Volkswagen Restores 73-Year-Old Woman’s 350,000-Mile 1967 Beetle

With all of the negative news surrounding automakers lately, it’s nice to have a feel-good story. Kathleen Brooks bought “Annie” the 1967 Volkswagen Beetle in December of 1966, and since then it has served as her daily driver to get back and forth from work for the last 52 years. That’s over five whole decades. She helps breast cancer patients and survivors by providing that much-needed care and comfort. Kathleen is also a three-time cancer survivor herself. With 350,000 miles on the clock, Kathleen was worried that Annie wouldn’t be able to keep truckin’ forever. That’s when Volkswagen stepped in.



Annie was brought to VW’s Mexican Puebla factory, home of the American Beetle production. When the Beetle was brought in, it had acquired some serious rust, and Annie definitely needed a lot of work. It took 11 months and 60 workers and interns to complete the total restoration and breathe new life into the old car. Over 40 percent of the car was replaced with 357 original parts, and they even recreated all of the stickers that Kathleen had acquired over the past 50 years.



With the Bug’s paint faded patina-style, the experts were able to match an original shade from the interior of the glovebox. The body was then sandblasted, repaired, and repainted. Updated and period-correct parts were added, and then Annie was completely reassembled. Annie was upgraded to disc brakes and was given a new stereo designed to look like an old-school head unit. The suspension was upgraded, the transmission was rebuilt, the wiring was redone, and the engine was completely disassembled, cleaned up, updated, and rebuilt. Even the new leather seats have been embroidered to say “Kathleen” and “Annie”.