When they produced my Mal shape, the ideas put forward did not hold any special effects and therefore it was not very much like the original beetle.  The engine came in the front rather in the back – AND was front-wheel drive.  Consequently the luggage storage was now in the back rather than the front – much like an ordinary run-of-the-mill car.  It had a round shape and to some it looked like a foolish bit of a joke.  Fortunately for me, they kept producing them from the onset date of 1997 right up to 2011.

Now there is a new model that came out in 2012 which takes the beetle family into it’s 3rd generation.  Of course there are differences – it’s longer, and comes with a more modern approach to style.

They say it is better than the new beetle which is my Mal.  They say it is fine.  But does fine work with teenagers who need “safe” for their first car?

There’s even talk of it coming in as an electric car.  I have often thought that if I could afford one of those do-overs I would replace Mal’s engine with one that is powered by electric.

Of course, that is only a pipe-dream at the moment.

However, who knows what the future will bring?