How Many of Us Owned Beetles in Our Youth?
 

As for myself, I became aware of 911's in 1973, while dreaming of owning either a Pantera or a 1970 Corvette big block coupe.

I used to drive by a shop on my way to work in NW Detroit that specialized in servicing Porsches called Air Cooled Engineering. There were always long-nose 911's sitting out front. In a short time I was smitten. Unfortunately, when I left Detroit for college (Ohio State) I could only afford a '71 Super Beetle.

My Beetle was Saphire Blue (kinda like Royal Blue) with a white vilyl interior. There was a fair amount of rust in the fender-body joints, wheelwells and the running board were gone, as well as the heat exchangers. I replaced the running boards, tires and gave it a repaint (replacing heat exchangers was another year away). Some blue, red and white plaid seat covers picked up the interior nicely. Couldn't afford an FM radio and never did install one.

It was quick (for a Beetle) and fun to drive. I used to imagine myself driving a beautiful 911 Carera RS when I was in it. I had many great adventures in that car.

I still miss it......

i don't quite qualify but thats cause me old man stopped me.:rolleyes:

i loved 'em and beach buggies:cool:

My first car was a VW "Thing", but I also had a 72 Super Beetle convertible (royal blue, white top). Great car, went through 3 engines! Not a huge deal at less than $800 for a rebuild even for the 1600 dual port.

Not all in my "youth", but at various times I have owned a 65 beetle, a 1970 bus, and a 1973 VW SP2, built and sold only in Brasil at the time of the 914 in the ROW.. Much nicer, kind of Porsche like, would have made a good successor to the 356 as a modern VW based sports car... I still miss the car today.

Powder Blue '69.

i don't know if it is because i am not old enough, or not from california but i always thought beetles looked dorky.

Yep, '57 oval window for $750 when in high school. Will have another sometime soon...

Todd
'71T

I've only owned 2 cars that were not ACVW's or 911s: a '76 MG Midget and an '82 VW Scirocco. The MG lasted 1.5 days before throwing a rod. The Scirocco dies on the way to test drive what became my first 911. I've had everything from a '69 fastback to a '54 RHD 23-window. My first car was a '69 bug, which I turned into a Targa and got myself featured in VW Trends:

http://www.vintagebus.com/image/pom.jpg

1976 coupe with '74 engine, single solex carb. Black, decent paint but very little rust. Came with regular wheels plus a set of chevy wheels with wide tires, maybe 205s, and adapters. That really made it stick, but still understeer. Had the front seats re-upholstered for $150. Re-painted the rear deck using the spare tire as the source of compressed air, and pumped that up with a bicycle pump! Yanked the rear seat and carved plywood covers for where the seat was and carpeted it. Loved that car. Had a booster fan installed for the heater and you could burn your feet. Autocrossed it, but brake fade was immense and understeer was awful. Of course, at that time I didn't know a thing about bleeding brakes or adjusting handling via tire pressures. But it was fun!

Drove home from college in Phoenix to Nebraska through three blizzards, lost the heater, lost the wipers, engine stalled twice due to gas freezing in the carb (-65 degree wind chill). Got home a day and half late and the parental units thought I had died in a ditch. Told me I had three weeks to buy another car (1986 Civic Si, which was also great). Sold the car for what we paid for it ($1,000 with new tires). Damn, I miss that car. Knowing what I know now it would be even more fun. Oh, well, one that got away...

My first was a 1974 Super Beetle, emerald green w/ tan interior.
That was a great car, and a unique factory color.
I bought it after my girlfriend, (now my wife) wrecked my 1972 Ford Pinto...thats one of the best things she has ever done !

Owned the 74 for 5 years, then wanted the vintage look, bought a 1960 VW Beetle, restored it, black with tomato red interior....ohhh and that smell ! Converted to 12v, put in a 1600 with hyd. lifters & dual solex carbs, became my daily driver for 10 years. Sold it due to garage space, when I bought my 82 911sc.

-Chris

Superbeetle in yellow. Driving across country, slept in the car but for one night where I stayed at a motel in Sioux City. Drank Dewers and watched Buddy Rich on Johnny's Tonight Show. Next AM went to start car and no-go. It was a Saturday, Volkswagen USA not in, had car towed all around town. Finally brought it down a dirt country road at the end of which was one of nicest garages you ever saw inside a barn. Several stock cars, stacks of tool chests and some very patient guys who gave "they guy with the foreign car" some help by twisting the dist. to near the correct position (it started anyway).

Bought them all beer. I loved that car!

John

PS: Datapoint: $68.00 in gas to get across country.

Beetles....
 

56 Oval window....

Dad gave it to me when I was 16....he bought it new at the factory. We still have it in a garage, and am currently looking at restorer's in the Northwest to do the car.

Eric
56 Beetle
69 411 (that's a VW to the uninitiated)
56 Speedster
59 A coupe
63 B coupe
67 911S
69 911S
71 911E

My first car was a '72 SuperBeetle. It was (supposed to be) light blue. It was, actually, 7 different colors, the most prominent being rust.
I can vividly remember driving on the Northway in Upstate New York (where I am originally from) and listening to the "WAP WAP WAP WAP WAP..........that was the sound the fenders made as they flapped against the body in the wind.

The car was a hand-me-down from my parents and my father had this really stupid looking roof rack on it. I begged him to let me take it off...it was hard enough trying to be cool with a 72 rusted out bug without that monstrosity on the roof. And, though he NEVER used the thing, he would NOT let me take it off.

Long live the beetle! By the way, any new updates on the "Bugster" John?

1965 White with red interior - stolen in 1973 from in front of our house in NY, found 2 days later wrapped around a telephone pole in MA

replaced by 1969 Blue which accompanied me to college - 3 years of upstate NY winters did it in - car limped home with battery hanging down through rear floor and shifter held in 4th gear by a string tied to the emergency brake.

1968 tan convertible for my father/brother when I took the '69 to college. Brother added a Karmann Ghia (can't remember the vintage) for his college days. Repainted it himself in the garage - still find tools with red overspray, 20+ years later.

Mine was a 1958 Primer Gray with Wheel adapters and chevy chrome wheels and baby moons. A Whopping 36 HP Drove it back and forth to high school. Wow almost 30 years ago It seems like yesterday. Time flys when your having Fun!!

I had a yellow 73 THING and a 75 lime green Super Beetle.

My first car was a 64 beetle, with the 1200cc 40 HP engine. Got it in 1971 from my parents. It was emerald green with a beige interior. As a highschool student, I spent a lot of my disposable income on accessories and parts for it purchased from JC Whitney. I remember replacing the front seats with "highbacks" I bought in a junkyard for $40. I also learned to turn a wrench on that car. I sold it in 1974 for $600 to the kid who lived a couple of doors down the street. He wrecked the car 2 weeks later. No doubt, his reckless driving was a contributing factor. I wish I had it back.

'62 panel bus

'65 lowered "cal bug"

'70 bus w. dual webers


ahhh.....to be young again.....

1966 Beetle with wide bolt pattern wheels and 1300 cc engine. I learned how to down shift without clutch on steep hills with this car so that I could keep the revs up. Also learned how to keep control of the car once the back end started swinging . Applied this 2nd technique when I lost the 912 on wet curve of Route 17 in NYS. Saved me from kissing the guard rail. Bless that old Beetle !

My 1st road car was a 64 Renault Caravelle with rear water cooled R8/R10 engine. It even had a hand crank start thru rear mounterd radiator- but push start was easier and safer. Sort of looked like a MG with a soft and a hard top. But than that car is for a Renault forum and I don't speak French. Wait a minute- I don't speak German either !

-Don B

My first car..........
a 1965 bug, primer grey, lowered all the way down, surf racks, tinted windows and centerlines, 135-15s on the front, 195s on the back,
1835 cc dual port engine with Kadrons, heads done my Lonnie Reed. Clutch was a 4 puck feramic disc with no center springs, talk about chatter. I was 15 at the time :-)
My dial in time was 14.4 sec. in street tune at the bug ins at Orange County Intl. raceway (just dated myself). Used to race against FAT, Gene and Gary berg, BAE twin turbo on alcohol, etc. for top eliminator in the brackets. Man that was a long time ago.