The Volkswagen Beetle means a lot of things to many people. In the mid-'50s, the Beetle was the biggest selling car in Germany, a potent symbol of West Germany's economic miracle after WWII. In the United States, it was wholeheartedly embraced by the counter-culture hippie movement as a symbol of non-conformism. Jason of 5150mxVW YouTube channel recently discovered a 1965 Volkswagen Beetle that had been sitting abandoned in a garage for a number of years.
With more than 21 million units sold in 65 years, the 'bug car' isn't the rarest of classic cars. Still, it triggers some excitement among classic car collectors when discovered.
Jason isn't new to VW Beetles. He's dedicated his channel to collecting air-cooled VWs, rescuing old classic cars and MX bikes since 2008. On a recent upload, the Beetle enthusiast stumbled upon a rare 1965 Volkswagen Beetle that had been sitting for some time.
Like any other classic car collector, Jason was compelled to breathe some life into this old cute bug car.
This particular car was produced during the Beetle's evolution and design change era. This was a period the automaker was experiencing a boom in global sales. The '65 model came with a front anti-roll bar and a hydraulic steering damper.
This model year also had a new engine and transmission even though it retained the initial 1,192 cc displacement. This powerplant (engine code D) got a boost to 33.5 hp (34 ps) and 59.7 lb-ft (81 Nm) of torque.
It was a rare find with a sunroof wrapped in Bahama blue shade, an original engine (rebuilt), and a minty preserved interior and exterior. As a bonus, the owner sold the classic car with a bunch of spares.
"This thing was in that garage. It had been sitting for years. The guy I got the car from said it's been sitting as long as he's known his wife," Jason revealed.
The '65 Beetle didn't come without a couple of problems. The sunroof needed some repair, and the rear lower quarter rocker had rust issues. Fortunately, Jason has dealt with worse and admits it's his first Beetle find that easily rolled off without a tow truck.
After draining the oil for a fresh batch and checking the cylinder heads and valves, the only thing left was to give this cute old lady a nudge.
"Beautiful heads, oil changed, valves are checked. We'll just put a little fuel down the old blow hole to see if she fires off, and then, we'll go from there," Jason said.
After a few attempts, a dash of fuel on the carburetor, and timing recalibration, the Beetle roared to life for the first time in a while.
We recommend catching that action in the video below. Jason also drops a few nuggets that could help you revive these old relics.
Humphrey is a car enthusiast whose love and passion for automobiles extended into collecting, writing, driving, and working on cars. He got his passion for cars from his Dad, who spent thousands of hours working on his old junky 1970 E20 Toyota Corolla. Years later, he would end up doing the same with a series of lemons he’s owned throughout his adult life. Full profile
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