Hi,

I'm now officially searching for a bug! Looking for an S or L for practicality. The pram we use for my almost six month old daughter actually fits in a Superbug boot!

Someone told me today of a "late 1300" that was for sale which is a Superbug?? Does such a car exist?

I know of the 1300 Beetles from the 70-74ish era with traditional torsion bar front end and swing axle rear(yesterday's lunch warmed up ) and I know of Superbugs with 1600 engines. But I've never heard of a 1300cc Super!

Cheers,

thats cos they dont exist
people out there that dont know vws often say a 1300 is a superbug just cos its made in the 70s, or has the round tail lights whatever stupid reason they can come up with

there were only 2 beetle models available from 1/71 onwards

your pov spec 1300 which had 4 wheel drums, beam front and swing axle and the superbugs which were the upper spec
71-72 S and 73-75 L which were 1600, had IRS and the strut front end with disc brakes

they're the ones u want to fit the pram in the front

not hard to pick with the wider hood

That's exactly what I believed! I worked at a VW specialist 20 years ago and I'm familiar with the different models. But here is an e-mailed conversation I had with a well-known specialist today:

Hi

In the UK and Europe there was a 1303 or L bug as they are known down here, it had the same body and suspension as an L Bug but with 4 wheel drums, 1300 motor and a single side plate box with a 4.125 final drive, one of our club members has one http://clubvw.org.au/belinda_godfrey.htm 

They are known as a 1303, the version that we got in Australia with a front discs, 3.88 final drive and 1600 motor is known as a 1303S.

Steve

Hmm, yes, I guess it could be an import. But low-back seats, 1300 engine and front drums don't sound very attractive.

The first bug I looked at about nine months ago was a green import 1303S (ex UK) and of course was 1600cc.

Hi

Look out for rust in any UK imports, read what Belinda went through.

Steve

In Australia the 1300 Beetle was actually discontinued first - in June 1975 - while the 1600 Superbug L was discontinued in November 1975. The Clayton plant needed the 1300 assembly line for the Golf, which was originally due for release in late 1975. The Superbug was then replaced by the unique 1600 Beetle (torsion bar front with discs, CV rear with 1600) for 1976 only.

So no, there were no 1300cc Superbugs sold in Australia. However, as Steve has said, the Superbug S (flat windscreen) was called the '1302' in Europe, and the Superbug L (curved screen) was the '1303'. The basic '1302' and '1303' had 1300 engines, while the '1302S' and '1303S' models were 1600. This doesn't apply to Australian models, and we didn't use the 1302 and 1303 names here. I reckon using these Euro names causes confusion.

I suppose it's also possible that any given Superbug could have had a 1300 fitted by a previous owner at some stage...

Thanks for the confirmations.

I'd consider a 1300 engine in a Superbug (factory fitted or not) a downgrade, so unless the car was cheap enough to cover inserting a decent 1600TP, then no sale.

The 1303 S (ex-UK) I looked at was almost rust free, as it had been here since it was a few months old. It sold after I looked at it and has since sold again on eBay. It was green metallic with clear-coat peeling off, some of you may recall it.

As a teenager it was the 76 I lusted after, but I prefer the strut front end now.

Rust is of course the main factor I'm looking at. I want to buy something with an RWC or minimal work to get one, so I can have it on the road quickly. I've two project cars on the go already (Minis) so I certainly don't need another one.

Cheers,

Hi guys, I have a 1300 superbug. It's a 1971 model, flat windscreen, strut front end. All the numbers match up, so I guess these really do exist...

Cheers!

We didn'r say they didn't exist; we only said they weren't sold in Australia.

Where was yours made? Where was it first sold in 1971?

what makes u think its 1300?
As Phil said they wer'nt sold in aus so if its a euro 1302 there will be some differences

I'm a newby, so I'm probably wrong...

The ADR plate says "manufactured by Motor Producers Limited", which I thought was the factory in Clayton.

Probably a moot point, as I just spent this weekend putting a fresher 1600 donk in anyway...

Yes that's an Australian-made car - Motor Producers was the VW-owned company that managed the Clayton plant from 1968 to 1976. The car would have had a 1600 engine iin 1971, but goodness knows what has happened to the car in the 39 years since - it sounds like a 1300 engine has been fitted at some stage - or, perhaps, a 1600 rebuilt engine using a 1300 crankcase? If only cars could talk...