It was 17.05pm on a cold and wet 16 November, when Ian Oliver’s world came crashing down; the drive home from work that day changed his life forever. The twisted pile of metal that had once been the front of his VW ‘splitty bay’ gave an indication of the damage done to the man. He sustained two broken legs – one broken in 17 places, the other in five. The life of this happy mechanic would never be the same again, but more amazing than the fact that Ian survived is the way he went on to handle the outcome. The leg wouldn’t heal and the pain wouldn’t subside, so with incredible gusto and even more amazing strength, Ian, or ‘Olly’ as he is known, actually requested that surgeons remove the bottom half of his left leg. As he puts it: “It was chopped off on the Thursday in the Winterbourne Hospital, I was out on Monday and at the car boot Sunday.” This is the nature of the guy. In his previous life, Olly was a mechanic for ale makers, Eldridge & Pope (now Marston’s PLC) and in those days you worked on the engines as well as panel beating bodies and looking after the livery of the wagons that delivered the beer. This was an introduction to motoring and repairs unlike any other, giving Olly 18 years to master his trade.
In his ‘spare time’ he loved to rebuild vintage hot rods, tinkering with engines and lowering shocks and springs to get the best out of his machines. This all resurfaced with a love for VWs and the passion for the badge has made the man. With his son Ben in tow, Olly took the compensation money and launched Beetle Magic in 2003. After ten years of plugging away, the future is looking fabulous. They have clients’ vans, fast-backs and buggies lined up for servicing, spraying, engine rebuilds and much, much more. They’ve become a force to be reckoned with in the VW world and, as these guys have the skills to pay the bills, this is where I will be leaving my little treasure whenever she goes wrong. A joyous place with real character – so glad I stopped by!