- Seller: Richard H
- Location: Weehawken, New Jersey
- Mileage: Unknown Shown
- Chassis #: 116517477
- Title Status: Clean
- Engine: 1300
- Transmission: Manual
UPDATE – The seller has added underside photos to the gallery.
It isn’t unusual for a classic to become laid low by a minor fault, which is the case with this 1966 Volkswagen Beetle. Its previous owner completed a major refurbishment that left the car looking stunning. However, it failed to start one day, even when treated to a new battery. It was pushed into this garage and has occupied that location for years since. The current owner feels it needs to find a new home with someone willing and able to perform what should be a straightforward revival. Therefore, he has listed the Beetle with us at Barn Finds.
Enthusiasts seeking a classic to park in their garage where the hard work is complete might find this 1966 Beetle irresistible. A previous owner thoroughly refreshed, refinishing its arrow-straight panels in the vehicle’s original Bahama Blue. The current owner includes a few photos of the VW in its prime in the image gallery, and there is no doubt this car would have turned heads when prowling the streets. It now wears a layer of dust, but the paint beneath retains a healthy shine. Therefore, a few work days with a high-quality polish might produce excellent results. The restoration included a trip to the platers for the bumpers, while the remaining trim is excellent. The glass looks clear, and it will take more time than money to return this Beetle to its former glory.
The tidy state of this Beetle’s interior suggests it didn’t see much active service following the refurbishment. The painted surfaces are spotless, while the vinyl looks excellent. We can’t see the seatcovers below the existing slipcovers, but the condition of the remaining trim suggests the news should be positive. These cars represented fairly basic motoring, which was a deliberate decision by Volkswagen to minimize the sticker price. However, this interior scores the luxury of an AM/FM radio/cassette player for tunes on the move.
This Beetle’s drivetrain is standard Volkswagen fare, with an air-cooled rear-mounted flat-four sending its power to the road via a four-speed manual transaxle. This car features the 1,300cc powerplant, which would have placed 50hp and 69 ft/lbs of torque at the driver’s disposal. The engine bay presents exceptionally well, supporting the owner’s claim that this Beetle ran and drove extremely well before being parked. It failed to start one day, even when treated to a fresh battery. The wiring harness is old, and there is an included starter bypass relay that might solve the problem. However, a brief online search uncovered a new wiring harness the buyer could install to eliminate any existing or potential future electrical gremlins. These retail for under $300, which is an inexpensive solution. Two tires are currently flat, but the seller believes they will hold air so the buyer can load this German gem on a trailer to take it home. The photo below reveals the car in all its glory, with the previous owner “slamming” the suspension during their build. That change doesn’t detract from the car’s inherent charm but adds a sense of presence and should also improve its handling.
Tackling a total restoration is an undertaking not suited to everyone. However, the indications are that reviving this solid 1966 Volkswagen Beetle could be straightforward and inexpensive. It will undoubtedly turn heads when returned to its rightful place on our roads, and with values continuing to climb, these classics also represent an excellent long-term investment. Those factors combine to make this beauty worth a closer look.
Bid On This Auction
RedBaran bid $11,000.00 2024-09-09 10:11:13
Jastorka bid $10,750.00 2024-09-09 10:09:42- RedBaran bid $10,500.00 2024-09-09 10:07:16
Jim 61driver bid $10,250.00 2024-09-09 10:06:15- RedBaran bid $10,000.00 2024-09-09 10:05:44
- Jastorka bid $9,500.00 2024-09-09 10:05:11
- RedBaran bid $9,000.00 2024-09-09 10:04:46
- Jastorka bid $8,500.00 2024-09-09 10:03:40
- RedBaran bid $8,000.00 2024-09-09 10:03:20
- Jastorka bid $7,500.00 2024-09-09 10:02:31
- RedBaran bid $7,250.00 2024-09-09 10:02:15
- Jastorka bid $7,000.00 2024-09-09 10:00:47
- RedBaran bid $6,750.00 2024-09-09 10:00:05
- Jastorka bid $6,250.00 2024-09-09 09:59:07
- RedBaran bid $6,000.00 2024-09-09 09:58:25
- Jastorka bid $5,750.00 2024-09-09 09:52:20
- RedBaran bid $5,500.00 2024-09-09 06:47:06
2sillypuppies bid $5,000.00 2024-09-08 21:39:36- RedBaran bid $4,080.00 2024-09-07 16:28:27
Jeff bid $3,830.00 2024-09-06 15:47:04- RedBaran bid $3,580.00 2024-09-04 08:50:03
200_20v_avant bid $3,330.00 2024-09-04 03:14:32
David L. Burtnett bid $2,749.00 2024-09-03 20:26:47
JP bid $2,499.00 2024-09-03 13:35:42- Jim 61driver bid $1,966.00 2024-09-03 10:41:07
bslite52 bid $1,551.00 2024-09-03 10:21:58
SCOUT EM bid $1,000.00 2024-09-03 09:55:18
Pat bid $750.00 2024-09-03 09:35:08- David L. Burtnett bid $500.00 2024-09-02 17:27:10
Jayb57 bid $200.00 2024-09-02 09:17:11
The Golde sunroof is a nice feature. Does it work properly? Is the headliner OK?
This bug certainly looks like a good starting point, I can’t imagine that getting it back to life can be all that difficult.
Yes the sunroof works no prob. Headliner was replaced new during the refresh a few years ago, it only has one nick in the back passenger side
oOoOO, here’s a sweetheart. ’66-’67 were the best years for a Bug. It’s a car that will surely have its time again, and some lucky buyer will have one. Like all these finds, there won’t be enough to go around. Aside from the improvements from the ’65, ’66 had the 1300, many comfort improvements, ball joint front suspension, better brakes, it was a car for everyone,,,,except my old man, that is. Simple, affordable, about $1500 bucks new, the then cheapest car in America, with the ’66 Valiant at $2200, and it’s closest competitor, a ’66 Opel Kadett at $1675. We really had nothing like it, save for other foreign cars at a much higher cost, and VW shipped an astonishing 300,000 cars to the US in 1966 alone. A car hadn’t been that popular since the Model T. Sadly, looks like another dads garage ” clean out” sale, of which there are many today.
I guess Beetles are an exception to the belief that an old anemic car is only worthwhile on today’s roads by sitting on a modern chassis or with an engine swap.
Actually, the ’66 was basically a ’65 with a 1300 motor. I owned both during my VW Beetle owning days! If you want the “best” Beetle, I’d suggest a ’68-70 with the 1600 single port. They had the revised and slightly larger body and dual-jointed rear axle and an engine the produced very good torque.. The Beetle that featured ball joints was the Super Beetle, introduced in ’72. Because of that suspension, Super Beetles were not converted to “Baja Bugs”, as the older suspension was virtually indestructible.
Years ago I bought a 1966 Beetle for $600. It was in great condition and ran well. after awhile, It sat for a long time and over the years the window seals leaked and the floors rotted out. Last year I sold it for $7000! Go figure.
I bought a new one in the fall of 66. Blue with white interior. 1995 dollars at at Bright VW in Spokane. I traded in a really nice 56 Belair 4 door that they gave me 300 for. Nice little car with a really inefficient heating system. Sure went good in the snow.
Didn’t have snow where I lived in Africa but we had plenty of mud! One day my brother went off the hard stuff and into deep mud. I went to where he was stuck, drove the Beetle into the mud, reversed up to his Simca Aronde, then towed it straight out, no problem. One week later he had sold the Simca and bought a Beetle!
EMP proof.
Big unmentioned selling feature.
It’s too bad that poor car has been lowered like that. The car is a combination of my first (red/white ’66) and my second (blue/black ’68).
In my eye, “slamming” a VW ruins them.
It should be easy enough to lift it again by installing a replacement front (don’t know the technical term) suspension.
The suspension system is torsion bar front and rear. The slamming is likely just the arms moved on the torsion bar splines. Resetting the suspension to normal height may be as simple as removing the arms and resetting them in the correct spline location for a normal height.
$1,000 bid is whistling Dixie. This will go high.
What’s that blemish on the glove compartment door?
I wonder if it’s light reflected off another surface. There do seem to be a few “camera lens” spots on the glove box door as well.
That’s a good explanation. It looks weird, like a piece of paper that got stuck onto the paint with super glue and can’t be removed. But it probably is just some reflection.
Rear window glass reflecting on the glove box lid.
It’s the reflection of the rear glass.
That’s it!
Wonder if the electrical system has been updated to 12 volt.
It is a 12 volt system. At one point I changed the battery under the back seat. But it still needs a bypass relay installed.
Does it go into neutral and roll? Is a hose in close proximity? If yes, why are these the photos provided?
Yes it can roll, and everything works properly, but the tires are flat. Just didn’t have the time. Someone is going to get a great deal. She is alot better than she looks.
Aha, I see the car wash bucket right next to it in the first photo. Quadruple the amount of photos, including the undercarriage of an east coast car.
Agree, would be a bidder if I was able to see more of the undercarriage. Mine looks like the beach near Yemen right now.
Hahahah …. sure I will get undercarriage photos best I can. She def doesn’t look like Yemen She was only out in the summers and she came from northern california
Really needs undercarriage (pan) shots. Please!
Shes slammed to the ground. I will get out there today and see what I can take, but they def won’t be great with flat tires and being lowered.
don’t seem to see many 66s. my folks bought me one new when I was 16 instead of the beater ford I wanted. they thought they were doing me a favor. without a question the worst car I’ve ever owned and i’m 75 now. the 1300 was only around for one year and it was junk. no heat. slow. always broke down. have never owned any VW since.
Im not a VW expert def not, but what I was told about it is that it does have a heat channel in the middle to return engine heat to the cabin in the winter and there is a dash control for that. When she was still running she never had an issue anywhere and would always fire up regardless of how long she sat. It looks like the only thing that wasn’t updated was that wiring harness, hence the starter relay bypass fix i had been looking into. I did a manual short bypass to the starter with a screwdriver and she turned and started right up and that was the last time the engine was turned over.
Any idea as to why it will not start and run??
@Steve. @Steve. Back in about 1970 I had a guy working for me manufacturing fibreglass coupe bodies to fit on Beetle chassis. His way of lowering the front suspension was to remove the two torsion “bars”, one at the top and one at he bottom, that were made up of about 8 leaves and all he did was to cut through two of the leaves on each side of the “bars” to remove some of the strength, and the front was lowered. As you can see it was a LONG time ago so I may have got it wrong, but that’s the way I think it worked. Sorry about the terrible picture but back in those days it was just a photograph which I have had to take a picture of through a cellophane cover! We sold 29 of them, called them a “ZEUS” before he left me to sail back to Norway on his 38ft yacht that he had built himself. Very clever fellow.
Your memory serves you well. I played with beetles over 40 years ago. The rear is a solid torsion bar with splines that can be moved and the front has two sets of leaves top and bottom. For the front, weakening the leaves was one way of lowering them and another was cutting and welding in an adjustable section in the middle of the upper and lower tubes. Today I think there are even drop spindles and all sorts of aftermarket niceties. I like the photo’s – nice design.
Here is a shared photo album with the undercarriage photos I could get just now. I never drove her in the rain, and she was always garaged. Except for the exhaust system I don’t see any rust anywhere underneath.
https://photos.app.goo.gl/6xwfpYHhsEpnsDeK6
My ’65 wouldn’t start most of the time, even with a new battery (6volt), 2 generators and 3 starters. I finally got smart and asked an OLD VW mechanic what the deal was. His answer – didja check the ground? Frames had a tendency to rust and the ground cable would not make good contact. He traded me for an 8 year old ’68 Renault R-10 which turned out to be a pretty good car!
Very nice looking year correct Bahama Blue color Bug. I’d consider it if I didnt already have a ’62.
Why so many people insist on
placing a disposable plastic fuel filter in an extremely hot engine bay and on top of exhaust components never ceases to surprise me. No disrespect to owner as its very common practice, but then so are the resulting fires. Whoever buys this beauty, please move the filter to the tank or at least in front of the firewall.
The lowered suspension appears to be well done. Im assuming a combination of dropped spindles and perhaps narrowed/adjustable beams. A picture of the front suspension could add more value. GLWS
Awww… This is a duplicate (except for the ugly rack) of my first car, graduating in “67, fresh off the showroom floor. $1,400 with a sunroof and a radio. I think the payments were $47.20 a month. I’m almost INSPIRED to just play with my nestalgic heart, and relive the trips I made in my BeLoved Bug!