Volkswagen NOT making full-size Beetles anymore? YIKES!
Oh, good grief.
I just heard the familiar VW Beetle will no longer be made, ending a decades-long production run.
I was a late-comer and pushed a brand new 1971 Super Beetle off a showroom floor.
I took a test drive, learned what I needed to know and drove it home to Burbank. Parked the bright orange beauty in my driveway.
Well, it WAS Halloween and the trick-or-treaters echoed that thought.
So, that started me on the road to loving Volkswagens!
Over the years since, when I traveled, I would stop at appropriate stores and ask if they had any model VWs.
Many did and, despite not keeping a list, there are no duplicates among the 37 now on display.
The newest to join the group is Disney's Herbie the LoveBug. (I think).It does not say that on the fluffy car (Hmm trademark violation?)
It did have a tag that said "batteries are included" and, squeezing it, I heard a faint voice saying "Oh, that tickles" so I guess the batteries need replacing.
If you look closely you will see a single Cadillac and a New York City yellow taxi which I think were made by Checker, specifically designed to be used by NYC cabs.
I mean, so far I have not ever owned a Cadillac.
Many of these metal, hefty models have functioning doors, back/front hoods that open and a steering wheel that turns the front wheels left and right.
The oddest model in the collection HAS to be the small green one with a martini glass attached.
It sits quietly in the mix until someone spots it, picks it up and says "Huh?"
Saw it in a store by the downtown market in the Historic District that featured imported furniture, decorating artifacts and quirky odds and ends.
Saw it, bought it and still have no explanation of why it was created!
When I visited my youngest grandson, on his vacation in upper Minnesota, Aiden urged us to go to nearby store.
I asked why and he grinned and said "You'll see, Pop-pop!"
In the store, he took my hand, and my daughter Heather and I walked to a model toy cars display and he said: "Pick the two you love the best!" So I did, and I
hugged and thanked him.
He had remembered seeing my collection so, when he saw VWs in the store, he told his Mom he wanted to get me some!
People have asked if I have seen other weird VWs but have no model on display.
My answer is YES, and it struck me as odd enough that I stopped my morning walk in Tallahassee and asked the driver/creator to stick around and ran home for my camera.
From the side, it "almost" looked normal.But walk around it and you appreciate that the owner - a welder - modified his ride quite a bit.
He said he is often approached and is simply asked...WHY?
While the wide wheelbase is the same as other Beetles but the upright tailpipe catches your eye.
You continue walking around the car to see what's going on here.
The wily welder has eliminated the middle and put it back together.
It now has more of a pointed nose instead of the normal rounded front!
The headlights are closer together too, which has to confuse an approaching driver at night!
A peek inside confirms this is now a single-seater.And, the steering wheel is centered and the dashboard simplified.
There was no flower vase as in later models of Volkswagens but it would have ruined the symmetry of the interior.
Maybe there was a backseat but the patient driver said he had to be on his way so the small crowd and I waved goodbye.
These photos have been copied over and over so the quality has taken a hit. But, I am glad these photos are part of "my VW collection."
Thanks for parking to take a look. Click on the photos and links for more detail.
Labels: 37 cars...so far, Aiden picks two, Cadillac and NY yellow cab, Herbie the LoveBug, martini glass car, Orange Halloween car in driveway, single-seater, very modified Volkswagen, VW, wind spinner VW
posted by chuckography @ 1:51 PM
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