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posted on June 20th, 2015 at 02:06 PM
A '69 Beetle Review - in a joking way.
I voted for you, even though it sounds very little like my '69 1500.
My '69 Beetle is a comfortable Grand Tourer of the highest order, the only stink of petrol I experience in it is when I'm at a petrol station, or
there is a subaru travelling in front of me.
Good luck mate.
"The best trophies are stone chips"
1969 1500 Beetle "Otis"
2008 Golf GTI
beetleboyjeff
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posted on June 20th, 2015 at 04:19 PM
I gave you a vote Ollie.
It certainly doesn't sound like any of my 69 beetles either, but as they say, you don't want the truth to get in the way of a good yarn, and I do
love the way you spin a yarn.
From your ole' mate Jeff
Phil74Camper
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posted on June 21st, 2015 at 06:28 PM
Ollie the Beetle was not 'born by Hitler and his goons.' It was born by Ferdinand Porsche, who had the idea of a 'people's car' long before
Hitler came to him. Porsche had designed small, cheap cars for Daimler, Zundapp and NSU, among others. Hitler only paid for the Beetle's creation
through his KdF organisation, and after the foundation stone ceremony in May 1938 took no further interest in the VW or its development. Mercedes was
his favourite make anyway.
And what does 'created as '50s propaganda' mean? That is complete tosh. In the 1950s Germany was trying to recover from the devastation of war and
any manufacturing job was welcome. The VW factory provided employment and security at a difficult time. West Germany was a democratic country after
the war anyway and there was no 'propaganda' - you confuse the '50s with the '30s.
Beetles had the best gearboxes on the market, as well as light, precise steering (read any period road test). If your VW is rubbish then you should
have clarified that you haven't maintained or repaired it properly.
Ollie
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posted on June 21st, 2015 at 06:33 PM
Phil, as stated in the memo above what I wrote, it's just for a laugh. I love my beetle, and my second 1969 is a great car, which does handle well
and doesn't smell of fuel. It's written for a bit of a laugh, apologies if I've caused some sort of offence!
As for the history, well, clearly that is my bad as I haven't done my research as far as I should have to I'll wear that one
- '70 1500 Beetle (The Clean One)
- '76 1300 Beetle (The In-between One)
- '69 1500 Beetle (The Mean One)
Willie
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posted on June 21st, 2015 at 07:28 PM
Where's the original post gone?
1975 L-Bug
oldskoolguy
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posted on June 21st, 2015 at 08:27 PM
Quote:
Originally
posted by Willie
Where's the original post gone?
Ditto. ?.
"The best trophies are stone chips"
1969 1500 Beetle "Otis"
2008 Golf GTI
Ollie
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posted on June 21st, 2015 at 08:39 PM
Hey guys sorry I deleted it accidentally, here is the link and story etc!
Again, it's written as a joke review of a theorietical sh**ty '69 beetle. Not mine or the one the picture is off (needed a snap of one so
the easier way was to use my own picture). It's just for a laugh
When sitting down to write something, first sentences are always the hardest, so I think I'll just put this here, that way the creative juices will
start flowing and I'll be off to a flying start!
I wrote that around twelve minutes ago. Which, funnily enough, is roughly the same amount of time it takes a 1969 Volkswagen Beetle to get from
0-100.
Sorry, did I write 100? I meant 80.
And, let's be honest, do you really want to go 80 kmph in a car with kneecaps for airbags and a steering alignment as precise as a shotgun spray? Me
neither...
The Volkswagen Beetle is a funny little thing. Born for the people by Hitler and his goons, the "Bug" has managed to survive decades of change with
its chubby grin firmly intact.
Created as 1950's political propaganda for the masses of the Germany, the Bug developed into the 60's symbol of freedom and liberation, before
slouching through the 70's and 80's and cementing itself in the record books for its production run of over 21 million cars. Thousands of changes
were made over the years; some small, others large - all in an effort to keep up with the constantly evolving automotive landscape that was. But it
just wasn't enough, and in 2003, the final Beetle rolled off the production line and straight into the museum, destined for greatness, forever.
The beetle I'm driving however, is not destined for greatness. In fact if I'm not careful, all it will be destined for is a telegraph pole. Or a
brick wall.
The steering is awful. No, not awful. Woeful. It's like driving a wet, floppy mattress with your hands made of butter.
The simplest of right hand bends develops much like a scene from "A Beautiful Mind"; Apexes, steering charts and speed graphs float through your
mind eye, and only the correct combination will unlock the corner's exit successfully.
Mind you, if did happen to miscalculate, you've got all the time in the world to realise it, because the Beetle is slow.
I'm not talking base-model-Toyota-Corolla slow.
I mean hung-over snail slow.
The German's may have the whole, small-engine-high-horsepower thing sorted now, but back in the 60's it was another story. Put it this way, the
1500cc engine has enough power to get you to the shops and back... If the shops were downhill and you were then prepared to move to a house past the
shops further downhill.
It's not really the engines fault completely. The SynchroMess (or is it Mesh?) Gearbox reminds me of my childhood playing the board-game
"Operation". Remember it? It was that one where the patient was lying down and you had to extract little parts buried in him with tweezers without
touching the walls otherwise the buzzer would go off? Finding gears in a Beetle is much the same, It's just that if you touch a wall whilst fishing
for a gear, it's the shattering sound of crunching cogs that warns of your mistake.
After several attempts and twice as many profanities, I finally got it into gear and sat back to take in my surroundings. The interior of a Beetle is
a lovely place. I put it somewhere between sparse and Spartan, with just enough comfort to remind you of how lucky you are to be living in the 21st
century.
If the petrol fumes haven't already completely suffocated you, the road, wind and engine noise will bludgeon you to within an inch of your sanity,
and any change in climate outside is amplified inside the walls of the Bug. Chilly day outside? Make a snowman passenger. A pleasant Spring's
Afternoon? Better Get a blacksmith to forge you gauntlets because everything you touch is magma.
Now, you may think that after reading all of this that I hate the Beetle; that I would never step foot in one again. Truth is, I've owned four
beetles, each as devilishly good as the last.
You don't buy a beetle speed, or comfort or twisty mountain roads. You buy a Beetle for the headaches, the laughs and the moments.
Cars nowadays are too proper and too perfect; they've lost their character and sense of fun - they're all grown up.
The Beetle though, hasn't. It's a perfect moment frozen in time, preserved through its imperfections and quirks, which will live on longer than any
new-age ounce of poise and perfect.
