1973 Volkswagen Super Beetle Convertible
"One look at the new Super Beetle for 1973 tells you something extraordinary is going on. And in. It's quality. More of it. To give you more car. To make driving it more of an experience in every way. Get in, stretch out, and feel the difference for yourself. You'll discover that VW is thinking bigger than ever before. We want to give you quality performance and a quality car. Only this year, we have more to show for it." From a magazine print ad.
For consignment, a 1973 Volkswagen Super Beetle convertible with a title verified 81,082 actual miles, a rebuilt engine, and yes, a size that's a few inches wider and a few inches longer than the standard Beetle.
Exterior
A cheerful color for a happy car, Bright Orange covers the body and contrasts nicely with the white canvas top. Bumpers struts would come in '74, but the '73 retains the European style bumper, which is the smile to the Beetle's face, its round eyes mounted on the fender which is topped by the marker lights capped in chrome. A metal trim piece goes from the hood to the rear fender on this car and its profile shows the longer wheelbase of the Super, accentuated by the black running board. Out back, the louvered trunk lid retains the license plate hood that illuminates the plate, all flanked by the tri-colored tail lights, a contouring rear bumper, and twin exhaust pipes. 15-inch wheels are in great shape and wear the classic VW dog dish hubcaps. Up top, the curved windshield is a Super Beetle tell and its seamless orange frame is great. Slight pitting on the side mirrors but the door handles look good, as does the canvas vinyl top with the exception of an obvious patch. Other imperfections include touches up chips on the paint, actual chips and scratches, some bad fill on a bumper where the metal meets rubber ends, and cracking in the paint down low.
Interior
White vinyl door cards absolutely pop off the orange doors, further enhanced by VW's black hardware. The white buckets seats are nearly as bright and in fantastic condition, tall, supportive, and adorned with headrests. The back bench and its weave pattern vinyl is good and has an alligator patterned patch along the entire top of the seat upper. In front, typical VW with the 4 spoke steering wheel in front of single gauge while this car is dressed up with a faux burlwood applique on the lower dash where switches and toggles are found along with the AM/FM radio, all in nice condition. A simple shifter rises from the floor which is covered in a flannel like carpet protected by diamond stitch mats.
Drivetrain
Under the trunk lid, a clean, driver quality 1600cc flat 4 cylinder engine is present and was rebuilt just 60 miles ago. It's fuel injected and rated at 60 horsepower, tied to a 4-speed manual transmission that keeps power in the rear with 3.875 gears. Drum brakes are supplied on all four wheels.
Undercarriage
Driver quality conditions prevail underneath where most of the underside is covered with belly pans. Beyond the pans, some surface rust is present, but no oil or grease build up is noted anywhere. Dual exhaust leaves the engine, enters a stock style muffler, then quickly finds its way to the atmosphere via chrome tips. For suspension, the Super is equipped with a transverse torsion bar up front and semi-trailing arm and transverse torsion bar out back.
Drive-Ability
Few cars convey fun as well as the VW Beetle and a bright orange one with white interior adds to the cheerfulness. The fact that the engine runs good and that with the exception of the horn and reverse lights not operating, everything else does, is a cheerful bonus indeed! While Classic Auto Mall represents that these functions were working at the time of our test drive, we cannot guarantee these functions will be working at the time of your purchase.
VDub nation is probably one of the few automotive enthusiast genres where people of all generations can be found. The young, hip crowd is modifying old VW's and tripling the cool factor of the cars while Gen Xers are maintaining more stock examples of cars their parents had in the 60's and 70's. Meetups are huge and enthusiasm is fervent. Here's a way to get into that world or simply enjoy a good looking weekend toy that is as eye catching as a traffic cone but way more fun.
Classic Auto Mall is home to more than 1,000 classic and collectible vehicles for sale via consignment in a climate controlled 336,000-square foot showroom (that's more than 8 acres!). The largest single location consignment dealer of classic and collectible vehicles in the country is located in Morgantown, Pennsylvania, just 1-hour west of Philadelphia off Exit 298 of the I-76 Pennsylvania Turnpike. For more information visit www.classicautomall.com or call us at (888) 227-0914. Contact us anytime for more information or to come see the vehicle in person.
With so many great cars, you know we have a lot to talk about, and we do that each week on the Classic Auto Mall Podcast with host Stewart Howden. Stewart discusses new inventory as well as trends in consignments and car prices, while interviewing celebrities and automotive professionals about amazing cars and their history. Tune in each week to the Classic Auto Mall Podcast wherever you enjoy listening. You can also watch on YouTube!
