1964 VW Beetle

The cute and cuddly 1964 VW Beetle originally came with a 1200 cc engine producing a peak of only 40 horsepower. Any one of us who has driven a mid-sixties bug knows how underpowered these cars were when they were new. Lots of downshifting was needed, and going uphill with more than one person on board was just a drag. But if you wanted to go faster in a bug in the sixties and seventies, quite a few hop up parts were always available. The ultimate choice if you wanted real speed, was to drop in a Porsche engine and push hard on the accelerator pedal. VW’s are very light cars, so adding a high output Porsche engine does the trick for the need for speed.

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