Survivor Oval Miller-Havens Baja Bug!

I first saw Jason Rider's car a few years ago, and I loved the look before I even knew anything about it. I'm a lover of Oval window Bajas, and, despite the number of people who think cars like this were ruined by being turned into Bajas, I'm not one of them. 

Back in the late 60s and early 70s, these were just the cheapest Bugs you could lay your hands on and were ripe for modification. Jason found the car a few years ago and really lucked out - not only is the car an original Oval Ragtop sunroof car, it's also an early 3-fold ragtop car with ribbed doors!

What makes the car most interesting to me, though, is the original Miller-Havens 'California' Baja Bug kit that's still fitted to the car. Unlike many Bugeye Bajas that could be a Miller-Havens, this car is 100% the real deal - confirmed by the circular Miller-Havens Baja Bug decal on the front hood - it's in the original location of the VW badge.

Added to this, the car still has the mahogany side strips that cover where the running boards originally went - this was something that Miller-Havens Enterprises supplied as part of the Deluxe Baja Bug Kit.

Even the exhaust is period correct and was clearly coated white - something that screams period build.

I stalked this car on Jason's Instagram for several years and saved a lot of pictures of it - good thing too, as Instagram killed his account and he had to start all over again. I don't know about you, but this is a dream car for me and looking at pictures of it never gets old.