Comprehensively restored over the last couple of years
Just 4 owners from new
MOT and Tax exempt
Kept garaged - less than 150 miles covered since 2018
The Appeal
Few cars would be identifiable to most of the world’s inhabitants purely from their silhouette, but we’re willing the bet the Beetle is one of them.
From big-screen exploits in the “Herbie” movies to becoming an icon of the counter-culture movement that started in the 60s, it’s one of the most recognisable and widely loved vehicles ever made.
Their appeal is easy to see too – room for 4, good luggage space, a curvaceous design and simple mechanical elements. There’s also a thriving worldwide restoration, parts and customisation scene, so advice and parts are both available in vast quantities.
As a starter or genuinely usable daily classic, there’s not much else that comes close.
This particular car makes a real case for itself too, as the owner has comprehensively restored it over the last couple of years.
Any bodywork issues have been dealt with, it’s benefitted from new panels and a bare metal respray, the interior has been refreshed, the underside treated and sealed and the engine rebuilt.
As with all Beetles, the interior is a example of pure utility, with no frills or needless functions.
Everything that is there functions correctly, and as with the rest of the car, has been restored to a good standard. As much as possible, the owner has kept thing original and only replaced what really needed to be replaced.
So the seat covers, carpets and headlining have all been redone, but the instruments/controls and even the paint on the dashboard are all original items.
Obviously, having barely covered any miles since the renovation was completed, everything is in very good condition and feels solid. The mechanisms for inclining the seat backs are a little stiff as they’re the original items, but nothing that a little grease shouldn’t fix.
The luggage compartment at the front of the car is in similarly good condition, being complete and dry, with no missing trim as is so often the case in older Beetles.
Media-blasted shell, with multiple new panels and running boards
Bare metal resprayed in original Texas Yellow
New brightwork and chrome wheel hubs
New floor, which has been rust proofed and treated
Set of four new Nankang tyres
Overall, the exterior of the car is in very good condition.
Hardly surprising as the owner tells us that they had to replace most of the bodyshell during the restoration process.
Since the restoration, it has been kept garaged and hardly used, so overall the paint is in good condition. It could do with a machine polish to give it a true show-worthy shine, but it really does look quite good.
The tyres are a matching set of new Nankangs and underneath the car is very solid and looks almost factory fresh, the floors and much of the running gear having been replaced.
There is some minor discolouration / surface corrosion around the fuel filler, which we would recommend looking into, but otherwise the exterior of the car is complete, sound and straight.
Volkswagen’s air-cooled flat-four is a robust and characterful unit, offering a rorty exhaust note, simplicity of maintenance and generally being very reliable.
Having been recently rebuilt and overhauled, with many parts being refreshed or replaced, the engine here is a little peach. It sounds smooth and fires up readily, idling well.
The gears and brakes perform as you’d expect, with a front discs / rear drums set-up being more than enough to stop the car well. We didn’t see any issues with the suspension and steering, which both operated smoothly and as you’d expect.
While the car has predominantly been kept to the original specification, the owner has made some tasteful and welcome modifications to ensure it is more reliable and easier to live with on a day-to-day basis.
So the dynamo has been removed and an alternator system installed, the ignition has been replaced with an electronic system and the original vacuum-driven wiper system has been replaced with an electric system.
We think these are wise changes that make the car much more appealing for new drivers or anyone that wishes to regularly use the vehicle.
Beetles have never really gone out of fashion – but they have started to make the transition from cool counter-culture statement to genuine classic.
Yes, they’re a basic machine, but that’s exactly the appeal of them.
If you want a classic that’s welcomed anywhere, easy to get parts for, simple to work on and still genuinely capable of being used every day, you’re looking at a very short list.
Alongside the Mini and the 2CV, the Beetle is one of the few classics that is a genuine proposition for pretty much anyone, regardless of age or mechanical ability.
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