1967 Volkswagen Beetle- 16k Original Miles- Original Savannah Beige paint- 1600cc 4-Cylinder- 4-Speed Manual- 2 Owner Car. Same Current Owner for 15 Years- Incredible Condition...
1967 Volkswagen Beetle
- 16k Original Miles
- Original Savannah Beige paint
- 1600cc 4-Cylinder
- 4-Speed Manual
- 2 Owner Car. Same Current Owner for 15 Years
- Incredible Condition
(Please note: If you happen to be viewing this 1967 Volkswagen Beetle on a website other than our Garage Kept Motors site, it's possible that you've only seen some of our many photographs of this vehicle due to website limitations. To be sure you access all the more than 150 photographs, as well as a short walkaround-and-startup video, please go to our main website: GarageKeptMotors.)
“The men who make the VW make it very well. The inspectors make it perfect.” -1967 VW Beetle advertisement
The copy in the advertisement cited above went on to celebrate the fanatical level of detail pursued by inspectors of Volkswagens. This was a particularly strong selling point at a time when American manufacturers were known for haphazard quality control. “There are thousands of inspectors who literally pick every Volkswagen to pieces. For the paint job alone, no less than eight inspectors check every VW.” The photograph in the ad showed a block-shaped mass of metal, a Beetle that failed to pass one of the inspections.
While the period magazine advertisements for the Beetle became a high point in advertising history, that fame only mirrored the success of the car itself. In its May 2011 issue, the British enthusiast magazine, Classic Motoring, encapsulated the history and some of the allure of owning a VW Beetle: “It's the 'Poor Man's Porsche' with a similar air-cooled, rear-mounted boxer engine and transaxle driving the rear wheels. Until recently it held the record for the biggest production run (21,529,464) and the longest, having been produced continuously from wartime until just a few years ago. As ever, VW Beetles make timeless practical classics that never seem to go out of fashion and thanks to Volkswagen's shrewd marketing policy from the outset, spare parts have never been a problem. The number of independent specialists mean repairs and servicing are similarly sleepeasy, and there's a massive fan base… in the US, where it became a hippie icon."
The VW Beetle offered here is a remarkable survivor still wearing its factory-applied Savannah Beige paint over black vinyl upholstery. Not only does it remain in its factory-shipped condition, the car has had only two owners since new, and together those two have driven it just 16,000 miles in all. “Rare” is an understatement here.
The exterior of the car is virtually flawless. The paint is uniformly shiny and free of flaws across the entire car. (Remember, thousands of VW inspectors looked it over very carefully.) Wheels feature the simple VW-branded center hubcaps and chrome bumper “overriders” front and back to protect from bumps by larger cars of the time. Badging is all present and correct (no doubt also carefully inspected), and the classic “small taillights” of the 1967 model year are in place, un-cracked and un-faded. Exterior rubber door sills are similarly undamaged.
Inside, the simple attractiveness of the design remains in excellent condition with only minor patina from age and limited, respectful use over the years. The body-color-painted dash, large speedometer, small square fuel gauge, the AM-FM radio, rubber-covered floor, standard floor-mounted 4-speed gear-shift are all present and unmodified. Door trim and textured-vinyl upholstery is without rips or tears of any sort. Even the clutch, brake, and accelerator pedal look almost new.
Under the rear hood, the engine bay is complete, clean, and tidy. The 1600cc horizontal four-cylinder engine starts easily and runs smoothly. (Be sure to check out the short walk-around-and startup video available at the GarageKeptMotors site to sample the music of the engine.) The car's undercarriage and floorpan are undamaged, and components are correct and clean befitting the car's low mileage.
The more than 150 high-definition photographs available at the GarageKeptMotors site faithfully capture the remarkable condition of this survivor Beetle. That said, we welcome and encourage visits to our Grand Rapids, Michigan showroom by interested parties for up-close, in-person inspections of the car. We ask only that an advance appointment be made by phone or email to ensure that we can devote our full attention to the car and our visitors.
VW Beetle fans know these cars well. Many have probably already read the Classic Motoring article quoted here, but if that's not the case, be sure and search the issue online. The article is a wealth of information, old ads, and not a small amount of love for the brand in general. We are pleased to have this piece of Volkswagen history here in our showroom, but we don't expect it'll be around long.