Bringing back the past.

Byline: By Ian Johnson 

Studying human reaction to new car models can be quite illuminating. In particular it is astonishing which cars become attention-getters and which do not.

This case was proved conclusively a couple of weeks ago when I was driving a very expensive and luxurious German executive express which never drew a second glance.

But when I swapped it for a Volkswagen Beetle Cabriolet I was never short of attention from avid Beetle fans who just had to have a look.

They ranged from a rich-looking chap in a red Chevrolet Corvette who was positively drooling over the cream convertible, to a couple of chatty women, one of whom had just bought a Beetle Cabriolet in the same colour.

On the road, other new Beetle drivers wave furiously at you - just like they did in the days of the old Beetle. I know because I used to drive one.

It is certainly true that the old Beetle magic has been rekindled and is burning with a ferocity that is truly amazing.

But what is the formula for this almost magnetic attraction? In cold facts, the Beetle old or new is nothing massively special. The original was derived from a wartime utility design meant as a car for the people of Germany and the modern version, although not possessing the original rear air cooled engine, gives a modern interpretation of the style - over-rounded and almost cuddly.

Is it the flower vase on the dash? Or is it the rakish way the folded hood hangs over the rear that provides the X-factor? Whatever the answer, the fact is that the new Beetle has got that indefinable 'it' when it comes to human emotions.

To drive this people magnet will set you back pounds 17,695. You can certainly get faster cars for the money and also cars with more room.

But what you can't buy is the elusive quality that makes a modern cult car like this one.

On the road it is very civilised. I well remember the old Beetle and how light it was on the front, a characteristic that gave me a few very anxious moments on wet roads.

But the new Beetle is viceless when subjected to normal conditions, allowing the driver to sit back and revel in all the attention.

At first glance it appears to have a great lack in rollover protection but the opposite is the case with an amazingly sophisticated protection system that deploys automatically in the case of disaster.

The Beetle Cabriolet is not just a rosy retro dream of days when the open road meant just that. It's a thoroughly modern interpretation of a well-loved theme which, judging by the rapidly growing numbers on the roads, clearly still evokes a positive reaction from drivers old and young.