1972 VW Beetle – Project Profile

Whether you’re a seasoned grease monkey or a first-time home mechanic looking for a project to cut your teeth on, a VW Beetle makes a lot of sense. There’s a plentiful supply of spare parts, a thriving enthusiast community to offer advice and an abundance of specialists to help when you get stuck. Beetles are about as simple and logically put together as you could ever wish for, while off-beat engineering solutions like the spare tyre-powered windscreen washers present unique challenges.

Volkswagen made more than 21.5 million Type 1 ‘Beetles’ over a 65-year production run. That means there are plenty to choose from, and no shortage of projects in just about every state of disrepair and specification. But we’d wager one of the most original unrestored examples you’ll ever see is currently up for auction on Car & Classic.

What is it? 

This Texas Yellow 1972 1300 is supremely original down to the finest details. Unlike the plethora of air-cooled Volkswagens that have been heavily modified over the years, this one’s been left well alone and remains entirely unrestored. If that wasn’t enough to pique your interest, it’s had just one registered keeper from new and is accompanied by a wealth of period paperwork from supplying dealer Colindale Volkswagen. It even retains its dealer window sticker and number plates!

The vendor has recently spent around £1,000 on mechanical recommissioning which included the fitment of a new clutch, brake shoes, wheel cylinders, brake pipes and various other consumables like tyres. Invoices accompany the car, showing the extent of the work and we’re informed that it drives very well indeed.

Why is it a project? 

Good question. We’re aware some wouldn’t call this VW Beetle a project, but we feel it is – (just). While the mechanicals are in rude health following copious recent maintenance, the bodywork is (understandably) beginning to show its age. It really isn’t at all bad, but now’s the time to catch it before you’ve got some more serious corrosion repair on your hands. After all, this car has weathered the last half-century admirably, so it’d be a shame to let it deteriorate. As the saying goes, “it’s only original once”.

What should you look for? 

Bid with confidence, as we’ve been over this Beetle with a fine toothcomb, written a detailed listing and taken copious photos that show every aspect of the car. The recent mechanical work provides added reassurance that the bits you can’t see are likely in good shape too. For first-time VW Beetle buyers, head on over to our Five Things article in which our Ed takes you through the bits you ought to look out for.

What should you do with it? 

While we love a challenge and can’t resist the allure of a barn find, not every project car has to involve an extensive rebuild. On the contrary, the art of preservation is often as rewarding a process, if not more so than restoration. It can also be a great way to enjoy your classic while you work on it, as you can truly appreciate the impact each job has on the way the car looks and drives as you complete them. We reckon that’s the way to go with this VW Beetle.

It’s entirely up to you of course. Slam it on the floor and paint it purple if you want, although we’d opt to maintain that originality as there are already plenty of modified ones around, including a huge selection on Car & Classic. Our approach would be to focus our efforts entirely on the floor pans and lower bodywork. It’s tempting to seal in that patina around the arches as it looks to be predominantly surface corrosion. You could, for example, apply a clearcoat to preserve the look while preventing the rust from spreading any further. Alternatively, a good paint and body shop should be able to blow in the lower bodywork following any necessary repairs and the chances are you’d never be able to spot the old from the new. It helps that these solid colours are much easier to blend than more modern metallic paints.

We’d take a more belt and braces approach with the floor pans, which appear solid yet edging towards religious (holey/holy, get it? Ahem…). Take off that layer of surface rust and chuck your favourite anti-corrosion potions at it. Injecting wax into hard-to-reach areas will also pay dividends, protecting vulnerable areas like the heater channels from future issues. Elsewhere, we’d investigate repairing or seeking an original replacement for the rubber floor mat. Small details like this make a big difference, so it’s worth the extra effort to get them right.

And that’s about it. It may not sound like a lot, but there’s plenty to get going on there. And this is the sort of project you could tackle in stages as you enjoy summer motoring or potentially postpone until the season is over. However you choose to approach it, this is sure to be a deeply rewarding project. Beetles with this provenance are practically unheard of and you’ll have one of the most original examples around.