Race Retro Classic & Competition Car Sale 2020 21st - 23rd February 2020

Classic Cars - Saturday 22nd February 2020 www.silverstoneauctions.com 81 + buyer’s premium of 15% including VAT @ 20% 1970 Volkswagen Beetle 1300 LOT 402 More Images Lot 402 Bid On Lot 402 Registration: FGP 523J Chassis Number: 1112234115 Engine Number: AB073760 Estimate: £12,000 - £14,000 • Charismatic little flat-screen, metal dash, MacPherson strut, 44bhp Beetle • UK-supplied finished in Clementine Orange with charcoal and black interior • Purchased by Peter Hawkes in 1971 and remained with him and his family ever since • Garaged for the majority of this time explaining the brightness of the paintwork • Original service book, owners manual and radio handbook, with service invoices back to 1974 • Wouldn’t take much to bring it up to the next level This brightly coloured, Type 2 1300 Beetle dates from 1970 and was UK-supplied in right-hand drive and finished in what was called Clementine It was purchased new in 1971 by Peter Hawkes after he was made redundant from his job at Whitbreads in Tottenham. He had the option of moving out of London and relocating but, being a true Londoner, he decided to take the redundancy money, find another job and buy a Beetle, which is exactly what he did. Then along came “Bessie the Beetle”, the first and only new car that he ever owned. Bessie has remained in the family, sons and daughters and grandsons, ever since and incredibly appears never to have been scraped, molested or dented in all that time. We understand that for the majority of this period the car was garaged which would explain the brightness of the paintwork. According to his daughter Joyce, the car was religiously serviced, initially by the VW dealer and later by a local garage and certainly gives the appearance of being well maintained. In these days of complex electronics, there is something really comforting about a shiny metal dashboard with a few black knobs dotted about, seats that look like they have been borrowed from a school bus and an engine out the back somewhere that has sounded the same every day for the last 50 years. The paintwork retains a decent depth of shine, the shut lines are factory standard, the functional interior is clean and tidy and the little Beetle looks totally lovable. It’s supplied with its original service book, the owners manual, radio handbook and a big pile of service invoices going back to 1974. Properly looked after, ‘Bessie the Beetle’ could be a member of your family for the next 50 years.