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Posts Tagged “
VW Beetle
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choose your eternity
The Dirtbag XJ-S pounded the Sepia 1940 Mopars like a Canadian carny pounding a case of Moosehead in yesterday's Choose Your Eternity poll, which was about what we expected. After all, a V12 Jaguar can beat most any PCH contender, up to (and perhaps including) a Citröen. We'll test that hypothesis later, but today we're going to try our hand at Hell Projects featuring lightweight vehicles with hoon-centric engine power. You see, you need to consider the possibility- however remote- that you might one day crawl out of the crater of boiling sulfur in your garage and actually finish a project. At that point, the hell must continue, as you careen out onto the public roads in a barely controllable deathtrap pawing and snorting at the ravaged pavement with ten times the horsepower its designers intended.
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PCH, Power-To-Weight Edition: V8 Peugeot 403 or Blown Beetle?
The Dirtbag XJ-S pounded the Sepia 1940 Mopars like a Canadian carny pounding a case of Moosehead in yesterday's Choose Your Eternity poll, which was about what we expected. After all, a V12 Jaguar can beat most any PCH contender, up to (and perhaps including) a Citröen. We'll test that hypothesis later, but today we're going to try our hand at Hell Projects featuring lightweight vehicles with hoon-centric engine power. You see, you need to consider the possibility- however remote- that you might one day crawl out of the crater of boiling sulfur in your garage and actually finish a project. At that point, the hell must continue, as you careen out onto the public roads in a barely controllable deathtrap pawing and snorting at the ravaged pavement with ten times the horsepower its designers intended.More »
down on the street
Sometimes months can go by between my photographing of a DOTS car and posting those photographs. Today's car is a good example; I shot the original photos last August, but the island is overflowing with air-cooled Beetles and I have a glut of photos of such cars (yes, Beetle fans, I know I should be posting more of them... and I will, promise). But this particular exposed-engine Beetle, which I'm arbitrarily calling a '69 (though it could be from any year during the 68-72 span), got in some sort of messy collision in the meantime and then moved across town. At first, I thought I was looking at a different car, but checking plate numbers told the whole story.
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1969 Volkswagen Beetle, Before And After Mishap
Sometimes months can go by between my photographing of a DOTS car and posting those photographs. Today's car is a good example; I shot the original photos last August, but the island is overflowing with air-cooled Beetles and I have a glut of photos of such cars (yes, Beetle fans, I know I should be posting more of them... and I will, promise). But this particular exposed-engine Beetle, which I'm arbitrarily calling a '69 (though it could be from any year during the 68-72 span), got in some sort of messy collision in the meantime and then moved across town. At first, I thought I was looking at a different car, but checking plate numbers told the whole story.More »
novelties
What do Frank Sinatra, Levi's Jeans and Don Knotts have in common? Special edition cars. When a trend gets too popular and a car company gets too desperate, they find ways to merge the two into a steaming pile of car crap — otherwise known as a trendy special edition. We thought we knew them all, but when we asked you about your favorite trendy special edition car we got quite the mix. Below are the ten weirdest responses we received, complete with a poll so you can help us select the strangest special car of them all.
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The Ten Strangest Special Edition Cars
What do Frank Sinatra, Levi's Jeans and Don Knotts have in common? Special edition cars. When a trend gets too popular and a car company gets too desperate, they find ways to merge the two into a steaming pile of car crap — otherwise known as a trendy special edition. We thought we knew them all, but when we asked you about your favorite trendy special edition car we got quite the mix. Below are the ten weirdest responses we received, complete with a poll so you can help us select the strangest special car of them all.
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1:00 PM on Wed Mar 26 2008
By Matt Hardigree
12,030 views,
142 comments
Latest by gurneyflap: How about the Marlboro GMC Syclone, cuz god knows a turbo all-wheel-drive truck and cigarettes go together. more »
retro
Looking For a 1947 U.S. Army Beetle?
Murph sent this in as a possible PCH car, but we think it deserves its own post. You think your '52 split-window Volkswagen Beetle is rare? Ha! How about this super-original 1947 Beetle in Allied Occupation Forces colors, which we first saw when the Loverman photographed it at a swap meet last summer? Yes, nineteen-freakin' forty-seven, when shivering Wolfburgers were still hammering together Beetles in RAF-customized roofless factories. Cable brakes, 25 horsepower, the works. It doesn't run, but what do you want for $28,900? [TheSamba.com]
novelties
Volkswagen PC Mod Makes PC More Respectable
If may not be quite as Hasselhoff-cool as the KITT PC casemod, but If anything can be said about this VW Beetle PC mod, it's that the craftsmanship is absolutely beautiful. Someone took a scale Beetle model and crammed a fully functioning PC inside of it. The front bumper has a slotted laptop-style CD drive, and the rear bumper flips up to unveil the necessary ports for PC operation.More »
classic ad watch
The Cheap Shall Inherit The Earth: Volkswagen Beetle
Thanks to a basic design that didn't change much for decade after decade, VW was able to slap ridiculously cheap price tags on their clattery little air-cooled machines. Sure, the heaters never worked and the valves wouldn't stay adjusted, but who cared? Cheap is smart!
classic ad watch
1972 Beetle: Don't Worry About Corrosion!
Yes, we know the joke: if Ted Kennedy had had a Beetle instead of an Olds 88 , Mary Jo Kopechne would be alive today and he'd have been elected president in 1972. Actually, the Beetle would have sunk just as fast as the Olds, because all the rust holes in the floorpan caused by New England weather would have let the water in plenty fast (13 pounds of paint or no). Now, if Ted's Chappaquiddick drive had involved an Amphicar...
down on the street
1972 Volkswagen Beetle
We've seen four of Alameda's air-cooled Beetles so far in this series (a '59, a '64, a '66, and a '69). With the 50s and 60s covered, I figured I should shoot a 70s model. With so many old Beetles still roaming the island, that's no problem at all- the only choice was between a standard Beetle and its Super Beetle sibling; I opted for the former.More »
novelties
Buy an $88,000 VW Beetle, Get the Gold for Free
Or maybe it should be buy $88,000 worth of gold and get a 1968 Volkwagen Beetle for free? Regardless, you will be getting the gold with the Beetle or the Beetle with the gold because an 18-karat blend of gold and glass is what this beautiful Beetle is coated in. The monstrosity was shown off at the annual Luxury Show in Bucharest and can actually be purchased &mdash if you are a complete moron with a knack for overpaying for an unnecessary vehicle. [BornRich]
classic ad watch
Public Transit? Nein! Get a Beetle!
You could be getting soaked at a bus stop that's colder than a Stalingrad winter, musing film-noirishly about your crimes and the lack of inner moral compass that led to your current state (not understanding German allows us to put noir interpretations on the protagonist's monologue)... or you could be crammed behind the wheel of a 36-horsepower machine equipped with a flower vase and rust-enhancing floorpans. What's it gonna be?
down on the street
1969 Volkswagen Beetle
Since 78% of you voted pro-Beetle a while back, it's time for us to look at a few of the numerous late-60s/early-70s examples I've photographed on the island. This one doesn't look so different from the '59 Beetle we saw a week ago, but plenty of changes took place under that 30s-style skin during the decade. Most important, the old rollover-friendly swingaxle rear suspension was replaced with a proper IRS unit for '69. More »
down on the street
1959 Volkswagen Beetle
Because the Germans didn't like to make styling changes for their own sake, we now have another Teutonic machine for which I cannot provide an exact year of manufacture. The door handles indicate that it's pre-1960 (unless, of course, someone has swapped early doors on a later Beetle), and the size of the rear window means it's post-1957. Any VW expert who can tell the difference between a '58 and '59 from these photos, please enlighten us; until that point I'm going to take a 50/50 shot at accuracy and say it's a 1959. More »
leaked
VW To Bring Back Beetle?
In a leaked document, Volkswagen's plans for a rear-engined, RWD city car based on the up! concept have been unveiled. Measuring 3.5 meters in length, the 3-door version should retail for €8,950 and, in true VW style, will serve as the platform for a number of additional models. Manufacture is expected to take place in Skoda's Vrchlabi factory in the Czech Republic, with sales expected in Europe, India and Russia starting in 2010. A plug-in hybrid power train is expected to accompany the usual range of diesel and gasoline engines. Bizarrely, a source within the company describes the project as "new territory." But, an affordable, rear-engined car for the people sounds like a welcome return to form for the creators of the original people's car. [Automotive News Europe via Motor Authority]
down on the street
1964 Volkswagen Type 1
According to the poll we included in the VW Thing post last week, Jalopnik readers give a definite thumbs-up to the inclusion of VW Beetles in the Down on the Street series. Looks like DOTS Beetle Week lost by a whisker... but don't worry, Beetle fans- I'll make sure our little air-cooled friends appear here on a regular basis. Today we're going to look at a solid '64 Type 1 I found parked on the west side of the island. We're going back to the old format for today, in accordance with the poll results from yesterday, but I might experiment with some ways to get some higher-res images here and there. More »
retro
We'll See Your Levis AMC and Raise You a Jeans Beetle!
As we all know, Volkswagen just loooves "special editions" of their vehicles; no doubt there's a Blutwurst Edition Thing sputtering along somewhere at this very moment. But who knew they'd done so many variations on the jeans theme? We were talking to a guy who was reminiscing about the '74 Jeans Beetle he bought new in Tel Aviv back in the day, and a little digging revealed that VW Germany and, later, VW Mexico did at least five different Jeans Beetle versions during a period spanning four decades, all using the good old smoggy Type One air-cooled car. About all they seem to have in common is the word "Jeans" and the presence of at least some denim upholstery. No word yet on an Oleg Cassini Beetle. More »
novelties
Buy A Car And Get A Guitar, You're Gonna Go Far: VW To Offer Special Axe With Select Models
We've now seen it all. We thought that VW's attempt to tie the iPod in with the Beetle was the highest into the musical stratosphere the company reprsenting Deutschland would go. We were wrong. VDub's now decided you don't just want to listen to music in your car, you want to create it — and that's why they're starting an ad campaign and first-of-its-kind musical giveaway in coordination with guitar maker First Act, Inc. Beginning today and running through the end of the year, any customer who purchases a Jetta, Jetta GLI, GTI, Rabbit, New Beetle and New Beetle Convertible, as well as select 2006 models — will receive a completely customized First Act GarageMaster electric guitar that will play seamlessly through the car's existing audio system. Each First Act GarageMaster electric guitar will:More »
news
Update: Holy Top Gun, It's The Jet-Powered VW Beetle!
Now this is our kinda Beetle. In fact, it may be the only time we could ever categorize the Beetle as "cool." It's just too bad it takes a jet engine to get us wanting to drive the round, pod-like and alltogether girly-girl VW Beetle. But yeah, we know we've posted on it before — but this time the San Francisco Chronicle has all the details (plus video!) on 50-year-old Ron Patrick, and how with $250,000 he pimped his ride with a Navy surplus GE T58-8F 1,450 hp jet engine — in fact, the President's chopper Marine One, has two of these things on it. We'll put it to you this way — it idles at 13,000 RPM. Fahrvergn gen that, Volkswagen. (Hat Tip to Mark S.!) More »
