'67 VW Beetle

Here in Europe, we were fortunate as we had a stay of execution before the Beetle's beloved sloping headlights were consigned to the history books. European 1967 Beetles were available with the new ‘Hot 1500' engines and disc brakes, but retained those throwbacks to the first VWs, the sloping headlights and 6-volt electrics. Not so for the Americans, oh no. In an attempt to satisfy the Federal party poopers VW fitted those Beetles destined for the 52 States with upright headlights and 12-volt electrics and their own special seat belts. Here in the UK we could buy a basic 1200 Beetle, a 1300 Deluxe with drum brakes or the aforementioned and heavily advertised ‘Hot 1500' with discs. Seat belts were still a dealer fitted optional extra. You could also order you car with 12-volt electrics as an extra from VW, but only one dealership in Britain ticked this box and up-sold customers into the fact the future was not only brighter, but now! We can scratch our heads as to why the US didn't get disc brakes, especially as they could only get a Beetle in 1967 with a 1493cc engine which was considered to need disc front brakes in Europe, but as Bruce Hornsby sang, ‘that's just the way it is'.
The fact of the matter is, the ‘67 Beetle, wherever it was sold, was a weird car. It had numerous upgrades that set it apart from its forebears, such as its Z-bar rear suspension aid, unique decklid and soft safety dash switches to name but a few. But the performance of the 1500 model helped the 1967 Beetle become the most desirable of all model years. The fact they retain the feel and many elements from the old model, but with a lot of new-age benefits, has left me biased, as I am a massive fan of '67s and own one myself.

For the full story on this car make sure you pick up a copy of the April 2009 issue of VolksWorld 

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