1978 Volkswagen Beetle

Right from the start the Volkswagen saloon was offered in a convertible form and as the austerity of the immediate post war years passed it was a model that would go on to capture the zeitgeist of the swinging ‘60’s especially in the sunny, beach orientated climate of West Coast America. From as early as 1949, German bodybuilder, Karmann, had been charged with building the convertible Beetle. Over the next 31 years Karmann would produce a total of around 300,000 Beetle convertibles for Volkswagen.

This remarkable survivor Beetle Convertible comes from late in production and just a year before the Golf Convertible appeared, ultimately replacing the rag topped Beetle in 1980. This is a US specification car in ultimate 1588cc, fuel injected guise. This amazing Beetle was imported to the UK in 1990 spending the next 30 years reportedly dry stored and mounted on blocks. This would certainly help explain this car’s incredible mileage to date of just 10,000. Surely a once in a blue moon opportunity for Beetle lovers everywhere.
 

This Beetle essential embodies the Volkswagen Beetle in its final and most evolved form. Given that, all the, so called “Super Beetle” 1303 attributes are showcased here. This includes the oversized “elephant’s foot” rear lamp clusters and the big wing top indicator lenses. By this stage the bumpers had evolved into larger, chromed items with full width rubber nudge strips. In this 1600cc version the earlier, twin “peashooter” tailpipes are replaced with a single one of a more usual calibre. 

This Stateside survivor is finished in Ancona Blue which looks bright and fresh throughout with the significant majority of it thought to be original. At some point a thoughtful keeper has even fitted a Perspex nose protector to the front bumper, thus helping to preserve the vulnerable curved bonnet of the car. The brightwork adornments of the Beetle, which include bumpers, wing mirrors, handles and waist level trim piece, all look bright, shiny and original.

The off white hood is thought to be original and appears to fit snuggly as well as being predominantly free from rips, tears or significant stains. There is a small hole noted on the offside which has been photographed for your review. In true Karmann style, the hood even features a glass, heated rear window and a black vinyl hood cover is also present. The Beetle sits on a set of 15-inch pressed steel wheels which are finished in an off white hue. These have clearly been repainted in a less than fastidious fashion and would perhaps benefit from a media blasting and subsequent powder coating. A matching set of Nankang tyres are fitted, date stamped from 2022.
 

By this point in the Beetle’s development, the cabin had taken a dramatic swerve upmarket to the extent that Ivan Hirst would probably have failed to recognise it. In this example the seats are finished in a black, textured, light shower resistant, black vinyl.

The front pair feature chunky headrests and fold forward to allow ingress and egress to and from the rear bench. This is identically trimmed, and inertial style lap belts are fitted. Grey carpets are fitted in the front, but the rear footwells are clad in dark vinyl. Heavy duty rubber floor mats feature front and rear.

The dashboard of this Beetle would prove revelatory to owners of early Beetles. No painted metal here! Black deformable top and bottom rolls feature with a full width strip of light coloured walnut veneer sandwiched between them. The main gauge, a crystal clear VDO speedometer with integral fuel gauge, sits ahead of the driver under a hooded cowl. A sperate oblong clock is placed at the driver’s left hand. A smattering of rocker switches and twistable knobs also feature as does the original four spoke steering wheel with obligatory Wolfsburg wolf and burg at its centre.

The overall condition in here looks admirable with just the odd age related imperfection noted in the form of a couple of small splits and tears. The hood’s headlining is pristine looking, however, and tightly fitting.
 

In this 1978 model, the most powerful version of the air-cooled flat four engine featured in 1584cc form. The US specification cars such as this also benefitted from AFC fuel injection for reduced emissions. Whilst being the most powerful factory version fitted to a Beetle, it should be remembered that all things are relative. With around 50bhp originally to play with the quoted 0-60mph time was still of the 20 second plus variety. What it lacked in pace, however, it more than made up for with reliability, ease of maintenance, ubiquity of spare parts and aftermarket upgrades. A four speed, full synchromesh transmission feeds the power to the rear wheels of this topless bug.

The engine bay of the Beetle looks clean, fresh and admirably original. The front luggage area also doubles as a home to the fuel tank, spare wheel and tools. The underside of the car looks commensurate with a low milage example of this age. There is some minor surface corrosion noted, as well as what looks like a small hole in the rear silencer.

Those with a keen ear will hear a 'buzzing' noise at the start which is a handy indicator as to whether your seatbelt is fastened, a feature from new.
 

There is very little here to appraise you of. The V5 Registration Document is present which classifies the Beetle as an Historic Vehicle based on its age. This renders it MoT exempt and zero rated for road tax in the UK. There are a couple of low value parts invoices present, dating from 2022 and our usual car history check report is also included. 

Nowadays it is easy to forget what and automotive phenomenon the Volkswagen Beetle was. A full six years before this Beetle appeared the milestone of 15M cars produced was passed, at the same time breaking the Ford Model T’s records for single model production. Ultimately over 21.5M first generation Beetles would be built at plants all around the world. Luckily Ivan Hirst would live until the year 2000 and get to appreciate what his wartime intervention meant to Volkswagen and the motoring world at large.

This 1978 Beetle Convertible is a stunning survivor car, clearly benefitting from an extended period in empathetic storage. The level of originality on offer here is remarkable as is the 10,000 miles or so covered to date. Whilst there are plenty of Beetles still around, thanks to its mammoth record breaking production run, the number in Convertible form to offer originality of this calibre must be miniscule. As such we can only commend it to you and encourage you to bid early to avoid missing this fleeting ownership opportunity.  

We are happy to offer this car for auction with an estimate in the range of £18,000 - £23,000.

Viewing is strongly encouraged, and this lot is located at Bonhams|Cars Online HQ. Viewings are STRICTLY BY APPOINTMENT and we are open weekdays between 10am - 12pm or 2pm - 4pm. To make a booking, please use the ‘Enquire About This Vehicle’ button on the listing. Feel free to ask any questions, or try our ‘Frequently Asked Questions’.