Dr. Norman's infatuation with the Volkswagen Beetle began in 1958 while he was working for Kodak in San Juan, Puerto Rico. The Kodak office was located in the Puerto de Tierra section of Old San Juan, only a few doors away from the then inaugurated Volkswagen dealer for the area.

Every spare moment, every lunch break, every coffee break, before he came to work and after he left the office, Dr. Norman would spend it admiring the vehicle, getting a feeling for the sales pitch and spending time around the service area, absorbing this phenomenon that they called the "Volky".

Being mechanically inclined since birth, it did not take him long to understand the innovative and simple technique in this revolutionary vehicle. Soon after, he left his job at Kodak and joined Volkswagen Puerto Rico, fulfilling obligations in the Parts and Service Department.

So thrilled was Dr. Norman with the Volkswagen, that he did not waste an opportunity to present the car to all his friends, family and anybody that will lent him and ear. By the end of 1958, he completely mastered the service, parts and sales departments and received a break when Mr. Luis Lluch, with whom he was family related, gave him the opportunity to work part-time as a sales person, while he continued his studies at the University of Puerto Rico.

For three years he successfully delivered Volkswagens all over Puerto Rico and in 1961 he opened his own parts and service shop in Rio Piedras, at the outskirts of San Juan. In 1965 he grew a little homesick and decided to move his operation to the area of Guayanilla, southern shore of the Island, where not only he was closer to his hometown of Lajas, but only steps away from the newly inaugurated petrochemical plant in Guayanilla itself.

The new plant brought prosperity, people and money to the area, and between 1965 and 1966, Dr. Norman sold and delivered over 2,000 Volkswagens in the zone. An old time friend, Don Francisco Cairol, owned and managed Volkswagen of Mayaguez, a dealer in the south western tip of the Island. Mr. Cairol offered Norman the position of Sales and Service Manager for the operation an offer he accepted because of the challenged it offered and also because it facilitated his continued studies at the Mayaguez College (CAAM), a branch of the University of Puerto Rico. From his new position he sold and delivered Volkswagen cars to hundreds of families of the area. Dr. Norman stayed with Volkswagen of Mayaguez until 1973.

While he was advancing his career and his studies, the Bug Fever really stung him, and he dedicated a lot of his "free" time to developing a high performance Volky, to participate in an forma of motorsport that for sure, Ferdinand Porsche never intended or dreamed his puny little econo-car would have a prayer, the sport of drag racing.

With a highly developed mechanical mind, Dr. Norman made modifications to his "racing Volky" soon becoming the talk of the town and the car to beat at both drag strip and street level. His VW Bug would challenge and beat the powerful "muscle cars" of the sixties and seventies.

For the purpose of racing, Norman selected and oval window black 1957 Beetle, mounted on a 1966 chassis, powered by a 1800cc flat four sporting two Holley carburetors, home-made manifolds, and connecting rods and pistons from a Chevrolet Corvair, all connected to a Transporter transmission.

At the time, racing in Puerto Rico, as in many other cities around the world, was held anywhere there was a decent straightway, preferably a quarter mile long. Racing has always been big in Puerto Rico, and Island racers have always been known for their creativeness and the incredibly fast compact cars they develop. Norman's Beetle was no exception and soon, his engineering side was to become a known factor in international competition, specifically at road racing circles.

The early seventies saw a legendary partnership develop, as Norman, his brother Hexan and skillful driver Manuel "Maño" Godínez, fielded a 1970 Super Beetle at local sports car events including IMSA sanctioned races where the likes of the legendary Peter Gregg participated.

Peter Gregg raced at an event at the now defunct raceway of Añasco, west corner of Puerto Rico, and brought his championship Porsche, Brumos sponsored, for this event. The roster for the race included other local and international stars such as, Diego Febles, Luis Mendez (Dominican Republic), and Ulrich Lange, Mandy González, Tony Canahuate (Dominican Republic), Melvyn Dunfort with his Ford Escort and many others. Little did they know, that the fiercest competition would come from an unknown, home-built, but fearfully fast Volkswagen using a Volkswagen engine. This, now legendary car was the No. 83 of the González Brothers, driven by the stellar Maño Godínez.

When the flag dropped, and the dust settled after the first laps, Peter Gregg led the way, as expected, but followed not by any of the other Porsche Carreras entered, not the Corvettes or the GT Fiats and Datsuns, but by a blue Bug with the number 83 on its front and doors.

This race is still remembered by the road racing crowd in Puerto Rico and abroad, not because of the impressive field of cars and drivers, but because the Chief Steward of the event, Honorable Baron Anton Von Dory (RIP), kept talking to the crew of the No. 83 Volky, "whatever you do, do not pass Mr. Gregg, he is our guest". Well, the No. 83 complied with the unofficial request of the organizers, and was pleased enough with filling Mr. Gregg's rearview mirror for 50 continuous laps.

Maybe we are being a little pretentious here by saying this, but you may call it coincidence or just ideas running simultaneously in different dimensions, but shortly after the Brumos crew returned to the mainland with stories of this incredible VW Bug with the number 83 who just would not go away and challenged them for 50 laps, Disney came out with their Herbie motion picture, whose star is a road racing Beetle with the number 53 on its doors.

The Volkswagen Museum of Puerto Rico is constructing a tribute car of the road racing 83 Beetle that will be on exhibit before the year ends, and the vehicle will become a sort of insignia or icon representing the success that can be achieved when you work hard, are determined and use your creativeness to generate opportunities. This has always been the driving force motivating Dr. Norman through his personal and professional life.

Years later, having finished his studies in Natural Medicine and after a very successful professional career, Dr. Norman retires from his practice and swaps the white robe for the dark blue mechanic jump suit and commences forming the magnificent collection of Volkswagen vehicles that we enjoy today at the Volkswagen Museum of Puerto Rico.

To read more in Spanish about Dr. Norman's Volkswagens, visit: www.autosclasicosehistoricos.com con Luis Mariano Muñoz