Volkswagen Beetle 1303S

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By the end of the 1960s, the venerable Beetle was struggling to keep up with the competition, it’s cute looks and quirky ways not enough to keep up with the competition from Europe and Japan.

VW’s answer was the Super Beetle of 1971 with a host of safety and comfort mods. With a longer wheelbase to give a more stable ride, it also got disc brakes, improved steering and Macpherson strut suspension that improved the handling and doubled the luggage capacity. Crash safety was improved while both front and rear screens were enlarged for better visibility. Outside, it had a lengthened bonnet, fatter wings, a redesigned engine lid and bigger ‘Elephant feet’ rear lights.

Power came from a new 1300cc engine or, for the more sporting driver, a 1600cc flat-four of ‘twin port’ induction design with a higher final drive ratio. It was the last of the Beetles to be manufactured in Wolfsburg, Germany, before production moved to Yugoslavia in 1974.

Dating from November 1972, this 1303S 1600 has had just three owners from new, the second of whom acquired it in 1981 and kept it for over 30 years. The vendors acquired the car about four years ago in a somewhat scruffy state with the intention of using it as a wedding car (!).

They had it repainted in white, fitted alloy wheels and nerf bars in place of the bumpers, and retrimmed the interior using quilted vinyl to match the pattern of a Bentley also on the fleet. They also sourced a rebuilt exchange engine from Kent-based VW specialists, The Engine Shop, which has now done less than 1,000 miles since it was installed.

Sadly the Beetle has not proved quite as successful as they had hoped (apparently the brides can get in OK but struggle to get out!) so it is now surplus to requirements. Said to run and drive well, it is due to have a new MOT in time for the sale although technically it no longer needs one.

Everyone should try a VW Beetle at least once in their lives. It isn’t just the timeless looks (virtually unaltered for almost seven decades), nor the ingenuity of the engineering (just 18 bolts attaching the body to the chassis), it is the amazing elasticity of the engine that really sticks in the mind, powering the Bug along on what feels like an unburstable wave of gurgling torque. After all, it was designed by Ferdinand Porsche...