There are people in the car community who believe that you’re not so much the owner of a classic as you are the next person to care for it before it changes hands. Jay Leno didn’t just watch after the 1957 Volkswagen Beetle in the video below—he rescued it.
The previous couple who owned the Bug had it since the 1960s and drove it during several milestones in their lives together. Unfortunately, the climate in Colorado was not kind to the VW’s ungalvanized bodywork. Desperate to keep their beloved Beetle intact, even though it meant parting ways with it, the couple reached out to Leno and asked if he would be willing to restore it.
It’s clear what his answer was. But Leno and his crew of talented mechanics and specialists did more than restore this Type 1. While they had the rust-eaten remains apart, they decided to make some key upgrades.
A lot of new sheet metal was required, but it had to be tweaked here and there to fit correctly. Once that was done, the exterior was refinished in the original color, which appears to be Prairie Beige. Inside, the seats received new red vinyl upholstery.
The original engine was tossed out and replaced with a SCAT VW 1,600cc flat-four that produces a much higher 90 horsepower. Leno’s team equipped the new power plant with headers and paired it with a fully synchronized manual gearbox.
This Beetle has one other major upgrade. To find out what it is and how this salvaged icon performs on the road, click the play button below.
