Never Enough - '79 Beetle Cabriolet

Just when does just enough become too much? You know the fine line we're talking about - one accessory too far, rims that clash with the rest of the finish, modern stickers on an otherwise period perfect ride. Okay, so we're picking holes, but when you first see Mark Walsh's 1979 Convertible it's hard to appreciate just how perfect it is. Which is why it's here for you to soak in the details, as there are plenty of them, from the exquisitely modified Type 4 motor to the Porsche braking system, or what about that Nissan Skyline back seat? There is another person involved here who we need to introduce, and that's John Kanters, as he built the convertible to be his own, then passed it on to good friend Mark after 10 years of painstaking work so that he could finish the ‘almost there' project. We asked John where this '79 came from. "Originally it was imported into NZ as a stolen and recovered triple black car, but with no engine, box or interior."
The original owner had stored the project in a barn local to John. "I was aware of the car and had looked at buying it but I was restoring a 1303 hardtop at the time and couldn't afford it."
Never one to let a lead drop, John went back when the 1303 was finished, but the Convertible had gone. It turned out the owner had disappeared without paying rent and the landowner had towed the Beetle into an orchard where it had sat for two years under a pine tree. John made an offer and the project was his. So how had it fared in the intervening years? "The floorpan was completely rotten and it had a very poor Mexican repair to the right-hand front end, but the body seemed pretty rust-free."

For the full story on this car make sure you pick up a copy of the November 2009 issue of VolksWorld

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