Welcome to Found Around The Quarter, where I highlight fascinating cars I found walking around a city that is known for being Big and Easy, with great music and a great cruising culture: New Orleans, Louisiana.
They say that ghosts lurk around New Orleans. They say that the hauntings never stopped. They say that old soldiers, from the War of 1812 through the War Between the States still lurk these streets, still looking for their way home.
Alright, so this isn't the best ghost story, but there is definitely something spooky about this Volkswagen Beetle, customized with new body work and some racing numbers. The way the paint sits unfinished, almost purposely, and the way the bodywork looks like it doesn't quite fit, almost as if they were parts harvested from other cars long dead, and the way that long prow of a hood seems to emerge from the thick nighttime gloom can send a shiver up the spine. Perhaps the only thing that cheers it up is that it's Herbie's number on the side.
The longevity and ubiquity of original Beetles makes customization possibilities nearly endless, ranging from the rad-bad Baja Bug all the way up to this particular example, which is like a 50's salt pan racer with its aero-covered wheels.
To be honest, I think this car is perfect as-is, with plenty of personality. I wouldn't change a thing about it, whether the bodywork or the paint. Let's just hope those parts are kosher though, okay? I don't want anything coming back from the dead to get its radiator grille back.
Thanks for hanging while we checked out the New Orleans, the jazz capital of America. Next weekend we'll be back to our regularly scheduled programming with a triumphant return to New York. So long, Big Easy. You have great people, great food, and even greater cars.