VW is ending production of the second version of the Beetle.
https://www.roadandtrack.com/new-cars/a19155284/volkswagen-beetle-discontinued/
I remember my dad shaking his head at the first version of those
bugs passing us.
Forty horsepower is all they had if I remember correctly.

On 3/9/2018 7:01 AM, Dean Hoffman wrote:
VW is ending production of the second version of the Beetle.
https://www.roadandtrack.com/new-cars/a19155284/volkswagen-beetle-discontinued/

Â*Â* I remember my dad shaking his head at the first version of those
bugs passing us.
Forty horsepower is all they had if I remember correctly.

I rode in some of the old ones and had to drive one once and did not
feel comfortable with practically nothing between me and the road. Nice
thing about them was cost less than $1,000 and friend that had one could
replace the engine himself. Don't think a lift was even needed.

On 03/09/2018 05:57 AM, Frank wrote:
On 3/9/2018 7:01 AM, Dean Hoffman wrote:
VW is ending production of the second version of the Beetle.
https://www.roadandtrack.com/new-cars/a19155284/volkswagen-beetle-discontinued/

I remember my dad shaking his head at the first version of those
bugs passing us.
Forty horsepower is all they had if I remember correctly.

I rode in some of the old ones and had to drive one once and did not
feel comfortable with practically nothing between me and the road. Nice
thing about them was cost less than $1,000 and friend that had one could
replace the engine himself. Don't think a lift was even needed.

I rode in one a couple of times and drove one about 50 yards to move it
away from a loading dock. I would mind having an old Beetle. The new one
was too cutesy and overpriced for my taste with the cachet of a chick car.

Somehow i don't think the I.D. Buzz will be the ride of broke hippie
kids and rock a psychedelic paint job, at least not for thirty years of
so. Then instead of dealing with worn out engines they can nurse
batteries on their last gasp.

On Fri, 9 Mar 2018 06:01:24 -0600, Dean Hoffman
wrote:

VW is ending production of the second version of the Beetle.
https://www.roadandtrack.com/new-cars/a19155284/volkswagen-beetle-discontinued/
I remember my dad shaking his head at the first version of those
bugs passing us.
Forty horsepower is all they had if I remember correctly.

Close, 36. I had a dune buggy built from a 1958 pan that had 14" cut
out of the middle and welded back together. With the dune buggy body
on it you could go about 55-60 on the highway. If you hopped it up
with the 1600cc "squareback" engine it was more like 70.
Yes one guy could lift that engine but you needed something or someone
to hold it up when you were putting the bolts in. These things also
had the infamous carbon monoxide heater. No real heater fan but they
took some of the cooling air from the engine and routed it back into
the car. They did have threaded fittings on the manifold and cast
iron parts to mitigate the CO problem tho. The only problem was
sitting at a light when the wind was behind you.

On Fri, 09 Mar 2018 10:42:07 -0500, wrote:

On Fri, 9 Mar 2018 06:01:24 -0600, Dean Hoffman
wrote:

VW is ending production of the second version of the Beetle.
https://www.roadandtrack.com/new-cars/a19155284/volkswagen-beetle-discontinued/
I remember my dad shaking his head at the first version of those
bugs passing us.
Forty horsepower is all they had if I remember correctly.

Close, 36. I had a dune buggy built from a 1958 pan that had 14" cut
out of the middle and welded back together. With the dune buggy body
on it you could go about 55-60 on the highway. If you hopped it up
with the 1600cc "squareback" engine it was more like 70.
Yes one guy could lift that engine but you needed something or someone
to hold it up when you were putting the bolts in. These things also
had the infamous carbon monoxide heater. No real heater fan but they
took some of the cooling air from the engine and routed it back into
the car. They did have threaded fittings on the manifold and cast
iron parts to mitigate the CO problem tho. The only problem was
sitting at a light when the wind was behind you.


The heaters that I remember were "gas heaters" which could
throw out just enough heat to keep the winshield clear ..
and also had some safety issues. The Bugs had good traction
in snow when compared with the old rear-drive boats with bias tires.
The pipe-frame no body dune buggies that my brother &
his friends made were fun - old 1200 cc engines were slow
but simple & durable. One guy got a newer VW wagon with
the 1500 or 1600 engine - it was a huge difference in power
around the fields - bat-out-of-hell compared to the others.
4 bolts, throttle cable, fuel line - to change the engine -
2 guys could do it in about 15 minutes.
John T.

On 3/9/2018 9:45 AM, rbowman wrote:
On 03/09/2018 05:57 AM, Frank wrote:
On 3/9/2018 7:01 AM, Dean Hoffman wrote:
VW is ending production of the second version of the Beetle.
https://www.roadandtrack.com/new-cars/a19155284/volkswagen-beetle-discontinued/


Â*Â*Â* I remember my dad shaking his head at the first version of those
bugs passing us.
Forty horsepower is all they had if I remember correctly.

I rode in some of the old ones and had to drive one once and did not
feel comfortable with practically nothing between me and the road.Â* Nice
thing about them was cost less than $1,000 and friend that had one could
replace the engine himself.Â* Don't think a lift was even needed.

I rode in one a couple of times and drove one about 50 yards to move it
away from a loading dock. I would mind having an old Beetle. The new one
was too cutesy and overpriced for my taste with the cachet of a chick car.

Somehow i don't think the I.D. Buzz will be the ride of broke hippie
kids and rock a psychedelic paint job, at least not for thirty years of
so. Then instead of dealing with worn out engines they can nurse
batteries on their last gasp.


When they came out again with the Beetle several years ago, a woman
pulled up next to me in one at the post office. I asked her if they
were still less than $1,000 and all I got was a blank stare.

Maybe the bug will be revived in a few years. Bugs are hard to kill.

On Fri, 09 Mar 2018 10:42:07 -0500, wrote:

On Fri, 9 Mar 2018 06:01:24 -0600, Dean Hoffman
wrote:

VW is ending production of the second version of the Beetle.
https://www.roadandtrack.com/new-cars/a19155284/volkswagen-beetle-discontinued/
I remember my dad shaking his head at the first version of those
bugs passing us.
Forty horsepower is all they had if I remember correctly.

Close, 36. I had a dune buggy built from a 1958 pan that had 14" cut
out of the middle and welded back together. With the dune buggy body
on it you could go about 55-60 on the highway. If you hopped it up
with the 1600cc "squareback" engine it was more like 70.
Yes one guy could lift that engine but you needed something or someone
to hold it up when you were putting the bolts in. These things also
had the infamous carbon monoxide heater. No real heater fan but they
took some of the cooling air from the engine and routed it back into
the car. They did have threaded fittings on the manifold and cast
iron parts to mitigate the CO problem tho. The only problem was
sitting at a light when the wind was behind you.
Not as bad as the corvair, which redirected the heated air from the
cooling system into the car. At least the VW used fresh inlet air,
blownthrough heat exchangers on the exhaust, to heat the car. Getting
oil or exhaust fumes into a VW that wasn't rested to pieces was pretty
rare.

In a Corvair it was very common (as the pushrod tubes were very prone
to leaking oil all over the exhaust)

On Fri, 09 Mar 2018 11:54:39 -0500, wrote:

On Fri, 09 Mar 2018 10:42:07 -0500, wrote:

On Fri, 9 Mar 2018 06:01:24 -0600, Dean Hoffman
wrote:

VW is ending production of the second version of the Beetle.
https://www.roadandtrack.com/new-cars/a19155284/volkswagen-beetle-discontinued/
I remember my dad shaking his head at the first version of those
bugs passing us.
Forty horsepower is all they had if I remember correctly.

Close, 36. I had a dune buggy built from a 1958 pan that had 14" cut
out of the middle and welded back together. With the dune buggy body
on it you could go about 55-60 on the highway. If you hopped it up
with the 1600cc "squareback" engine it was more like 70.
Yes one guy could lift that engine but you needed something or someone
to hold it up when you were putting the bolts in. These things also
had the infamous carbon monoxide heater. No real heater fan but they
took some of the cooling air from the engine and routed it back into
the car. They did have threaded fittings on the manifold and cast
iron parts to mitigate the CO problem tho. The only problem was
sitting at a light when the wind was behind you.


The heaters that I remember were "gas heaters" which could
throw out just enough heat to keep the winshield clear ..
and also had some safety issues. The Bugs had good traction
in snow when compared with the old rear-drive boats with bias tires.
The pipe-frame no body dune buggies that my brother &
his friends made were fun - old 1200 cc engines were slow
but simple & durable. One guy got a newer VW wagon with
the 1500 or 1600 engine - it was a huge difference in power
around the fields - bat-out-of-hell compared to the others.
4 bolts, throttle cable, fuel line - to change the engine -
2 guys could do it in about 15 minutes.
John T.
The gas heaters were easily capable of driving you out of the car
with their heat output when running properly. When not running
properly they discharged copious black smoke from the right front
wheelwell, and cackled and backfired as well.

On Sat, 10 Mar 2018 04:38:11 GMT, Wayne Boatwright
wrote:

On Fri 09 Mar 2018 05:57:47a, Frank told us...

On 3/9/2018 7:01 AM, Dean Hoffman wrote:
VW is ending production of the second version of the Beetle.
https://www.roadandtrack.com/new-car...kswagen-beetle
-discontinued/

Â*Â* I remember my dad shaking his head at the first version of
those
bugs passing us.
Forty horsepower is all they had if I remember correctly.

I rode in some of the old ones and had to drive one once and did
not feel comfortable with practically nothing between me and the
road. Nice thing about them was cost less than $1,000 and friend
that had one could replace the engine himself. Don't think a lift
was even needed.


I owned two Super Beetle Convertibles during the 1960s and loved both
of them. Even had air conditioning installed in both of them. The
A/C units were actually aftermarket and made in Mexico. The design
was such that it looked totally incorporated into the design of the
dashboard.
I had a 1949 Splitwindow bug back in 1974 in Zambia.
Semaphore signals, cable brakes - with the handbrake operating all 4
wheels with the same cables.

Joked about 45MPH wide open downhill with a tailwind until it "got a
breakaway" on the way home to Livingstone from Chobe Botswana on the
Naketindi highway. I think I was doing almost 70 by the time it got to
the bottom of the hill and I didn't have the courage to step on the
brake pedal as one never knew which way it was going to head when the
brake was applied, and I didn't want to be surprised at that speed!!!

Didn't need a heater or defroster over there - I think it got as low
as 38F one july night

Unlike my Peugeot I didn't need to worry about water getting in when
it rained as the floor was pretty well sandbl;assted through in a few
spots that let the water out.

Also babysat a Danish friend's mid-sixties bug, "shorty" when he went
home on furlough. It had been rolled so he took off the roof, and
while he was at it he sectioned it, shotening it about 10 inches.

Had a few interesting experiences hitting loose sand on a corner - I
ended up backing out of the corner - thankfully nothing coming the
other way.

Lots of other VW experiences in those 2 years - like the heads falling
off a 1600, and the motor falling out of the school Kombi, the spline
coming out of the rear brake drum, caburetor icing and vapor lock
within about 20 minutes or half an hour opn the '49 -
Never a dull moment with an air cooled VW in the "bush" of South
Central Africa - - -