Restoration

The decline, rise, decline and rise of a Last Edition Beetle

This section is all about the life and times of Julie Kinley's LEB, which is currently undergoing a no-expense-spared, stripped-to-the-metal, pulled-apart-into-thousands-of-pieces restoration. Laugh and cry with us as the story unfolds over the coming months. You can click on any of the photos on this page to see a larger version.

A lick of paint

When we first made the acquaintance of LEB number 250 in 1989, it was in daily use in Buxton, Derbyshire. Although it was in pretty good condition generally, the outdoor life was starting to take its toll, and a bit of rust was starting to appear, particularly on the quarter panel seam in front of the driver's door.
It was time to give the poor old thing a bit of attention to tide it through the next few years of active service, so Julie treated it to a respray, and had the dodgy quarter panel patched up.
The panel beater made an ingenious (if non-standard) repair to the rotten seam. You may be able to see that the metal ridge in front of the hinges is deeper than normal for a Beetle. That's because it came off a Mini !
Here it is, repainted and reassembled ready for its new life as a city car.
Yes, really quite smart.

Of course, it was only a matter of weeks before someone drove into it, and wrecked everything on the driver's side. But let's not talk about that...

Actually, it spent the next few years 'resting' in a nice cosy shed, courtesy of Julie's father-in-law, who kept the rain off it in exchange for an annual rent of a case of good wine. In the meantime, Julie saved up far, far more money than a Beetle would ever be worth to anyone but its owner, in order to have it resurrected once again.

Julie used the car daily for the next five or six years, in her capacity as a visiting nurse, and it did many miles of service on the mean and potholed streets of Hackney and Walthamstow. Inevitably, it eventually began to show its age, with that old devil rust making various appearances. The time came when the old donkey had to be put out to pasture.

Here we go again...

Once again, the Day of Restoration is upon us ! It's a long, long job, and it's being done in fits and starts as time and money allow. Four years into the project, the bodywork is at last complete and painted, and the wiring has been replaced in its entirety. The mechanical stuff is now underway, starting with a rebuild of the running gear and gearbox. After that, it will be the turn of the mighty 1200cc engine, and finally the interior trim and upholstery will be sorted out. We're expecting to be finished just in time for the LEB golden jubilee in 2028...

Progress-O-Meter

We're recording the story in pictures, adding to it as work progresses. As this page was getting a bit big, we've split it out into a month-by-month timeline. Click on a month name to see the photos from that time:

We're updating this section regularly, so keep checking back.