1965 VW Beetle: Spam

On today’s #WaybackWednesday, we’d like to introduce you to Spam!

Spam is an Anthracite Gray Volkswagen Beetle from 1965 owned by Gary Caskey. They found the Bug on the Star-Telegram classifieds in 2000 as a disassembled vehicle with four boxes of parts, and the shell was attached to the chassis with only four bolts! From there, it took 12 years to completely restore Spam to what we see today.

The reason Spam is called Spam is because, to quote Gary: “The convertible is named SPAM because like the canned meat, it has parts and pieces from all kinds of things and different years.” They sourced doors from junk yards in California and Oklahoma to complete the restoration, the rear fenders from Span, and chrome bumpers from Brazil. In addition, the engine was upgraded from 1200cc to 1776cc, and the brakes were upgraded to four-wheel disc brakes for more stopping power.

The most challenging part of the restoration was the convertible top. Many pieces were missing, and the wood pieces had to be sourced and replaced; the metal top frame was bent and needed to be repaired. Gary found an ad in Hot VW Magazine for Chuck’s Convertible Tops, so he sent Chuck photos of the parts, and they were able to identify and source the missing parts and huck rebuilt the metal frame. On the bright side, the Pea Green seats and door covers were included in the parts box when they bought the car in 2000, so that was one less worry.

In 2012 Spam was finally completed! And today, Gary enjoys the car as a passenger, with his daughter being the official driver of Spam. Feel free to stop by our showroom and enjoy the presence of Spam!