1972 1200 Beetle
This is T-Co, and he’s my 1972 1200 Standard Model Bug, which I have owned since late
2004. With only two previous owners from new, he’d lived a sheltered life of short journeys to and from the shops and had only clocked up 50-odd thousand miles when I bought him as stock.
My passion for Beetles started in 1986 and since then I’ve owned Bugs in various styles from stock to custom, but I decided early on that T-Co would be taken down the Resto Cal road – although he’s a late model I had the vision of what you see here today in my mind, and felt it would work.
The transformation took place over a few years starting with a mild lowering job via dropped spindles and a single spline at the back plus a few minor accessories including the bumper over riders, clear indicator lenses and roof rack.
In preparation for Bug Jam '07, T-Co was given the ‘look’ when the front beam was narrowed by four inches and lowered further by the use of adjusters. I also uprated the front brakes from drums to discs. It was at this point that the replica Fuchs alloys were also added.
The 1192cc engine has remained stock and is a testament to how bulletproof a Vee-Dub engine can be.
Plans for the future are to give him a new lick of paint, sort out the tired interior and maybe tickle him with the lowering stick again out back. As for the little 1200 block, well it may not get you down the quarter-mile very quickly but after its heroics last year it’s the heart of my little ol' Bug and will not be changed any time soon.
Incidentally, I’d also like to thank all my mates from Exeter Air-Cooled Club for keeping my spirits up after that journey from hell. We’ve got a great club, which is expanding all the time and is full of members that sum up the whole ethos of the Air-Cooled scene that I’ve loved for more than 20 years! If you’re in the Exeter area we meet every second Wednesday of the month and our website address is www.exeteraircooled.com. So why not come along and join in the fun?
Mike Williams, Kingsbridge, Devon
