1973 Volkswagen Beetle - Classic

Coupe

4 - Cyl.

Manual

1132017590

Clear

Gasoline

Classic beetle with low mileage and only one owner, don't pass up this rare opportunity to own a unique car! If you have any questions or comments please don't hesitate to call 732-299-4701 A little background on this precious car: "The '73 Beetle. All small cars are not created equal", a fact that Volkswagen had proven with years of constant improvements to the Beetle. The updates that took place with the 1302 were just the beginning in the plans to modernize the Beetle. In 1973 Volkswagen took a huge step forward with the introduction of a new and improved Super Beetle called the 1303. Most of the changes that had taken place on the Beetle were done for function and style, but a new windshield was added for completely different reasons. To comply with proposed U.S. safely regulations regarding the distance between passengers and the front windshield, Volkswagen introduced the new sharply curved front glass to the 1303. This panoramic windshield gave a remarkable 42% increase in visibility and improved the aero dynamics of the car as well. It also caused a change in the shape of the front hood and the roofline. The new shortened hood lost its traditional VW circle logo and gave the car a "pregnant look" in the transformation. The 1973 Super Beetle had VW purists rubbing their eyes when a redesigned, full sized, padded dashboard replaced the traditional flat one that had been inside the Beetle since 1958. This new dashboard was designed to house future air bags and to improve ventilation inside the car. By using an air vent channel that stretched from side to side near the front windshield a greater volume of fresh and heated air could be delivered to the occupants. The single gauge still remained but now was housed in a plastic binnacle in front of the driver. Other switches were moved downward, directly inline with the radio and right at the driver's fingertips. The glove box in the new 1303 was a good size but for some reason was divided into smaller compartments. Unfortunately for coffee drinkers everywhere the glove box lid would no longer open fully to double as a beverage tray. There was also a new fuse box located centrally for easy access in case of an electrical failure. In the rear of the Beetle were the largest taillights ever installed on a Volkswagen, and most likely any other car of that era. These soon earned the nickname "elephant's feet" in VW circles and were thought to be ugly compared to the stylish "tombstone" taillights that preceded them. One well-known special edition for 1973 was the beautiful Sports Beetle. For an additional $250.00 this 1303 Super Beetle came with distinctive red and black stripes that encircled the car. The tapered tail pipe tips, trim, door handles, wipers and bumpers were all given a matt black finish and 5 ½" silver Lemmertz GT wheels with radial tires were installed to complete the package. The Sport Bug's sales brochure featured black headlamp rings although some of the cars were fitted with the standard chrome ones. The interior came with sports bucket seats, a leather sports steering wheel and gearshift knob, how sporty! The new and improved Super Beetle was also being produced outside of Germany. With its importer UNIS, Volkswagenwerk AG set up the joint venture TAS Tvornica Automobila Sarajevo in Yugoslavia, with its headquarters in Vogosca. TAS started off by manufacturing replacement and series parts for Volkswagen. After a period of one year, on November 10th, 1973 assembly of the 1303 model started in the new factory. Production capacity was a mere 20 cars per day. Meanwhile in Australia the 1302 had been produced from 1971 to 1972 and was called the Volkswagen S. The 1973 to 1975 Australian built 1303 was called the Volkswagen L; all had 1600cc motors with front disc brakes as standard equipment.