1973 Volkswagen Beetle

Description

An early VW Beetle is a great way to have a cool car for not a lot of cash, just as it has always been. But after taking a look at this slick 1973 Volkswagen Beetle, you'll realize that some offer a lot more than just old VW charm. Custom looks, bargain price, bulletproof reliability? Where do I sign up?

There's still plenty of traditional VW here, don't worry, it's just been tweaked a bit to give this neat little Beetle a unique look. The soft silver-blue paint works extremely well, standing out because it's not red or yellow or orange, and standing up to close scrutiny thanks to careful work. Nothing has been chopped, modified, or deleted from the body, so you have a car that will seem like an old friend right from the beginning, but a few tweaks like the roof rack and killer stance all create something special. A few custom additions like the painted bumpers and headlight rings, smoked taillight lenses, and the band of stainless running along the beltline make it stand out and look like it should cost far more than it does. This is a great-looking Bug!

The interior is anchored by a set of late-model high-back bucket seats upholstered in contemporary striped cloth, a look that extends to the rear seat as well, a nice custom touch that shows the builder cared about getting it right. A fat wood-rimmed wheel makes the Bug feel more substantial and better-connected to the road, the shifter with center console is ostensibly designed to remind you of a certain other German air-cooled, rear-engined car. Under-dash A/C is a great addition and rather rare in an air-cooled VW, and it is effective. There stereo was hidden in the glove box to keep the dash looking clean and you can tell that good money was spent on things like the door panels, carpets, and headliner, all of which are in excellent condition. The forward-mounted trunk is likewise nicely finished with a matching carpet and a neat little space-saver spare is stowed up front, big enough to fit over the custom disc brakes. This Bug was clearly built to drive.

It's powered by a great-running 1584 cc flat-four, which is correctly coded with the AK suffix. It's not a screamer, but it's reliable and fun, with good low-end torque and that wonderful VW soundtrack. Electronic ignition means it lights off easily and doesn't need much tuning and the restoration left it with a very OEM look under the rear deck. Even the A/C is so neatly integrated that it almost looks factory-installed. A single carb, dual exhaust with a rather throaty muffler, and nice detailing are more evidence that this was not an inexpensive build. Underneath, the floor pans were completely replaced so they're new and as I mentioned, there's a disc brake at all four corners. It was all rebuilt a few years ago, so it's fresh and ready to enjoy. The lowered stance looks fantastic, particularly with those gorgeous Fuchs-style wheels that make it look like a little Porsche, especially with those big 205/40/17 front and 215/45/17 rear performance radials.

The enduring popularity of the VW Beetle seems to have no end in sight, and cool resto-mods like this deliver old school fun with a great look that will attract a lot of attention. Call today!