by Patrick Sills

Created on: April 03, 2010

When asked what my favorite classic car is, I don’t even have to think about my reply. I’ll always answer the same: The original Volkswagen air-cooled Beetle. The “Bug,” as it was commonly called, was one of the most popular cars of all time. In this model’s glory days, literally hundreds of VW Beetles could be seen roaming the streets and highways daily. Sadly, this no longer applies, but then again, that’s why it is now a classic car.

In an era when muscle cars with 400 plus horsepower shared the roads with two-ton sedans adorned with enough trunk space to hold luggage for a Brady Bunch-sized family, the little Beetle stood out from all the rest. It defined simplicity with a tiny, rear-mounted air-cooled engine that could be removed and reinstalled in less than an hour. Depending on the model year, these engines produced anywhere from 25 to 53 horsepower. Thus, one can plainly see that these cars weren’t exactly built for neck-snapping performance, but due to the car’s lightweight body, the power for the day was quite adequate. While the technology is archaic by today‘s standards, the Beetle was nevertheless one of the simplest cars for the backyard mechanic to work on.

Today, many clubs devoted to this model hold shows and cruises during the warm months. The author of this article is in fact a member of such a club. While vintage Beetles will never be as valuable as a comparable Corvette priced at six figures, they remain plentiful for the avid collector. From 1938 until 2003, when the last original air-cooled Beetle rolled of the assembly line in Puebla, Mexico, over 21.5 million of these cars were produced. Thus, thousands of beautifully-restored and/or well-kept Beetles are still running today. This remains true despite the fact that the newest original Beetles that can be registered within the United States will be 1979 models.

As with any classic car with dated mechanicals, it becomes extremely important to drive them properly and to stay on top of all necessary maintenance. Old cars; regardless of condition, are simply not as forgiving as the cars of the 21st century. While the Beetle has arguably been described as the easiest car ever built to understand, this won’t help if you hold the mechanical skills of a gerbil as I do. Because of my lack of aptitude in this area, I have since replaced my 1969 Beetle with a 2000 New Beetle. The moral here? Regardless of model or make; regardless of how much you may love a particular classic car, it is simply unwise to drive one unless you are either prepared to fix any number of things that can go wrong at a moment’s notice or have a competent and knowledgeable mechanic riding with you at all times.

But that will never stop me from admiring these cars from afar. In the meantime, I’ll wait patiently for my relatively modern Beetle of 2000 vintage to become a classic.

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