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There's always been a Bug in my life. Growing up, my aunt had a Bug. We went on trips in her Volkswagen all the time. The familiar burble of the engine and the unique smells you get only in a Beetle always bring back fond memories.
When I met my wife in 1986, she had just gotten a 1972 convertible Super Beetle, which she still drives to this day. So, when it came to a race car, there was only one choice: A 1965 Beetle. Let me tell you how it happened. My daily driver is a 1958 356A. The search for necessary bits led to Parts Obsolete. There, I struck up a friendship with Gary Emory and his son, Rod. Each time I visited the busy shop, Gary would ask, "Are you going to race with us or what?" Tucked in the corner of his garage was a road racing Bug. I'd point at the lonely little car and say, "If you sell me that car, I will." No dice. "Not for sale" they'd say.
My persistence eventually won them over, and Rod and Gary finally decided that, if I loved that car so much, I deserved to race it. The story behind the car is nearly as exciting as a trip around the track in it. The car was bought new in 1965 by Bill Gilbert of Corvallis. He raced it almost from Day One. More that 35 SCCA races later, though, Bill decided to retire his race Beetle. He rolled the car into his barn in 1970, and there it say for 26 years. The Emorys bought the car in 1996. It hadn't been touched since the day it was put away. We started to clean up the little car, and install a few safety updates. In the process, we named it "Gilbert"," in honor of its first driver and owner. The car returned to racing this season. After 33 years, the Bug is back on its home track. As for my 356, what a better way to pull my vintage race car to the track? Speaking of races, stop by the next time you're at P.I.R. and say "Hi" to Gilbert. See you there!
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