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1968 VW Beetle
By VW A,G - VW A,G, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=41833656
There have been a lot of VW Beetles in our family both growing up and as an adult. I had a baby blue 1967.
For me the sweet spot of the vintage Beetle was 1967 to 1969. Still traditional look, 12 volts, bigger engine, some safety features. But I like them all.
I was a crew member on an off road racing team that ran a VW Baja Bug in the 5-1600 class at races including the Baja 1000. It is pretty amazing what these engines can put up with!
Like most cool vintage cars they are pretty lacking in meeting any safety standards but of course you know that and safety isn't the appeal. I don't know if I'd drive one around much today.
They do run a long time if you check and change oil frequently. If they run low on oil the air cooled engine heats up fast and it will be bad news quick. Thankfully parts are still easy to get to repair any mechanical issues.
I know guys that had 2 engines for their Bugs. 1 was totally stock and was for passing smog inspections. The other was tricked out and it went really fast! A friend had a VW Drag Racing national record for a while.
As the saying goes "How fast do you want to go? How much money do you want to spend?"
I saw this Donut Video linked at Autoweek (they both post cool stuff)
"Nearly everyone can immediately call to mind the shape of one of the best-selling cars ever -- the Volkswagen Type 1 Beetle. Originally designed under Ferdinand Porsche’s leadership, the Beetle was supposed to be a cheap and reliable car for the people. It also heavily resembled the Tatra 97 -- so much so that Tatra sued Porsche over the design. That lawsuit was mostly settled when Hitler’s Germany invaded Tatra’s home of Czechoslovakia."
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