Will It Run? Police Bug Sitting Abandoned For 35 Years 

@6:42 - The card - That is a Petrovend key card for an unattended fueling site. I used to install and maintain those systems. They use these punch cards for the older readers and several varieties of magnetic media after that. Most systems also allowed manual key entry. Usually a driver number, mileage and a pin. Even key cards had manual entry prompts for mileage and such per the customers requirements (like police fleet vehicles)

Thank you Mustie That car show made the whole video. I had no doubt you would’ve made it run but when you take it to a car show and you win a trophy

The best part is you actually took it to a car show!

This car came to my school in 1981! My mom had a 74 Super Beetle so I remember it clearly. It played the tape about school bus safety from the last video. The hood opened and shut so it looked like the car was talking (the inside is painted pink to look more like a mouth). Very cool to see it again 40 years later!

Priceless episode. Mustie's badge of honor. Driving that into the show as is. Big smile

The ending had me in bits.........A trophy to remember.

I want you to know how much we appreciate the time you put into your videos-you are a blessing-many thanks!!!

That horn had me cracking up. Worst of show almost topped it lol.

What an honor to see her drive into the show working. Absolutely brilliant close to this episode. Thanks Mustie1 for sharing this with us and take care!

No matter how bad it is, he will get it running. That's just how he rolls. Incredible mechanical talent.

My SO came in as you were giggling at the pops and bangs, she'll never understand the delights of watching good old mustie ♥️

I've got tears of joy flowing over here. My Pop started his career at a Volkswagen garage and ended his career as a cop. He would have loved this. Thanks for the good vibes and memories.

If there were any VW snobs at that meet, then your new toy’s presence there would’ve really stuck it to them. Love it !

When he giggles with joy, like a kid at Christmas. Best parts.

These videos give a hope to misery and a state of uncertainty of these trying times. The laughs I get are priceless and last me all day. Hope you your family and craftsmanship all stay intact. God bless👊🏼🙏

THAT"S what makes this the best car channel and you the segment leader! GREAT SHOW! I always feel better after visiting with you!

EDIT: pictures of the car from 1980 and 1993 in the replies to this comment. ORIGINAL: Looks like the original owner of the car was a Sgt. Alfred "Al" Longhi of the Agawam PD. Born in 1934, PFC Longhi fought in Korea (presumably somewhere between the ages of 16 and 19) and later joined the Agawam PD. Town annual reports list him as a patrolman in 1970. By 1980 he had become the town safety officer. He seemed invested in the community, as he successfully petitioned for a MA act for school bus safety inspections and toured Agawam elementary schools with "Patch", a pony, to help children understand stranger danger. Excerpts in the Agawam Advertisers News, 1980 confirm this. Sgt. Longhi passed away in July 2018, a week after his 84th birthday. He was married to a Marlene Longhi, who died in late December of the same year. I found a picture of the car in a policy safety booth from a newspaper article dated September 18, 1980. Follow the replies to this comment to see it (RU-vid doesn't allow posting links...)

Testing that PA had me in tears laughing, thx Mustie.

I still have tears in my eyes from laughing so hard, seeing the people at the car show looking when you did your entrance lap! Great stuff!

At 54:45 when he turns the engine over, the memories flowed and flooded my brain. My first car was a 71 vw Van my father bought me. My second car was a 73 camper van VW I purchased with my GF at the time and eventually 1st wife, after coming home from the navy. It was pristine and fully loaded. I curse the day we sold that van. I really mean it when I say I experience about 15 minutes of depression when I think about selling that. The condition of that van if it was just preserved from 93 when I sold it to now would make that van fetch 50k easy. It had the tent and the cot that went in the pop up . It had an automatically transmission also

I can just imagine everyone at that show as you roll in sayin' "Oh..., that's gotta' be Mustie."

I have to appreciate a man who has not lost his sense of fun! Kudos to you, Mustie! The best "Worst of Show" I've ever seen!

"Got to remember I can't stop." This could be the best life lesson! The hood action is superb! Great video! Congrats on the "Win" at the show. Thanks!

You're an awesome human being Mustie. Love your videos and your work. You helped me save my lawnmower when I had given up hope of it running again.

Fantastic stuff ! That's how you put a smile on the faces of everyone at the show 🙂

I bet the “regulars” you know from the VW shows never know what you’ll show up with next time! 😁 But that’s a huge part of what makes you Mustie1! 😃

That was AWESOME!! I needed this so much. Thank you for cranking out super vid's. You are a master.

This is by far the best Mustie video ever. I absolutely lost it when you drove right next to all of your car buddies with the siren on.

Brilliant! One of Mustie1's best videos. The pleasure in his laugh is priceless. An entertaining, educational masterclass. Thanks for sharing.

Hats off to the officers who drove this dressed up VW for the purpose of engaging with their community members whom they swore to protect and serve. Great rescue Darin! 🤜🤛👮🏼‍♂️👮🏼‍♂️🇺🇸✌🏻

It says alot for how it had not been thrashed when parked since the engine came back so easily. Sounds like it is still strong too. Hope you can do some more to it to either stabilize it and make it a little safer and take back to where you got it with all the old stuff working even if it still looks like it does now as it will bring back many memories to people from the region. or it might be a good project to restore completely so you can have another trophy with same car for wackiest in show or best wildest history resto. LOVE IT

That car is awsome! You'll be the talk of the town driving around in it. I'm surprised you made it to and from the show considering the state of the floor, but it was a lot of fun seeing it fired up and working like it used to. Looking forward to seeing the rest of the progress on this fun restoration project, and seeing it shine again

Sliech Auto Body is still in existence. I bet they’d get a kick out of seeing the bug 😊

I love that evil giggle whenever one of Mustie1’s engine begins to run.

I was having kind of a crappy day today.. Thank you so much for this video. It really brought a smile to my face!

You continue to impress with your knowledge, ingenuity, and just ability to explain things in plain language. Thanks.would love to see more on bringing this bug back to life. So inspirational on such an iconic vehicle.

That car looks like it should be in a Disney movie called Herbie Gets A Badge.

VW time capsule. Remember that Woody Allen movie where they find a VW beetle that sat for a 100 years and it started. LOL

Oh, what an absolute joy - worst in show was such a lovely payoff at the end. GREAT VIDEO!

Awesome video!!! You couldn't wait to show it off!!! YOU are the best inspiration to all of us! Thanks!

A car show?!? Good grief man! Have you NO shame?! I'm glad you don't. I literally LOL'd!! Congratulations on your trophy. You (and the bug) deserve it!

@Mustie1: You made my day when you got it running but did not expect you to take it to a show. Well done it does not matter if you got won anything at all but having the guts to take it is one thing. cant wait to see you do more work on this car

I really enjoyed this video! Guy's got the right amount of skill and patience to bring this abandoned bucket back to life. Really appreciate the way he shows us every last detail. Obviously a VW pro. When he showed the trophy sitting on the trailer, I was completely stupefied given the line of dozens of nicely restored beetles. Worst in show was a bit harsh, but definitely "special interest." Great video!

I’ve seen a lot of this guy’s videos, and I can say he’s really enjoying himself more than usual on this one. I enjoyed it too. Thanks!

That's possibly the best video yet - And, you even won a prize! That engine sounds pretty fit, it has to be said, and I reckon this old Vee-Wee wants to live. Even if it was never fit for road use, it must be preserved for exhibition purposes. This is the one car that puts the "rat" into "rat look" vehicles!! Oh, I so much want to see this poor neglected old car restored.

"you're waiting for me to zap myself" yup, that shit never gets old lolol

The look of everyone at the car show was well worth it. So many smiles including yours👍

Loved the little nod to John Candy and 'Planes, Trains and Automobiles'. "Do you feel this vehicle is safe for highway travel?" - "Yes I do, yes I really do". Made me want to go and watch the movie again. 😁

The bit with the floor hole had me cracking up laughing “oh look the brake line”

I just can't believe how good it runs with just new plugs!!! Amazing!

After you changed the 4 plugs she sounds amazing 😻 love the sound of a classic VW

Every time I watch a Mustie video I'm surprised at the resilience of those VW starters.

Congratulations on the trophy 😂😂😂 Sunday morning at its best. Thanks Mustie . Park outside 5150 house and wake him up 😂😂😂. Thanks for sharing. Stay safe 🇬🇧

My home town police department had a VW just like that! Down to the color and hat! His name was "Jack". I remember being a kid, any time we'd have a parade, Jack was always there, and always my favorite part. He'd drive by siren blasting, and they would throw out plastic badges and little bags of in the shell, roasted peanuts. The kids would go crazy. 🤣 I always wanted a car with a hat on it!

This is the best video I've seen of yours so far. I would love to see this beetle restored. I almost died laughing when I saw the front hood opening and closing. I just started watching your channel a couple of weeks ago and it's been bringing back memories of my '74 beetle that I owned in the late '70's/early 80's. Man I wish I had access to your videos back then. Keep up the great videos.

I didn’t get to have coffee and enjoy this episode yesterday. This is one of your best ones yet!

Absolute classic!! And a trophy to finish off, perfect 😂😂😂😂😂😂

Making Sunday morning worthwhile once again!

That was so interesting to watch you trying to get him running, congrats on doing so. Hearing it running was reminding me of some of the cars that would be entered to race in the Enduro's and Demos at Riverside Park Speedway. Congrats on winning a trophy.

The end of this video had me giggling like a little kid. So good and wholesome. Thanks Musty for making my day :D

Thank you for making my Sunday morning! The car show entry, had me falling out of my chair!

It's always so nice and relaxing to start sundays late afternoon here in Finland with Mustie's new adventure.

It was really awesome seeing this at the show! Glad you got history back on the road.

I've never been more proud of someone I don't even know. Thanks for the experience Mustie!

I really enjoyed this one!! Why do I love watching? Sure, I like the mechanic aspects, but I really love watching how much fun Mustie has bringing this stuff back to life! You can tell his passion for what he does is deep!!

Brilliant. Laughed all the way. I’ve christened it Old Bill, British slang for cop. When you first started it, it reminded me of Herbie when he was sick or sad. I thought the film company manufactured the “bloop bloop “ sound but no it’s a real VW noise.

I love how you laughed each time you coaxed the engine a little closer to running good!

Absolutely cracking with lots of laughs along the way 🤣 Only Mustie could have done that lol 😂 Cheers Stevie 😎🇬🇧

I had a mustie style grin on my face for the whole episode, thank you so much for sharing! That siren 🚨 is hilarious, what a great buy 👍👍👍

Good to have you back, Mustie1. Wonderful walkthrough, complete with ancient "mouses" and bloopers. Well done.

Love that you took it to a show! Great videos, makes me miss my 74' gold bug i had.

Totally brilliant. I hope you're going to continue the restoration! Looking forward to it. 👍

One of the best videos you've done Darren, getting the PA to work has me in stitches, the drive into the VW festival too, brilliant.

This is an incredible piece of nostalgia. I can’t wait to see it after it gets the Mustie treatment.

Now that was one of your best videos for me! Even finished it up with a trophy, great job!!!

It is absolutely beautiful. Trophy well deserved, after all that hard work! ;-) Fun most of the "extras" like siren and such are actually working again.

One of your BEST episodes LOVE the car and would love to see more of it. Thanks for all that you do Mustie.

Hahaha, best laugh I’ve had in a while. I could just imagine the look on everyone’s face when you rolled in.

I love this thing so much, and loving the fact it's already been to a show after all these years!

A man with no shame. Congratulations on the trophy. Love it!

Thanks for letting us in on your endavours and going this extra mile to record it for us all!

That was the funniest Mustie1 video to date, absolutely fantastic, couldn't stop laughing. Well done Mustie.

That "Love tap" on the rear, blue 'flashing' light, just topped off my day. Thank you Mustie1 👍💙

I love everything about that Bug! Good job on getting it running and on sorting out all the toys on it!

What a great video. I was laughing the whole time when he was sounding the siren in the car show. Everyone loved it. This man knows how to have a good time.

What a spectacle, genuinely had me laughing but a fair bit of that laughter was pure disbelief, with a hint of embarrassment thrown in. I'd call it "officer Hansel Gretel" due to the amount of debris it drops as it drives!

That was fun! Thanks for the smiles. Still lookin' for my '68 out there. Probably won't be as awesome as this one. ;)

Mustie, you are a class act. Every video, I learn something or you make me laugh. Usually both!

It’s like Herbie crossed with Police Academy. Love that you were able to get that old bug running!

One of your best vids Mustie man.. just when I thought here comes another beetle engine revive... you give us this gem of enjoyment! well done!

My hearts out to you, Mustie. In the early 90's in Maine, there were around 5 VW s like this listed per week in Uncle Henry's ad book. And Dashers and Rabbits. We would go on an adventure to aquire the gold!

Herbie rides again mad max style excellent video had me in stitches can't believe you took it to the show love it and you got an award cheers

Everyone: Just gonna have a nice relaxing day at the VW fest Mustie: You wanna bet... I laughed way more than I should have done at the opening & closing mouth, I was pretty much crying 🤣 🤣

Fantastic story and that is the best entrance to a show I've seen. Made my day!

I love your videos. I love how you can get those old cars running after all these years. Keep it up.

That was totally awesome, great job! Taking it to the meet at the end, classic!

I have been following you about 2 years this one has to be the best yet, keep up with the great finds, looking forward to seeing what you do with this car. Thanks for the great lololol.

Outstanding vid one of the best so far a big kid at heart just love how he got it from seized to running into the show ground just love it well done Mustie Steve uk :)

That Worst of Show trophy is a badge of honor! Freaking awesome!!!

This is great. I remember watching a video of Mustie1 saying that he makes these videos because he was a little introverted if I remember correctly. To see him roll in with a siren rolling and a mouth flapping makes me so happy. Amazing videos