Watch: Jay Leno Drives a Patina-Heavy ’55 Beetle

For all his Bugattis and McLarens, Jay Leno still has a soft spot for humbler cars, like the Beetle. This week, he’s featuring a 1955 Beetle that’s still wearing its original paint on his video-graphical web log (or vlog, as the kids say) Jay Leno’s Garage.

Although the owner’s added a lot of period-correct aftermarket parts, under it all this Type 1 still almost all original. From the engine to the paint, this Beetle’s been lovingly cleaned, but its originality has been painstakingly maintained. The result is a patina-heavy Beetle with oodles of personality.

Owner Matt Jacobson bought the Beetle on The Samba, and is the third owner to try cleaning it up. It was a lengthy process that involved scraping off new paint jobs with scotch-brite pads and plenty of care.

Meanwhile, inside, the seats were blown apart and the headliner worn. Unfortunately, the mohair headliner was too far gone to restore, but the seats, thanks to a talented upholsterer, were salvageable.

It’s a little sad to think that these once ubiquitous cars are now becoming rarer, but at the very least it means that people who are willing to pour hours of work into their Beetles are getting recognized for their good work. So we salute Matt Jacobson for his hard work.

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