Hi there everyone!

After finally joined schwim's cozy nook here I'll jump at the chance and report on my air cooled addiction.
Updates and additions to this topic will occur every now and then as time permits...


October 1985

The pics below show my first car, a '71 1302 L Super Beetle.
It had the 1300ccm 44hp engine if my mind serves correctly.
Got it by accident from a buddy of my dad back in September '85.

Back then I wasn't much into cars but that changed with this very Bug.
I was at high school so a Bug was the perfect cheap DIY car.
And no one of my schoolmates wanted a bug as a daily driver except a few weirdos...
Very much after my fancy!

The bug had a sun roof and occasionally one of my mates somehow stepped on the
passenger seat and played the "open air" violin downtown on our way home from school.

The pics were taken in October '85 after some cosmetics - a fiberglass repair kit & bondo were my friends...
So on first glance the Bug looked not that bad. But the impression was deceptive.

A few month later I learned about the Bug's weak spots...
The heater channels were almost rotted away and the frame head showed serious signs of disintegration!
No way to pass German vehicle inspection (TÜV) without some major efforts. So in August '86 I sold that Bug.

[schwim]

This is fantastic! I'm very much looking forward to getting to learn your process into air cooled addiction

May 1987

After I sold the rotted 1302 it was quite plain to me to get another Bug.
To avoid major rust issues I thought it might be a good idea to look for something somewhat younger.
I pored over the local classifieds and eventually spotted a reasonable '76 1200 Mexican Beetle.
In September '86 I made the purchase and became owner of a Phoenix Red (L32K) daily driver.
The pics below show the Bug during and after the "spring makeover" in '87.









Basically the car ran without major issues and gradually I became more familiar with all the Bug quirks.

With this Bug I crossed the Alps almost four times...
In August '87 a trip from Marburg (Germany) to Castiglione della Pescaia (Italy) and back went quite well.

August 1988

In spring of '88 some welding and a new muffler were necessary to get the Bug ready to pass vehicle inspection.
Then in August '88 my girlfriend and I traveled to Italy again.
We had a really good time but on the way back home the disaster took its course...

On the highway just past Bolzano I started wondering why so many of the overtaking folks waved to us.
Well a few seconds later I knew... A nasty squeaking and knocking noise from the rear along with blocking
driving wheels made it quite obvious. I immediately stepped on the clutch and by a fluke we rolled to a stop
at the close-by service station Sarni Eisack Ost.

I had some tools with me and it quickly becomes evident that the engine blew up. I suspect
the common cylinder #3 failure since the motor did not turn over.
Because it was way to expensive to get the car back to Germany we decided to leave it there.

The pics below were taken a few month later in fall '88... The bug still sat there partly gutted out meanwhile ...

[schwim]

On the highway just past Bolzano I started wondering why so many of the overtaking folks waved to us.
Well a few seconds later I knew... A nasty squeaking and knocking noise from the rear along with blocking
driving wheels made it quite obvious. I immediately stepped on the clutch and by a fluke we rolled to a stop
at the close-by service station Sarni Eisack Ost.

The pics below were taken a few month later in fall '88... The bug still sat there partly gutted out meanwhile ..

Wow, that's absolutely heartbreaking. It would be so sad to go back to look at it. I'm waiting on the next installment to see if it gets saved!

Fortunately I didn't have to rent a car to get away from that service station!
We were picked up by some buddies who were on vacation in Bavaria.

Wow, that's absolutely heartbreaking. It would be so sad to go back to look at it. I'm waiting on the next installment to see if it gets saved!

Well, call me stone-hearted but I never went back...
The pics of the abandoned Bug were taken by my then-girlfriend's parents (from the moving car!) on their way to Rome
back in October '88. May be some merciful Italian took care of the poor VW. I don't know...

So the next post will turn over a new leaf...

That's a bummer you had to leave the Bug where it broke down.
Cool old pictures and stories too.

My old Baja had its distributor drive gear go out as I was driving but I got lucky and was able to coast down a couple mile long hill that had a service station at the bottom of the hill.

August 1988

After the "Bolzano incident" I was in a need of a daily driver once again.
After some intense research I ended up with a '71 1200 STD a week later.





Why a bug again? Well after three years of daily driving Bugs I was sort of familiar with most of their quirks.
And meanwhile some spare parts piled up from a few Bugs I gutted out too.

By the way, the car is orange by mere chance... Although I've heard people saying it's the high percentage
of lead in the orange color that make these cars withstand rust better than other colors.

Well... May be but orange was a very popular color in the '70s over here. And from the five bugs I owned
two were orange and three were white...


October 1988

Parked in the just ready-made garage.

[schwim]

I'm fond of orange, myself. Much more palatable a color than many others that were used in that era. Orange is one of the few colors that age well and don't look terribly dated 40 years down the road.

What's the sticker on the decklid?

I'm fond of orange, myself...

Lo and behold! The ACA site layout proves that...

... What's the sticker on the decklid?

Home made copy of this record cover...



Those were the days...
Hmmm... Seems like the Lady was in a mood...

[schwim]

Lo and behold! The ACA site layout proves that...

I may have a fixation of some sort with the color, if I'm honest with myself.

That's a magnificent photo and I love the shoes! I've got a pair of Doc Marten wingtips that I bring out on special occasions, like my wedding, for instance:



I will stop derailing your historical accounting now, I promise