Vehicle Description
1978 Volkswagen Super Beetle Champagne Edition Convertible
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.
For consignment, a 1978 Volkswagen Super Beetle Champagne Edition
convertible with a title verified 80,168 actual miles. It's been
owned by our consignor since 1983 and restored in 2003. This is one
of 1,100 Champagne Edition Super Beetles produced in '77 and
'78.
Exterior
Deep end of the pool with Ancona Blue Metallic paint, specific to
the Champagne Edition, covers the straight steel panels and rounded
fenders for this bug. Running boards connect the fenders, which
show chrome topped turn signals attached to the front and
elephant's foot three colored lights attached to the back. The
headlights are sporting chrome trim bezels, which give the car much
of its personality. All badging, metalwork, chrome bumpers and
hardware are in good condition. A white canvas top also looks great
and houses a glass rear window. 15-inch polished wheels wear VW dog
dish hubcaps in chrome and are wrapped in 165R15 tires. The rear
deck houses louvers and the coveted Fuel Injection emblem
characteristically mounted at a slant. The paint is great, and we
could not find any exterior imperfections.
Interior
D5 is the color code for Ermine White which was another Champagne
Edition exclusive and is first seen here on the door cards, mated
with black cranks, actuators and armrests are equipped with a
pleated pouch for storage and they are clean and straight. White
vinyl high back bucket seats in front and a back bench make up the
seating and it's all in very nice shape and pops against the blue
paint that spills onto interior parts. The clean steering wheel
sports the Wolfsburg logo and leads to burled elm imitation veneer
across the dash, reserved for the special edition and a modern
AM/FM/CD player replaced the AM/FM that would have been supplied by
VW. A simple shifter rises from the floor showing a bit of patina
and is surrounded by black loop style carpet in fine shape, and the
frunk is clean and flat.
Drivetrain
The clean engine is a 1,585cc flat 4 cylinder, air cooled, fuel
injected and rated at 50 horsepower. It is attached to a 4-speed
manual transmission that keeps the power in back with 3.875 gears.
Front disc brakes were a special feature and the standard drums are
in back.
Undercarriage
Very clean underneath with most of the square footage being
occupied by a belly pan. The drivetrain is in driver quality
condition with minimal residual oil and surface rust reserved for
parts of the exhaust only. That's dual exhaust that enters a stock
style muffler before exiting via one tailpipe that protrudes from
the cutout in the roll pan. Suspension consists of MacPherson
struts in front and semi trailing arms with a transverse torsion
bar in back.
Drive-Ability
Fuel injection for the win as this car started right up, and drove
smoothly with straight tracking, smooth shifting, and eventually
got up to speed. Its exhaust note is quintessentially Volkswagen
and we'd have it no other way. The Beetle's unique sitting position
affords great visibility and a comfortable perch. On our short test
loop, we checked all the boxes for functionality. While Classic
Auto Mall represents that these functions were working at the time
of our test drive, we cannot guarantee these functions will be
working at the time of your purchase.
A nicely restored and relatively rare Champagne Edition of the VW
Beetle. The white interior, named for that Arctic dwelling weasel,
is a real winner and makes a cheerful car that much happier. It
would be very difficult to be down in the dumps while sitting in a
bright white interior! Classic Beetles show no sign of losing their
collectability any time soon and this is one you can enjoy for
miles.
Classic Auto Mall is home to more than 1,000 classic and
collectible vehicles for sale via consignment in a climate
controlled 336,000-square foot showroom (that's more than 8
acres!). The largest single location consignment dealer of classic
and collectible vehicles in the country is located in Morgantown,
Pennsylvania, just 1-hour west of Philadelphia off Exit 298 of the
I-76 Pennsylvania Turnpike. For more information visit
www.classicautomall.com or call us at (888) 227-0914. Contact us
anytime for more information or to come see the vehicle in person.
There is no guarantee of mileage. A $299 Dealer Administrative fee
is not included in the advertised price.
With so many great cars, you know we have a lot to talk about, and
we do that each week on the Classic Auto Mall Podcast with host
Stewart Howden. Stewart discusses new inventory as well as trends
in consignments and car prices, while interviewing celebrities and
automotive professionals about amazing cars and their history. Tune
in each week to the Classic Auto Mall Podcast wherever you enjoy
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