I present for today’s essay topic a vehicle that has never fallen out of fashion, and in what is arguably its most desirable body style. A perennial favorite reverse status symbol, the Volkswagen Beetle had been in production for forty-one years by the time this Florida Blue beauty was new, born as the Type 1 all the way back in 1938. Once the United States’ most popular single model import, it had sold a stunning 423,000 units at its U.S. sales peak for model year ’68, thirty years after its introduction and after years of steady and meaningful improvements. Over 21,500,000 were sold over the course of its lifetime. Twenty. One. Million.
The Beetle would finally finish its production run in Mexico all the way in 2003, but here in the U.S., 1979 was the last year that one could buy a new example. Within the context of those times, the Beetle convertible was one of only a handful of new, non-exotic convertibles available for purchase from a new car dealership, with choices from other import brands like MG, Triumph, and FIAT all available. There was a small cottage industry of customization firms like ASC and Griffith, where certain Corollas and Celicas were being transformed into top-down machines, but if you wanted a manufacturer-approved and sanctioned convertible, the Beetle was one of few choices you had, by way of Karmann coachbuilders.
There was a total of just under 10,700 Beetles sold here for swan song ’79, all of them Super Beetle Cabriolets powered by an air-cooled, 1.6 liter four-cylinder engine with around 50 horsepower, paired with a four-speed manual transmission. The base price of around $6,800 translates to just over $30,000 in 2025. That was good money, but certainly not exorbitant or as much as the Griffith Sunchaser conversion of the Toyota Celica would set you back – about $3,000 on top of the $6,500 price of the car itself. Quoting zero-to-sixty (or zero-to-fifty five) mile-per-hour times in a car like this is beside the point. I think the idea of a classic Beetle convertible, then and now, was the fun factor of owning the most carefree body style of a car whose general affordability in basic coupe form had allowed many to purchase, own, and maintain a lesser example.
I find there to be something really special about the ur-Beetle’s ascendance in popularity and having had its model line crowned for years with a desirable convertible version. The Type 1 Vee-Dub was one of the most humble, new vehicles ever available for purchase, and within the price range of many families. My own parents had owned one, long before I came along. It was a basic car and undoubtedly not the safest thing on wheels, but it was reliable, stingy with gas, well-engineered, easy to fix, and (admit to yourself that you’ve been waiting for me to use these words) cute as a bug. Its sales figures eventually declined in the ’70s by which point its basic architecture and engineering were geriatric, but did it ever lose popularity in terms of cultural impact? I’d argue that it didn’t.
To me, the Beetle represents the automotive equivalent of the idea that “the last shall be first”. Maybe I haven’t read all the right or most comprehensive information on these cars, but unlike so many of its erstwhile domestic competitors that had come and gone, and unless a speed contest was involved, the Beetle never embarrassed itself – at least after the value quotient of each, respective vehicle had been taken into consideration.
There were no wonky issues with rust, untested engines, or exploding gas tanks. I mean, yes, you were taking your life into your own hands when driving one on the Dan Ryan Expressway outside of the slow creep of rush hour, amid a sea of speeding, two-ton Impalas and Delta 88s, but I’d wager that you were no less safe in a car like this Beetle than in, say, a contemporary Toyota Corolla.
In my mind, the Beetle is like that steadfast, persistent, on-in-years employee who had continued to better himself or herself, and had finally retired at the top of his or her game and without any major hiccups or scandals, and with a legacy of excellence left behind. No one really cared that the clothing / sheetmetal being worn was older than the plastic on your grandmother’s couch. By the time of the Beetle’s retirement, those threads were oh-so-retro and probably back in style all over again. (I can remember wearing some of my dad’s old polyester slacks to high school, despite not being built like him at all.) Seeing this powder blue Super Beetle convertible at the cusp of this past summer was a reminder that basic goodness never goes out of style.
Andersonville, Chicago, Illinois.
Sunday, July 20, 2025.
Click here and here for related reading on the Volkswagen Beetle.
“… but I’d wager that you were no less safe in a car like this Beetle than in, say, a contemporary Toyota Corolla”.
You’re an admirable optimist on this point. Watch the video:
The result would probably be even more “impressive” in a convertible.
And let’s not even think about the lack of any side impact protection.
Egad, that was gruesome.
You cheated, by only showing the first half of that crash test; the second car was a VW Golf, and a Mk2 at that. Without having the full details available, it appears that the Golf had every bit as much or more deformation of the passenger compartment than the 1938-designed Beetle.
As a matter of fact, although it had some safety deficiencies, the original Beetle was remarkably effective in protecting its occupants in frontal crashes as the relatively “soft” front end was a natural crumple zone before that concept was even conceived of. There was no engine to be pushed into the passenger compartment, a serious issue with old front engine cars.
I’m not claiming that the Beetle was particular safe in the modern era, but it had a surprising amount of protection for its occupants given when it was designed.
Yes, and it was a standard Beetle in the test.Not even a Super which represented the highest developed version.But when they ran the test, no new Super Beetles were available anymore.Also important to know that the automobile club who conducted the test, crashed
a used standard Beetle which according to the report achieved a higher rating than the mk2 Golf.https://www.ots.at/presseaussendung/OTS_20030122_OTS0065/oeamtc-hat-vw-kaefer-golf-ii-und-golf-iv-im-vergleich-gecrasht
Driving a Karmann-Ghia every day and being well aware of the lack of crash protection, I’ve now acquired a mid 70s T2 Westfalia.
Do you think knee pads might help?
Congrats on your bus. But the bus is a whole different story when it comes to crash protection, as it virtually has almost none.They became vastly better with the T3 on that subject .But in your case, it is a combination of defensive driving and luck.It is not just the knees I would be worried about.But generations have enjoyed and survived the bus.No fear.
And it faired better than the Golf MK2 in the same test.Tell the whole story.
Thanks Dude! I’m well used to defensive driving and hope that the bus, being higher than the Ghia (most things are!) and bright orange, will be a bit more visible. Still better than my bikes though!
My Bulli is a T2b – with the crash beam at the front that was added for the facelift. Apparently it makes quite a big improvement in frontal impacts compared to the early bay window bus. The T3 had this crash beam and more front overhang making it fairly good for the times, even compared to conventional rivals.
Still not great compared to to newer vehicles – that’s why the family truckster is a big modern SUV…
Thanks Joe! I can remember when seeing a Beetle convertible in traffic like this would be such a common sight that it would hardly draw attention. How times have changed. Thanks for the memories. Personally, I find this particular color one of the most pleasing for these, and apparently VW thought so as well since it seems that a large number of the new Beetle revival versions were this baby blue as well.
But where I thought you might be going with this post was to recall one of the most iconic movie scenes involving a Beetle convertible…which was one of the first clips I went to re-watch upon the recent passing of the great Diane Keaton. The Beetle in Annie Hall was a 1973 I believe, but this scene does an excellent job summing up the carefree quirkiness that these cars came to symbolize I think for many.
Jeff, thank you for posting this clip! I’m going to admit two things:
– I have never seen “Annie Hall” (at least in its entirety, that I know of), and now I’m reminded that I need to. Rest in power, Diane Keaton; and
– I had actually written the first draft of this essay three weeks ago while on a plane, before she had passed.
I now especially like the timing of this piece given the recent passing of this great actress.
One of my very favorite lines: ‘It’s ok, we can walk to the curb from here.’ Used many, many times in teaching the boys to park.
It became the Ford Model T of its time: undeniably outdated but still easy to work on & as popular as it had ever been when it was new. And when you include EVERY country it was built/sold in, that amounts to 65 YEARS in production on the same basic platform!
It totally hit retirement age, and I super-love that about the iconic VW Beetle!
It didn’t take much of a crash to total a Beetle. There wasn’t any sort of frame outside the wheelbase, so a 10 mph hit on front or rear would crumple the sheet metal in an unfixable way.
So, basically, it was kind of a throwaway car that one could replace as needed (if you lived). I still sort of heart that.
Seconding Paul’s comment, as a 18 year old, I drove our parent’s 1966 Beetle into a “wall of mud” one dark rainy night at 10-15 mph. The scavenger hunt rally organized by my high school in California had routed my girlfriend and I into an unlit construction area. The Beetle’s 6V headlights didn’t show me the bend in the road soon enough, or I was distracted, and plowed straight ahead. We came to a shockingly abrupt stop, fortunately wearing seat belts. Stepped out, found the bumper pushed into the nose, which was pushed in about 2″. Drove home carefully. Again fortunately, my dad was on a business trip, so I had time to find a body shop which pulled out the front end. It looked ok outside, but if you looked inside the front fenders, you could see ripples in the sheet metal. When my dad returned some days later, he was … not amused.
Peter, I enjoyed the diplomacy with which you hinted at the ending to that story. LOL Hopefully, you didn’t get in too much trouble after the “wall of mud” encounter in your VW.
Joseph, I was as contrite as possible, which minimized his anger. A few years later, around 1973, I was allowed to take the Beetle with me to UC Berkely, where I kept it in good tune by regularly adjusting valves and replacing points. Mid-week, you could get lift tickets at Heavenly Valley for $5, so once in a while I’d drive up on I-80 over Donner Pass to go skiing. The tires were getting worn … in a gentle uphill turn at about 55 mph I suddenly spun 180 degrees, slamming into the near vertical wall of snow bordering the fast lane, coming to a full stop facing the fortunately very light oncoming traffic. A few cars stopped with their 4 way flashers, and a CHP cruiser appeared within minutes. I was wearing a seat belt, walked away with just a sprained finger. With smashed fenders pushed into the tires and suspension damage the car was undrivable. Towed to the nearest service station, I called my dad. He appeared in the evening with a rented trailer pulled by his International Travelall. The 4 hour drive home seemed to take forever. My dad duly fixed the damage, and the sturdy Beetle served my younger sister well for years.
Peter, both of your firsthand accounts have sold me on the basic, relative robustness of these Volkswagens. And I concur that a little sincere contrition can go a long way toward securing some grace! ✋
Wrong! I hit a Ford Country Squire in my ’63 Beetle at well over 10 mph. The big Ford wagon was totalled; my Beetle was driveable and just needed a new fender and hood, and to have the sheet metal under the front of the hood to be pulled out a bit. Full details here:
https://www.curbsideclassic.com/auto-biography/bug-tales-abrupt-change-of-consciousness/
And take a look at the video I posted further up; the Beetle apparently does no worse in a high speed frontal impact than the Golf Mk2.
Well, I guess an unsafe Golf doesn’t make a Beetle safer.
Your comment doesn’t really say anything. Who’s to say that the Golf Mk2 was “unsafe”? Do you have an facts to back that up? I rather strongly suspect it was as “safe” or safer than other cars in its class at the time.
The real issue with this crash test video is that it doesn’t tell the speed at which these cars were crashed. And it doesn’t show how other cars did. I’m guessing the speed was not inconsiderable and that the Golf Mk2 did as well or better than comparable cars. And that the Beetle acquitted itself better than most would have expected or the stereotypical reputation it has as a death trap.
The test was conducted by the German Automobile Club (ADAC).
The standardized ADAC crash tests are generally based on the specifications of the Euro NCAP (New Car Assessment Programme), which enables uniform safety assessments across Europe. The typical speed for the frontal impact test is:
Standard crash test speed for a frontal impact
50 km/h: The vehicle impacts a deformable barrier simulating another car at this speed.
64 km/h: In a so-called offset frontal crash, the vehicle hits a barrier with 40% overlap – this test is particularly demanding and is often used for new models.
The test was a so-called standard test. Therefore, there is nothing to prevent us from assuming that this test was also conducted at 50 km/h.
The fact that the Beetle used was a used vehicle is, in my opinion, irrelevant. As far as I know, all Beetles on the road today are used vehicles.
Note:
50 km/h corresponds to approximately 31 mph
64 km/h corresponds to approximately 40 mph
My goodness, Paul… I have read a lot of your older content over the years, but somehow, never that particular post in that link. Wow – that was a bracing read that I was not at all prepared for. I’m so glad the ending was what it was.
Partway through 1979 a local Ford dealer got in 20 or so of these brand new, plastered $10,000 across the windshield and they all got sold eventually .
I’m not a big Super Beetle fan but yes, these were amazingly well made little cars .
-Nate
Wow – $10,000 in ’79 translates to about $44,600 in 2025. That was some serious money. You said they “eventually” got sold, so I’d assume that it wasn’t overnight.
Why not the Superbug, Nate? They have such good handling, (and rack steering at the end), they can be driven flat-out everywhere, which sure can’t be said of the rest. In those, you never knew when the still-sulking Kommandant in the back was going to try and get the rear bumper into the corner before the front!
I never owned a Beetle, but I was able to drive a number of my friends’ Beetles back in the day. The coolest one was a red ’72 convertible in the summer of ’73 — fun times!
I’ve driven a number of cars up until now, and I was great at driving a stick for years (the last time being in 2019), but I regret that I’ve never had the chance to drive one of the original Beetles. Maybe one day.
A former law partner who had owned a Karmann Ghia convertible for several years bought one of these, which he remembered as a 1980 model. It was triple white and he remembered that middle aged women always made comments to him about it. He loved it except for one thing – it wouldn’t start in wet weather. He sold it after about a year.
Triple white seems to be the most iconic color combo for these, at least in my mind.
Does anyone know why late Superbugs got what appears to be a grille under the front bumper?
A/C condenser if equipped with A/C