1954 Ultra Maroon Oval Window Beetle

We can't remember the last time we saw a stock Ultra Maroon Oval here in the UK, yet at last year's VolksWorld show we nearly had two fresh out, accessorised stockers parked side by side. Sadly, Paul Maile's version here didn't quite make the final hurdle, despite a Herculean effort on the part of Maurice Griffith, the man responsible for bringing it back from the dead, Paul and as many friends as they could cram into the workshop. Actually, it wasn't quite 'back from the dead', but back from the back of Maurice's XYZ VW workshop in Tottenham, North London (tel. 07957 634047) where it had sat for a number of years since Maurice pulled it out of another garage in London where it had resided for the previous 16 years. Despite this extended period of hibernation, the mileage, prior to it being put away, and the storage conditions hadn't been particularly kind to the old girl and it needed a lot of work to put right. "I only went to have a look at it," laughs Maurice. "A friend of mine told me about the car and, although it was rotten in places, it was too good to let go. Ah, the rose-tinted specs of a true VW lover, eh? "Oh, and it had been a Baja at some time in the past, too," he added nonchalantly. You what?! That's right, this was another Oval that had succumbed to the Beach Buggy / Baja craze that swept across the ocean from America in the late '60s and early '70s, leaving a decimated supply of now highly sought after early Beetles in its wake. It seems criminal now, but bear in mind that old Ovals like this weren't exactly prized for their rarity at the time and many were simply cut up as floorpan donors. Gulp! Luckily, this car hadn't gone that way, and it also hadn't had its front end hacked off (though it may as well have been, considering how bad the original metalwork was), but the back end had been relieved of most of its sheet metal, leaving the old 30-horse motor hanging out in the breeze. For the full story check out the April 2008 issue of VolksWorld magazine. On sale on 21 March and then available through back issues. SUBSCRIBE Never miss an issue again by setting up a subscription to VolksWorld magazine! VW Wallpaper You can download a wallpaper from this feature for your computers desktop in our VW Wallpaper section.