1962 Volkswagen Beetle (Pre-1980)

There is no car in history quite like the Volkswagen Beetle. Over 21 million were built across 65 years of continuous production, making it the best-selling single-platform car ever made. While American automakers in 1962 were competing to build longer, lower, and wider, Volkswagen took out full-page ads that simply said Think Small. The strategy worked. By 1962 Volkswagen controlled nearly 57 percent of the entire American import car market, and the Beetle was the most popular foreign-made car in the country by a wide margin. This one is finished in Seafoam Green with chrome bumpers and trim, whitewall tires, and a look that is as clean and charming today as it was the day it was built. Under the rear lid is the 1.2 liter air-cooled flat four backed by a four speed manual. There is no radiator, no coolant system, and no water pump. The engine is simple, light, and almost entirely self-sufficient, which is a large part of why these cars are still running and driving over 60 years later. Volkswagen was advertising 32 miles per gallon in their 1962 brochures at a time when that number was essentially unheard of for any production car. It does not accelerate quickly and it does not need to. It does what it does with a quiet confidence that makes it genuinely enjoyable to drive. Inside, the white leather interior is clean and well done against a green dash and white headliner, carrying the color theme throughout the cabin in a way that feels cohesive and intentional. Crank windows are correct and expected, and the whole interior is simple, honest, and exactly what a car like this should be. The 1962 model year brought a notable update that sounds small but made a real difference in daily life. For the first time in Beetle history, the car came with a fuel gauge. Before 1962, drivers had to manually flip a reserve tap under the dash when the engine started sputtering, then hope they made it to a station. That is the kind of detail that tells you just how far back the Beetle's origins go, and how much of that original simplicity is still present in a car like this one. Chrome bumpers, whitewalls, and Seafoam Green make this one of the most visually complete and appealing Beetles you will find. Please call or email us today for more information.