A sanitary Beetle—a real Beetle, parked up at the curb, just as regular as you please: a sight that was so common as to be invisible, all round the world, for years and decades. Now it isn’t, so this one made me hustle back for pictures once I’d got home and put away the perishable groceries. It caught my eye favourably, despite the colour.
The attraction always eluded me of this what I’ve always described as used-chewing-gum colour. Not Bubbleicious or Hubba Bubba or GatorGum or whatever others might’ve come in a rainbow of severely artificial day-glo colours, but…well, something like the Wrigley’s Doublemint Joseph Dennis was just mentioning in his post about that ’78 Chev Impala, decidedly more chromatic than this Beetle.
Hydrargyrum image at Wikimedia Commons
I can’t bring myself to bellyache any harder than that about it, partly because cars like this in condition like this are no longer all over the place; now they’re statistically nonexistent. And this one’s no longer at the dull end of a diverse palette; now it’s a welcome respite from relentless black-silver-grey-white. Maybe dangerously close to the beige boundary of today’s Overton Window of car colours, but that window is a lot narrower than it used to be.
And anyhow, the condition (the existence!) of this Beetle transcends and obliterates colour preferences. It appears to be exceedingly original; just about exactly what’s in mind behind the unusually stringent standards for vehicles allowed to have collector plates in BC.
I mean:
…I mean!
The interior’s amazing, too, though the left and right seats don’t quite exactly match (the two upholstery buttons are absent from the one seat). The seatbelts look newer than the car, too, and I have no beef with that:
And the car is equipped with what looks like a period-correct accessory, a neat metal-and-wood roof rack:
I imagine someone more hep than I about Beetles might know some (or all) of the particulars about this roof rack. As to the car itself, I had to do some internet digging to learn the model-year tells; I’d narrowed it down to ’68-’69ish by eyeing the signal lights, but couldn’t pin the year exactly before learning about the gasoline filler door: a finger-notch to open it from the outside in ’68; a pull-to-release inside the car in ’69.
This isn’t that nifty windowed Italian-spec turn signal—no need for two separate colours. Instead, to provide the newly-required-for-’68 side marker light function, the sidewall of the chrome housing is cut back to allow for lateral light output.
The markings read SAE DPP1 68, which decodes as This device meets the requirements of the SAE standards for directional signals; parking lights, and side marker lights current as of 1968. Markings like this don’t tell the year of the car, nor the year the standard was written, they just tell when the lamp was designed or last revised.
I’m gonna wash that rant right outta my hair; gonna wash that rant right outta my hair; I’m gonna wash that rant right outta my hair, and send it on its wayyyyyy…!
This one reads SAE STDBRP1 67, which means This device meets the SAE requirements for stop; tail; directional signal; class-B reflex reflector, and side marker lights current as of 1967. And it’s in fine fettle, like its mate and the rest of the rear of the car:
There’s what I would call exactly the right amount of rust on the bumpers:
And I would love a ride in this lovely ol’ Beetle.
I think we have collectively forgotten how popular non-metallic beige cars were in the 60s. My next door neighbor’s mother bought a new 66 Pontiac GTO (with a 4-speed, even) that was painted beige. My mother had a job that entailed her driving to a medical lab in a VW squareback owned by her company – painted a similar beige. It was never a top choice, but it was offered by almost everyone during the decade.
I will join you in saluting this Beetle. And if it has been repainted, I will also salute the owner for sticking with a then-common but now-uncommon color choice.
My ’66 Chevy wagon is a similar beige as was my ’65 Chevy truck. I remember ’63/’64 Cadillacs with the same beige.
4th grade teacher, one of them, had a “66 Chevelle 300” about this color.
Why did the assembly used with the stacked headlight arrangement on the W111/112 & W108/109 Mercedes-Benz not comply? Was the indicator lens not large enough or was it the viewable angle? The US-market cars had ugly indicators added next to the grill from 1959 on.
The lit area was probably okeh (just needs 3½ square inches/22.5 cm2) but the intensity and inboard visibility angles were probably not adequate. A turn signal with its centre 4 inches or closer to the low beam has to provide at least 500 candela on-axis, which would be close to impossible for a lamp with this kind of construction; turn signals more than 4 inches away from the low beam need only provide at least 200 candela.
Thank you so much.
Some of the creative positioning of your copyright notices made me think they were actually on the VW.
While I never was a great fan of the Beetle, the retro look is more appealing in comparison to most any of today’s vehicles. Only rode in one once. Being used to larger vehicles with acres of hood in front, that ride was unsettling. Never liked roof racks, and this rack looks like when loaded it would overpower the car. When seeing an overloaded pickup, my Dad used to say, Looks like they are moving to Hell and there goes the first Load! DOES anyone remember the customized VW Mini Rolls? Saw a few back in the day and always got a laugh!
I remember the mini Rolls and the ’40 Ford front and rear ends on them.
Not to sound catty, but what’s the reason for copyrighting the photos?
I don’t blame him. Post content online and expect to have it stolen.
That won’t keep it from being “stolen”. Realistically there’s no way to enforce copyrighted images on the web; what are you going to do? Pay a lawyer to show up at their house?
There used to be a convention of attributing images if they were “borrowed” from the web, but since the rise of social media, that’s all totally gone. Everything is fair game. If you don’t want your images to be “borrowed/stolen”, the only solution is to not post them on the web.
It’s just a changed reality that way. And I’m ok with it. I borrow freely, and others borrow my images freely. It’s actually more in accord with the original idealistic concept of the internet, of a place to share.
Help yourself!
No, you send a DMCA takedown notice, and it often works.
That is not so.
So if someone tells you they saw this image on Facebook or Instagram, your’e going to send them a DMCA and they’re going to comply?
One of the reasons I don’t attribute images from a Google Image search is because all too often where you found it is not where the image originated at. It’s increasingly unlikely that images haven’t already been passed around once they show up on a search.
The real question is why bother? It’s not like someone’s going to take that image and sell it for $5 a pop to the public.
Plus, the US copyright laws allow one to use parts of a copyrighted work under the Fair Use law. In reality, if someone did an article on VW taillights, and used your image as a part of that article, that’s totally “Fair Use”. You just can’t sell it as a single image, or steal your whole or major parts of the article it’s in.
If someone posts this image on the web, or on social media, they’re almost certainly within the Fair Use statues. It’s not quite as simple claiming “this is mine, you can’t use it, period!”
I’m not champin’ at the bit to go send a takedown on any and every yoink of one of my photos, no. A lot of people get away with a lot of speeding a lot of the time, too. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ I’d only get exercised about it if someone were using my work to make a whack of money. Most companies are responsive to DMCA takedowns, generally the biggies more dependably so than the small ones.
I don’t think you’re quite right that posting someone else’s image counts as fair use, but now we’re really getting off into the tall weeds.
Photos spread like an angry coronavirus. Folks who want to be able to identify their photos and/or maintain credit for them will put a polite, discrete label on them as Daniel has done. People who really don’t want their images used will put a big watermark or label across the main part of the photographed item so the photo is really no use unless you don’t mind a big script across the item.
Personally, I’m not so proud of my photos that I care if anyone uses them. In fact, I would be rather flattered if they got stolen.
I agree Jon – I find it amusing when I stumble across my own pictures elsewhere. I’m glad when folks like the stuff enough to share it with others.
And like Paul said, I think of it as closer to the Internet’s original idealistic concept of cooperation. Idealistic for sure, but I don’t mind clinging to idealism sometimes.
I don’t blame him, either. I get that stuff is out there on the internet and there are ways to take things. At the same time, I don’t believe that because that’s possible that people should just take things. Case in point: Napster.
Think about it this way. If I choose to lend a book or something else I own to someone, I’m not just giving it to that person. Same thing with sharing an image. Enjoy it!
My workaround is to simply use smaller or low res versions of pictures I’ve taken for the purposes of these essays, where I don’t care if someone downloads it. But ultimately (and I realize this isn’t the same for everyone), having taken and edited thousands of photos I’ve taken care to compose, etc., while I may not know what will come of it all right now, I know something will.
I wouldn’t watermark my work for this site, Daniel, but keep taking care to recognize your documents have value.
In theory, it makes it easier to succeed with a DMCA takedown if someone uses the image without permission. Images are not public-domain just because they appear on the internet and get found with a Google search.
In practice, it gives me practice at using photo-editing software.
If you don’t at least kind of try to say “hey, I care, don’t just use this,” someone will just use this.
In the same kind of vein as Paul’s mention of sharing, though I had somebody jump down my throat for using “their” “copyrighted” work, when the original work in question was a scan of a photo from an antique store. As far as I was concerned, the actual person who could legitimately claim copyright on the photo was almost certainly dead, but I took down my changes and let it go. I see both sides of this, but it’s also a big part of why I stopped any route of trying to be a content creator online, and that probably wasn’t to my benefit.
“someone will just use this’… so what, unless one is a professional under threat of losing income, worrying about such trivia is pointless and stupid.
I’m not a big fan of beige, so many Beetles were this color .
Lovely car, I wonder what’s under the hood ? .
-Nate
An air cooled boxer four?
Cute Paul ;
I meant the stock H case 1500 or a later 1600 or maybe even the much more powerful twin intake port version .
The only 40HP engines fitted to 1968 Beetles were non North American versions .
-Nate
The thing they call the “frunk”, now a days.
That beige always makes me think of medical accoutrement, band aids, wrist wraps, etc.
Maybe they should have called it “Prosthesis Beige”.
That beige always makes me think of medical accoutrement, band aids, wrist wraps and such. Kind of like it on AMC products, the band aid of cars.
These cars were common because they were dependable, cheap and cute looking. That’s it. Everything else about Beetles reveal driving and design characteristics that very few drivers would accept today. I grew up with dozens of Beetles and there hasn’t been a moment in my life when I wanted to relive Beetle ownership.
I probably have ridden at least a half million miles in Beetles during my lifetime, half that time tucked into a fetal position in the back seat because back sear riders cannot have legs if either front seat riders are over 5’8″. My father’s first Beetle was a spectacular 1959 convertible and I was small enough to sit – with my sister – BEHIND the rear seat, leaving the back seat for my brothers and front seats for my parents. Sardines are packed less tightly.
These were go-to college rides selling for under a thousand dollars when I attended university in Colorado. Yet, I also spent plenty of time in brand new Beetles as well. When you didn’t own a car back then – you ended up in a lot of Beetles, riding in the backseat with a 5 gallon bong either going to, or leaving a kegger party somewhere in the Rockies. Backseat riders had to keep their stomachs, so I had to avoid drinking too much Coors Banquet, or consuming too many mushrooms and Baby Woodrose Seeds.
Every mountain ride could experience a thrill. Powerful cross winds could shove a Beetle across a winding two lane road or towards a cliff. Luckily, you couldn’t speed very often with a Beetle climbing the Rockies, but going downhill required engine braking and prayers. In the winter, all Beetle driving was dangerous. We used our debit cards to scrape off the frost inside the flat windshields. Rarely do front seat drivers sit further away from a Beetle windshield than a foot or two, so when returning from a day of skiing, with wet clothes and hot breaths, frost formed on all the windows. If it was snowing, the puny windshield wipers would clog with snow and ice, requiring a hand to reach around the A pillars, grab a blade as it swung by and slap it to loosen the accumulated ice and snow. Defrosters in a lot of used Beetles just don’t work as the heat channels under the car have rusted open, leaving the interior of these cars like freezers.
We liked Beetles for their traction in snow. Before FWD became the norm, Jeeps and Beetles were the mountain cars in Colorado because of their ability to plow through snow covered roads. However, you had to remember not to set your parking brake, or it would freeze. I was stranded once deep in the Roosevelt National Forest because Dave set his parking brake and we couldn’t loosen it.
One would think that with all those great Colorado college experiences in Beetles, I would have fond memories of Beetles. Or those fond memories of the Beetles buzzing around the Southside of Chicagoland. Nope. I am just glad I lived after all the miles I spent in Beetles and I would rather drive almost anything else.
On the other extreme, I too grew up in the days of early Beetles with anemic 6 volt electrical systems, in rural New England , yes the back seats were cramped .
I still have fond memories of passing other cars in the snow easily, going up or down hill and because snow was a normal thing everyone knew how to drive in it and no one crashed / slid off the road .
Once I moved to the Desert I loved them ever more and in 2016 bought my lest Beetle, a raggedy 1959 survivor and am enjoying drive it flat out in town, on the freeways and on those same old narrow twisty back roads .
Amazingly it’s still easy to maintain and far cheaper than any modern car to fuel (31 MPG) register, insure and repair .
-Nate
Enjoy your Beetling, Nate! My Ghia is equally fun as a daily driver – it is endlessly interesting, fun and charming and puts a smile on people’s faces. Mechanical parts are easy to come by and maintenance is easy. Old Veedubs are really dependable if looked after, too.
I do Huey ! .
I still have good memories of epic trips in the 1960’s and when I got my first old VW in 1970 it was _on_ and hasn’t stopped yet .
I wish I could add pictures, my current Bug isn’t nice looking but it goes .
And goes, and goes……..
Those who know how to treat them get very good service indeed and everyone always says ‘I didn’t know it could go that fast !’ and I’m not really going all the fast as the car doesn’t even go 80MPH flat footed .
-Nate
Seeing the title I was already rolling my eyes and thinking “here we go, another over accessorized beetle – yawh” but what a surprise!
The colour reminds me of cappuccino yogurt, so that can’t be a bad thing. The degree of rust and patina reminds me of what an Ontario beetle would have looked in 1975.
Nice well kept car.
Beige didn’t fade and didn’t show dirt. Odd that VW paired it with a black interior rather than the tan one that came with white cars.
My beige one came with the brown interior. It was a German home market car privately imported. White cars here also had black interiors.
Beige is a perfect neutral color for a no-nonsense VW buyer: easy to live with, doesn’t make a statement, doesn’t show the dirt. What more can you ask for?
There’s a guy in my town who reconditions old beetles and I sometimes make a special trip around the block just to see them parked along the sidewalk like this one. Who imagined they’d ever be a rare sight???
Those roof racks can come in handy, but otherwise they are a aerodynamic drag that you can ill afford with those 40 hp motors. We had a communal rack to share amongst our fellow VW friends, until some one took it Florida.
It’s not the factory accessory roof rack, which was all galvanized steel. I bought one at the VW dealer, and put it to good use.
These wood and steel racks are all-too popular with older Beetle owners. I assume it replicates a rack that was common in the 50s/early 60s. Maybe the factory rack had wood back then?
None of the Beetles I lived with and none of my friends or relatives had a roof rack. I didn’t start seeing those until Beetles started showing up a car shows. Our skis would be wedged between the seats while leaving enough room to shift the transmission, and be angled across the back seat into the rear window. A roof rack would have been used if we knew about them, I’m certain.
I lived with Beetles in the Midwest and Rockies – perhaps they were popular options on the coasts?
I had a surfboard rack, but never saw that kind of luggage rack in the late ’60’s.
I borrowed a roof rack from a friend’s 1959 VW to get a couch from a coworker’s house to my apartment on my ’69. I think that rack was all metal; certainly negotiating a brief stretch of Interstate 35 was exciting.
Daniel, nice find on what looks like Commercial Drive? Great neighborhood, although it’s changing I still enjoy visiting the Drive.
Daniel, great find on what looks like Commercial Drive. A changing neighborhood for sure, but I still enjoy visiting the Drive when I’m in the area.
Nice looking Beetle
Yup, that’s Commercial Drive. Have you tried Chancho, the new pink tacqueria between 4th and 5th on the east side? We like it a lot.
A great sunny ‘Italian Days’ last Sunday on Commercial, although I think it’s evenly split these days between Italian and Hispanic. It’s all good…I’ll have to try Chancho.
I also discovered it’s possible to drop $200 on an afternoon of sipping and grazing…Osita, Loula’s, Sopra Sotto, plus a mid-afternoon time out at Callister Brewing. A great afternoon, but it makes me start to wonder if I still qualify as middle class. 🙂
Dad went through a few VWs after gas prices went up in 1973. He started with a ‘64 Karmann Ghia and then the rest were Beetles. This one reminds me of his nicest one, which was a ‘69. He bought it from an independent VW mechanic in Marietta Ohio that took in VWs with good bodies, but blown engines. He’d install a rebuilt engine and attend to the other mechanicals too.
Dad got lots of miles out of that ‘69. Between it and the Ghia, he taught me how to drive stick.
When I was a teenager my dad sometimes mentioned he went in with two friends to buy a 1968 Beetle to have as a cheap spare car, each contributing 1/3 the purchase cost. When I finally saw the car (in the early ’80s when I was learning to drive), I was surprised at how new it looked. My mental image of a ’68 Bug was more like how a ’64 or ’65 actually looked, with the smaller windows, lights, and bumpers, the old-style hubcaps, and unpadded dashboard. Had I not known, I would have guessed the ’68 was a ’71 or so, as it had things I associated with newer cars like high-back seats and padded dashboard with mushroom-shaped rubberized knobs. The baby-blue color was very 1968 though. I learned to drive a stick shift with this car.
I thought the differentiator between ’68 and ’69 was the speedometer, which had old-style concentric numerals in an old-looking font on the older car, but a thin, modern font all right-side-up on the newer car. An image search doesn’t confirm that though as I see both styles on 1969 models. The speedometer was one of the things that looked like a holdover from older Bugs on the ’68, along with the two uncovered, body-color sections of the dashboard and the thing steering wheel with horn ring.
Big change in the speedometer was ’67 to ’68 when an electric, instead of separate mechanical, fuel level gauge was integrated.
The weather stripping (if that’s correct) between the fenders and the body suggest a repaint as originally it would have been beige too. Even without checking the gas filler door a ’69 in 2023 can readily be id’d by the CV joint squat pinching the rear wheels inward at the top.
You’ve been able to get a Jimny in almost this exact beige in recent years. I think they look decent
I never cease to be amazed at the very shiny older vehicles you find out there in BC. Great VW find!
Great find of a sharp car with mint original safety lights! Isn’t it strange we now live in a world where spotting a VW Beetle curbside is a big deal?
Light beige is a practical, unexciting color that is perfect for vehicles like Beetles, Land Cruisers, and Land Rovers. I think it looks great on a VW, but I wouldn’t want it on a Corvette. The color is so closely associated with the Bug that when VW ended the new Beetle’s production in 2019, they did a commemorative Final Edition model with a similar color. https://www.motortrend.com/reviews/2019-vw-beetle-final-edition-review-bye-bug/
Once upon a time there were no electronic devices to pacify kids on long rides so parents had to get creative. Every kid knew what a Volkswagen Beetle looked like. Herbie The Love Bug made sure of it. When the kids were getting to be just a bit too much, a game of “Counting Volkswagen’s” would be announced, and suddenly the little kiddies were no longer so bored.
That’s once upon a long time ago; this and the subsequent paragraph or two happened more than four decades ago.
Daniel, I think I missed this post the first time around, but enjoyed it as one of 2023’s greatest hits. But then of course I had to click on the link (in your comment above) regarding entertaining young children on long car trips, and was delighted to reread your COAL post about your parents’ ’78 Caprice. I loved it 3ish years ago, and enjoyed it greatly all over again.
As far as entertainment on car trips, I read as soon as I was able to – comic books and later SF anthologies. Mum and Dad had this thing about not using the radio, so that was not an option.
Dad’s cars during this time were, in order, a ’61 Pontiac Tempest (4-cylinder automatic), a ’63 Biscayne wagon (inline-6, 3-on-the-tree), and finally a ’72 Chrysler Newport (383 Torqueflite). All three cars were purchased used, experienced mechanical trouble on trips, and smelt strongly of gasoline and cigarette smoke. None were equipped with air conditioning.
My younger sister suffered from terrible motion sickness, and so could not read in the car. She must have been terribly bored.
#35 :
What is it with Depression era folks that the car radio is never, _EVER_ to be played ? .
Growing up with a vehicle that has a radio and never being allowed to listen to it yet being yelled at to “!SHADDAP!” makes zero sense to me .
-Nate
Nate, wow, I thought it was just me (that is, my eccentric parents, and my resultant peculiar childhood).
My parents were very highly self-monitoring (as they now say, but in oldspeak were overly concerned about how others saw them*).
Only knowing that does this make any sense at all. The summer after Grade 10, my friends Cam and Casey (twin brothers) and their cousin from the States visited. We played street hockey for a while and then watched TV in the basement. Mum kindly made grilled cheese sandwiches for us.
Cam and Casey lived way across town, due us being at opposite ends of our high school’s catchment area.
So, Dad gave the three of them a ride home, and I rode along. This was in the ’67 Newport.
We had had the car for about a year, but I don’t think I remember Dad ever having used the radio.
Dad turned the radio on, twiddled the tuning wheel (because of course the presets weren’t), found a Top 40 station (630 CHED?), and turned the volume up to an almost intolerable level.
During the long drive to Cam and Casey’s house, the polite American cousin whispered to me “Gee, your dad sure likes to have the radio on loud.”
We dropped them off, and Dad immediately turned off the radio, and said “Thank goodness we can have that off now!”
I had no words. I can only assume he had received a message from his home planet to play the radio, loud, that one time.
**********
*We were usually late leaving for anything because my mother would, at H-hour, run about tidying. I would say, if I had a vested interest in being on time, “Why do you have to do this right now?”
Mum would say “What if we were all killed in a car crash? People would think we live this way!”
My inside voice would say “That would be a correct impression – we do live this way.”
Nate, a few minutes ago I wrote a much better reply, which disappeared into the cyberether. Sigh. This will have to suffice …
I’d assumed the “no radio” thing was specific to my eccentric parents. I’m gladdened to hear I wasn’t alone.
My parents were very (to use the modern counselly parlance) high-self-monitoring – in other words, they were very (overly) concerned about what image they were presenting to others.
During the summer after Grade 10, my friends Cam and Casey (twin brothers) and their polite visiting American cousin came over. It was a long trek because they lived way across town due to us being at opposite ends of our high school’s large catchment area. I think C and C’s dad had given them a ride over.
We played some out-of-season street hockey, and then watched TV in the basement. Mum made us post-supper grilled cheese sandwiches, which were great.
I asked Dad if he would drive my friends home, and I rode along. This was in the ’67 Newport. We had had the car about a year, but I don’t think I had ever heard the radio.
We all got in, and Dad started the car and turned on the radio (vertical knurled wheel to the left of the dial). He fiddled with the vertical tuning wheel on the right (because of course the pre-sets weren’t), landed on a Top-40 station (630 CHED?), and cranked the volume way way up.
During the drive, the polite visiting cousin whispered to me “Gee, your dad sure likes to have the radio on loud!” I had no response, because it would have been complicated to explain, especially when I was bewildered myself.
We dropped off my friends, and Dad immediately turned off the radio and said “Thank goodness we can have THAT off now!”
Again I was speechless; I can only assume Dad had received commands from his home planet.
Ack! The original post did show up. Oh well, at least it appears I was consistent.
We were allowed to chatter as children do nut no way way that radio ever turned on .
Moms was also always late if we went to the movies, to this day I prefer to go at least 30 minutes early so I can hit the head, ensure my seat isn’t taken and so on .
Once in a while I have to walk a few blocks from parking .
I’d rather not go than miss part of the movie .
-Nate
Nate, arg, the lateness thing … one summer (between Grades 9 and 10?) I went to Klondike Days with my friend Nolan. He looked at his watch after a couple of hours and said “Ten to nine – we’d better head over the entrance – Dad said he’d be here at nine.”
I asked, in all sincerity, “When your dad says he’ll pick you up at nine, is he actually there at nine?”
Nolan replied “Yes, that’s what he said, and so he’ll be there” – and so he was.
This was shocking to me.
Agreed on being late for movies, or even coming in on radio articles partway through.
I’m actually quite surprised at how many different shades of boring you could get, per that 1968 chip chart. I know that time has degraded some of those color chips, but there are still at least two that were named “beige”, and a couple more that fit the criteria. That said, this car still looks pretty appealing all shined up and in the light you photographed it in.
At least these have a separate bulb in its own compartment for a rear turn signal, so you’re only six screws from washing that rant away.
+1 Well said!
Being old I too consider Beige a boring color, interestingly my 45 year old son once told me he really likes beige, of course this hours after I’d sold a really nice Beige 1968 VW typ I M5 “Auto Stick” I’d saved and re done including polishing and waxing the paint .
Had he said something during the month or so I owned the cat I’d given it to him .
-Nate
What strikes me most about it is the enormous redundancy. Why on god’s –
green– beige earth were there two beiges; five greens; four darker and two brighter reds; five grays; two lighter and two darker blues…all so similar to one another within each colour group? I mean, yay for twenty-eight options, but why such close clustering like this? It seems to me this menu could be consolidated to nine or ten options without losing much range of real choice.Are you aware that not nearly all those colors were available on any given VW model? For instance, the sedan only came in seven colors. That chart is for all VW models, including trucks and Karmann-Ghia.
Different VW models were made in different factories (with different paint), which explains the similarities in some of the shades.
Ahhh, thanks. That makes a lot more sense.
This Beetle is totally the color of “ABC” gum. Brilliant.
ABC gum? I know nothing about this. Is it similar to CBS or NBC gum?
“Already ‘Been Chewed.” Used to get me all the time in elementary school.
GAAAAH! Okeh, so the NBC variety was to be preferred. Awright, clearly “ABC gum” belongs in the same file as “Hey, wanna Hertz Donut?” and “Wanna play 52 Pickup?”.
Great find, article and photos Daniel. I like that you copyrighted your images. At the very least, it allows you to track who is posting your images, without the courtesy of asking. Gives you a bit more control of your hard work, and creative talents. Plus, potential clients may reach out to you.
I had a die cast Kubelwagen as a child, that was in a similar ‘desert’ colour scheme.
Someone obviously knows their VW stuff on a beetle! This was a very popular paint color in 1968. This car is almost exactly like it came from the showroom down to the finger gas lid to the wide style headrests in ‘68 only. Looks as if restored, I am sure, but correctly done! The roof racks were not that popular back in the day, but a nice addition.
Bill
Let’s not forget BUCKSKIN BEIGE, the ONLY color that the 1958 Plymouth Fury was available in. That includes NO FLAMING RED as we have been led to believe ‘Christine’ was produced in from the factory. Of course, that was only a movie, however so many people have been convinced that the ’58 Belvedere in that film was a genuine FURY.
Also, my son’s eternal, still on the road, 1963 Belvedere is BEIGE from the factory as was my 1963 Belvedere Station Wagon.
Even my beloved 1985 Voyager is rather close to beige, A COLOR we can live with for decades without shame or pain.
” Hearing aid beige”! I had a Volvo that colour.
As everyone knows, the Beetle is not the most economical for its size and engine capacity. Many performance swaps including Subie one have been attempted but I wonder what modern engine focused on fuel economy could make it really economical? Apart from the flat windshield and the 4 speed gearbox, I don’t see why it should stay stuck with its 25 miles per gallon & no problem if the rear hood no longer closes.
Martin ;
Many have tried or done so but it’s a fool’s errand .
The VW Typ I is 1930’s technology at it’s best .
If you want better fuel economy get a 1970’s ~ late 1980’s import, it’ll be easier and more reliable etc.
-Nate
https://vwforum.ro/topic/3413-building-a-46mpg-air-cooled-engine/
Strange that they blacked the inner part of the rims. As far as I remember, this (later) type of rims always was silver painted from factory.
Jon Karcey, from Makawao, Maui, Hawaii apparently did it
https://vwforum.ro/topic/3413-building-a-46mpg-air-cooled-engine/