Officially known as the Type 1, the VW Beetle is perhaps the most recognizable car in the world. That’s because more than 21 million of them were built between 1938-03. If you were alive in the 1960s and 1970s, you saw these little cars everywhere. This edition is from 1963 and can best be described as an uncompleted project. The seller provides no history or commentary, so we have to let the photos do the talking. From Blythe, California, this Bug is available here on eBay where the current bid of $3,581 hasn’t been enough to trigger the seller’s reserve.
The Beetle was conceived as the “People’s Car”, an inexpensive automobile to buy and maintain, thus great for the general masses. The cars changed little from year to year, and many times they weren’t even noticeable. By 1963, little cars like the Bug were eating into U.S. car sales, so compacts were here to stay, and sub-compacts weren’t far behind. The seller’s VW is in some state of making a comeback and it appears a new engine is ready to go in. An 1192-cc air-cooled 4-cylinder motor producing 40 stock hp is a likely choice. We’re told the original powerplant is still around.
Whether the car is complete is unknown, but the body may be getting close to primer and then some new paint. There doesn’t appear to be any glass in the Beetle and the interior has been stripped out and a new one is waiting for the right time to be installed. There is no reason to think that any herculean efforts will be required to finish this project, but the car would be more marketable with at least a few sentences about what’s been done and what hasn’t.
Personally, I’d be more concerned with what is there — and, naturally, what ISN’T there — than what work has been done. My suspicion would be that a lot of components would need a refresh even if if they’ve been “redone.” I’m looking at you, brake system….
You don’t need a degree in Rocket Surgery or Brain Science to disassemble and/or put these back together. Just tools, a good shop manual, and some patience.
To me, the seller is asking too much if he/she wouldn’t take three grand to see this moved along. There are still lots of big expenditures in this Beetle’s future.
Seller probably has that current bid of $3500 tied up in just the engine this will be a interesting watch to see if they hit the reserve
This car reeks of “I took it all apart… now what… I’d better get rid of it!” In the e-bay listing the lack of attention to details such as up-side down & sideways photos makes me wonder about the quality of what’s in the pile. It’s not cheap considering what you’ld get.
I bought and restored my first VW in the form of a vintage formula vee a few years ago. I have to admit that, for the $, it’s hands down the most fun, and probably the most reliable vehicle I’ve ever owned. At shows, people will actually walk past a line of exotics to check out the knee-high racer, which always cracks me up. A bit off topic, I know.
Looks like it was in the ‘Gulf Oil’ colors. Would be interested in the engine work since it appears to be well cleaned up and painted.
That looks like a crate engine, about $3500. The bug looks to be in great shape rust wise and could be nice little project for the right price.
Is the engine include with the bug?