This video was filmed and submitted by reader and ’67 enthusiast Rees Klintworth. There’s nothing like the cadence of an air cooled engine.
Thank you very much for your contributions to 1967beetle.com. Enjoy the drive.
Not a week goes by here at 1967beetle.com without someone sending photos of their vintage pride and joy, fresh from bodywork and paint. More times than not, their car has an aftermarket front fender. If you didn’t know, the ’67 Beetle front fenders (German) are another one of those fantastic one year only items. If you look at the vintage market, you’ll see plenty of folks claiming, “high end restoration.” However, (sadly) people often use cheap parts for max profit. The power is being able to tell the difference. I’d like to explain how can you tell if you’re dealing with genuine German VW metal. Let’s discuss below, with photos to help illustrate how simple the difference really is. I’d love to know how many readers actually go outside and look at their cars after reading this.
Turn signal holes
This is by far one of the easiest ways to distinguish the real deal from aftermarket. On the right we have a genuine German VW fender. If you remove your top turn signal assembly, the hole punched should be round. On the top of the hole, if you looked close enough you’d also see that the fender is stamped with a VW logo mark. Over time, these are often worn away. However, they are there from the factory. Also, the metal of German fenders is much thicker. On the left, we have an aftermarket fender with a goofy oblong hole. Why the folks making these did not use proper tooling to produce something that matches an OE fender is beyond me.
1967beetle.com is happy to report that Lisa Tucker from Pelzer, South Carolina got her ’67 Beetle back.
It might not be the way it was originally, but at least it’s back.
That’s all that matters to this 10-year-old girl from Pelzer, South Carolina, who now has the car of her dreams home safe and sound after it was stolen on June 24.
“When I got home, I got out of the car and just screamed,” Lisa Tucker told the local FOX affiliate of her excitement after getting her beloved Volkswagen Beetle back.
The little girl spent her hard-earned $2,000 that she had collected from years of doing chores and helping out at her family’s scrap yard to finally purchase her pride and joy, a 1967 beetle, hoping to fix it up with her dad- and eventually one day when she’s older- drive it.
“You can tell they tried to put it in disguise because they spray painted it,” Lisa explained. “They spray painted the wheels. They used to be gold and now they’re silver … put new hub caps on them.”
The lights had also been removed and the VIN number was stripped from the car. But the community wasn’t fooled by the bug’s new makeover. Anonymous tips led the police to the vintage Beetle just days after it was stolen, helping get it returned to Lisa on Sunday.
Now that the bug is back with its rightful owner, the grateful young girl isn’t letting the car leave her sight.
“I want to keep it under my bed, close to me,” Lisa said. “I’m going to sleep in it.”
It’s too bad a lot of ’67 Beetles are stolen and lost forever. Our timing light it pointed in your direction, Lisa!
Here we have a nice set of German ’66-’67 wide-5, stock 5-lug Beetle Rims, listed for ’67 enthusiast and follower of 1967beetle.com, Ron Waller. Nothing makes a ’67 Beetle look better (or any vintage VW) than original german parts. More photos below.
Status: SOLD
Location: Phoenix, AZ
Price: $150.00
Contact: Ron Waller | 602-214-0530 (Text works best)
(Photo and video by our good friend Chris Vallone of Classic VW Bugs)
When my friends and I decide to take a caravan cruise in our vintage Volkswagens, each person receives a memo outlining the cruise and the obligations of each participant. Preparations begin well in advance of the cruise date so that there will be no need for last minute attempts to ready the cars.
Choice of a destination is an important factor, of course and will make or break a cruise. It may take some research to find a suitable destination. Make the destination something which will peak interest. Sometimes it can involve a learning experience. Other destinations will be purely for the please of the outing and company of other like-minded Volkswagen enthusiasts.
Don’t wait until the last minute to begin researching a destination. Once one has been chosen, it’s time to make contact (in most cases) with the responsible party at the destination. This could be a restaurant, a shop, a visitors’ site or other location. Usually, those in charge at the destination need advance notification as to time and numbers. Be sure to stay in touch so that reservations, for instance, aren’t cancelled for lack of communication.
We’ve found that from 12 to 15 cars makes a nice, manageable caravan. Fewer cars, and the cruise begins to lose its appeal. The more cars in the caravan, the more cumbersome it becomes. And, unless the cruise is entirely on country roads, having too many cars can become dangerous!
Many of us do not drive our cars consistently enough to remember when or what we last noticed about our car’s performance while driving. So, it’s a good time to do an intimate interview with your VW Baby! Collect supplies as directed in the instructions and think of any other personal supplies which you might need. Then pack them into the vehicle so that you will know exactly where they are when the time comes to use them.
Once your car is ready and necessary supplies are in hand, take time to study the route. Don’t plan to just follow the car ahead…you may become separated from the caravan by traffic or by a traffic signal light. Know the route.
We place someone at the head of the caravan and someone at the tail of the caravan who is knowledgeable and experienced. Everyone should have an identical, alphabetized cell phone list of the caravan participants. A simple call to the leader can be made, if need be, and the caravan can pull over in order for cars to catch up or in order to assist a stranded participant.
We choose routes which will avoid major roadways where traffic might be congested. Congested traffic quickly can ruin a cruise by splitting everyone up, or worse—by causing an accident.
