The Beetle is an iconic piece of automotive history. It carries the trophy as the longest-running car model on any single platform. With origins dating back to the last 1930s, over 21 million Beetles were produced over the course of over six decades of production. Everyone knows the “slug bug.”
The Pick of the Day is a 1976 Volkswagen Super Beetle convertible listed for sale on ClassicCars.com by a private seller in Erie, Pennsylvania. (Click the link to view the listing)
“Garage-kept since new and hasn’t seen snow in 35 years,” the seller states. “This is a turn-key driver that you can add your finishing touches to.”
The most eye-catching thing about this Super Beetle is its colorful exterior which is finished in yellow with orange accenting graphics. The exterior “flair” doesn’t end there, since the car is also dressed up with chrome headlight eyelids, a windshield visor, tinted windows, chrome bodyside moldings, custom window etching, and custom wheels. The seller states that the paint was redone in 1994 and the new black cloth top and headliner were added about a year later.
Moving to the interior, we see a pair dark gray vinyl bucket seats up front and a bench in the rear. The cabin is rounded out by a set of rubber floor mats with images of Tweety Bird. Seeing Tweety there evokes memories for a lot of people including myself. He was a canary featured in Looney Tunes cartoons dating back as far as 1942. Tweety became most popular in the 1950s and 1960s, long before the word “tweet” had anything to do with social media!
A Pioneer AM/FM/cassette sound system provides the retro audio vibe, and a pair of small flower vases are mounted to the dashboard. One of the most endearing things about the Beetle was its simplicity. Even the gauge “cluster” is in fact just a single 100-mph speedometer with an inset fuel-level gauge.
Power comes from a rear-mounted 1,584cc flat-four that has reportedly been rebuilt and sends torque to the rear wheels through a four-speed manual transaxle. Whatever the Beetle lacks in zero-to-sixty acceleration times, it makes up for in nostalgia. The Beetle is an instantly recognizable icon, just like Tweety from Looney Tunes.
“Has always been an attention-getter and has done very well at local car shows,” the listing concludes.
The seller is asking $12,900 or best offer for this Super Beetle, which includes the original wheels and hubcaps if the buyer wishes to have them.
To view this listing on ClassicCars.com, see Pick of the Day.
