This thread on “Kaizer”, my 1967 Beetle VW1300, is dedicated to my wonderful wife Dr. Smitha, who has been my major support in this crazy hobby of owning, preserving, restoring and use of vintage & classic cars. I would be failing if I do not mention the first Owner Ms. Mary Bradsley of Bristol UK, who imported this car in 1967, whilst she was with Thiruvalla Medical Mission as the second person this thread is dedicated.
This is my first German car and I thought “Kaizer”, a name which has always fascinated me, meaning Emperor in German, is apt for this car.
Over the years of owning, restoring and using vintage and classic cars, the Beetle was never something I considered having in my collection. Whenever an opportunity to buy a V & C came, decisions were defined by the marque, body style, ownership history, originality, current condition, documents available and lastly the possible buying and restoration cost. After this, a check on the possible sale value for a same but pristine car would help me decide if it was worth committing for this opportunity
Over the last 10 years, I have bought 3 cars where the points mentioned above played an important role in me going ahead with their acquisition. Invariably all these cars were in long term ownership and for the seller, money was not the primary motivation.
More details of these cars are in the TBHP links, as below
1932
Plymouth (1932 Plymouth PB Seven Passenger Delux Sedan), which remains with me
1954
Dodge (Our Lost & Found Classic - 1954 Dodge Convertible), which has been sold on
1947
Daimler (Daimler Tales - 1947 Daimler DB18 Luxury Saloon), which remains with me
We have an internal rule of only two cars, as parking is a premium at home. So when we did find a better car, one of the cars in garage has to go. For example, when I acquired the Ex-Mysore Daimler DB18, I let go of the Dodge Convertible, even though the family had a lot of history with the car. So over the years we have rotated cars only with the intention to upgrade.
Mass produced cars like Fiats, Ambassadors and Beetles were never planned, as with only two parking slots at home, there was no scope to expand. Secondly to get a very original, preservation class, in long term ownership and at the same time something unique amongst such mass produced cars, was like finding a needle in the hay stack.
However, when we formed the Bangalore Classic Drivers Group for local V&C drives and also when KVCCC starting to do drives and breakfast meets for members, the need for a more regular classic car was felt. The Plymouth is not suited for such drives and the Daimler is still under restoration, so I had to borrow someone’s car or hop in as a passenger at these drives. Additionally, these drives are fun and casual, so it better to have a regular classic car which one can park on the roadside and not worry too much about it. Lastly, I had acquired an additional parking space, so I kept my mind open for a good car, should an opportunity come by me.
It all started with me getting news from my good Keralite friend that a very original 1967 Beetle VW1300, in long term ownership, may be available for sale. Normally, Beetles are well mapped by the VW enthusiasts, but when I did check with a VW expert in Bangalore, he was not aware of this car. This meant that the car has not been in regular use and hence out of the radar of the many VW enthusiasts. This was good news, as it was outside the radar of any potential buyer, except my friend who having handed over the details to me, stepped back to allow me to close the deal independently.
Did some research on the 1967 VW1300 using Google baba and the results were very encouraging. The 1966-67 VW1300 is a very collectible model and is considered the sportiest Beetle ever.
Quote:
The 1966 1300 had by far the biggest one-time jump in power, a whopping 25%, from 40/34 hp (gross/net), to 50! (44 net) Wow; ten additional ponies; we couldn’t believe it. That was suddenly good for a solid 80-82 mph top speed. And acceleration was dramatically improved. 0 – 50 now came in only 14.5 seconds, and 0-60 in about 22. In today’s standards, that’s laughable. But it was quite close to what a 1960 Falcon did, with twice the engine (2.4 L) and almost twice the horsepower (90). Another way to look at it was that the new 1300 had the exact same horsepower that the Porsche 356 1300 did just about a decade earlier.
OK, before you VW fans jump on me and point out that the very next year, the 1500 motor was introduced with 53 hp, and by 1970, the 1600 twin port hit the power zenith with 60 hp, here’s the key difference: gearing, and engine tuning. The 1300 used the 1200’s lower (higher numerical) axle gearing, but the engine had a big jump in peak power rpm, from 3900 (1200) to 4600 (1300). http://www.curbsideclassic.com/curbs...e-of-them-all/ |
Other points that I could gather on the 1967 model year shows 44 pages of discussion on the one year stuff on a 1967
https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/vi...r=asc&start=20
Euro Spec vs US Spec
https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/ar...-379022--.html
Clearly the 1967 has a major following amongst the VW enthusiasts, who can point out many more one-year-only stuff. However, as per me a non-beetle fanatic, the important changes were
- Availability of the 1300 CC engine in 1966 and 1500 CC engine in 1967
- 12V option being introduced in late 1967
- Wider suspension track
- Change in headlight design resulting in significant change in the front fender
Open to correction by the purist!
The 1300 engine, not only is it sporty, it is also more frugal than the 1500 engine.
From the 1967 manual one can see the speed ranges these three models can be pushed in the respective gears
Clearly the VW1300's gears can be pushed close to the VW1500's specifications
This is reflected in the speeds as seen below
Clearly 15% boost in power does not reflect in the speeds and that is why a 1967 VW1300 is more desirable being sporty and frugal as compared to the VW1500
Cheers
KPS