Thanks for your input Phil, I was hoping your expansice knowledge would come in on this.Phil74Camper wrote:You were asking about standard VW Beetle weights? These come from period magazine road tests from Australian, US and UK magazines. The different countries listed slightly different weights - usually within 20kg of each other - so use these figures as a guide rather than an absolute.
1. 1956 1200 Beetle - 724 kg (14.25 cwt)
2. 1963 1200 Beetle - 741 kg (1631 lb)
3. 1966 1300 Beetle - 795 kg (1750 lb)
4. 1968 1500 Beetle - 825 kg (1815 lb)
5. 1971 1600 Superbug S - 838 kg (16.5 cwt)
6. 1972 1300 Beetle - 820 kg (1808 lb)
6. 1973 1600 Superbug L - 890 kg (1958 lb)
Fuel economy would depend more on the engine size and gearing, and how it is driven, rather than how much it weighs.
Aerodynamic drag increases with the square of the speed, and is also dependent on air density, and the coefficient of drag that is related to the cross-sectional area.
That's quite a jump between the '63 and '66.
It's actually a little surprising.
Smiley