Vehicle Description
1962 Volkswagen Beetle - All Original - California Car - Rebuilt
Motor and Transmission (Please note: If you happen to be viewing
this 1962 Volkswagen Beetle on a site other than
GarageKeptMotors.com, it's possible that you've only seen some of
our many photographs of this vehicle due to website limitations. To
be sure you access all the more than 100 high-definition photos,
including a short walk-around-and-startup video, please go to our
main website: GarageKeptMotors.) Few things in life work as well as
a Volkswagen. -1960s VW Ad Touting its revolutionary decision not
to dramatically change a model's appearance just to introduce a
different-looking version every fall, Volkswagen instead touted how
frequently the company made improvements to the car's mechanicals
throughout the year: People sometimes ask us why we don't change
our cars once a year like everybody else. The answer is simple:
once a year isn't always enough. The VW Beetle's extremely
long-lived appearance is part of what has the early models still in
demand nearly sixty years after they first came ashore in the U.S.
Purity of the design, simplicity of the engineering, and plain old
nostalgia seemingly ensure demand for these classic German
automobiles will never die out. Properly maintained, the cars are
not only timeless, they're eternal! The blue '62 model here is a
good example. Originally sold in California and owned for years by
the same gentleman, it was subsequently acquired by a VW collector
and treated to an engine and transmission rebuild in 2015 (with the
piston size increased making it a 1300cc motor, not 1200cc as it
came from the factory). Re-sprayed once many years ago, the car's
exterior is otherwise unchanged. And the interior upholstery is
similarly original, and wears the patina of worn seat upholstery
(especially the driver's seat) proudly. As the collector-car adage
goes, They're only original once. For its 58 years on the planet,
this blue bug shows quite well. Outside, there's a minor scrape on
the left-rear fender, but no significant dents or other injuries
are apparent. The 60,000 miles it's traveled (considered low for a
four year-old car, much less a 58 year-old) have apparently been
accident-free courtesy of adult ownership and careful use. Maybe
most of all, as an original California car, there is no appreciable
rust. Body panels are straight and retain their factory alignment.
The medium sea-blue paint is consistent overall. Even the car's
body-color-painted steel wheels and original chrome VW-branded
hubcaps remain in excellent condition. Bumper chrome (including the
front and rear override bars) and trim is similarly well kept, as
is window glass and both headlight and taillight lenses. The
Wolfsburg hood insignia is sharp-as-new. Inside, the
characteristically simple dash with large center speedometer
augmented by a single gauge to keep track of fuel level appears to
retain its factory-applied paint. The 4-speed manual shifter knob
is correct while the floor-mounted cupholder surround piece is an
aftermarket convenience. The VW Wolfsburg emblem (celebrating the
northern German city of its manufacture) is crisp and undamaged. As
noted earlier, there is significant wear on the driver's seat with
less evidence of wear on the other seating surfaces, all of which
sport their factory-installed upholstery. Headliner wear is
minimal, and the forward parcel net is in place. Inside the tidy
and correct front trunk, there's a full-size spare in the sideways
position adding a measure of frontal crash-protection. The 1300cc
flat-four rear engine compartment is similarly clean, complete, and
well cared-for. Be sure to check out the startup-and-walk-around
video at the GarageKeptMotors site to sample the sound of the
properly maintained and lightly upgraded engine. We encourage
in-person inspections of this lovely early Beetle. With an advance
appointment, you are welcome to visit our Grand Rapids, Michigan
sho