Vehicle Description
1969 Volkswagen Beetle
Bela Barenyi, an 18 year old Hungarian student, submitted a chassis
design for a "Volkswagen" in 1925 and is recognized as designing
the basic VW Beetle. Ferdinand Porsche, an Austrian automotive
engineer, created the Volkswagen Beetle after receiving a contract
from Hitler in 1934 for prototypes. The Beetle's air-cooled flat 4
engine was designed by Franz Reimspeiss not Ferdinand Porsche. Even
with 20 plus million being built to date, he received less than
twenty dollars for his work.
I'm happy to announce we have bugs here at Classic Auto Mall. Oh,
certainly not the kind that you would swat at, but these were made
in Wolfsburg Germany, by the millions and infested the USA over the
years. This diamond in the rough '69 Beetle version is in project
state with new paint and most of the undercarriage work finished.
Our consignor states that all of the parts are included with the
car to finish the build and based on the multitude of parts in our
property room we're inclined to agree!
Exterior
Hugger Orange, courtesy of the 1969 Chevrolet paint catalog covers
all the curved panels and fenders, and presents nicely, however
does show some inclusions, chipping, peeling and a notable dent on
the passenger's rear fender. The body panels all fit nicely, and
even as late as 1969 VW beetles were still utilizing the exterior
nonintegrated fender attached by running board design literally
from the 1920s. Save for the covered headlight bezels, door handles
and vent window trimmings have been removed and are assumed
included. I'm feeling an itch coming on...
Interior
Sans panels, the steel doors are showing their inner workings and
are finished in body matching orange. A fully stripped out interior
gives you a blank canvas to let your imagination run wild. The
black steel dash is still present and is wrapped with a black mar
free padded topper. Sound deadener covers the flooring and up top
is the naked steel underside of the roof. All this planning for the
build is starting to bug me out.
Drivetrain
The 1493cc flat 4-cylinder engine topped with standard carburetor,
a 1-barrel Solex brand. There is a 4-speed manual transmission
attached and a 4.120 final drive. This engine appears to be rebuilt
based on the appearance, but we have no paperwork to confirm.
Undercarriage
A nice overall gracefully aged patina shows underneath. All
structurally sound and simple is the "buzz" word. We note black
rust proofing and replacement flooring for the passenger's side.
Independent transverse torsion bar front suspension is upfront and
independent trailing arm rear suspension with drum brakes all
around. This undercarriage is crawling with well cared for
looks.
Not without a few faults and flaws, but the hard work has been
completed for you. Put on your thinkin' cap and plan your next
build, 1969 German engineering never looked so good, and you better
hurry over if you are interested as previous examples here at
Classic Auto Mall had people swarming around them and then they
eventually flew out the door. ZAP!
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.