The Smell of Beetles Blowing in the Wind

The Smell of Beetles Blowing in the Wind

By Jack Keene

This wonderful VW landmark is located on US77 just about ½ a mile north of Lexington, Oklahoma in front of Wilson's VW Parts.

The "World's Largest Spider" was built by Leroy Wilson in 1979 to make a memorable mark for his VW recycling center (or perhaps we should refer to it as a VW transplant donor bank.The spider rises high above its surroundings to really stand out .....and as such accomplishes its purpose.

Wilson's sign out on I-35 say's that Wilson's has the "World's Largest Stock of VW parts." Now I don't know if that will stand up to scrutiny for a Guinness Book record but it must certainly be close. On six acres of ground there are 2500+VWs of all descriptions .... Bugs and Buses to Golfs and Jetta's. Although I did spot an old Fiat in the back corner (how did that get there?). They range from mid 60s to 95's, all in neat rows and stacked two high. That's right, stacked one on top of the other!

My son Adam and I took a trek North from Dallas last spring in search of bits and pieces for the Jazzbug (a sort of orange 71 Super Beetle). It was March, and Adam's 16^thbirthday was looming ahead in April. The Jazzbug was not quite ready for the road in that some steering components were needed. Bumpers would do a lot to cover some of the dimples on the nose.

After the two and a half hour drive from Dallas, the spider was a welcome sight as we spotted it ahead of us. We spent a couple of hours selecting parts from donor cars and came away with enough to keep us busy for a while. The folks at Wilson's were helpful and we managed to keep within budget for the time being. After all, experienced parts have some merit in their own right. You know, that something special sort of like home grown tomatoes!

Now there's one other thing that sticks in my mind about this visit. I never would have thought on a breezy day like it was, that the eau d' VW would carry through as it did. It amazed me that even though were out in the open as we were that it stood out like it did. Have you ever smelled the essence of hundreds of old Beetles blowing in the wind? (sorry Bob Dylan). Its something you are not likely to forget. Now that's fahrfurgnugen (or however you spell it?) for you!

If you're wandering through that part of Oklahoma, its worth a side trip for any VW fan. If you get lost you can always get help at 1-800-347-BUGS during business hours. Ask about the Beetle "Opera Limo".

Now I know that all of the above may sound like a plug for Wilson's but it's just our experience there. I guess you have to be a bit crazy to think looking for parts is fun but then that's

Jack Keene
Chief Mechanical Consultant to jazzman (Adam) and the Jazzbug.

More links to the World of Beetles and friends can be found at Volkswebbin'.

This was originally published The Vee Dub Chronicles., January 1996