World's Best Beetle for Sale

The original Beetle is most probably the most-remembered car in automobile history. What started out as a simple car became the car for the people.

Cult Classic

It sold more than 21-million; it was air-cooled, rear-engined and had rear-wheel drive. It’s the world's longest running and most-manufactured car of a single design platform and Silverstone Auctions in the UK will be offering the World’s best Beetle for auction on July 27. The show-stopping 1962 VW Beetle 1200 De Luxe is estimated at the equivalent of R457 000 (Rs 1 421 000) to R533 000 (Rs 1 657 000). It’s just been restored at a cost of about R837 600 (Rs2 602 800).

Auctioneer Nick Whale said: “It would be hard to find a better example anywhere in the world. As classic Beetles go, you simply don’t get any better than this, the restored 1962 model. There’s been so much work done on this car that it’s impossible to mention all of it. It would be fair to say that this is possibly the finest ‘best of breed’ car that we’ve auctioned.”

Better than a Ferrari

In 2012 it won the Meguiar NEC Classic Motorshow concours where it beat a restored Ferrari 250 SWB. It also took top honours at the 2012 Sandown Volksworld Show, being the highest-scored car in the show’s history since 1992.

Sporting a ‘Resto-Cal’ look, it was rescued in 2009 by the current seller and the decision was taken that the ultimate restoration was in order, no matter what it might cost. It was all systems go to get this special car back to form. The chassis was stripped to every last nut and bolt before being rebuilt with a fabricated air suspension beam with airbag mounts.

The bodywork was up next and it became a 63"-based version of a 57" fendered car. It took nine weeks of sweat and tears just for body and spray work - excluding prep and smaller touch-up jobs for the ruby red finish.

The true vintage VW hotrod style 1192cc engine was increased to 1384cc. The interior is wrapped in Derby grey and oatmeal-coloured cloth.