Morgan Rhodes, St. Petersburg High
1969 VW Beetle

Morgan Rhodes’ turquoise 1969 Volkswagen Beetle is a fixture of the St. Pete High student parking lot. In a sea of newer gray and black sedans, Morgan’s Beetle is blue, old and “cute!” she says. It’s named Rita after Rita Skeeter, the pesky reporter from Harry Potter who transforms into a beetle.
Morgan bought Rita two years ago from a family friend, but according to her, “the car’s been in St. Pete for at least 30 years.” Rita still ran, but it took Morgan and her dad seven months to restore the Beetle to the condition it’s in today.

“We had to totally strip it down to the bare metal, because it needed body work. We had to get new doors. Just about new everything.”

That’s where Rita gets its other nickname, the Frankenbug.

“The bumpers are from a ’71. The rag top is actually from a ’62, and the engine’s from a ’71 Karmann Ghia, another VW. I think the seats that are in there now are actually from a Super Beetle,” Morgan says.

After months of repairs and replacements, Rita looks as good as new, but it’s still an antique car with few modern conveniences. It has a manual transmission and no power steering. Morgan says she constantly has to check the oil level so  the engine won’t be damaged. 

—  Brent Begany, St. Petersburg High