Life in the Eyes of John

A blog on life, love, people, cars, and everything I can think about...

Monday, October 11, 2004

Project '67 Beetle - Part 1: Introduction

No, I haven't given up Project '76 Lancer yet; I'm still collecting my paychecks. Hopefully, I'll get one this December.

Okay, change subject.

Surely everybody has seen a Beetle. You'd be an alien not to have seen one in your lifetime (heck, even aliens have seen these). They are lovable, cute classic cars that have been in existence since 1938, thanks to Ferdinand Porsche (same guy who created one of the most dominant sports car makers in the world) and Adolf Hitler (well... this is perhaps the best thing he did for mankind).

Yep, Hitler came up with the concept of creating a people's car for Germany; hence, the name Volkswagen (pronounced as fohks-vah-ghen; translates to people's wagon). He sure is a genius. Sad thing he went psycho, though.

According to www.histomobile.com, more than 12 million of the bugs were produced from 1938 up to now. In fact, these things are still created, and driven, in South America.

Okay, end of history lesson. Change subject.

Today, it's hard to miss these critters on the street. Give yourself thirty minutes on the road; it's hard not to see one. Repair shops for Beetles are still abundant, especially at G. Araneta Avenue (if you're going to SM Centerpoint, you won't miss these). Drive by there, and you'd be lucky enough not to see at least fifteen buggies.

Taking a peek at www.buyandsellph.com, the average price of a second-hand Beetle costs around 55,000 pesos. The cheapest one costs 30,000 pesos, while a showroom condition one costs 180,000 pesos.

Now, let's check the specs. The 1302-1303 series of the Beetle, produced from 1967 to 1990, weighs from 750 to 820 kilograms. That's pretty light, perfect for going quick (I've watched a suped-up Beetle take on a Porsche 911 on TV, and they were close; the 911 still was ahead, though).

The air-cooled engines are lame, though. At stock, they can only make up to 50 horsepower at 4000 revs. Torque tops at 79 pound-feet at 2800 revs. Lame, lame, lame. Oh... and did I forget to mention that they didn't come with A/C?

So what do I have in mind for the Beetle? I'll share it with you soon.

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