It all started when I met someone (Rob) who was building a buggy (a Schollen desert rat). It was a bright yellow buggy on a shortened 1962 chassis. I went for a ride with Rob when it was just finished. But it was a cold ride because it was -10 degrees below zero and there was no hood. I was completely taken with the buggy's simple concept, the large rear wheels (15 x 10J), and the sound of a VW bus engine behind you.
But I still wanted some comfort. After buying various magazines like Dune Buggies and Hot VWs, I discovered the Baja Bug. After searching for a while, I found an orange 1972 Beetle at a garage/demolition company in Rotterdam. It even had three days of MOT left on it, and without really thinking twice, I paid 2000 guilders for it. A mechanic from the garage was kind enough to drive the Beetle to a garage. It might sound strange, but I've never driven this Beetle on public roads.

Another fact: Just before I was born, I rode in a Beetle, and my first ride after I was born was also in one. Perhaps I was already infected with the Beetle bug back then.

Below are some photos of the Beetle when I bought it.

Just bought it, two small dents, but otherwise the Beetle looked good. Later, I'll discover that the bodywork wasn't as good as I thought.

There wasn't a bumper on the back, but I found one on the back seat. Otherwise, the Beetle was complete.

The Beetle dates from 1972, the year it became the most-produced car model in the world.

The spare tire takes up almost the entire trunk. A nice touch is that the air from the tire is used to spray water onto the windshield.

All accents on the Beetle are black.

The engine is a 1200 cc.

This was the Beetle's last day before disassembly began.