Quick Drive: 1971 Volkswagen Beetle

By Kevin Harrison

With over $5 million worth of vehicles on the lot at Hillcrest Volkswagen in Halifax, the vehicle that gets the most attention isn’t a shiny red convertible, a loaded to the gills luxury sedan or a rare performance hatchback. No, the attention grabber is a 1971 Beetle, which the award winning dealership received recently on a trade.

And its acclaim isn’t limited to Volkswagen enthusiasts either.

I’ve driven plenty of press cars worthy of a second glace, but as I puttered around HRM in this restored bug, passersby almost gave themselves whiplash. This isn’t some $200,000 Lamborghini we’re talking about, this is a car that has a 3 cylinder engine and bare bones everything. It’s not quiet or refined. It also leaves a strong smell of gas fumes behind. Surely people must be staring in disgust. But the astonished smiles left on peoples’ faces as I drove by suggested otherwise. What is it about this car that’s so special?

Well, the Beetle has certainly done a lot in its 74-year history. It’s the most manufactured car based off a single design. It was developed during the Second World War and after the war ended, Germany had to pick up the pieces. Part of the plan was to solider on production of the Beetle as the country desperately needed a ‘Peoples Car’ (which loosely translates into “Volkswagen” in German). They were quite successful. There were 21,529,464 Beetles sold worldwide and that was up until 2003 when that first generation body style officially went out of production. In fact, that body style was the star of my all-time favourite Disney movie, Herbie. No one could beat the little Bug with the #53 painted on its hood even though many Lancias, Alfa Romeos, Lamborghinis and Ferraris tried. Back then as a mini car-nut, Herbie, and subsequently the Beetle, earned a special place in my heart. Even to this day when I see a Type 1 Beetle it puts a smile on my face, and evidently many other faces.

 

But even non-Beetle lovers can appreciate this Beetle because perhaps even more important than the memories is the raw driving experience. With no power steering, no anti-lock brakes, a 4-speed manual only and even no self-canceling turn signals, this Beetle is a perfect example of what driving used to be all about: precision and concentration. It really connects man and machine. As the driver, you actually had to involve yourself in the drive because if you didn’t, you’d end up stalling in the middle of an intersection or sliding backwards onto someone’s front lawn.

 

Sliding the insanely long and clunky gearshift into gear needs to be done as gracefully and with the same amount of finesse as pottery. Get it wrong and the Beetle shows no mercy.

Turning the bus-sized steering wheel basically means that you could skip your workout at the gym that day.

Even opening and closing the doors takes some effort.

 

For the first time in a long time, I actually had to use something called a ‘key’ and insert it into a lock on the door handle. No key less entry here.

This Beetle has little legroom, little shoulder room but thanks to that dome-like shape, there is plenty of headroom. The trunk, which is up front since the Beetle is rear engined, is fairly small however it is capable of swallowing a human being of small stature as my sister, Michelle, demonstrates in the picture below. But even with these short comings, I don’t think the Beetle was ever accused of being incapable of hauling a family. Families back in the day made it work. Yet today we convince ourselves that nothing smaller than a Chevy Tahoe will do for family hauling.

But this ’71 Beetle is a good reminder about how driving really is more of a privilege than a right and it really should not be taken for granted. The modern technology in new cars really makes us forget that because everything is now done for us as we drive.

 

The gadgets and technology we have today in vehicles is certainly impressive and shows just how far the auto industry has come in 40 years. But as important and as remarkable as this new auto technology is, nothing can compare to the history and the pedigree of driving something like this ’71 Beetle.

It truly does represent what driving is supposed to be about and it proves that you don’t need to have 500 horsepower in a sleek handling car to really have some fun on the road.

*Special thanks to Mike Velemirovich of Hillcrest Volkswagen in Halifax for allowing me to take the Beetle out for a few days.

 

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