Source: barnfinds.com
Tuesday, April 5, 2016
1979 VW Beetle Convertible
By the late 1970's, America’s love affair with the Volkswagen Beetle was coming to an end. The final year for the Volkswagen Beetle sedan in the United States was 1977, but with the Rabbit Cabriolet not due until the 1980 model year, Volkswagen sold its Beetle Convertible here through the (extended) 1979 model year. With visions of future collectibility dancing in their heads, many owners parked their final-year Beetle Convertibles, reserving them for special occasion drives. At least one 1979 Volkswagen Beetle Convertible wasn’t driven at all, and in fact was never registered; when chassis 1592041475 crosses the auction stage at the Bonhams Amelia Island sale, predictions are that it could sell for as much as $100,000.
At first glance, that seems like an astonishing amount of money for a 1970s Volkswagen Beetle without a celebrity pedigree, and the current high retail price for such a car sits at around $28,000. That said, high retail is what one would expect to pay for a very nice driver, or perhaps a restored example clean enough to compete in shows. With just 66 miles on the odometer, the never-titled example (from the personal collection of Seattle Volkswagen dealer Wade Carter, killed in a 2001 helicopter crash) is essentially a new car, as original as is possible after 37 years.
The actual pre-auction estimate for chassis 1592041475 is $50,000 – $100,000, and there’s history to support these prices. At Gooding & Company’s 2015 Scottsdale sale, a two-owner 1979 Volkswagen Beetle Convertible with 700 miles on the odometer sold for $66,000 (including fees), while the year prior, a 1979 Volkswagen Beetle Convertible with 659 miles on the odometer sold at Barrett-Jackson’s Palm Beach sale for $58,300, including fees. A second 1979 Beetle Convertible will be crossing the stage at Gooding & Company’s 2016 Amelia Island sale, and the pre-auction estimate for this 14,000 mile example is $40,000 to $60,000.
The next owner of chassis 1592041475 will be getting a car powered by a fuel-injected and air-cooled horizontally opposed four-cylinder engine, rated at 48 horsepower and mated to a four-speed manual transmission. Top speed was said to be 80 MPH, though getting there with a yet-to-be-broken in 37-year-old engine will likely be a leisurely process. The car’s four-wheel independent suspension features coil springs and struts up front, with trailing and diagonal arms and torsion bars in the rear, and drum brakes (without ABS, of course) are used in all four corners.
Volkswagen Beetle Convertible production was handled by Karmann in Osnabruck, Germany, and the last cars rolled off the production line on January 10, 1980. As Mark J. McCourt explained in his2010 Buyer’s Guide to the model, Americans purchased 10,681 Volkswagen Beetle Convertibles in 1979, followed by an additional 4,572 in 1980. To avoid having to comply with stricter 1980 emission and safety regulations, all of the final examples were sold as 1979 models.
Whether or not chassis 1592041475 meets or exceeds the high estimate, history tells us it will very likely exceed the $50,000 low estimate when it crosses the auction block on March 10. Should this particular Beetle convertible break the six-figure barrier, it stands to reason that other well-preserved examples will hit the market at future 2016 auctions. Will any others be unregistered, with less than 67 miles on the odometer?
The Bonhams Amelia Island Auction will take place on Thursday, March 10, at the Fernandina Beach Golf Club. For additional details, visit Bonhams.com.
UPDATE (14.March 2016): The 1979 Volkswagen Beetle convertible sold for $52,800, including buyer’s premium.
Source: hemmings.com
1964 VW Beetle
Evidently, someone in Tucson, Arizona made such a swap in this very sanitary looking ’64 bug that is for sale now here on craigslist. With an asking price of only $5,000, this car is likely to be sold rather quickly. While neither the all too brief ad copy nor the three pictures fully tells the story of this car, for sure there’s enough here to make it worthwhile to go have a look and a test drive. The engine is from a Porsche 356 and its Zenith carbs have been rebuilt. It is said to be fast and smooth driving and there is no reason to doubt the seller.
The body in primer looks great. The car has been lowered just a bit and has a great stance. And the nerf bars are a perfect touch. Personally I would not care very much what the interior looks like. As long as it has a driver’s seat, I would be happy, and if I were its owner, I would quickly be driving it daily on every twisty road in town. I just wish I lived nearby, as I would be there to look at it today.
Source: barnfinds.com
1963 Volkswagen Beetle
Though Volkswagen Beetles taught a generation of us the joys of the three pedal shuffle, they typically draw mixed reviews among Hemmings readers. Some praise them for their all-season traction, forgiving nature, and ease of repair, while other denounce them for their lack of power, German logic and essentially nonexistent heaters. Love them or hate them, Beetle prices are on the upswing, and there’s no time like the present to buy a clean example if you’re in the market. This 1963 Beetle Deluxe Edition, for sale on Hemmings.com, features the desirable cloth sunroof, new floors, a new front axle and a rebuilt 1.2-liter, 40-horsepower engine. The paint appears to be in good condition, too, meaning that the car probably needs nothing more than a new owner. From the seller’s description:
Source: hemmings.comThis is a cherry red 1963 Deluxe VW Beetle with the ragtop option- 1963 was the last year for this option. Engine has been rebuilt and only driven about 500 miles since rebuild. Chassis and engine numbers have been verified. Car was repainted the original color, and new floorboards and front axle beam have been installed. There is no rust, and interior was restored. This car was pronounced sound by a classic car specialist.
1959 VW Bus Baja Bus
There’s been a fair amount of chatter about flipping cars on the site lately, and this unusual find here on craigslist from Barn Finds reader Mark V. shows the art of the resale in action. It’s a 1959 VW Bus that supposedly competed in the Baja 500, a grueling desert race that takes place in the Baja, California peninsula – and was for sale for a lot less not that long ago.
How do I know this is a flip? Well, it’s a highly unusual vehicle that actually has a Buick V8 swapped in place of the anemic flat-four these air-cooled VWs originally came with. So, if you Google for words like “Baja 500 VW Bus,” it won’t be long before you find it listed on one of the bigger air-cooled sites, The Samba – where it originally sold for $750, a far cry from its current $4,500 asking price.
One of the best things about what Jesse and Josh are doing is that they’re making improvements to the cars they buy to make them more enjoyable for the next owner, and well worth any additional premium they may charge over their purchase price. That makes good sense. This Bus, however, is the worst kind of flip: the seller saw a deal, drove it home and then jacked up the price.
Of course, it’s difficult to find anything out about this Bus’ racing history in the Baja. What I do know is – after stumbling upon a website with hundreds of vintage racing photos – almost anything with the right equipment attached could race in the Baja. This AMC Pacer is one of my favorites from the era when racing was perhaps a bit more risky but also more entertaining! Almost as entertaining as seeing if this flipper has his payday.
Source: Barnfinds.com
1959 Volkswagen Transporter Single Cab
Click Here for information on this Single Cab Transporter and to view other pictures.
Source: hemmings.com
1978 Volkswagen Westfalia Riviera
For decades, Volkswagen’s van-based camper was the affordable RV of choice for those with a passion for camping and long-distance road trips. Rising prices and declining sales halted U.S. imports of VW campers in the mid-1990's, meaning that demand for surviving examples remains high.
Source: hemmings.com
V W Samba Trucks
Single Cabs VW Truck Buses
Double Cab VW Truck Buses
Volkswagen Panel Vans
Source: onlyaircooled.com
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