Behind the Wheel episode 3: Tim Walbridge’s ’65 Volkswagen Bug named Rusty

This rusty '65 Volkswagen Bug turns heads with a whopping 40 horsepower

By Rich Shibley Published April 25, 2023

Long before he began collecting and driving luxury and exotic cars, Behind the Wheel host Tim Walbridge fueled his car fix with Volkswagens. The collection at 503 Motoring includes a few Beetles, but the one everyone asks about is Rusty, a 1965 Bug that’s in serious need of a paint job, but will never see one.

Recommended Videos

Rusty was pulled out of a field in Washington, and despite outside appearances, the car has been restored extensively. The interior has a new headliner and seats, the engine is new, mechanically it’s sound, and the car is lowered with 17-inch wheels. The wooden roof rack and original VW ski rack were found at flea markets to round out the rusty look. Yes, Tim has driven this up to the mountain to go skiing.

Behind the Wheel

Digital Trend’s video series, Behind the Wheel, takes you inside some of the fastest, most exotic, and most unique cars on the planet. Join host Tim Walbridge as he shares his expertise and excitement for cars. You’re along for the ride in modern supercars like the McLaren 720S, American classics including a restomodded ’48 Ford Convertible, and everything in between. Celebrity guests regularly get behind the wheel with Tim and share their favorite car stories.

Today on Behind the Wheel, we go for a ride with Iain Gordon, shop manager at 503 Motoring. Lunch at the iconic Portland burger joint Humdinger is on the menu. But before lunch, we learn some VW history and also get a TMI look into the senses of humor of Walbridge and Gordon. What could be more informative than riding shotgun while we learn about the “heater” inside Rusty. The conversation also gets pretty deep with a philosophical exploration of why they love their cars and the lengths taken to keep them going.

Digital Trend’s video series, Behind the Wheel, takes you inside some of the fastest, most exotic, and most unique cars on the planet. Join host Tim Walbridge as he shares his expertise and excitement for cars. You’re along for the ride in modern supercars like the McLaren 720S, American classics including a restomodded ’48 Ford Convertible, and everything in between. Celebrity guests regularly get behind the wheel with Tim and share their favorite car stories.

Tim Walbridge is the president and founder of 503 Motoring, a luxury and exotic car dealership and customization center in Portland, Oregon. With over 20 years of industry experience, Tim has driven just about every exotic — and not so exotic — car there is. His expertise and down-to-earth attitude show in all of his projects, including hosting Behind the Wheel.

Former Video Director

Rich Shibley is the Director of Video Production at Digital Trends. Before working at DT, he was as an Emmy award winning TV…

Topics

Cars

Order an Uber and a self-driving Mustang might show up

Electronics, Phone, Mobile Phone

Ordering an Uber in London could come with a surprise today. Instead of a conventional car and driver pulling up, you might find a Ford Mustang Mach-E that can drive itself. Uber has launched London's first public robotaxi service in partnership with British autonomous driving company Wayve. The service is available through the Uber app, meaning you don't need to download anything new or book a special type of ride to try it.

There is one important caveat. Although the cars will handle the driving themselves, a trained safety operator will initially sit behind the wheel, ready to intervene if necessary. Fully driverless rides are planned for a later stage. The launch fleet consists of electric Mustang Mach-Es equipped with cameras, radar, and Wayve's AI Driver technology. These systems give the vehicle a 360-degree view of what's happening around it. And if anywhere can put that technology through its paces, London seems like a pretty good candidate.

Cars

Range Rover Electric arrives with 543hp, 600km range, and a starting price of the moon

The electric Range Rover is here, and your wallet may need CPR

Range Rover EV

The Range Rover has never been shy about luxury, size or price, and its first fully electric version is carrying that tradition into the EV era. Jaguar Land Rover’s (JLR) first battery-electric Range Rover is now open for orders, starting at £154,070, or about $208,420. That makes it one of the most expensive electric SUVs on the market.

The electric model costs almost £50,000 more than the standard combustion-engine Range Rover. It is priced in the same territory as the electric Mercedes-Benz G 580 and not far from ultra-luxury gasoline SUVs such as the Bentley Bentayga.

Cars

A solar ambulance has successfully tackled 500 miles of difficult terrain

Stella Juva

For years, solar-powered vehicles have largely lived in the world of prototypes, university projects and ambitious demonstrations. Now, one has completed the kind of test that matters far more than a flashy concept reveal: it drove hundreds of miles through difficult terrain while carrying medical equipment and generating enough electricity to operate independently.

Called Stella Juva, the vehicle was developed by Solar Team Eindhoven, a group of 23 students from Eindhoven University of Technology and two other educational institutions. According to a CNN report, the team describes it as the world's first solar ambulance. Unlike a conventional ambulance, however, Stella Juva is designed less to rush patients to hospitals and more to bring medical care to people who cannot easily reach it.