And it starts, as always, with a car rolling off a trailer

And it starts, as always, with a car rolling off a trailer ... or in this case a transporter.

Bub, as he will be called until a better name comes along, has arrived. He's a VW Beetle, a 1973 1303 aka a Super Beetle with coil front suspension, independent rear suspension, a 1300cc engine and no roof (or serious rust, which is a relief).

Okay, I know you're asking 'what the hell are you up to now?', well there are reasons which you will learn on the journey from Here (Scotland) to There (the Sahara Desert). We will pass through 'what the fuck have I started this for', 'bangs head against wall', Woohoo and How Much, on the way, It's all part of the fun.

Why a Beetle?

• I had a few when I was a kid and I fancy the idea of doing another Beetle Build.
• The trip to the Sahara is with Rust2Rome and their logo is based on a  Classic Beetle and driving 4,000 miles across Europe to Africa and back in 3 weeks in a £500 car is clearly not hard enough.
• Why not? They tough, they're cool, they're ultra reliable and an inexpensive classic to buy and build. They're infinitely customisable and easy to work on in the middle of nowhere.

But I know Rust2Rome and their rallies have a £500 budget to buy and prepare your Team's car. This is cheating!!

• It would be if Marko hadn't got irrationally excited and slightly moist at the idea of having a real Beetle (sorry Andy) on one of his rallies and waived the budget rules for me.
• This is totally in the spirit of the rally. I'm buying cheap, it's rusty and spending as little as I can to get it ready.
• Pleae note: I reserve the right to go totally fucking mental at any point

Why 'Bub'?

• My very first project was a 1974 1303 Beetle which I bought and turned into a Baja Bug in 1987.
• I took to Shetland when I worked there as a student for a summer
• bear with me, I'm getting to the point
• It was mental by the standards of the day
• the Shetlanders were shocked, stunned and amazed at this wild car driving amongst them and they called it ....The Buggered Up Beetle. I am resurrecting the name becuase I am intent of buggering up this one in new and interesting ways.

What are you going to do to it?

This a serious question, and one I don't have an answer to just yet. Certainly it has to be ready for a 4,000 mile trek to the Sahara and back including some sand dune action and mild off road activity. I could simply fit a 1600cc engine with bigger tyres to get ground clearance and higher top speed, fit a banging stereo and comfy seats and be done with it BUT that's not my style.

I have lots of ideas but nothing concrete yet but Bub is speaking to me and he says "leave my battered body, my worn and tired paint, my scrappy interior and make me GO ... I've earned the way I look". Who am I to argue with that.

Over the next few months the Plan will take shape and you can share the highs, lows, pain and pleasure of taking a basic 1300cc, 45 year old VW Beetle and making it ready for [another] Trip of a Lifetime.

This is Bub arriving at his new home (temporary until I can clear my workshop)



This is my first Beetle, built in 1987 and long since turned into tin cans