Ratty Hebmüller

That was the question Andreas Hendl asked himself as he struggled to find the next money pit in which to plough his earnings when fate came knocking, or phoning to be exact. But first let me tell you about the owner and his interesting collection. Andreas, a 32-year-old engineer working for the TüV, has been interested in VWs since he was in school and like so many of us bought magazines desperately looking for inspiration. This certainly worked, as his first car, a 1956 Oval Window Beetle with a 2.4-litre 200bhp Type 4 engine that I can confirm eats up the miles at a phenomenal pace, is now an inspiration to us all. Shortly after building the Autobahn muncher, the German speed enthusiast decided to build a Vintage Speed VW and for this he chose a 1957 Oval Ragtop Beetle complete with a 1974 Porsche crank and twin Solex carburettors bringing the bhp to 69. Not content with having two Oval Window Beetles, Andreas bought a third Oval but this time he was happy to leave it in its patina'd guise and again focused on putting together a Vintage Speed motor. But this time, unlike the other cars in his collection, he sold this one on and the search began for a new project, which brings us bang up to date.

For the full story on this car make sure you pick up a copy of the January 2010 issue of VolksWorld

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