Vehicle Description
1963 Volkswagen Beetle Coupe
What started off as a brainchild of a dictator, only 2 decades
later became the juxtaposed icon of the peace movement. The Beetle
really is a fantastic car for everyone, from the learners to the
pensioners, it's so easy to maintain and great to drive. There
really is so much more to find out when it comes to the beetle.
Keep an eye out for them, from the original to the latest bug-eyed
beauty, you really never know where one will pop up.
And pop right up it has, right out of the blue with this 1963
Beetle. It retains the correct rebuilt 1200cc power train with a
12-volt system as well. A restoration 10 years ago has left the
exterior paint in wonderful shape, and it is mechanically sound, 59
years old and still plenty of flower power!
Exterior
Now bathed in cream white, this bug has in the writer's opinion the
nicest line since the split window departure. A wonderful profile
can be seen on the side view, and in particular that rear deck from
the roof to the rear bumper...it is simply sexy. Small taillights
remain which adds to the mystique, and a simple rear bumper is
noted, all beautiful. Up front the panels are straight, the front
bumper is just as simple, and round headlights with chrome visors
bugeye themselves out from fenders that are rounded in a shape that
only an English wheel could really reproduce, but certainly a
German press could pump out by the tens of thousands. All rubber
seals and exterior piping for the bumper seams in black are looking
good as well. Chrome is excellent and was replaced if needed or
polished at the same time of the body redux. The window surrounds
and seals are good, and glass is clean and clear. Up top is a
manually operated crank back steel sunroof, an option that appeared
after August 1963. As a matter of fact, the only flaw that
attracted this writer's eyes is some delamination of the chrome on
the corner of the rear bumper. Cream white steel wheels with dog
dish style moon caps in their centers complete the look on the
bottom on all 4 corners.
.
Interior
A swing of the door and we see white metal painted surrounding a
mix of horizontally ribbed vinyl panel in cream and emberglo,
complete with the door handle window crank, map pocket, and a vinyl
door pull/armrest. Dual emberglo vinyl seats are covered in broad
tuck and roll vinyl and lots of clean cream piping. The rear seat
is a long bench and stretches from C pillar to C pillar. Tan carpet
is on the floors, and this carpet appears again on the front kick
panels. A simple cream white painted dash with circular speedometer
and square gas gauge sit within the vertical ribbed speaker area
which is fronted by an original steering wheel in good condition
and shows off the Wolfsberg logo within the chrome 2 spoke horn
pad. A wooden Jesus bar is noted in front of the passenger and just
below is a glovebox. A Bendix Sapphire 1 AM radio is also mounted
in the dash and shows very well with brown knobs and cream bakelite
buttons. The headliner is white and is nice and tight in its
perforated pattern providing the backdrop for the manually operated
sunroof.
Drivetrain
A cleaned up and rebuilt 1200cc horizontally opposed 4-cylinder
engine sits in the rear of this car. It has a 1-barrel carb on top,
and a 4-speed manual transmission which turns the rear tires via a
4.375 final drive. The engine appears to be the original and has a
clean wiring harness, ducting, and hoses.
Undercarriage
Minor surface rust is attaching itself to the untreated areas of
the flooring and just a bit on the suspension, which shows as
transverse torsion bars upfront and swing arm with torsion bars on
the rear. Floor pans are totally rust free, showing some signs of
previous repair and patching, and are all nice and black. Drum
brakes are noted on all 4 corners and a stock style exhaust system,
looking nearly new handles the fumes effectively.
Drive-Ability
This car fired right up and gave that nice tinny sound only a rear
engine VW can give. It shifted smoothly and cornered as it should.
It provided a nice ride, and even the simple interior was
comfortable with plenty of interior room, Sehr Gut!
A good restoration with a few stones left unturned, but not
anything to write home about. Nice paint, interior and a good
runner, a classic and sounding like it 63 V-Dub. California here we
come!
Classic Auto Mall is a 336,000-square foot classic and special
interest automobile showroom, featuring over 650 vehicles for sale
with showroom space for up to 1,000 vehicles. Also, a 400 vehicle
barn find collection is on display.
This vehicle is located in our showroom in Morgantown,
Pennsylvania, conveniently located just 1-hour west of Philadelphia
on the I-76 Pennsylvania Turnpike. The website is
www.classicautomall.com and our phone number is (888) 227-0914.
Please contact us anytime for more information or to come see the
vehicle in person.
