When talking about million dollar cars I think many of us think of high end European or American built specials. Although not your typical million dollar machine, this 1964 Volkswagen Beetle was purchased new with the intention of being a backup car to the owner’s 1957 Beetle. Upon purchase, this bug was promptly put into storage, and remained in storage for all of its life having only accumulated 23 miles. While the Beetle was sold in Mexico into this century, this 1964 model is likely the closest to new bug you will find. This museum-worthy machine is offered for the whopping price of 1 Million dollars. Check it out here on Hemmings. Thanks to reader Michael for sharing this incredible find!
I am sure we have asked, or have been asked, what type of car we would buy if we had a million dollars. Well, while some of us would want something rare or exotic with plenty of power, others of us may want something as simple and economic as a 1964 Volkswagen Beetle. While some low mileage cars show some age or evidence of use, this beetle is an incredible sight. The engine is clean and oxidation free, and even the heater boxes are mint with no chipping paint or surface rust. As you would suspect, this boxer engine is a healthy runner and was carefully revived after its long hibernation.
Having looked at a few thousand VW interiors since my youth, I will say the interior photos really show how nice a factory interior was. The steering wheel is fabulous with no flaws, and all of the dash components are fitted perfectly with mesmerizing alignment. Red, cream, and black is a charming color combination, and this ’64 offers a lot of classic features that VW enthusiast wants. No headrests, cream accents, and the overall beautiful simplicity that the early Beetles offered.
The Styling of these pre-1968 Beetles harks to the earliest of Beetles in their styling and appearance. I think I speak for many when I say that all Beetles are neat, but I truly like and appreciate the styling of the pre-1968 cars. While this is something that some would be ashamed to admit, this Beetle has never been washed! In this instance that has been a true blessing as there are no apparent swirls or scratches in the paint. The chrome and paint appears phenomenal, but you may notice that there are no hubcaps or wipers. No worry they are included, but they are still in their original boxes having never been installed on the car! There is no mistaking that this is a very special bug and that we owe gratitude to the man who carefully preserved this car so well. Imagine if he had been a Hemi Cuda fan? I think we can all appreciate this car and the owner’s enthusiasm. The real question is, would you spend your million dollar Lottery winnings on this Air cooled museum piece?
I’d never want to own a car that I was afraid to touch. A car that needs to be in a environmental bag system to maintain its value. About the the best thing for this car would be to ship it back to Germany and put it in the Volkswagen museum. Of course they would have to buy it back. I can see 200k to 300k but 1million seems steep, after all it just a beetle.
Nahhh
Stunning from any angle. Really should be in a museum. Sure is a lot of sheckles. Good luck to the new owner.
Yep, they are still out there!!
Cheers
GPC
I have a 71 Super that my wife and l love to drive. Its not a show car but a fun bug. If I can’t drive it what fun is it to say you own it. This 64 is way to rich for my blood but still a car to b kept like it is.
Only $25k/hp.
Those blue spark plug wires were junk when new, they only used them a short time.
…yet another example of why nothing should be changed on this car. Its absurdly high value will only exist until things like said known-to-fail blue Plug Wires are changed.
Leave this thing alone if its value is to be maintained!
A sellers asking price has no relationship to a cars true value.
You are right, original items such as the spark plug wires help maintain its value, but $1,000,000 isn’t based in reality.
Steve R
If I had a million bucks to spend on a car, I could sure come up with a pretty long list before I got to that one. Just saying’.
Really Doug? Better change the wires before it goes into the museum!! Sheesh!!
I’d love to buy it and drive it home
Dude, you get it!
😆😂🤣😅☺😃🤑crazy price🤑
Hmmm … where are the hubcaps? lol … No VW is ever worth this much …
Still WAY more interesting than a Grand National with the same mileage.
Wayyyyy too much money..
Its more interesting than a GN but couldnt u buy about 10 of them for a mil?
Id rather a 55 split with a 200hp motor!
Oh ya and $970000 in my pocket
I’d rather buy a new car and pocket the rest.
One million and no ragtop sunroof? Dear god the world has certainly gone off it’s axis. Next thing you know molestors will be in the White House and on the Supreme Court. God help us.
H E Y. !!!!!!!! What is the RULE about No Politics on Barn Find? And Why didn’t the Barn Find Monitor see this and kick it OUT? Soon we won’t even be discussing Cars anymore but just stupid crap political things.
Not sure what you are implying by the WH and SC comment, but seems better left for other forums.
What I have found is that the site could care less about actual politics, rather they balk at comments noting income inequality as related to why the hobby is floundering with the average man on the street. Not quite sure why that is, though BF is better at letting things slide then say the competition….they really cater to the rich boys and are eager for the prices to rise so their cut is bigger at the auction. Anything at all that hints at the idle rich not playing fair economically which gives them lots more money to burn, and hence, get attention away from a big closing auction number, gets a poster permanently banned for good. All in all, BF is my choice for this kind of car site.
I agree, those comments seem in poor taste for this site. Unfortunately, there are few intelligent sites to discuss political things. Oh, plenty on one political side or the other, but if you bring up an independent thought, it goes to profanity and worse in replies. I spose there is no good economic model to support those sites if they are truly moderate in their thinking. I used to troll BAT and hassle some of the obvious born with a silver spoon types, got me banned. I spose I deserved it, and it was a bit childish. Funny, the older I get the more left wing I become. Odd for someone with my income level and aged very near retirement…I should be firmly in the right wing camp telling the world,” I got mine, so ta hell with you!”. But, I also understand the struggle, and how it was easier for my generation to get there vs young people today and how the system is more and more rigged against them unless they were born well. (with a few exceptions of course, but most of us are not exceptional, yet we all need to be happy and fulfilled in our lives). I wish the people who run this site would come up with a site to comment politically, they seem to do a great job, but again, prob not a good economic model to make it work. Unfortunately, only the super rich (A few brothers who inherited it all, whose names shall go unnamed) run these with money that means nothing to them, and is intended to sway the stupid masses into giving up their birth rite of happiness and humble prosperity.
Take it someplace else Rex. Not a bit funny.
This is a 64, 63 was the last year for the rag top sun roof
Before I get corrected I meant oval not split which I believe last year was 53?
$100k at most(?). Would be better if it was a split window. I wonder how much the shop paid for it from the last owner?
As one can imagine, this car and it’s backstory are all over the internet. It’s as close to brand new as it gets. I understand that at the original purchaser’s request, the car was never dealer-prepped; the original battery was never filled with electrolyte and activated – and remains with the car (he used the battery from his other car to drive it home).
It’s not the most desirable model. Given what desirable air-cooled models have been selling for as of late, I can see a serious VW air-cooled collector parting with $250K for this car; maybe a little more in a specialty auction environment (Barrett-Jackson). In reality though, it definitely belongs in a museum. I will be very surprised if it brings anything close to $1M.
Call me crazy but those door panels don’t look original to me. I also have my doubts about the seat covers.
O.K. Crazy. What makes you think that the door panels and seat covers are not original when the whole car appears to be totally original?
Some of the last Beetles from 2004 were put away like this one, so yes I probably could find a new Beetle just like this one.
One million dollars? The seller will soon realize that here on planet earth that’s a tad high. (A tad being equal to $900,000) Maybe on planet Mecum or planet Barrett-Jackson. It’s a VW Beetle, not a Bugatti Veyron or a Lamborghini Miura. It has no historical provenance, either; Jim Clark didn’t drive it to victory at Brands Hatch nor was it owned by Pee Wee Herman.
Reality will set the value on this Beetle, not wild-eyed dreams.
C’mon guys………………they’re offering great purchasing terms……………..only $10,151 per month! Such a deal………………
This is a museum piece. Totally unbelievable preservation. Not only was it never driven but it was also stored in perfect conditions.
At the end of the day its still just a v-dub. 10k tops.
No air? Seems like everybody melts in the sun. Oh well crush it, we need to recycle. Have a nice weekend, stay in the shade.
No need to stay in the shade up here in Calgary we had 16″ of snow last Tuesday day.
With all the stuff I could buy with $1,000,000, it sure wouldn’t be a ’64 VW…and I don’t care how few miles it had on it.
I’d like in a few years from now once the next guy “drives” down the value….
No oval, not belonging to Hitler himself. Not a 22 window. So what is worth 1000000?
Askin and gettin are two different animals.
Wow. Certainly a Barn Find.
Wonder if he would take 500 grand and my Aston Martin DB5 , with it’s original machine guns ?
If you got a million to blow on a bug, then you deserve to be separated from that million and whatever other millions you have.
Nah, they just threw out that million dollar price out there to see if some overly monied fool or museum would bite, they will accept a low six figure offer. What concerns me isn’t that some fool bought two and never used it, what concerns me is that there are people who really do have a million bucks to throw at an economy car on a whim. Ideally, this family would honor the original owner by giving it away to a deserving young person, or maybe a working person just retired who had and loved one 40+ years ago. Just think of the love they would have for it in their garage, a centerpiece of a humble happy retirement. Those are the kid of people being priced out of our hobby by the big boys who smoke cigars and collect things just because they can. I fear our hobby is doomed.
Maybe the price is in Mexican pesos.
That would make the price $55,555 USD.
This would not have gotten all the press if it was listed at $250,000. The million dollar price gets everyone talking. Now he can sell for max dollars because everyone has heard of the car. Smart!
Bingo. He’s got the publicity, now he can negotiate the actual price. It’s obviously a museum piece, since the minute you start driving it, the value plummets. I’m guessing the final price, if sold, will be less than half the ask, and more than twice the Barn Finds consensus. But who knows? Go find another one.
The comments here didn’t disappoint, though: The plugs wires are no good. The door panels and seats aren’t original. It’s only worth 10K ‘cuz it’s a VW. The owner should give it away.
Only on Barn Finds!
cyclemikey, when you say “Go find another one”.
That is assuming anybody would want to go find another one.
Why would you want a car that you can’t drive?
Can you imagine the problems this car is going to have for being stationary for 55 years?
Miguel, you ask why I’d want to own a car I can’t drive. Well, I wouldn’t – not at this point. And I can safely assume that you wouldn’t either. But I have owned ‘garage queens’ in the past; collectible machines that are in noteworthy condition that one wouldn’t want to use as transportation. And there is a whole universe of collectible vehicles that fit into this category, as well as the collectors who trade in them, often at remarkably high prices. That doesn’t make them wrong, stupid, or foolish. it only means they have different priorities and/or interests than you and I.
The assumption is often made, and often stated, on this forum that any perspective on, or aspect of, the vintage car hobby that doesn’t correspond with one’s own view is to be ridiculed and mocked. That’s unattractive, and it smells vaguely of sour grapes. If someone wants to pay big bucks for a brand-new 1964 V-Dub, more power to them. Enjoy. And if the car gets preserved as a historical reference, all the better for everyone else too.
Did Hitler sign the glove box door? Is it coated in 14kt gold? There’s always dreamers out there and this guy is just fishing for an excentric old rich German that had one and now wants this one. Might go for 100k to 150k tops.
Where’s the little air hose that went from the spare tire to the windshield washer reservoir. Maybe it’s in that box with the hubcaps and windshield wipers? It even has the pliers and screwdriver and… is that a hubcap puller? What is that in the picture between the tool kit and mirror?
That right it’s missing, well that just kills the value $100.00 now.
The hose is for the windshield washers. If you used the washers a lot, you’d have a flat spare. Wonderful idea.
It’s the battery cover. It goes on top of the battery under the rear seat. Good catch on the washer bottle hose. It MUST be in the box of goodies.
only need it as model to restore others
(and THEY WILL be driven)
I’d rather look at / drive a rusty old american car from the 60’s or early 70’s with holes in the floors & body, & worn out engine. I remember reading a review on the bug as being “as comfortable & accomodating as a pay toliet.” lol
No problem, buying this, I should have plenty left over for the ’41 Curtiss P40 Kittyhawk coming up for 1.8 mil. I’m a big follower of Hemmings, ( yeah, I’m the same Howard A. there, mystery over) and won’t say anything to discredit their advertisers. It, like the mega TV auctions, usually draws the upper end of the hobby, and prices reflect that. It’s where one would go to even attempt getting any interest in this at this price. This, however, even surprises me.
And the same Howard A from the Old Motor website I presume? Love your comments.
Howard who ?
Anyone who covers a valuable car with a piece of plastic has no concept of what a valuable car is. Price drops accordingly.
Correctumundo. roundhouse–also a tarp or plastic will scratch the paint on the corners.
Cheers
GPC
🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
Bought a new 1964 VW Beetle in ?July when I was discharged from the Air Force for $1200.00! Same color with same interior……
@YooperMike. I think, from the comments style on other sites, that it’s HOWARD ARBITURE, but I could be wrong
my first car was a 1964 vw just like this one.
it was air conditioned = cold in the winter and
hot in the summer. a truck hit my exhaust pipe
and pushed it in 5 inches and it still drove.