Classic cars forum & vehicle restoration.

[norustplease]

In spite of saying earlier last year that three cars was too many, I have acquired a third car. A beetle. The logic is that it is something that I can use as a Spring/Summer daily locally, since my modern car is racking up mileage.
It is a 1973 Superbeetle, so has most of the useful bells and whistles that can be found on more modern cars.
Picture to follow.
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1953 Citroen Traction
1964 Volvo PV544
1973 VW Beetle 1303L
Boring Suzuki SX Hybrid

[norustplease]

It is bright yellow, having been resprayed about twenty years ago when it has had a fairly extensive restoration for which I have had all of the invoices etc. It has spent most of its time in Lancs and Cumbria and post restoration, has had hardly any use whatsoever. The list of MOT's shows as little as 10 miles between tests some years, so the low mileage is believeable. (36,200).
So a few jobs to do, electrifying the ludicrous VW windscreen washer system for starters (relies on spare tyre pressure as standard).

_________________
1953 Citroen Traction
1964 Volvo PV544
1973 VW Beetle 1303L
Boring Suzuki SX Hybrid

[Ray White]

I like it. So much nicer than the later 'retro' cars that in my opinion are not real Beetles at all.

Most people think that the story began with Adolf Hitler and Ferdinand Porsche ... but the truth is that the real story pre dates Hitler's rise to power in 1933. The original design can be attributed to a Hungarian engineer by the name of Joseph Ganz who was producing a somewhat heavier version of the car. people were soon calling it the "beetle" because of it's shape. It was Ganz who had the original idea for a "volks wagen"...or people's car.

Hitler took an interest in the car and wanted it mass produced...but from his point of view there was a problem; Ganz was a Jewish immigrant...so Ferdinand Porsche was recruited ...and the rest, as they say, is history. 21 million sales can't be wrong.!

What is less well known is that poor Mr Ganz was persecuted by the Gestapo to the point that he had to flee his home. He eventually settled in Australia where he spent the rest of his life trying to be recognised as the rightful patent owner of the VW Beetle.

Ganz may have been forgotten, but his dream came true in ways he could never have imagined.

[norustplease]

Yes, I have read about the origins of the design. Apparently its survival after the war was facilitated by the British Army setting up production
and ordering a large number of cars, it didnt resume German management until around 1948.
I have always had a soft spot for these cars, quite fun to drive and with spares backup as good as, for example, UK cars such as MM 1000 or MG cars.

This is the third Beetle that has passed through the family, plus an ex Dutch army Trekker that was based on a Karman Ghia floorpan with a VW1500 engine and which needed a full restoration.



Now resident at a villa somewhere on the Spanish coast, I believe.
_________________
1953 Citroen Traction
1964 Volvo PV544
1973 VW Beetle 1303L
Boring Suzuki SX Hybrid

[Ray White]

You may be aware that it was a British Army officer, Major Ivan Hirst, who is credited with saving the VW plant in Wolfsburg and kick starting car production after the War. He secured a much needed order for 20,000 cars from the British Military in the occupied zone.

[norustplease]

Just deleted the duplicate post that has appeared again uninvited.

Carried on with re-commissioning the Beetle, in spite of the cold temperatures. We now have electric pumped windscreen washers, an oil change and a clean out of the oil bath airfilter. A new oil fiiller cap to prevent the disintegrating cork seal dropping into the sump and a bit of a clean up under the engine cover..
Pulled out the radio cassette player yesterday, that mysteriously lights up and shows the appropriate tell tales when tuned, but doesn't emit as much as a hiss. I had a look to see if there was anything disconnected such as a wire to the speakers, but the car appears to have connections integrated into the loom with nothing obviously missing. So I assume a fault.
I may buy a period radio and wire it back to some new speakers elsewhere in the car, for the meantime the old unit remains, filling the hole in the dash.

Hopefully some decent weather soon so that I can start driving. Need to amend my profile as well.
_________________
1953 Citroen Traction
1964 Volvo PV544
1973 VW Beetle 1303L
Boring Suzuki SX Hybrid