Local vet and loyal Volkswagen owner Jack Powell of Thurles, Co. Tipperary celebrated his 100th birthday last week and was presented with his 41st Volkswagen: a Polo from his local dealer Tom Harvey Volkswagen.
Jack bought his first Volkswagen sixty years ago: a 1953 Beetle with split rear window and six-volt electrics. Over the years he has owned thirteen Beetles, two Golf GTIs, four Jettas and two Polos amongst others. In Jack's own words: "In my experience Volkswagen is the best car for my profession as a veterinary surgeon so I stuck with them".
The first GTI was Jack's favourite, "It often got me in trouble, because the trouble with the GTi was it couldn't go slow. They were an amazing car. It had amazing acceleration."
On his new car he commented, "Unfortunately I am no longer considered employable," he laughed. "The Polo is comfortable, has good acceleration and is economical and after that it is enough for me."
Jack was born on May 29th 1913, the youngest of five children. He has lived through two world wars, the War of Independence and the Civil War. Since becoming a Volkswagen owner eight Irish presidents have been in office and Tipperary has won the All-Ireland hurling final a total of ten times.
Paul O'Sullivan, Head of Marketing, Volkswagen Ireland said "Volkswagen has a fantastically strong Irish heritage and we have been in Ireland since 1950. We first began manufacturing cars in Ballsbridge when Jack was 37 years of age. Jack has been a truly amazing ambassador for the Volkswagen brand and we are delighted he has chosen to stay with us."