George! You forgot a really important feature! In the engine and boot lid, the rubber seal is on the lid rather than the body. This was a feature to keep the body from holding water and rusting. Instead, if anything rusted, it was the lid - easily replaceable!
Love the video and the car, thank you for sharing it with us! It’s sad that we were not able to purchase these VW Beetles, new, after 1979. If Americans are free like we always say we are, why were we not free to purchase any car that’s built regardless of it’s safety ratings? Hint…. We’re not really free… we are serfs of the administrative state. I would love to have that car as a daily driver.
If Mexico were a safe place to visit or to have a holiday home, and I were rich enough to buy a holiday home there, I would have bought one of those Ultimate Editions to drive around while there!
I was born in late 1963, and Beetles and VW Buses were everywhere during my childhood and my early adult years. Our first Beetle was a used 1960, black with red interior and cloth sunroof. That was later traded in for a new light blue 67, another iconic year. Later in the mid 70s, my dad bought another light blue 67, years after privately selling the prior one. He overhauled engine, and got it running good. A year later, Dad bought a new 77 Pinto, repaired the 67s body damage, and had it repainted. It looked awesome after the respray! It was unfortunately one car too many. So, the Bug was sold to our neighbor across the street. I don't think his wife was pleased! She was happy when he replaced it with a new LTD II.
I like the original beetle too, low price, reliable... Add some modern safety features and fuel injection, it could be a hit. But i think it will not pass today safety crash. Today people die more of disease, violence, drugs, obesity... Than car crash.
This is because it has a catalytic converter welded to the muffler. And rather than have two cats all the exhaust enters the cat on the right side and flows through the cat, then through the muffler and exits out that single exhaust pipe. The engine skirt is blistered out further to accommodate all of it.
The Mexico production plant built standard Beetles only. Hard top Super Beetle production ended in Germany 1977. And the Convertible Super Beetle ended in Germany, January 1980, at the Karmann production plant.
like river blue said only standard models the last being a 2004. We have a ultima edition 2004 beetle here one of the very last to roll off the assembly line before the marque passed into history. Looks just like a 69 standard beetle except for fuel injection front disc brakes and electronic ignition
there are still plenty available but buy the best one you can afford and have it checked. Many send me picture shoots to get my opinion before purchase. Sort of like an on line pre purchase inspection. Glad to do it
