An old Volkswagen Beetle is an automotive icon of the purest kind. Defying comparison with other means of transportation, naked data of horsepower, acceleration, and maximum speed is all but secondary to a true enthusiast. Who cares?
A Work of Art:
1966 Volkswagen
Beetle 1300
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A classic Volkswagen Beetle offers everything one ever needs from a car, not more, not less. Without black boxes, oxygen sensors, power options, and electronic gimmicks, it is as pure and basic as one could imagine and thus destined to live forever.
Reportedly, more than 21 million "real" Beetles were built during the car's 65-year lifespan. Yet despite their solid built quality, few have survived the ravages of time unmolested. Finding one today that has escaped not only the tinworm but also the folks who like to modify and customize them, is a rare occurrence, even in sunny Southern California.
Well, here's such a rare bird!
Sold at the venerable Volkswagen dealership of Wolverton Ontario Motors, Inc. in Ontario, Calif. on March 7, 1966, the car has lived in L.A. and Orange County all its life.
Like badges of honor, the VW still wears its original, 1966-issue, black-and-yellow license plates, front and rear.
A plethora of service records and old registrations, going back all the way to the early 1970s, abundantly support the car's Southern California provenance and shed light on the maintenance it has always received. Miraculously, the original service booklet and owner's manual are also incuded, as well as an original, color sales brochure.
So let's now inspect this real survivor in more detail, starting up front, with the trunk.
We find nothing but healthy sheet metal here. Note the matching spare.
The vulnerable "nose" section, often accident damaged, looks fabulous here.
The undercarriage looks natural, virginal, without any sign of corrosion or damage.
Photos of the details tell the story more than words ever could.
Never been apart, Herbie's body is straight as an arrow, with perfect gaps everywhere.
We believe that his Beetle carries all of its factory original paint. Mother nature, decades under the California sun, have burned the paint down, in many places to the factory primer. The result is a piece of art that only time can create. You'll have to look long and hard to find another one like this.
Inside, we splurged and installed new door panels.
Original, minimalist dash, with Volkswagen radio. Note original VW rubber floor mats!
Everything works as it should here.
Newly upholstered front seats.
Original Wolfsburg seatbelts.
Undamaged running boards.
Newly upholstered rear bench seat.
This Bug was frequently driven until 2016, then parked. We went through the brakes and the fuel system, and made sure the car is roadworthy.
All way back we find the clean engine in a clean engine compartment. She runs like a champ and doesn't need diapers either!
The "F" prefix identifies it as a correct-for-the year 1,300cc motor. Know that the 1966 1300 had by far the biggest one-time jump in power, a whopping 25%, from 40/34 hp (gross/net), to 50 (44 net), the exact same horsepower that the Porsche 356 1300 had just about a decade earlier. Now the Beetle was suddenly good for a solid 80-82 mph top speed!
Amazingly, all of the finishes here are original, from the tar paper to the paint on the fan housing to the decal on the oil bath air cleaner. You're looking at a 53 year-old engine compartment!
On July 7, we took the finished car on a test drive in a nearby neighborhood.
The Bug performs flawlessly, has plenty of pep up the hills. Clutch is great, the shifter engages with the characteristic "click," the brakes are good, all of the lights work.
Driving it!
Few classic cars are as easy to live with as a Volkswagen Beetle. Parts surply is incredible, and parts are cheap. Don't abuse it too much, and you'll have a friend for life.
What attracts us to this Bug more than anything is its condition. We have owned thousands of cars throughout the years, and would you like to guess what kind of cars we drive personally?
Yes, cars like this Volkswagen!
Due to its excellent built quality and built-in longevity, a used 1966 Volkswagen Beetle in fine fettle was an incredible deal in 1969, and it's an even better deal 50 years later.
Opportunity knocks, are you ready to answer?
RETURN TO THE SHOWROOM
You are most welcome to inspect this fine automobile at our location in Ventura, by appointment, or have someone
inspect it for you.
Please, direct all inquiries to bill@californiaclassix.com
or call us at 805-653-5551.