[{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org\/","@type":"BlogPosting","@id":"https:\/\/smart-motoring.com\/latest-news\/classic-cars\/beetle-spotting-ewan-mcgregor\/#BlogPosting","mainEntityOfPage":"https:\/\/smart-motoring.com\/latest-news\/classic-cars\/beetle-spotting-ewan-mcgregor\/","headline":"Bug Spotting with Ewan McGregor","name":"Bug Spotting with Ewan McGregor","description":"20 years on from the original release of Danny Boyle\u2019s Trainspotting, the director has bravely set about revisiting the film with T2 Trainspotting \u2013 and setting all Scottish diet jokes aside, the cast have aged incredibly well. The film was of course, the spark that ignited Ewan McGregor\u2019s career. McGregor has since gone on to star with his pal Charley Boorman in the popular documentary Long Way Round, which followed the pair\u2019s (eastward bound) journey from London to New York […]","datePublished":"2017-01-24","dateModified":"2017-01-25","author":{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/smart-motoring.com\/author\/isabelle-lawrence\/#Person","name":"Isabelle Lawrence","url":"https:\/\/smart-motoring.com\/author\/isabelle-lawrence\/","identifier":30,"description":"Max Wheeler is a leading motoring journalist and classic car specialist at Smart Motoring, renowned for his sharp insight and infectious passion for all things automotive. With years of experience covering motoring news, supercars, and the enduring legacy of classic cars, Max brings stories to life with style and authority. Whether it\u2019s the roar of a Lamborghini, the elegance of an Aston Martin DB5, or the cultural impact of vintage motoring icons, he delivers expert commentary that inspires enthusiasts and collectors alike. Dedicated to celebrating the heritage and future of driving, Max Wheeler is your trusted voice for classic car news and beyond.","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/8d331506e3c530b5ec4930c30a01ed8cc29b0537227573ae5da98f559e681401?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/8d331506e3c530b5ec4930c30a01ed8cc29b0537227573ae5da98f559e681401?s=96&d=mm&r=g","height":96,"width":96}},"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Smart Motoring","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/smart-motoring.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/smart-motoring_news_logo_g-e1765846726493.webp","url":"https:\/\/smart-motoring.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/smart-motoring_news_logo_g-e1765846726493.webp","width":600,"height":60}},"image":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/smart-motoring.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/feature-21.jpg","url":"https:\/\/smart-motoring.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/feature-21.jpg","height":520,"width":1200},"url":"https:\/\/smart-motoring.com\/latest-news\/classic-cars\/beetle-spotting-ewan-mcgregor\/","about":["CLASSIC CARS"],"wordCount":505,"keywords":["beetle","Ewan McGregor","The Bug - Life and Times of the People's Car","Trainspotting","vw beetle"],"articleBody":"20 years on from the original release of Danny Boyle\u2019s Trainspotting, the director has bravely set about revisiting the film with T2 Trainspotting \u2013 and setting all Scottish diet jokes aside, the cast have aged incredibly well. The film was of course, the spark that ignited Ewan McGregor\u2019s career.McGregor has since gone on to star with his pal Charley Boorman in the popular documentary Long Way Round, which followed the pair\u2019s (eastward bound) journey from London to New York on motorcycles. What might be less known though is that Ewan McGregor also harbours a love for the classic Beetle.McGregor appears in the new feature length documentary, The Bug \u2013 Life and Times of the People\u2019s Car (Firewater Film Company), which covers the vast history of the little car and just why people get so hooked. The trailer certainly looks good.Ewan and the BeetleThe Trainspotting star has owned several Beetles over the years, even making the tabloids in 2013 when he was spotted in Los Angeles, where he currently resides, filling up his immaculate blue Beetle sedan, which he had acquired in 2009. It was clear that the favourable West Coast weather was clearly doing the paintwork more favours than a Scottish winter.A year ago McGregor sold a different Beetle on eBay to make way for yet another Beetle purchase. The 1960 rat look Beetle was listed as \u2018Ewan McGregor\u2019s 1960 VW Ragtop Patina Monster\u2019 and sold for $28,500 (\u00a320,000) in April 2016 \u2013 more than twice what he was expecting. The car had a carefully preserved rusted exterior coated in clear lacquer.\u00a320,000 might seem a lot on the (literal) surface, but McGregor knows his stuff, and the Beetle was more or less an inside out, reversed restoration project, with what you can see being either original or aged, while the crucial mechanical bits that get you from A to B and enable you to stop safely were either upgraded, replaced or restored. One of the most impressive things about this bug is that the bonnet isn\u2019t original and was very carefully colour matched and blended with the rest of the car.McGregor had actually spotted the build project online and contacted the owner to make the purchase, which then became his daily transport to a film set in Pennsylvania where he was currently working before getting it shipped to his home in LA, 2,600 miles away across the other side of America.Ewan\u2019s love for the Beetle had begun as a teenager when he bought a South African import for \u00a3500 in 1987 and he talks fondly about this car in The Bug. It must have stuck in his mind, as in 2015 McGregor even tried to trace this original purchase, presumably to re-buy it before he finally settled on the amazing rat look Beetle.If you like the trailer and you fancy tracking down this movie, it won\u2019t prove quite as difficult as a South African bug in Scotland, as you can now purchase The Bug \u2013 Life and Times of the People\u2019s Car on Amazon."},{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org\/","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Latest News","item":"https:\/\/smart-motoring.com\/latest-news\/#breadcrumbitem"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Classic Cars","item":"https:\/\/smart-motoring.com\/latest-news\/\/classic-cars\/#breadcrumbitem"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"Bug Spotting with Ewan McGregor","item":"https:\/\/smart-motoring.com\/latest-news\/classic-cars\/beetle-spotting-ewan-mcgregor\/#breadcrumbitem"}]}]