Even though air-cooled Volkswagens are hardly common in Indiana anymore, they’re still not exactly rare. I don’t keep track in my head of all the old cars I find; it wasn’t until I looked through my photos recently that I found that I’ve seen four air-cooled VWs recently. The first was this Thing. You never know just what will show up on my mechanic’s lot in Carmel, and one day when my Passat needed a brake job this Thing was there.
I believe this to be the first Thing I’ve ever seen up close. I was a car-crazy boy of six and seven years old when VW sold these in the US, so you’d think I’d encountered them in parking lots or curbside somewhere along the way. But nope. I was surprised by how Spartan the interior of this Thing was, even by VW standards of the time. Too bad my interior shots didn’t turn out, or I’d show you.
On a visit to the charming Ohio River town of Madison, I came upon this Beetle on a side street in the historic district. It has the cool steel sunroof option. It’s an odd color, though. And those wheels and tires look all wrong, although I’m sure the owner put them on to be able to use easier-to-source modern tires.
As best I can tell, this Beetle was made between 1973 and 1975. Can you pinpoint the date more closely from the visual clues?
I found this Super Beetle in a gravel parking lot on the Purdue University campus in West Lafayette. It looks like an all-original survivor.
This one’s a ’74 – it has a vintage 1974 license plate on it in Indiana’s Authentic Model Year License Plate program.
I made an interior photo of this one. I don’t usually do that anymore as I’ve never felt entirely comfortable being that close to someone’s car lest I encounter an owner who might feel threatened. Anyway, everything looks to be in pretty good shape given the car’s age.
Finally, this bright yellow Bus was parked for months in front of a salon in downtown Zionsville. This cheerful Type 2 looks to have been restored. I love it that at least externally the restoration appears to be faithful.
When I was a kid, a close friend’s mom had a white-over-blue Bus of this vintage. I loved riding in it – in the 70s, this was an unusually tall vehicle with commanding visibility. I’d love to pilot one around town just once, to see what the driving experience is like.
I will agree that VWs have an abnormally high survival rate in these parts. I take my hat off to you as I stopped shooting them eons ago.
I still remember getting into a Thing at the Fort Wayne Auto Show when they were first out. It was the most spartan, well, Thing I had ever seen. It really appealed to the part of me that craves minimalism.
I got to sit in a 42 Kubelwagon once. Not much different than a Thing.
The total lack of any interior upholstery (except seats) or carpeting makes them extremely loud inside. Mine has been further modified with the larger transaxle from a bus like the yellow one, which eliminated rubber isolation mounts.
The tan color is not stock, but somewhat common.
The first Beetle is either a mash up later parts on an early car, or a later car that has been converted to the early wide 5 bolt pattern.
I’m thinking disc brake conversion, which is available with either pattern at same price.
Wheel converters have been around for ages. That’s what this has. Allows old-style 5×205 wheels to be used on a four bolt VW.
I’ll take the ’74 Super Beetle but leave the eyebrows and cliche-rack at the curb. Maybe the Thing, although I don’t have that big of a thing for them.
I spent way too much time in a Bus growing up to really want one of my own though these days. Great finds though!
Nice finds Jim
Those wide 5 rims sure don’t look right on the lead bug. My stock beetle wears 165-15 tires which are readily available
Yeah, those wheels and tires thrown that whole Beetle off.
And even 165’s are slightly wider than original stock, 5.60 inch cross section (~145mm).
They don’t look wide to me; they just stick out a bit more because the 5 bolt wheels are mounted on four bolt adapters. Look to be 165x15s to me eyes.
I haven’t seen a Thing in many years, but I saw a yellow Bug of about the same vintage this afternoon here in Toronto. It’s supposed to be sunny and nice for the next few days, so I imagine the owner was getting some final seat time before putting it away for the winter.
I wouldn’t mind having a old Beetle if I had the cash and space to work on it. I’ve wanted one for years, but they weren’t compatible with my life at the time. I would make a few driveability adjustments, but nothing to take away from its identity as a Beetle.
As a current resident of Madison, Indiana I must note that the purple Beetle is not one I remember seeing before. It could be a visitor or perhaps escaped from a garage for a nice sunny day.
Sweet find in Edinburgh, Scotland last summer. One day I’d like to take a extended holiday in one of these. Just dreaming….
The F registration makes this a 1969 I think. Love the spare on the front. An early airbag version?!
Those old Things are so unique looking. I’ve always wanted one in yellow or orange. It would be the coolest car to cruise the CA coast in. Well, next to a Westy 🙂
That T2 is adorable; I almost want to pet it.
I have driven all versions of the van except a diesel Vanagon. I never understood the water boxer version. Why? Noise? Certainly wasn’t for performance. They should have used the EA827 engine; it would have bolted in place of the miserable diesel. And I will take that Thing off your hands…
Why? For emissions, probably.
VW has built a long list of great cars. My first was a used 73 Super Beetle, manual tranny that had been my ex-wifes first new car. I drove it for about to years and then we sold it in 1980. I bought a used Ford Escort Wagon manual tranny but it was silver color and I soon found out that it was exceptional invisible in rainy or snowy weather. After a few years of invisibility, I sold it to my brother in law with the advise to have the headlights on in questionable weather. He made a killing on the wagon when someone turned left in front of him and he got $60,000.00 settlement for his injuries. Meanwhile, we bought the first Jetta sold in Dayton in late 1980. Fantastic car and so much fun to run through the 5 speed tranny. In 1987 we bought our second new Jetta for my wife to drive. While at the lot, I noticed an 80 quantum wagon and I took the plunge. Great car but under powered with a four cylinder engine, no air, no power windows, no sunroof and no AC. I was at the VW dealer in 88 to drop my wife there to pick up her Jetta in for required service in 1987. That is when I spotted an 87 Quantum, had all the bells and whistles and I traded the 80 for the 87. I never realized that the 87 would be a keeper. The black quantum soon acquired a name, Darth, after Mr. Vader. We’ve been everywhere and Darth is at 242,535 miles. The usual maintenance and and care and a few items that were a bit major. Blown head gasket at 187K, Bad Clutch slave cylinder at 237K and a new steering wheel due to the horn contact ring broke and the hor would not work. Meanwhile, back at the ranch, I had heart surgery in 17, a new left hip in 19. Coming up will be a bilateral knee replacement. It is tough to let go but Darth needs a new home. A few collectors are interested. As I look back on my VW’s, I wish I had kept every one of them. Here is a picture of Darth from this past summer.