My name is Eddie Staunton. I lived in Ballsbridge, Dublin 4 in 1950 and saw the first crates of Beetles arrive in the tram yards to the site now called Ballsbridge Motors on Shelbourne Road. Ballsbridge Motors was owned by Stephen O’Flaherty who had secured the Volkswagen Agency for Ireland. I can remember some of the trams were still housed there when the first VW Beetle was assembled in Ballsbridge. I later saw this beetle in the Wolfsburg Museum.
My VW story continues today. Move on then to 2014 and I saw an ad on DoneDeal for a Beetle near Monasterevin and I purchased this car. The registration number was 76SO 554 and it had come all the way from South Africa where it was manufactured in Port Elizabeth. I had it refurbished and it was going great until 1st February 2015 when it went on fire while I was driving and the Fire Brigade ended its life.
Now to 2017 and I see another ad on DoneDeal for a Blue 1968 Irish Assembled for sale in Co. Meath. I bought this car GIY 660, a one family owned car and at present it is on the operating table. It celebrated 50 years on the road in the Bray St. Patrick’s Day Parade, and I hope there will be no more calls to the Fire Brigade!
GIY660
