Updated: 4 February 2025

I watch people at local car shows, and one thing I noticed was that parents who bring their kids along, the kids are bored.  Looking at all the cool cars don’t appeal to the some of the younger people. If we are to pass along the passion for cars to the next generations, we should have things for the kids to do that might get them excited about cars.  I have several car projects, including a 1973 Super Beetle.  The Supers have a lesser appeal for those who are into vintage VW Bugs.  Why not use my Super Beetle as a fun thing for the kids? 

I experimented with different paints and found that semi-gloss black makes a good chalkboard. A chalk eraser will remove the chalk as easily as they do on chalkboards. This is where I got the idea of painting the car semi-gloss black and letting kids draw on the Bug.  I had my great nephews and nieces try it out by drawing on the Bug in my driveway.  They had fun and ask when they could come back to draw on it again. We counted that as a success.

The first event where I will test this is at a block party that New Sunset Community Church in Killeen, Texas, will have in March 2025.  I am almost ready for the first start of the new engine I built for the Bug.  It is a 1776 with dual IDF carbs.  If I can get the engine running well enough to drive onto a trailer and off again, I will bring the Bug to the Block Party in March.  The Bug is not completely painted for this, but enough is painted for a good test run.  We have a basket full of sidewalk chalk and erasers ready.

I will add more to this page as we take the Bug to local car shows and other events.