1971 Volkswagen Super Beetle

Description

The Beetle is back! No, I don't mean the New Beetle or whatever they're calling the new New Beetle, I mean the vintage ones are now bona-fide collectables. This 1971 Super Beetle, with its comprehensive restoration and spectacular paint job, is at the forefront of a new movement to embrace the plucky little German cars making it not only a fun toy but a car that'll hold its value better than a new one.

Borrowing a color from the Mopar color chart, the Burnt Orange finish on this Beetle looks simply spectacular. Sure, when you go to shows they're all light blue or white or red, but this one will truly stand out. No, it's not correct, but I guarantee that few "correct" Beetles will attract this much attention, either. Fit and finish are excellent, as is typical of the Beetle (it was inexpensive, not cheap), and the respray was quite thorough with no evidence of the original paint anywhere on the car, even in the trunk and door jambs. In the sun, the two-stage urethane with a ton of metallic and pearl in the finish seems to glow while presenting an awesome shine that will be a pleasure to wax on a Saturday afternoon. They left the chrome alone, fortunately, so the bright bumpers, mirrors, and other details sparkle against the fresh paint and a slight tint to the windows helps tie it all together quite nicely.

Standard Beetle accommodations await inside, with high-back buckets that are supportive enough for long road trips. Wrapped in durable vinyl seat covers, they'll probably outlast us all and look great doing it with only minor signs of use on the driver's lower cushion. To many of us, the dashboard looks almost Spartan, but that's the genius of the Beetle: the single round speedometer also includes an integral gas gauge and with air cooling and the most reliable engine ever built, you really don't need anything else. A newer AM/FM stereo radio was stuffed into the original radio's slot in the dash and there's a custom center console surrounding the 4-speed shifter from EMPI, which feels vague at first, but once you master it you'll never miss a shift again. In front, the trunk is upholstered in matching black carpet and you can see what I meant about no square inch of bodywork not being refinished in Burnt Orange. Nice, right?

The familiar 1600cc spins in back, whistling away with its fantastically recognizable exhaust note. It's tidy and clean but not heavily modified as so many are, so you can drive it anywhere with the confidence that it'll get you there...eventually. A lot of new parts, including the carburetor and ignition mean that it starts quickly and runs like it should, and again, while it's not correct, the bright engine paint looks good. The 4-speed manual transmission and clutch feel light and work well, and the spotless undercarriage and floor pans are evidence of a life well-lived in a warm place. Stock brakes are still more than adequate on the lightweight Bug, and live behind beautiful chrome wheels that look like vintage Panasport alloys and wear 195/60/15 radials for just the right look.

Still cute, still fun, and still affordable, this Super Beetle is everything you'd want from a hobby car that you can still drive every day. Call now!