1961 Volkswagen Beetle - Classic

Sedan

1200cc 34bhp DIN, 40HP SAE

Manual 4 Spd.

Clear

A real California beauty! 1961 VW Beetle. This car is a great daily driver as is or would make an easy starting point for someone wanting to restore an old VW to like new condition. Mostly stock and the '61 is a desirable year for collectors. Runs strong and smooth, purrs along at 60MPH with no trouble at all. Very clean and straight body in good condition, not perfect but very good. Body panels are all in good shape and not damaged and paint is not bad but far from perfect; A couple of small primer spots and amateur attempts at some small surface touch-ups (as can be seen in the pictures). No rust underneath and floor pans are solid and in good shape. Interior is a little age worn but not trashed. Carpet could stand to be replaced but original rubber floor mats are in pretty good shape. All knobs and glass in place and not broken. Dash is uncut and in very good condition with stock radio insert plate for a clean, original look (no radio, no speaker holes anywhere.) Original 6-volt electrical system and all electronics, gauges, lights, etc. work. I have service records all the way back to 1961 from original owner(s). The car itself (odometer) has about 145K miles on it, but I can't say what the mileage is on the engine itself. Looking back through the over 50 years of repair receipts that I have, it looks like the engine has had at least a couple of complete rebuilds along with many, many tune ups, valve adjustments, carb rebuilds, etc. What I can say with confidence is the engine is very clean and runs like a top! I have stripped and repainted the wheels to the original stock two-tone colors. Four new American Classic 165R15 radial white-wall tires (Have fifth repainted rim for spare, but no white-wall tire for it). New correct stock color (Como Green) running boards. Sporty, vintage-looking luggage rack on top and it also comes with a car cover. It even has the original 1956 professionally restored California black and yellow license plates WITH a like new 1961 registration sticker. AND the original plate frame from the Santa Monica VW dealer (now long gone) where she was originally purchased! She gets lots of attention on the road, I've gotten enthusiastic "thumbs-ups" from Ferrari and Porsche drivers! I love this little Bug, but I'm selling to make room in the garage for a new car and other projects. Car is also for sale locally so I reserve the right to end this auction if it sells. Please feel free to ask me to send any additional, specific pics of anything you'd like to see up close, or ask any questions and I will try to answer as accurately as possible. Buyer will be responsible for shipping or pickup, but I will do my best to assist on my end. All sales will be final. Deposit of $500 by payment through PayPal within 48 hours of auction close. Balance to be paid either by cash in hand or certified bank check that clears my bank before the car leaves my garage. No other options will be considered.On Sep-01-12 at 12:29:37 PDT, seller added the following information: This car is numbers matching for body and chassis.On Sep-05-12 at 14:40:00 PDT, seller added the following information: I've had many inquiries about specific details of this car and I have been as honest and forthcoming as I can be in my responses and in the description and photos shown in the listing. Some people I've communicated with seem to be expecting it to be a pristine, near show-quality vintage Beetle. I want to reiterate before the auction closes that this is an UNRESTORED 1961 automobile. It is in good condition for a 51 year old car, but it is NOT perfect by any means. It drives very well and runs smoothly. Mechanically I'd call it fairly reliable and solid, which makes it a good daily driver as is. Depending on how much money and time you wanted to put into it, the car is a very good starting point for a little at a time fix-er-upper to a full-on restoration. If that is what you are looking for, please bid with confidence. If you want a perfect, beautiful, restored VW with no age spots and old scars, add about $10,000 to the selling price of this car and go find one. Thanks and happy bidding!