Guy Perron’s L41 Black ’67 Beetle

Hello VW friends!

My name is Guy Perron and I live in the northwest part of the Province of Quebec, Canada.  That’s about 3 hours north from the city of Ottawa which is the Capital of Canada. 

I’ve been part of the Volkswagen (VW) community since a very young age, as my father owned a couple of VW beetles. I remember my dad and mom driving us kids everywhere, especially on long vacation trips. My favorite place to “camp” was in the back, right by the engine and tranny.

I have owned a few VW beetles since my 20’s. When I met my wife-to-be, Roxanne, in 1987, I owned a Bright Orange1973 AutoStick Beetle and a 1974 fully restored Atlas White Beetle. At that time, we were members of the Ottawa Valley Old Buggers, a club of Volkswagen enthusiasts. We drove that White Beetle everywhere and had memorable road trips. I had to sell it in 1992 and it broke my heart.

In 2004, an urge to purchase a vintage VW beetle came to mind. I was able to trace my ’74 White Beetle but it was in really bad condition. It was an emotional struggle as we had a lot of great memories with this Beetle. My wife Roxanne (girlfriend at that time) reasoned with me and I moved on. Then in the fall season, a 1967 L41 Black Beetle was for sale. I called and met the owner.   Richard Lane, a VW “guru”, if I can use that word, lived in Ottawa, Ontario, and had owned his 1967 Black Beetle for a good 15+ years.  He decided to sell it so that he could move on to other VW air-cooled restoration projects. Richard and I have remained good friends and we still go to VW shows with our wives and VW friends.

A very special life event was that my Black Beetle was front and center  at our 2005 wedding!

I am the 3^rd owner, as of today August, 2019, 15 years later.  I still enjoy driving my Black Beetle.  It is a 1967 Canadian Edition Deluxe Beetle Sedan and is 99% original. Due to aging, the seat upholstery and carpet have been replaced to VW factory “Indian Red” color specification. Yep! The Shwarz L41 black paint is all original inside/out. The 1500cc engine is original and its serial number matches the car chassis serial number.  All VW items such as the structural body, bumpers, fenders, hood, decklid, doors, wheel rims, handles, wipers, glass, steering, mirrors, all chrome, the headliner, glove box, owner’s manual, BlaupunktAM radio, floor mats, car jack, trunk cardboard, horn, Hella lights all around, inside panels, ashtrays, floor pans, firewall, seals, the 12 volt factory paint stamps at the license light, etc. are 1967 Volkswagen factory original.  “Black Bug” has 78,568 miles on the odometer and is rock solid and a blast to drive.

One of its original features as a 1967 Canadian Deluxe Edition Sedan is that it came with a VW factory installed gas heater booster system. According to TheSamba website, the system was made by Webastos. The heater booster was activated by the right-hand heating lever which has a red knob, in my 1967 Beetle. A tiny green indicator light, which is mounted to the left above the speedometer, still is functional, indicating when the system is engaged. All air and fuel hoses still are in place in the engine bay and near the transmission but not operational. The heater was removed for safety reasons.  This Beetle has never been used in winter since the day it was born in 1967.

In conclusion, according to the Volkswagen Vehicle Authentication Certificate, my Canadian L41 Black Deluxe Beetle Sedan was built on March 16, 1967 and left the Wolfsburg factory on March 30, 1967, to its destination, which was Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.

Rumor has it that the straightest Beetles coming from the Volkswagen production factory were tagged and painted black.

Life is short; drive your VW every day!

Editor’s Note:  Guy came with some questions about his Beetle.  During the removal of the bakelite fuel pump stand, the flange of the stand broke, leaving a portion inside the engine case.  Guy did some superb detective-work and was successful in the removal of the piece—without having to disassemble the engine.  Congratulations to you, Guy, both for you ownership of a great vehicle, but also for your conservation efforts with this Beetle!