Volkswagen Stories: Timo Thornton
Timo Thornton is a Volkswagen super-fan. Here he tells us how his love of Volkswagen looks to both the past and future.
When it comes to Volkswagen, Timo is the first to admit that he’s an enthusiast. “I’m an obsessive fan” he explained to us right from the off.
His passion for Volkswagen began when he was growing up in the 1970s “Growing up in the 70s, they were quite different from everything else on the road. So you had the Beetles and the Campervans. They have distinctive shapes and sounds, and, yeah, I just loved them. Then our neighbour had a Beetle and I really loved that.”
When he was old enough, Timo was quick to get a Volkswagen of his own “The first car I bought was a Golf MK1 because I couldn't afford a Beetle at the time.”
After a patient wait, Timo finally saw a Volkswagen Beetle for sale and knew he had to have it. With a bit of help from his parents, Timo bought the Beetle and was instantly smitten.
“The smell of it, the sound of it when you're motoring along, it's such a distinctive sound and I just love driving it. And people always stop and look when you're in a Beetle or a camper van.”
The smell of it, the sound of it when you're motoring along, it's such a distinctive sound and I just love driving it.Timo Thornton
However, it’s not just Timo who owns a little bit of Volkswagen history, his wife Tracy owns her own piece of heritage. “We went to a lot of shows at weekends, and we were obviously in his Beetle, setting up the tent in the rain. All his friends had Camper vans, they could just rock up and have a cup of tea. And I was a bit jealous of that, so I had some savings aside and I thought, well, I'm going to buy a Camper van.”
As much as they love their vintage Volkswagens, Timo and Tracy are also looking to the future and now own an ID.4.
Timo explains “I've got one foot in the past with the old Volkswagens and the other in the future with the ID.4.” before dismissing the idea that electric cars have limited range.
“A lot of the range anxiety that people have, they don't realize that you plug it in overnight, so every time you get in, it's got a full charge, so you don't need to worry about filling up for 99% of your journeys. It's only when you go on a long trip you need to stop, and then you find you stop for a fast charge on the way, whereas I stop, have a cup of tea and a sandwich, and then just unplug, get back in the car and go.”
To find out more about Timo’s love for Volkswagens past and present, watch the video at the top of the page.
I've got one foot in the past with the old Volkswagens and the other in the future with the ID.4.Timo Thornton
