The Volkswagen Beetle demonstrated admirable longevity. It remained in production well beyond expectations when the automotive world and technology had passed it by. It was not many years ago that buyers could find them for mere pennies, but they have grown to become one of the classic world’s strong performers. This 1957 model has sat for over three decades and requires total restoration. However, the array of extra parts, including a spare engine, should help the new owner on their journey. It is located in Holtsville, New York, and listed here on eBay. Bidding sits below the reserve at $2,025, with time remaining for interested parties to stake their claim on this promising project.
The VIN for this Beetle indicates it rolled off the line in March 1957, and the color charts confirm the Dark Blue paint gracing its panels isn’t original. Examining the supplied photos reveals traces of what I believe is Prairie Beige, which was 1-of-7 shades available during that period. The car has sat since the 1980s, and while the body looks pretty sound, the seller states it has the usual rust in the heater channels. This can be addressed without entirely dismantling the car, although the visible surface corrosion across various areas suggests that the nut-and-bolt approach would be best. Someone changed the engine during the 1980s, cutting away the steel below the non-original hood to ease installation. However, the seller includes a replacement section and a correct and restorable hood in the parts collection. The trim looks salvageable, with some items needing a trip to the platers. The windshield is developing cloudiness around the edges, but the remaining glass looks okay.
The mechanical configuration of this Beetle leaves the buyer with a few options to consider. The 1980s engine change saw a previous owner bolt in a 1,500cc flat-four that the seller believes is of 1969 vintage. It would provide a significant performance improvement, but its condition is questionable since the seller indicates they planned a rebuild. However, if the winning bidder wishes to recapture this classic’s lost youth, they include this running 36hp motor that is ready to go. Bolting it in would put less power at the driver’s disposal. Still, mechanical originality, even if the car isn’t numbers-matching, will typically allow these Beetles to command a higher price than modified examples. A viable alternative would be to rebuild the 1,500 and slot it back under the hood, preserving the 36hp motor for future installation if the new owner decides to sell it at some point. That would provide the best of both worlds.
The Beetle’s interior features a mismatched collection of trim and upholstery, and the headliner is long gone. The back seat looks pretty good, but the winning bidder will probably opt for a complete retrim to achieve a uniform appearance. This is not an expensive process, with full, high-quality kits retailing for under $1,500. The interior would look stunning once the installation is complete, and a high-end restoration deserves nothing less than this approach.
The Volkswagen Beetle deserves recognition and admiration due to its resilience. It soldiered on when the world had passed it by, remaining in production for over six decades. These used to be cheap, and it was once possible to buy roadworthy examples for three-figure sums. Those days are a distant memory, and pristine ’57 Oval Window examples can regularly top $30,000. This car has a long way to go to reach that standard, but it is an achievable goal. The question is whether you would take it on. What do you say?
Ah, the iconic, inimitable early VW Bug-the ‘60’s answer to the Model T with almost TWICE the horsepower!!! Though not quite nerdy enough to be in “American Graffiti” it was the originally the statement car of bookkeepers and tightwad accounts then gave way to a brand new culture-and industry-for car personalization.
Keep the original(?)36hp for show, build the 1500 cc for go-if for no other reason than to make sure you don’t get run over by some dink in a slammed Subaru or a twit talking on their cell phone in their oversized SUV..
Curt necked with his ex, Wendy, in the back of Bobbie’s Beetle in American Graffiti.
Curt’s car was a Citroen 2CV not a VW
Curt’s car was a 2CV, but he necked with Wendy in Bobbie’s Beetle.
Pretty plain English.
A few months before I graduated from high school in ’87, I found a nice ’57 oval window for sale in my hometown for $1500. It was in nice shape although nothing that would win first place at the car show. I never did get a chance to drive it but talked to the owner, a nice elderly lady, several times. I saw it offered later for $1300 and a few months after that, the lady called me and offered it to me for $900 – she couldn’t find a buyer. Oh, how I wanted that car! I talked it over with Dad and he said, well, you can either go to college or get a car – I knew what my decision should be. I always wondered whatever happened to that car…..still have photos of it in my album.
You should have taken the car.
This was not a good car for living in west Texas. The wind would flip this thing if anyone was driving too fast on the highways between the towns. I still remember driving to Odessa from another town and spotting at least one every Saturday .. out in the field on its top, like a dead bug. No thanks…
Those license plates were issued in New York from 2001-2010, so only been off the road for maybe 20 years?
Owned a ’73 beetle about 40 years ago. Most reprehensible piece of garbage I ever had the displeasure of operating. And I’ve owned about 50 cars.
No acceleration. No cruising speed. No brakes. No handling. No heat. No cool. No creature comforts. No storage or hauling ability. Need to wash the windshield? Pull over, lift the bonnet, and screw the air hose onto the valve of your spare tire. The compressed air worked the washer, but if you didn’t unscrew it again of course the spare would go flat. German ingenuity?
The car I ran next was a ’68 Delta with a 455. Thought I had died and gone to heaven.
Yeah, anything with a 455 over a VW.
Like The Old Ranger above said, “out in the field on it’s top like a dead bug”. That’s what happened to me, my brother and our friend Benny who was driving his dad’s early ’60s VW Beetle home from a high school basketball game one night, except Benny said he had never taken the curve on a gravel dirt road at 45 mph. Well he still hasn’t almost 56 years later since he rolled it several times, and we ended up upside down like a dead bug in the middle of that dirt road. I will say this, it mwas a pretty tough old bug, and we flipped it back over, but it never ran again. However, seat-belt-less we all made it out unscathed that night…I guess we were all too young and stupid to get injured except for Benny’s pride…also, his dad never failed to remind him every chance he got.
My first car was a Beetle when I was in high school and while I cursed the car for most of the shortcomings you stated the car did a few things right for me. The car always got me to where I needed to go as they were the best in the snow. Because of the shortcomings the car made me a better driver. Finally because the car had no power it kept me alive. I would to have loved to own my friends 67 Firebird with the 326 3-speed but that car probably would have taken my life because of the way I drove in my teens.
Liked it enough that when I found myself working in California I couldn’t resist and bought another one. And then I gave the car better brakes, handling, and a lot more HP.
Apples and Oranges, fellas.
There was a check valve in the hose for the washer. You over filled the spare and when it got to proper spare pressure the washer quit working.German ingenuity indeed.
luv the beetles but she’s a bit longer in the tooth than i prefer. fixed a ton of them over the years and as long as you knew what to look for they were good rigs. all seemed to want the biggest latest motors you could stuff in them though. never did do the resto mod build it like it shoulda been version for my self
This one is way beyond my technical ability but gotta love the Bugs. Had 2 of them; one bought from a classmate in college and I had to force him to take my money. He said it was an awful car but it was right at my price point-$300! No heater but it never let me down. Never.
Had five of these. Got so I could pull the engine solo, in 30 minutes. Hardly see them around despite over 22,000,000 made.
I had the pleasure of a 58 VW for eight years when I was attending university in Vancouver. I also drove it for a while at the end of my air force career in Quebec. I became a fan when somebody cut off the power to the external power outlets at the hangar and none of us could get our cars started [we all had block heaters in the day]. I am talking about a 1955 Dodge [my car], a 1955 Chevrolet and a 1957 Mercury Turnpike Cruiser. We tried towing them to get a start but no dice. Then one of my compatriots offered to drive me home. He was parked on the uninsured lot outside of the air base. No plug-ins there. We got in. He hit the starter and away we went. Volkswagen Beetle of course. It was not long before I was driving one of my own. It was a step above any American car of that time.
I had a ’57. I took my driver’s test in it and a few days later the brakes went out. Didn’t want to tell my parents so I drove it for a long time using the e-brake. It had no gas gauge but did have a lever under the dash that opened the reserve. That got me another 30 miles. It also had a hand choke that came in handy. I traded it for a 66 a year later. I should’ve kept it but no power and no heat got to me. The ’66 was only marginally better. One interesting story though. We had a -30f morning and my VW wàs the only car on my street to start. I couldn’t jump anybody though, being 6 volt.
I had a 61 at that time that cost me $500. Brian and I were the local VW enthusiasts in town.
The first thing I did to my 61 was reverse the back wheels so they stuck out past the fenders. The second was to remove the exhaust tips and saw them off shorter using a bandsaw in my father’s metal shop, making the car marginally louder. Those were the days.
They were the days!
The author is right….they were dirt cheap and plentiful at one time. I bought a ’57 for $400 in San Francisco one day, changed the oil, and
drove it the next day to the central Rockies to work on a dude ranch….used it to run the horses in off the pasture in the morning. Couldn’t really hurt it, but with that rear end suspension you had to be careful making abrupt turns at higher speed. Had a number of these when living around SF, and as others have said, wind was a problem…it’d knock you into the next lane on the Bay Bridge. Rolled a ’64 on I70 in Kansas, but it landed on its feet. Don’t think I’d want to drive one now with megaton SUVs and trucks all over the roads.
There was a listing in the Michigan Daily in the late ’60s – “1957 Volkswagen – $57.” Sold pretty quickly as I recall.
Yeah…you could find’em cheap. I did 20 years ago. Paid $500 for a running driving original Bahama Blue 66. Found it sitting in the city compound where I worked. She wasn’t too bad..typical rust issues but after a buff and shine…she wasn’t that bad.The fella was a community service aid and owned a 66 Porsche 911 in his garage….and used lead back in his day for repairing body panels. Knew his stuff. I drove that car for about a year in the S. Florida heat. I used V-twin oil to help her a little, new tires, generator and shocks and she remained 6v. Sold her for $1500. Today if in the condition she’d probably be worth about $5k to the right person.