The History of All Histories ...

I came across Blackie in 1997. She was a 1965 Beetle that ran, but needed a ton of work. As mentioned in the previous page, one of her major issues was the engine. Although she started and ran, Blackie needed a rebuild. Once the rebuild was complete, I drove Blackie everywhere. She introduced me to the unique cornering style of the swing axle rear end. 

I will never forget going through a driving course and learning how to accelerate, corner, brake. It was awesome. Blackie was probably the wrong car to drive to and from those classes though. While I did not have the acceleration, I definitely tested the braking and cornering. After taking a 10mph hairpin (on a river levee road) and 15mph and losing control, I realized how unforgiving the swing axle could be (when you're not expecting it).

I could never get the brakes quite where they needed to be. Just when I was starting think about restoring her, our first child was born. She took precedence and Blackie was parked in favor of a safer and more dependable ride. I finally decided it was time to sell her. I found someone where I work who loved Volkswagens and was looking for one to restore. I sold Blackie for a little bit of a profit and she was gone. Luckily, I was able to observe her restoration as the work was being completed where I am employed.