1957 Volkswagen Beetle | Jay Leno's Garage

You know what they say — you never forget your first love. Or your first car. Or your first car that tried to kill you in traffic because it only had 36 horsepower. 😅

This week, we’re taking a ride in a beautifully restored 1957 Volkswagen Beetle — and it’s not just any Bug. It’s got a 90 horsepower engine, 4-wheel disc brakes, and enough nostalgic charm to stop a Cadillac in its tracks (well… almost).

🛠️ The story:
This Beetle spent its life with one loving couple, who used it through college, marriage, and everything in between — until Colorado rust nearly claimed it. Then I got a letter: “Jay, will you save our Beetle?” Next thing you know, the whole crew at the garage is elbows deep in a total rebuild.

💬 Featuring:
🔧 George, Eva, and Jimmy — the dream team
⚙️ A SCAT engine, synchronized gearbox, and modern upgrades hidden under classic skin
🚘 A car that’s about as aerodynamic as a brick — but way more fun to drive

It’s slow, loud, smells like fuel, and has the gas tank in your lap for that extra thrill. Safety features? Well… it has seatbelts now. Probably.

But you know what? It’s alive. And it’s beautiful. It even has an ashtray — because apparently in the '50s, everyone smoked and no one wore seatbelts. Different times.

📻 Retro radio.
💨 Wind like an airbrake.
📐 Handling like a go-kart with a hangover.
❤️ But pure love from front to back.

So grab a snack, hop in the passenger seat, and let’s take a spin in the car that started a movement.

🔔 Like, Comment, and Subscribe — or the Beetle gets sad.

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A new video every Monday! Visit Jay Leno's Garage, the Emmy-winning series where Jay Leno gives car reviews, motorcycle reviews, compares cars, and shares his passion and expertise on anything that rolls, explodes, and makes noise. Classic cars, restomods, super cars like the McLaren P1, sports cars like Porsche 918 Spyder and Camaro Z28, cafe racers, vintage cars, and much, much more.

#JayLenosGarage #VolkswagenBeetle #VWBug #ClassicCars #CarRestoration #1957VW #AirCooledLife #Restomod #SCATEngine #GermanEngineering

[gordiejones]

two fun stories... My wife bought a new 1971 super beatle while we were dating, and didn't know how to drive a stick! That salesman thought he was the greatest salesman ever! Later after we were married and I was a student at Mich State U from 1972-77, we needed to replace the rear windshield. I went to the local junk yard for a replacement . At the time lots of the faculty were driving VW bugs, and while looking over my choices in the junkyard, I noticed a rear windshield with a current factuly parking sticker!! Well for about $5 I got the rear windshield and current faculty parking sticker! For the next 5 years it was a trip to the junkyard and new rear windsield with parking sticker, I never had a problem parking on campus again!

[Cesarlupercio]

As a Mexican, I feel very attached to this car, this car is part of the Mexican culture. The car stopped being sold in the United States in 1979, but in Mexico, production and sales continued until 2003. It was everywhere—police cars, taxis, or personal vehicles. This video touched a special place in my heart.

[FilthyFrank-lgkl]

An old VW will always bring a smile to everyone, including me.

[stephenbenson]

I like this restoration so much more than any of the supercar shows. This appeals to more people and elicits more memories for more people. A very small percentage of people will have a supercar, but millions have had connections with a car like a Volkswagen

[tallod]

So nice to see the proper way to close the VW hood. No slamming, just a gentle close and a firm push to hear the solid click of the hood latch. Very nice.

[rud]

In my young days I was an English teacher in Germany. I taught in private language school where the students were the same age learning English for foreign business correspondence. One of my female students offered me her car, a VW beetle, as she didn’t need it for a few months. We went for a test drive, along with a few hairy moments when I drove on the wrong side of the road, then afterwards went for a beer. Well, one or two. Bearing in mind this was our first meeting and we were not romantically connected, we received two beers from a complete stranger. On leaving, this stranger came across to our table and admitted he sent the beers across, saying, he did it because he had been so delighted watching two young people so engaged in conversation and so fond of each other, it was a rare moment for him. We were a bit embarrassed to say the least. To finish this story quickly, 50 years later we are still together, as man and wife, still talking and laughing. The star of this encounter was the blue 1968 VW 1200 Beetle, which brought us together.

[robertwalls]

The sound, vibration and the smell are like nothing else! If you've never driven an old VW Beetle, then you're losing out.

[agnosticChurchworker]

"Hope it starts..." George is always such a delight to see on the channel! Haha.

[tkreitler]

I love old, honest and humble cars like this.

[wesdowner]

It's the sound of the engine that's so unique. I could always hear my parents coming from a mile away!

[MrIslandman]

Nice job on the bug! A good friend of mine graduated from engineering school in 1968 and his father bought him a brand new bottle green Volkswagen bug for $1800. He got hired at NASA and drove that car from Titusville to the space agency for 30 years. After driving over 250, 000 miles, he sold that car to a college student for $1800. He sent the $1, 800 to his father!

[iwantmyvanback]

My favorite episodes are the ones where Jay shows his own cars. Not sure why. They just interest me more

[joserubens]

I have an 81' model here in Brazil. My grandfather bought it brand new, didn't drive a lot. He gave it to me in 2007, at his 70th birthday. I'm his only car addict grandson, so he wanted me to keep taking care of his "Fusca", which is how the beetle is called in Brazil. It's odometer only has 80k km, which is like 50k miles. I'll never sell it, it's my eternal memory of my grandpa.

In brazil we love Fuscas, they were produced until the 90's. Amazing car and amazing video as always, Jay!

[neooverby]

My grandmother bought a 56 brand new she kept all these years. had it restored 15 years ago it’s become apart of the family. God rest her soul love you grandma

[jwelchon]

My uncle was a WWII veteran in the European theater. Amazingly enough, he and his VET buddies loved these Beetles. When I was in school, they were everywhere.

[tomwebber]

If you have never ridden in a VW bug/beetle, you haven't lived. I'm sure 88 of these comments are previous owners, so I'll be #89. My mother had a '63 convertible and I owned a '74 Super Beetle. My ex-wife's parents had a '71 and a '66 beetle plus a '70 Westie. Bulletproof reliable and go anywhere in any weather traction. Loud. Smell funny. Easy to work on. Unsafe if hit. Loved it.

[danielt.]

My favorite kind of episode, Jay's own cars.

[richardvervoorn]

My brother had a ‘61 or ‘62 ‘bug’ WITH the gas heater, pretty unique offering from the automotive industry. Success certainly has not adversely affected Mr. Leno, let’s not forget the many things he has done over the years as a HUMANITARIAN, JAY, you are loved for ALL YOU DO. Best wishes to Mavis as well…

[TrailBlazerSS]

My niece loves this car. Hey, by the way, Jay, thanks so much for keeping the classic car spirit alive.

[bluebug]

I still have my 1960 bug I bought in high school in early '70s. I run it every other week end to keep the juices flowing. My daughter is waiting for me to kick the bucket so she can get her hands on it! 🤣