When I was growing up, my family was stuck on VWs.
We had a 57, a 61, 67, 68, 69, 71, 73, and a 75 in various forms. The Beetles were primarily my dad’s work car. After delivering milk from his Divco in the morning, he would use the Beetle to deliver newspapers every afternoon in Bel Air, California. He’d take the front passenger seat out and load it up with newspapers. Then he’d drive through Bel Air throwing them out both side windows and the sunroof, all while braking, shifting and driving! He was obviously a great multi-tasker and had a killer arm (take one look at the typical Bel Air front yard and you’ll know why he needed it).
Of course his Beetle also was a family car as well. There were times when we crammed at least five (maybe 6?) of our seven family members in and drove somewhere on a Sunday morning. About the time I went off to college, my parents discovered camping. I still remember watching them drive off to that first camp-out with my younger brother and sister on board. My diad had tied a roof rack to the top and the Beetle was so laden that the rear wheels cambered out. They liked it so much they eventually bought a bigger car and a tent trailer to take to their favorite spot at Leo Carillo State Park, just up the road from Malibu.
My son spotted a video this week that could have changed their life. It shows a tow bar mounted on the top of the Beetle with a specially shaped camper trailer designed to go over the back of the VW’s shape. A classic fifth wheel trailer.
Who knows what might have happened if my dad had found this camping creature? They might have had room for me on that first trip! (Of course I would have had to skip going off to college…)