Classic cars forum & vehicle restoration.

[Ellis]

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When I was growing up in the 1960s foreign cars were a novelty and in a traditionally conservative area such as here in North Wales they were even regarded as oddities.
The only foreign cars one saw was the occasional Renault Dauphin, Citroen 2CV which was really regarded with suspicion and a Simca. A Mercedes was a rare sight, BMWs unheard of but there were plenty of VW Beetles around and there were two large dealers fairly locally - Milburn's on Anglesey and Wilcox/Dingle Garages in Colwyn Bay.

My cousin and her new husband bought a new VW 1300 in January 1968, GEY 772F and sold it six months later for a gunmetal grey Singer Vogue.
They hated the VW and having been a back seat passenger in it on a 40 mile run I wasn't so keen either.

There is a now often repeated series currently showing on one of the Discovery channels called "Beetle Crisis". It's interesting and the dedication and attention to detail on the part of the owners is something to behold.

Locally, a retired architect owns three Beetles and a Campervan. An orthopaedic surgeon owns two, a 1959 1200 and a late 1303, a barrister a 1964 Kharman Ghia and one very wealthy man has a 1963 VW Pick Up as one of his prized possessions.

I try to post positively on here but I'm sorry I cannot see the attraction. I have driven three, a 1960 1200, a 1967 1500 and a heavily modified 1302 in the early 1980s which had been tuned to the nth degree by a firm then called Autocavan.

I disliked all of them whether it was the driving position, the vague steering, the vibration or simply the sound of the engine, I don't know.

Air cooled Volkswagens have a huge following worldwide, certainly more than old Land Rovers and Jaguars.

I hope I don't offend any forum members who share the VW enthusiasm but is it just me or are there others who less than admire them or are many of you fanatical about them?
And why?

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Starting Handle Expert

1964 Jaguar Mark 2 3.4 litre
1962 Land Rover Series 2a 88"
2002 BMW M3 E46 Cabriolet

[peter scott]

Apart from a bubble car my first car was an 803cc Morris Minor. It was a truely dreadful thing with no performance and low gearing and doors that shut with all the coachbuilt feel of slamming the lid on a metal tool box!

One day I got the chance to drive a basic 1200cc Beetle and thought it was just great in comparison to my Minor. It pulled when you put your foot down and whilst noisy it wasn't screaming its head off with low gearing.

My next car wasn't a Beetle it was a Hillman Minx and it had better performance and refinement than either the Minor or Beetle and I never looked back.

Peter
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https://www.nostalgiatech.co.uk
1939 SS Jaguar 2 1/2 litre saloon

[Keith D]

I have never owned a VW Beetle. I must admit that the air cooled engine, good though it may be, does nothing for me.

I inherited my father's Kombi camper (1600cc engine) and I enjoyed driving this, keeping it for over eight years. I don't even know why because it was about the most gutless thing I've ever had! (except a Bond Minicar back in the dark ages, when I was a kid!) The driving position was comfortable, but having to plan overtaking miles ahead was not my idea of driving pleasure!

But Ellis is right about their popularity. In Western Australia there is a very large, strong club who take their VWing very seriously. Spare parts appear easily obtainable and they are very popular for modifying. As they say, you pays your money and takes your choice!

Keith

[stuchamp]

I've owned 2, a 1965 and a 1972 Super Beetle.
Both were modified for off-road use.
Two of the most fun vehicles I have ever owned.

[D4B]

Yes I love 'em, though I have never owned a Beetle as such,
I started off with restoring my grandad's 1970 VW camper (wish I still
owned it now) then a quick fling with a Beach Buggy on a Beetle floor
pan, and then a 1967 Aussie Import Splitscreen Camper which cost me
an absolute fortune to restore.....

Pics might follow

[Roger-hatchy]

As said, they are like Marmite, you love em or hate em.

Having owned a 1959 Karman, not a Karman Ghia just a Karman in 1968 I swapped it for a cine camera and drove it home from Germany in 1968

Used to Rally and race them with a friend with a modded 1954 Beetle, Mini Coopers used to pull over to let us pass on rallies and it was quicker round Brands Hatch club circuit than the mini's.

I sold the Karman and bought a modified 1953 Beetle, with a 1600 twin port engine, did about 170,000 miles with that one over 10 years with only one engine rebuild. The throttle stuck wide open and it didn't like it.

The only 'Autocavan' part was the exhaust, the Camshaft was a blank that was worked on by the previous owner and a pair of twin-choke 140mm down-draft Solex.

Everything was balanced and tuffrided, the only mod it didn't have but could have done with was stronger valve springs, suspension was modified as well, but all original parts, rear end lowered and smaller rims on the front, no adjustable front suspension in them days.
Todays suspension mod's make it a NON VW with a beetle body.
Just seen a local lad with a well known shortened camper (SpookY) fitting all round wishbone independent suspension.

It was a fun car with good performance, 0-60 in under 8 sec. Had it up to 125 MPH but never had it flat out, Average fuel consumption was 36 mpg.
And it handled, but like any rear engine car it was a different driving technique and could bite.
Fastest I ever covered from Baker street to Southampton Uni was 1hr 15 minutes, with no use of motorways. 98 miles door to door, quickest we ever did it with motorways was 1hr 35 minutes, and we covered the M3 in 23 minutes, this was the early M3, Egham to Winchester,

Hampstead to Litherland, Liverpool M1-M45-A45 Pickup M6 north of Birmingham took 2HR 35 minutes.

There wasn't so much traffic in the early 1970's, lucky if you could get out of London in the same time nowadays.

Still miss my Beetle worst thing I did was sell it but it wasn't getting used.
I think a lot of the mod's today are OTT, can't see any sense in have the car scraping along the ground.

Almost forgot to mention, from 1969 to mid 1970's was working at VW St Johns Wood, so I might be a bit biased.

[roverdriver]

I have had the opportunity to drive the odd Beetle, but never owned one. To me they are a very interesting vehicle in that they went against the trend of the times, and in some ways were quite innovative.

In 1908 Henry Ford put a car on the market that also went against the trend, and he kept producing the same model for 19 years, spreading them in vast numbers over the whole globe- well in excess of the 15 million usually quoted. By 1927 the design had been well and truly surpassed, and the Model T was replaced with a new Model A.

In 1937 Ferdinand Porsche designed the basic VW. Over the next few years it was virtually always found in military guise, however after hostilities and a revamping of the factory, it too found its way into all corners of the globe, and sold in numbers even greater than the Ford.

Both the Ford T and the Beetle were adapted to a vast number of different configurations and uses. Both had engines with interesting technical similarities (Porsche had visited the USA Ford factories prior to designing the VW).

Both of these cars hold a very special place in the history of motoring, especially motoring for the masses, and both were products of their respective eras. They were designed for low purchase-price low maintenance and an ability to go almost anywhere. Speed, acceleration and driver/passenger comfort were not high on the priority list for either of them. Nowadays, the following for the T and the Beetle is very strong, although the Beetle probably is more common, purely because it is younger.

Although I would not seek to own a Beetle, if one was offered to me I could well become interested.
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Dane- roverdriver but not a Viking.

[traction39]

I had one in the late 70's. Never let me down and was always the only car to start in the street on a cold, wet morning! Others would be turning their engines, flooding the carb and draining the battery, but the beetle would start every time. Not the quickest of cars and abysmal heating. Nothing thermals wouldn't solve!
Only got rid of it once the dustman had sideswiped it one morning!

I would happily have an old one and what's more....so would the wife!

[Jim.Walker]

[BigJohn]

I had a bay window 1600 twin port Danbury camper for 2 years. Driving was very comfortable, I had 1300 Vanden Plas seats fitted. it was slow, thirsty and, living in the Yorkshire Dales, in winter I had had to dress up like a Siberian storm trooper to keep warm in the front, whilst my wife and kids fried in the back seat. I used naval gun layers mittens to drive in, they were good for scraping ice off the inside of the windscreen. The plus point was I could have the engine out in 30 mins and it only weighed 180lbs so I could lift it onto the bench. I cannot understand the fascination for them, it carries a scene tax on the prices. The Mazda Bongo is a far better piece of kit.
I have always wanted a Beetle, about 4yrs ago I found a low mileage mint one for sale locally. My wife said my little face fell when she saw me trying to get behind the wheel, I'm 6'5" and my legs were too long, it had the 3 point seat mounts and I didn't want to cut them about to get a seat to fit. I still have a hankering for one but I think I'll get a Golf Cabriolet instead.

[Riley Blue]

Love 'em. I had a 1303 which I know many don't consider a real Beetle but mine started off as a standard car in orange and by the time I'd finished with it was metallic black with Wolfrace Alloys, 13" front/15" rear with a 1786cc engine, a single Weber and an Ansa exhaust. Huntmaster seats made for comfortable long distance journeys - it was a great car.

A good mate of mine (Arnie Levics) used to rallycross one, other mates trialled theirs - happy days!

I sold mine to buy an early Golf GTI and the muppet who bought it wrote it off on a motorway. I also had a bay window Type 2 van with the intention of converting it into a camper. I never did but it too was a great vehicle.

That was way back in the 70's-80's. I've driven VAG cars ever since.

[mikeC]

Have you noticed how the people who like them always refer to modified examples

[petermeachem]

They are good at this http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R5cJD3mFrVI

It doesn't look it but that thing is seriously steep, around 1 in 2 and wet smooth rock. When you come round the corner at the bottom it is like looking at a wall. Getting up it is an achievement. It's a public road too.

[Riley Blue]

[V8 Nutter]

I used to hate it when we had an engine to rebuild. 15 minutes to take it out of the car, then a year and a day to strip off all the shrouds and bits and pieces.