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Up for auction is this beautifully restored 1965 VW Beetle. This Bug was painstakingly and professionally restored to be as original as possible by the Volkstop in Tucson, AZ. Car was originally an AZ car and has now been in Southern CA since restoration. Restoration cost nearly $21,000 - copy of final page of invoice is included in photos.

Restoration took almost 2 years as extensive research went into the selection of every material and part to achieve a high level of authenticity and quality. It truly looks like it may have just come off a showroom floor from 1965! Each replacement part was hand-picked to ensure quality and originality. This car could easily make a very high-quality addition to any collection, or it's ready to take out on weekends or as often as you want.

The Beetle is in perfect working order. Starts up every time and shifts like silk. The color combination is also very unique - the ivory running boards, knobs, steering wheel, etc. give the interior an incredibly airy and open feel. Everyone comments on how bright the interior is when they see it.

Restoration details:

Original Panam Beige, German, Spies Hecker paint.
Bodywork is basically flawless, paint has been wet-sanded and buffed for an overall finish that is brighter and smoother than the original paint that this VW came with from the factory thanks to the modern German paint technology.
All correct original German fenders, not cheap aftermarket ones. Fender beading and running board mats are the correct accent colors for the Panama Beige. VW offered accented, instead of black, for a limited time. Unique and correct for this car.
Original-color accents painted with code-matched Spies paint. Pieces like the gear shift lever, emergency brake handle, seat frames, etc. are the correct colors for this Bug. Again, the interior looks factory-new and it's incredibly light and airy.
All 5 tires replaced with Cooper 165-15's and their rims restored with new German hubcap clips and paint.
Wheels are L41 Black and L87 Pearl White, their original colors.
Seats, door panels, headliner, etc. are the correct color combinations as well. Seat stitches and wrapping (over the top) are correct for 1965.
Pop-out windows have been rebuilt with new seals and headliner welt.
All new OE German seals, including the windshield seal with new OE glass.
New headliner uses correct folds and padding.
Modern insulates used to keep interior comfortable and to minimize sound.
Original "Salt and Pepper" square-weave carpeting with cloth binding.
Original Bendix-Sapphire radio works sporadically. It could just be a loose connection.
6-volt electrical system rebuilt, new generator, all new wiring harness, correct color-coded wires and correct ends.
Front and rear bumpers are top-of-the-line replacements with triple plate chrome.
Mounts and tubes painted their correct chrome silver.
Original transmission rebuilt with new pinion and main shaft bearings, syncros, clutch, and one-piece axle boots.
All stock gears and overall gearing has been kept original.
All mechanics and drive train completely rebuilt during restoration including all external engine parts with the exception of the long block of the engine, which had recently been rebuilt. However, the long block was carefully inspected and compression testing was excellent.

Auto Services in California

Yuki Import Service ★★★★★

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Address: 2233 Corinth Ave, Universal-City

Phone: (310) 914-1601

Your Car Specialists ★★★★★

Auto Repair & Service, Automobile Parts & Supplies, Auto Transmission

Address: 13903 Marquardt Ave, Compton

Phone: (562) 802-1332

Xpress Auto Service ★★★★★

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Xpress Auto Leasing & Sales ★★★★★

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Address: 701 E Colorado St, South-El-Monte

Phone: (818) 500-9933

Wynns Motors ★★★★★

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Address: 55 Oak St, Brisbane

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Wright & Knight Service Center ★★★★★

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Recharge Wrap-up: meet the '66 ZelectricBug, DOE announces home-scale H2 refueling competition

Thu, Oct 30 2014

The US Department of Energy has launched the $1 million H2 Refuel H-Prize competition to create small- to medium-scale hydrogen refueling systems. The systems could be home-scale systems that produce hydrogen using utilities at home for refueling, or medium-scale systems to supply locations such as retail centers, apartment complexes or small fleets. The DOE sees hydrogen fueling infrastructure as the biggest obstacle to fuel-cell vehicle adoption and putting the production and refueling in the hands of the consumer could be a way around that obstacle. Read more at Energy.gov and at Green Car Congress. Hyundai has announced a new six-speed automatic transmission with integrated electric motor for new hybrid models. The new configuration puts most of the hybrid powertrain components within the transmission, and the torque converter has been eliminated. The new engine clutch reduces drag with fewer clutch discs, and the mechanical oil pump has been replaced with an electric one. The result is fewer energy losses, improved efficiency and greater mileage. Read more at Hybrid Cars in Reuters or in the press release from Hyundai below. Zelectric Motors has completed its electric 1966 Volkswagen Beetle rebuild, and has put it up for sale. The '66 ZelectricBug, as it's called, is powered by a 50-kW electric motor and 20-kWh battery pack, and offers 120 pound-feet of torque. It has a range of 80 miles, and is capable of at least 100 mph. The stock transmission has been rebuilt. It also has some new goodies like high-performance sway bars, custom shocks, and LED lighting. The '66 ZelectricBug is priced at $45,000. Check it out in the video below and read more at Hybrid Cars. A startup called Alevo says it will build a billion-dollar factory in North Carolina to make longer-lasting lithium iron phosphate batteries. Alevo has purchased an old cigarette factory in Concord for $68.5 million, but it's unclear whether or not the company has secured the $1 billion investment to begin producing batteries. The company plans to create 2,500 to 6,000 jobs and produce several gigawatts worth of batteries per year, which is a tall order for a relatively unknown company. Read more at Gigaom, or in Alevo's press release below. Tesla owners in Shanghai will be exempt from the city's $12,000 registration fee. About 400 people have already received the free license plates in Shanghai, where the government wants to encourage alternative fuel vehicles.

Submit your questions for Autoblog Podcast #366 LIVE!

Mon, 27 Jan 2014

We're set to record Autoblog Podcast #366 tonight, and you can check out the topics below, drop us your questions and comments via our Q&A module, and don't forget to subscribe to the Autoblog Podcast in iTunes if you haven't already done so. To take it all in live, tune in to our UStream (audio only) channel at 10:00 PM Eastern tonight.
Discussion Topics for Autoblog Podcast Episode #366
2015 Lincoln Navigator

Prop-driven VW Beetle hopes to land in Bonneville [w/video]

Thu, 10 Jan 2013

Sometimes you meet folks who, when they tell you "Hey, I have an idea," your reflex response is to stop what you're doing and tell yourself, "Get ready...." We imagine Mike Niemans is one of those folks, and the idea in question is putting a tank engine on a Type 1 Volkswagen Beetle. Not just any old tank engine - as if there were such a thing when we're talking about putting them in cars - but a 668-cubic-inch, 220-horsepower radial engine built by Continental in 1941 and procured from an M2 tank.
In the image above Nieman is using the tank clutch hub to get the motor set up, but in one of the images below you can see what really belongs back there is: a two-inch, reverse-pitch prop taken from a wind generator. He says there's enough mojo with the propeller action to get the car rolling down the runway like a jet when he gives it gas - and speaking of gas, the engine's been refitted to run on propane.
After a few safety tweaks Nieman's going to take the matte-black Beetle to Bonneville, "put the prop on, let her go and see what happens!" We can't wait to see the video of that. There are two shakedown videos below to get you ready.

Immaculately Restored 1965 Panama Beige Classic Vw Beetle on 2040-cars

Volkswagen Beetle - Classic for Sale