Natalie Kenny is restoring the family heritage with her '66 VW Beetle
Natalie Kenny’s 1966 Volkswagen Beetle
I actually grew up with VWs in the family. My dad and his father were both VW nuts, so I suppose it’s memories from my childhood that made me want one when I first got my licence around 19. For whatever reason, I decided not to, and possibly reaching my current age has pushed me into considering one again.
I see a lot around on the roads, which I think is great. I used to see one on the highway every morning on my way to work, which reminded me of my grandfather.
The opportunity came up, and this was exactly what I was looking for. It’s an Australian-built model from 1966. We’d been looking on the internet for something to do up and came across this, which already had a lot done to it. The price was good, so we went for it.
The smell, the sound, the look and feel was everything I remembered from being a kid. I just love the vibe of the car. I have German heritage on one side of the family and my grandfather on that side was very keen on them, but never actually had one, so maybe that helped to push me this way as well.
Although it doesn’t look much different from when I bought it two years ago, there’s been a fair amount of mechanical work done – especially on the clutch.
Probably the most we’ve done is to the aesthetics. The wicker bench inside, the cushions and a few other little accessories, like the Wolfsburg crest and the Deutschland “D” symbol on the back and re-sculpted engine cover and moving the number plate to the bumper bar. We actually got it from NSW. It had a lot of modifications, like the rear lights from I think a 1960 model, which confuses a few people when they’re looking at it. They can’t quite figure out which year it is.
I love driving it, and everyone smiles when they see it, which is what it’s all about.
Photography: Natalie Kenny