Volkswagen built the Beetle tough. It withstood the ravages of war, provided the masses with cheap, reliable mobility, and was sold and driven in almost every corner of the globe. It has been transformed, modified, customised, vandalised, abused and re-born, but remarkably never lost. Its iconic status reflects its longevity and invincibility, a Lazarus immortality that finds appeal with each new generation and culture. Zelko Jurkovic has lived this journey with the Beetle, from paddock bashing the mass produced car in his Croation youth through to rescuing a 1962 paddock find in Australia and transforming it into a custom work of art. The Beetle has always held a fond place in Zelko's psychic, not least the passion for classic cars of a bygone era. The simplicity and affordability of the Beetle in Croatia made it a Jurkovic household item, from family car to spare parts for a VW BBQ. When he migrated to Australia, he had always imagined finding and restoring the Deutschland icon, and his search led him to this 1962 example in north-west rural Sydney. It was a two owner bug, the original lady owner having driven it for 44 years, and the present incumbent using it for a daily driver. The car was a solid survivor, bearing only one scar - a damaged passenger side quarter panel that had been the recipient of an eighteen hands tall angry Clydesdale hoof! The bruise had been bogged to a depth of 30mm, but thankfully the horse had been satisfied with just the one kick and the damage was limited.