I finally got the weather and my schedule to cooperate, and I went back to Alabama to pick up the second of my bugs: a 1966 Convertible. In rough condition. There are some parts here and there to be salvaged (like a motor, maybe, and a transaxle) but most of this vehicle is lost, I’m afraid. I’m going to use it as a practice dummy, and test some repair skills on this one before I work on the ’63.
Here’s an interesting photo, from the Port of Everett (Washington). It’s a bunch (gaggle? flock? covey? plague?) of beetles coming in the country in 1963. I wish the photo were in color. And notice how the cars have been stripped of their hubcaps? Kind of like taking off your shoes to board a plane, nowadays, I guess. I wonder if there’s a box of hubcaps inside each of these VWs?
I received my bug’s Birth Certificate today from Germany. Interesting. Confirms what I thought about the manufacture date, and the paint colors. It’s not a detailed, itemized history of the car, but it’s interesting to have. The car came into the US through Miami. I don’t know if was sold there, then re-sold in Alabama, or if it was shipped to a dealer in Alabama directly.
While surfing around, I found this ’63 Beetle. I think it’s the same color-combo as mine. This is where I want to go with my restoration:
