When people know you’re into old VWs, it’s easy to become a soft target. A willing recipient for everyone’s cast offs, the projects where the final few drip feeds of time, money, patience and Elastoplasts have finally run dry. If the passion’s there, they reason, it will be difficult to say no to even the most horrible half-finished project. And that’s exactly the trap 42-year-old Steve Ridley from Boston, Lincs fell into when he was offered this rare but totally rat bag ’53 Zwitter in 2006.
“I knew the guy that was selling it, and he persuaded me to go over,” recalls Steve. “I didn’t really know what it was, but it looked a complete and utter wreck. It didn’t have any windows, wings, lights, headlining, bonnet, decklid or running…