Thom's 1970's VW Beetle

1970 Volkswagon Beetle

I really enjoyed listening to the story behind Thom's hunter green 1970 Volkwagon Beetle.  I hope you enjoy it too!

Thom purchased the car used in the fall of 1980.  It was his senior year at Royal Oak Dondero High School.  He saved up his money for four years from his paper route.  He had finally saved up enough to buy his dream car. Thom paid $650 for it.  Bought it from a friend of his parents, who had kept it locked away in their garage for 10 years.

Every Friday night, Thom would pick up his friend, Phil and head over to the football stadium at Dondero to watch the Varsity team play.  Both, Thom and Phil, played a lot of sports in high school, tennis, baseball, golf...but most of their closest friends were on the football team.

After each game, they would head over to McDonalds on 11 Mile Road to stuff themselves with cheeseburgers and french fries.

One Friday night, on the way home from McDonalds, Thoms' beloved green VW started choking and sputtering.  He was able to drop Phil off at his home.  It was almost 1 in the morning, there were no cell phones back then to call for help.  About 3 miles from his home, the car finally released its last breath and Thom pushed it off to the side of the road.  He was right in front of a cemetery; the one in Royal Oak that divides Main Street and Rochester Road, just before 12 Mile Road.  

He was in a state of panic because his curfew was 12 midnight.  His father was very strict about the house rules and Thom's plan to sneak in late was beginning to fall apart.  He tried thumbing a ride, but the longer he hitchhiked, the more nervous he became.

It was almost, 1:30 now...he walked to a nearby gas station and called his friend, Phil.  Phil was able to sneak back out of his own house, pick him up and very stealthily snuck him back into his parents home.

The next morning, his older sister, Joanne, gave him a ride back to where his VW had expired...but there was NO VW anywhere near the cemetery.  "Where is it, what happened?" His sister, being older and wiser, suggested that they stop in at the Royal Oak Police Department to see if they had towed it somewhere.  

Nope, it turns out someone decided they loved that old VW more than Thom did and stole it right off the side of the road.  Thom was devastated.   He had spent all of his cash to buy his dream car and now it was gone.

The police never did recover his Volkswagon.  Thom ended up getting his sister's hand me down, Chevy Chevette for the rest of his senior year.

This year, Thom will be 50 years old, and he still speaks about that Volkswagon as if it was his first born child.  At least he'll always have the memories that he made with his friends while he DID have it.