Twelve-Inch Vintage Delight

 

When Ron Howard was sixteen, he bought his first car. It was 1970, and he appeared in several TV shows that year. He probably could have purchased a shiny red Corvette. Instead, he bought a new white Volkswagen Beetle. Ron Howard was earning more than his dad when he was only eight years old. He credits his father – actor Rance Howard – for teaching him to be sensible about money, even when he was in his teens. Ron kept the car for about six years, then he sold it. A few years ago, Ron’s brother-in-law happened upon the same car in Redding, California. Its new owner had been using the Beetle to deliver eggs. It still wore a sticker from USC, Ron Howard’s alma mater. His brother-in-law bought the car, replaced the engine, and shipped it back to him. “That was the car I courted my wife in,” the actor/director/producer said. “It’s actually the only car I’ve ever loved.”