SHIELA AND GENE R. – STEVE R. – 1967 VW BUG
Sheila found an advertisement for a 1967 VW Bug and asked her husband, Gene, to arrange a preview. Despite a pending sale Gene convinced the seller to let them take a look. It was love at first sight! The seller wanted very much for the Bug to belong to a family who would appreciate and take good care of it. The seller felt so strongly that the VW should be with Sheila and Gene that he quoted a much higher price to the pending buyer in order to discourage the sale. As luck would have it, the sale fell through and Sheila and Gene became the proud owners of the VW Bug.
The family enjoyed driving the Bug until one day in the early ‘80’s while driving over Sunol Grade on the way to Pleasanton, the little Bug’s engine overheated and died. It was towed home and sat in the driveway for many years. Over the course of time people would periodically stop by to inquire whether or not the little Bug was for sale, but the answer was always the same. One day, years later, the home across the street went up for sale. The Real Estate Agent being sure the old weather worn Bug represented an eye-sore to prospective buyers contacted the local law enforcement agency. It was time to retire the old Bug or bring it back to life. Sheila and Gene’s Son, Steve, who never learned to drive a stick-shift but who loved the blue Bug, decided to invest in the rejuvenation. Ownership of the little blue Bug was officially passed to Steve in June 2012 and the VW Bug was towed to Peninsula Automotive where the project began. One day Gene came by to check out the progress and brought his four year old grandson, Benjamin, who has spent many fun hours sitting in the old Bug. During their visit Benjamin sat down on one of the newly upholstered front seats and posed for a picture saying “cheese”. What a cutie! Several months later the 1967 VW Bug returned home to offer many more years of driving enjoyment to a wonderful family. Who knows, maybe one day Benjamin will be seen driving the beloved blue Bug.
