1961 Volkswagen Beetle - Classic

Cabriolet T1 Convertible

4 - Cyl.

Manual

3921026

Gasoline

no reserve -- no reserve -- no reserve**NO MINIMUM BID -- THE TOP BIDDER WINS**1961 Volkswagen Beetle ConvertibleExcellent Condition Inside, Excellent Outside and Excellent MechanicallyMANY EXTRAS INCLUDED, THIS AUCTION IS TRULY A UNIQUE OPPORTUNITY...Includes very rare factory-issued '61 Beetle factory folder and documentationIncludes period-correct Samsonite luggageIncludes period-correct encased folding picnic set and table (it is the brown piece of luggage in the photos, a valuable antique unto itself)Includes rigid quick-release folding luggage rack that doesn't touch paint or get bolted or screwed on. Rather it just clicks nicely and strongly onto bumper framework with an ingenious design. Includes extra wood slats and extra stainless steel screwsIncludes spare window crank with ivory handleIncludes original owner's manualIncludes original jack, handle and spareIncludes original accessory brochureIncludes original factory dealer color sales brochureIncludes original service bookletIncludes original dealer mapIncludes original dealers listIncludes a genuine 1961 Florida rear license plate (Florida to this day only uses a rear plate...no front plate)Includes genuine (not a reproduction) German front license plate mounted with nice aluminum brackets behind bumper, ingeniously using existing bumper bolts without modification to any aspects of the car/bumper.Includes unassembled 1961 Beetle Convertible sealed, boxed scale modelIncludes a sealed, unused "How to Keep Your Volkswagen Alive" BookIncludes a Clymer's VW Beeetle '61-74 Repair BookIncludes a VW Beetle '61-80 Road Barron BookIncludes a spare set of unused/box of new old-stock running boardsIncludes documented history attestation from previous decades' ownerIncludes a period-correct 6-volt under dash mount fan with flexible rubber blades, unmountedDoesn't leak oil on the ground or smokeRuns extremely wellDrives extremely wellShifts through all the gears greatBrakes extremely wellSteers extremely wellBacklight illumination light bulb on the fuel gauge is burned out, easy enough to replaceThe radio is not working, I haven't investigated what the issue isWipers work, gauges all workOriginal 6-volt electrical systemLeft rear tail-light glows but glows dimRunning (parking) lights, turn signals front and rear and low and high beam headlights all workHeadlights are somewhat dim as you would expect for an old 6-volt system, but that's part of the charmThis was an addition to my Volkswagen collection that I recently decided to liquidate because I'll be working out of the country for my job (the Porsches in the garage you see belong to my family member)The title is clean and clear and it is in MY name. This is MY personal car... In addition to the title, if you wish you may also have a Bill of Sale, copy of my driver's license and the title can also be faxed, emailed, or FedEx'd anywhere if it helps you. If you lose the title, or the title gets otherwise lost when you're handling it, it wouldn't be an absolute nightmare or impossible to replace it as it is when purchasing other sellers' cars...I can order a duplicate (even when I'm out of the country) which would NOT be possible if someone were illegally flipping a car not in titled in their name. I will remain available to you, and will not just be unreachableLocated in Wellington, FL a bit over an hour north of Miami, 48 minutes north of Ft. Lauderdale, and 10 minutes to West Palm. The zip code is 33414. Wellington is an upscale world-recognized equestrian community near Palm Beach, FL.Free courtesy airport pickup from West Palm Beach International (PBI), Ft. Lauderdale International (FLL) and Miami International Airport (MIA) for those who wish to fly in and drive home. Also, courtesy car transport coordination is available to anywhere in the world through a preferred discounted shipping agent. Email thru eBay me for transport quote instructions...you'd be surprised how inexpensive it is to move a car across the country or world when you use the right channels who are working on repeat businessIf you contact me before the auctions ends about transport, I may offer to contribute to your transport costs just a sign of good faith and well wishes...I want the car to go to someone who will appreciate it even if it's going far away. Runs and drives extremely well -- I would drive my car (this car) immediately across the country without doing anything thing to it, doesn't even need an oil change. Comes with a full tank of fuel (which smells like old fuel but it still runs fine on it). Just get in it, turn the key and drive (note: the tires look great and have very few miles on them and they've been in the garage so they last longer indoors than otherwise, but I still have their receipt and they were purchased in the year 2000. So that means they are much older than is recommended to use safely which I believe is 6 years maximum.)This is not a "trailer queen" show car but it is certainly nice enough to be a show car, especially if you have fun driving it to a show. This is also a really superb condition driver. If you've been searching for one, you should strongly consider this one because it's difficult to find them this nice especially with so much extra included... It's a complete package that could make a stunning and unique gift for someone, or start/add to your collection, satisfy your interest from yesteryear, or even be your new daily driverClick "Watch this item" and then check back later for more photographs, video and description additionGetting to know me, your seller: I let you know all of the following not to somehow impress you (not that it necessarily would), but rather only to convey that I have a reputation to uphold, which I also rely on for business purposes. That is important information for a buyer to know. I am an Ivy League graduate. I am in my late-30s. I am a serious fellow, and I've been on the national and local TV news giving unpaid and unsolicited financial market commentary; also been in major national newspapers and magazines doing the same. Most recently, I was on M S N B C, C N N, and in A A R P magazine. There is nothing being hidden about this Volkswagen, as so many people do in ads and auctions. You don't get 100% positive feedback over 12 years of registration by hiding things. If there is something you should know about the car of which I am aware, it's available to you in the auction. I go out of my way by shooting hundreds of photos not just of every imaginable angle, but also in multiple lighting conditions, even multiple cameras, and I did a video -- by doing this you don't have to rely on a seller's "interpretation" of characteristics of the car, but instead you can draw your own conclusions from what you see. My goal is that if you use everything I provide to you, you get a more thorough demonstration of the car than if you came to see a car in person. I also go out of my way to make sure people are satisfied. I work hard to make sure I get specific positive feedback comments; I don't take it lightly, and it means a lot to me. I look forward to getting to know you if you'd like me to (or if you'd like to buy the Beetle without me getting to know you, that's OK too!)!Use the combination of the photos, videos and text for full disclosure, with more emphasis on the photos and video as the description is clearly not intended to be exhaustive. As eBay says, a single picture is worth a thousand words. eBay strongly recommends the best practice of providing as many photos as possible and letting the photos do the talking, rather than trying to describe in words what can be seen in a photo or trying to recreate in words what already is in provided photos. That said, I will still gave you my impression of the VW characteristics above as a secondary analysis. I have been registered on eBay nearly 12 years and have 100% positive feedback. If your impression of a picture/video differs from what I've written or said, then your opinion should govern your opinion. Any questions, message me through the eBay messaging system, which eBay indicates is always the preferred method of communication. I will answer promptly.I am a Management Consultant and recently got an opportunity outside the U.S. and my family has asked me to make garage space for them while I am away...I sold some other Porsches/VWs of mine from my collection in anticipation of this, and didn't expect to sell this one as it was the crown jewel VW of my collection. But, in collaboration with my family I made the decision also to sell this one. In a decade or so I may re-acquire another vintage VW convertible as they are indeed beautiful and remarkable cars, especially this one. The "whole package" of extras included and this particularly beautiful VW make this the pinnacle of vintage Beetle auctions. I wish the new owner of this stunning 50+ year old car unlimited and unending happiness with his or her new acquisition, and hope it goes to someone who appreciates it all.AUCTION RULES: Full payment is due within within 7 calendar days of auction ending by either cash in-person to be transacted at a bank during banking hours or bank wire transfer only. (Once you receive a fraudulent cashier's check from a buyer, you'll never accept another one either!) If you insist on using a check, the check may only be drawn from a bank with a South Florida branch and it will be made out to your name where you will then convert it into cash in front of me or my representative before paying. If you don't do this you'll have to wait a minimum of 6 weeks for the check to fully clear and you will incur unavoidable storage charges. If you pay by cash, I will meet you in a local branch to accept the cash and it will be deposited immediately and obviously the bank teller will check each currency note for legitimacy. Pickup is also due within 14 calendar days, and may not occur until funds have cleared. Storage for the first 14 days is 100% FREE. There is a storage charge of $350/week beyond 14 days, and is limited to 2 extra weeks (for a total of 4 weeks of storage). If you want to avoid these storage fees but can't pick up the car for months, I can set you up with a public storage unit under your name, put the car in there and FedEx you the keys, title, etc., as long as you have paid in advance. You must read the entire auction description, follow the rules, and study each picture and video fully. I do not offer any kind of a warranty on anything that I sell, ever, as a matter of personal philosophy -- this VW is As Is with no warranty. You get the VW as pictured, captured in the video, and described, a clean a clear title, a Bill of Sale and copy of my Driver's License if you wish, the front real German license plate, the rear 1961 Florida License Plate, a full tank of fuel, records, books, memorabilia, model car, documentation, brochures, etc., as mentioned or seen in pictures, and two sets of keys.On Oct-07-11 at 16:35:49 PDT, seller added the following information: The following slideshow automatically displays the first 100 of the approximately 1,000 available pictures in this album. To view the remainder of them, and to be able to zoom in, etc., right-click near the bottom of slideshow window where it says "View all" and select "Open in new window" or "Open in new tab." That will keep this auction page open while you are viewing the pictures in a separate web browser window or tab: On Oct-08-11 at 15:20:39 PDT, seller added the following information: I have created the following movie as an excellent demonstration of this Beetle. I narrate the video and show you a cold start, walk around, window and door operation, road test obviously demonstrating gears, brakes, steering, suspension, and also top operation up and down, etc. A couple things to point out: I took a weak plastic covered magnet all over the body of this car when I bought it and didn't find any bond-o (i.e., body filler) anywhere...even checking especially thoroughly where Beetles typically have it, and found none. I spent a good 1/2-hour going around with the magnet so I was very thorough. The magnet stuck everywhere, and this car was last painted more than a decade ago. I have been told by mechanics that the car has its original 51 year old floors/floorpans/floorboards with their original coating with no rust holes, and the interior (except the carpet) seems to be original too. That is they mean not just "original" in the sense that it is not modified, but it has the actual aforementioned components that the car was manufactured with, which is just amazing and utterly rare for these cars. Note: you can watch this movie in full screen mode by clicking the button on the bottom-right of the video, and hit your Esc (escape) key when you want to return to the auction. Make sure your computer speakers are on. On Oct-14-11 at 19:25:09 PDT, seller added the following information: UPDATE: Additional BONUS items included I haven't mentioned up 'til now. These additional things will still fit completely inside the car so don't be concerned they will interfere with transport. Some items pertain directly to the car and some do not have anything to do with this car but are still vintage or period-correct and have a ton of value. They are included free to you as a bonus, and they can be sold for you to offset the purchase price of the car if you choose to or you can just keep them. (Incidentally I wanted to mention I got two eBay messages during the course of the auction from Switzerland and Belgium from separate people who wanted to buy the Samsonite luggage and 3 other messages from people in the collectors in states who wanted to buy the picnic set. Obviously I turned them down :-) ) In any case, the first additional item to point out is a collapsible glossy black metal easel for car show display use; it's portable and has adjustable height and is lightweight to carry. It weighs about a 1 pound, collapses into 1 foot or so long, and you grab it with one hand. This is used where some of the documentation, brochures and so on are already mounted on a display board for people to peruse. I will tell you something, if you want to socialize or want an instant social network without even actively introducing yourself to anyone or doing any active work to meet new people you just bring this car to any car show, set up the easel for people to glance at and sit by the car and there ends up being a crowd around the car and and another crowd of people reading the story about it. It doesn't matter whether you are usually a wallflower or shy, the people will just line up like mad to ask you about the car and admire it. And then of course everyone from the shows wants to go eat and hang out afterwards. If you're in any kind of sales job or other job where networking with people is important everywhere you go people ask about the car or just would like to meet people, this is a phenomenal investment. They just come over to you. They yell out of their windows while you're in motion and give you thumbs up and smile and you feel like a million bucks. I will give you a picture of the easel/display set up. Additional items which I may list out for you separately within a couple hours are some 1960s F o r d truck parts and some valuable 1960s MG parts such as very cool instrument gauges, signal lenses, books, etc. Any of these things can be sold on eBay at any time...there's always demand for them. I am just trying to really clear things my own things out and I think whoever wins this car will be a worthy recipient for the the bonuses. Again, to be absolutely clear, these are bonus items that will be waiting for you neatly boxed and packed inside the car. I am also including a vintage and working bakelite 1940's-1950s RCA Victor AM mini-radio with Civil Defense (CD) indicators...it's very cool, about 8" wide by 5" deep by 5" tall (I'll give you a picture of that too). It's a little "early" for the car's vintage, but you could have it playing on the fold-out picnic table at a car show for an added touch of coolness. Or just put it somewhere where you live and use it.On Oct-15-11 at 03:06:05 PDT, seller added the following information: Some pictures of selected extras/bonuses included, and ~6-minute video demonstration of memorabilia and car show tripod with large display panel that is a show-ready crowd pleaser as pictured... On Oct-15-11 at 13:24:45 PDT, seller added the following information: Small note: I didn't mention in the list of original documentation in the outset of the auction that there is also an original factory issued VW price list bound booklet included...you can see it in the last video. It's of a size that would fit in the glove compartment. There are other items included I didn't mention or photo separately, because it's not practical to list out each one.