Autumn is so beautiful in Japan. It’s the best time of year, no question. Long walks and bike rides in cool and sunny weather have enabled me to discover many great little areas of this huge city, and quite a few CCs along the way. Rarely do the two mix, but in this case, they did. A lovely VW Type 1 with Porsche wheels and a few other interesting mods, set within the grounds of a local Buddhist temple. I’ll just let the pics do the talking.
Hope everyone’s having a great weekend, wherever you are.
Tell-tailpipe. Nice car and shots.
An iconic pairing, in black and with those beautifully paired wheels this VW is as effortlessly cool as its surroundings.
Beautiful photos; the car and the setting complement each other nicely. As VW “resto-mods” go, this one is very well done.
A beautiful setting that helps make the most of a shiny “tuxedo” black Super Bug, with just enough brightwork to help the lil VW sparkle!
Gee……neither of my “Clementine” colored Super Bugs looked nearly this fine!!! 🙂 OTOH mine were in smog clogged L.A. area; left a lot to be desired. DFO
Delightful pictures, Dr, and quite meditative, though your fourth titular epithet would strain a little for congruence if that flat airbanger was actually running.
Unfortunately, I must inform you that my rather oversized beak detects the odour of rodent.
Whilst I pretend to no expertise regarding Volkswagens – or indeed, anything at all, and can prove so – I have strong suspicions that that black bug at quiet repose in the autumn garden is in fact something of an impostor, with red herrings and false chrome mustaches abounding, or at least, red door cards and chrome bumpers and handles more than one in number, not to mention a most expensive and lustrous coat that was not the one in which it was delivered.
You see, I think if questioned, it would betray its truth and speak in a Spanish accent, or one very like it, for the inexperienced listener. It would also confess that it was lying about its age, though in a way obverse to the usual.
Small side windows but big tailights, a squashy dash and airconditioning, seats of no great VeeWeean antiquity, why, this worshipper at the temple is no olde Deutsch but an early-21st century Pueblan from the city and State of that name in central Mexico. In short, a liar and a sinner, whose virtues you have been deceived into acclaiming!
However, I’m sure the Gods within will sort it all out, and no harm shall come to you or it. It’s kinda their job, isn’t it?
Of course it’s a Mexican Beetle. Why does that make it an impostor?
And this doesn’t have “small side windows”. Mexican Beetles got the large windows quite early on. It was the Brazilian Beetle that kept the small side windows.
I will put aside the thought that my comment was quite possibly not intended to be a contribution that was entirely serious, and say that this Kafer is an impostor because it is pretending to be old: there are many on this very site who could tell it that the reality of getting so is not worth imitating before its inevitable arrival.
To use more modern parlance, upon reading the car, it does not reveal to most that it is largely a work of fiction.
Being Japanese though, I suppose it does tell a story fascinating for itself, because the oldening has been so marvellously done. Chrome inside the quarter vents and in the back window rubber, for example.
As for the side windows, I should have known better (though I do refer to my known expertise in nothing at all, as referenced above, and say that I have proved it yet again here). The Brazilian stamping machinery came from Australia when local full manufacture ceased in ’66.
and say that this Kafer is an impostor because it is pretending to be old
How so? It’s a completely stock Mexican Beetle, with the apparent addition of the chrome trim on the rear window and the chrome vent thing on the side windows. Just a wee bit of extra sparkle. How does that make it look old? There’s no attempt that I see to make it look old.
It has all the attributes of the late model Mexican Beetle intact: bumpers with integrated turn signals. single exhaust pipe, etc..
Not to make a big thing out of this, but I see no attempt to to make it look old, or like a classic Beetle. It’s just a very clean late Mexican Beetle with an aftermarket steering wheel and a couple of “dress up” pieces.
VW of Mexico did make this “Ultimo Edicion” version with some clear cues to classic beetles, but this black one doesn’t have any of them.
The Brazilian stamping machinery came from Australia when local full manufacture ceased in ’66.
Perhaps, but Brazil was already building 100% domestic content beetles in 1959.
The master body jig went there in ’68, and other bits around the VW world. As no-one else would have use for the old-body dies, it is probable they went where they could be used.
Otherwise, I make a dignified and externally polite retreat.
In case that ain’t clear, it means I give up!
Very nice. Reminds me of my trip to Japan back in 1982, including visits to lots of temples in Osaka and Nara.
That Beetle is lovely too. Interesting to see how very late Beetles are become quite collectible, and getting the love. I generally much prefer the older ones from the ’50s and ’60s, but this one is making me see these later ones in a somewhat different light.
I’m sensing that Beetles are accelerating in value and will continue to. A (not so) poor man’s Porsche.
This. Looks. So. Good. I’ve never really liked cars with the front end higher than the rear so the dropped front (and rear) on this Beetle gives it the perfect stance. Beautiful location shots also!
As soon as I saw the opening pic and sentence of this post, I wondered—judge me if you will—what sort of hardware might’ve been used on this Beetle to meet Japan’s requirement for turn signal repeaters. Wow, that’s a real oldie; been in Hella’s product range for many decades, mainly used on trucks and tractors, and it’s still available.
Well, that’s a great bit of investigative work! When opening the Hella link I was intrigued by the description of this light being for “oldtimer tractors” so I went searching for a picture of such an application. Appears as if this tractor has the same lights:
The Beetle appears to be in meditative repose. It seems odd for some reason to see a car (any car) in the middle of the temple grounds like that. However it’s really odd how whenever you walk into one of these places the outside world just kind of disappears and even goes silent, no small feat while tucked into a huge bustling city, but as a result some of my favorite places in Tokyo, usually just stumbled upon/into rather than a planned destination.
The Beetle is quite nice, I could drive that, it has my favorite tail lights, the color with the red door cards works well and the dashboard is better than that of my normal Super Beetle favorite. It definitely speaks for itself.
Zen goodness times two. This post takes the cake for most beautiful CC back drop scenery of all time. So many great angles. I like the last picture the best with the rain chain included.
One reason for good looks is the real Fuchs wheels and not the cast heavy replicas. Being in the biz you can spot these is seconds…. looks to have front discs as wel.
There is a Buddhist priest living the life! In my times in Japan I have found priests to be extremely interesting, quirky people. A nice little side interest in classic cars shouldn’t get in the way of anyone enlightenment.