all of the accessories were purchased at Import Express in Oxnard, CA, including the custom wheels. (I still have the original stock wheels) German Firestone tires round it out. The upholstery was already in the car but needed some work and all of the interior crafting has been done by “Tony” at 101 Auto Upholstery in Oxnard, CA. The custom dash is chrome. What can I say? I'm a “child of the 50's” and I love chrome!!

Purchasing this car last year was the end of a long search for just the right VW and it has also led to a whole new hobby for me and my son Jason. We currently have the following projects underway and hope to show one of these in the near future.

1955 Oval sedan

1957 Oval sedan

1962 Type 34 Ghia