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1972 Volkswagen Classic Super Beetle Convertible, Fresh Restoration - No Reserve on 2040-cars

Year:1972 Mileage:32529
Location:

Burlington, Illinois, United States

Burlington, Illinois, United States

LISTED WITH NO RESERVE.  1972 Classic Volkswagen Super Beetle Convertible, nice looking car, very well maintained.

Much has been updated and upgraded on this car, to include:

  • New convertible top and roof liner, installed 11/11/2013
  • New heater components consisting of
  • New heat exchangers (heater boxes)
  • New ducting in front to improve defrost functionality
  • Installation of two heater blowers inline with the heater boxes, which are surrounding the exhaust manifolds - these blowers
  •  were purchased from a dealer who represented spare parts off of NASCAR
  • racing cars, and these units were originally designed as blowers in the engine
  •  compartments of large yachts to ventilate any fuel fumes, but were later re-
  • designed by Roush Racing to cool their NASCAR brake systems.  These blowers
  • have 'RK 191' written on them, indicating one of Roush Team race cars, but I can't determine
  •  which one, maybe somebody else with Roush Racing team info can determine this.
  • New exhaust system
  • New engine dress up components to include fan shroud, engine tin and other misc. parts
  • Recent low profile directional tires, giving the car a low slung modern look (for a 41 year old car)
  • New carpeting and floor mats, both inside the car and forward trunk areas
  • New seat belts
  • New correct spare tire and rim, fully inflated, lug wrench
All mechanical components have been checked for reliability, including all brakes, CV joints, engine, transmission and clutch, electrical system.
Too many other minor parts and components have been replaced to mention without leaving something out, please ask if you have questions.

NOTE: there are several systems that were engineered by the German VW teams back in the 1940's through 1972 when this car came off of the assembly line, and some of them were just plain lousy engineering, and I replaced them, namely the windshield washer system and the heater system.  Both were just barely functional even when brand new, and in my opinion unacceptable.  

Heater system: in line with the heat exchangers but before the flapper valve running into the passenger compartment, I have installed two 12 volt electric blower fans, than when engaged blow perhaps as much as a 500% increase in air flow than the original German system.  So much heated air is generated by these fans (formerly installed on NASCAR race vehicles), that I had to install a rheostat to control the fan speed so that the interior compartment does not get too hot (nobody ever said that about a convertible VW Beetle before).  This unit, when the levers are set to defrost, generate a healthy heated air flow to the windshield ducts, and the system works as it should have been designed 50 years ago, but wasn't.  Because the car is air cooled, no water is used in the heating system, and accordingly the heat exchangers start putting out heat after only about 30 seconds after the car has been started from a stone cold engine left over night in a cold garage, and once just a minimum amount of heat is available, the NASCAR heater pumps force warm air into the drivers compartment almost immediately.  Any other car takes several minutes to warm the coolant that provides heat to the interior of any standard car, but this VW has heat right away, regardless of how cold it is outside.  

Windshield washer system: the original German system on these cars had the spare tire providing pressure to the washer fluid reservoir, and then plumbed up to the windshield wiper control inside the car, then on to the windshield washer nozzle on the hood.  Each and every step along the way, leaks could occur through normal wear and aging of the rubber components, and failure anywhere along the line would depressurize the tank along with the spare tire.  Any failure anywhere in the system would ensure not only no pressure to the windshield washer, but also ensure a flat spare tire.  Terrible engineering, in my opinion.  I removed all of this, and simply installed an electric washer pump designed for a 1981 Toyota Camry at the bottom of the washer reservoir, and wired a control button to below the dashboard, where failure of this system is extremely low: no chance of losing your spare tire air, and virtually no chance of losing pressure to the windshield washer nozzle on the hood.  

The condition of the car is very good, but the car is 41 years old, after all.  Relatively rust free Colorado car now in Illinois, but there are some minor areas with surface rust but nothing structurally significant.  The older paint job on the car still shines nicely, but there are many areas that had touch up paint applied, and some cracks and checking are apparent on the hood and elsewhere, but it does not really affect the generally nice appearance of the car.  


PayPal deposit of $500 required within 48 hours of eBay purchase, balance due within 7 days of purchase date via certified funds.  Shipping at buyer's expense, but seller can provide shipping quote and assist loading.  Car will be released for shipping only after all funds have cleared sellers' bank, perhaps 7 to 10 business days.   If it appears that the initial successful buyer does not intend to live up to the terms of this posting for any reason whatsoever, seller reserves the right to cancel the transaction and relist the car at any point after the listing has ended, and block the recalcitrant buyer going forward.  
  

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Auto blog

Volkswagen throws a Polo-palooza with four new or upgraded models

Wed, 05 Mar 2014

Volkswagen unveiled a parade of new and upgraded Polo models at the 2014 Geneva Motor Show, including the Polo TSI BlueMotion, Polo TDI BlueMotion, Polo BlueGT and CrossPolo (pictured above). While they will likely never make an appearance this side of the pond, it is fun to see what European subcompact drivers will be driving later this year.
The new BlueMotion models represent the most efficient petrol and diesel options in their class, according to VW. The BlueMotion TDI offers just 73 horsepower from its diesel engine but gives the equivalent of 76 miles per gallon (US) in the EU test. The BlueMotion TSI brings a little more power with its 88-hp petrol engine and has a combined rating of 57 mpg (US) in the EU cycle.
The Polo BlueGT provides a balance of performance and economy, and for the 2014 model, it gains a 9-horsepower boost to its 1.4-liter turbocharged to give drivers 147 hp at the press of the accelerator. This year's car also has an optional Sport Select suspension with electronically controlled dampers to improve handling a bit. It's still fitted with active cylinder management to use as little gas as possible when cruising.

Volkswagen lays off 500 Chattanooga workers

Fri, 19 Apr 2013

The redesigned Volkswagen Passat has been a decent seller since its debut in 2011, but sales have apparently dropped off enough that the automaker is trimming some of the employees from its Chattanooga, TN assembly plant. According to Automotive News, Volkswagen will be cutting shifts and laying off 500 contracted workers in response to slowing sales.
Currently, the plant has three teams running 10-hour shifts Monday through Saturday, but starting May 13, this will be reduced down to two teams running 10-hour shifts Monday through Thursday. This will be done to reduce dealer inventory (the article says that VW dealers, on average, have a 97-day supply of Passats) and production capacity (currently running at an annual pace of 170,000 units, which is more than the 150,000 annual units the plant was planned to produce).
This, of course, isn't saying that the Passat has been a failure since VW added 200 full-time employees to the plant in February 2012 to keep up with increased demand. The AN article says that automakers frequently overstaff plants during the launch of a new product - or in this case, a new product and a new plant - but eventually reduce the workers as things run smoother and more efficiently.

U.S. opens probe into whether VW vehicles infringe Jaguar Land Rover patents

Tue, Dec 22 2020

WASHINGTON — The U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC) said on Monday it is opening in investigation into whether Volkswagen AG infringed on patents held by Jaguar Land Rover for a system used for off-road driving. In November, Jaguar Land Rover, a unit of Tata Motors, filed a complaint with the ITC seeking to prevent the import of some VW Porsche, Lamborghini and Audi models with "certain vehicle control systems" that allegedly infringe on it patents held for its Terrain Response system. The models include the Lamborghini Urus, Porsche Cayenne and AudiÂ’s Q8, Q7, Q5, A6 Allroad, and E-Tron vehicles and the VW Tiguan. The ITC said it has made no decision on the merits. VW said in a statement it was examining the action and determining its next steps. "We will of course cooperate with investigating authorities. While we cannot comment on any details of the proceedings, we strongly believe that the claims have no merit and will robustly defend our position," VW said. Many automakers offer a suite of off-road powertrain controls, but JLR claims Volkswagen's tech is more than just similar.  Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) said the vehicles "have used JLRÂ’s patented inventions without payment or permission" notably a patent for an "improved system for driving a vehicle on different driving surfaces, in particular off-road." JLR says its Terrain Response technology uses the patented technology to maximize performance on off-road driving surfaces, including grass, snow, mud, sand and rocks.