The Classic VW Beetle

Going to the FunFest was a great time. I got to see a number of Things, although not as many as I would have liked to. This one, however, was probably in the best condition of any Type 181 Thing I’d ever seen.

This is a beautiful blue and white Volkswagen Acapulco Thing. The paint job was brand new for this weekend, and it had only 1 mile on it. Inside, it still had an 8-Track player with a Beach Boys endless summer tape. A perfect VW Thing for the beach.

I love the Thing, I want a Thing, I need a Thing.

Until then, I’ll be happy to just look at other people’s Things.

As I was searching for a VW Thing in good condition, I came across a great site for people like me who (although I would love too) just don’t have the time to fully restore a Beetle or Thing. West Coast Classic Restoration restores and sells VW’s.

There are some beautiful cars on this site, and, of course, Things. Including one Kubelwagen built in 1942 and delivered and used in Africa during WWII. They also have a 1944 Schwimmwagen. Just perfect.

The one really great feature about West Coast is that they put pictures up during the restoration of a car. So we can follow along, and see what they did once they are finished. For example, here is a page about Jim’s (I don’t know Jim) 1949 Beetle restoration.

So if you have a Volkswagen that needs some love, and you just aren’t that mechanically inclined, check out West Coast VW Restoration, or anyplace around you that can do the work for you.

If you have no VW, then sorry. But you could, because West Coast sells Beetles, Things, and Ghia’s.

My brother, The Beetle Fan, asked me to do some writing for him on the Classic Beetle. Unfortunately for him, I’m a Thing Fan. Don’t get me wrong, I love the Beetle, but the Thing is what does it for me.

The VW Thing was built in Germany (obviously) during WWII, but was stopped after the war. In the 1960’s, the German military wanted a light duty vehicle, and from that came Type 181 Kubelwagen. It started production in 1969, and moved to Mexico in 1973, the same year it was marketed as the Thing in North America. Production stopped in 1980.

It’s not powerful and fast, it’s not really that great for off-road use, but it sure looks cool. My favorite Thing that I’ve ever seen is already here on The Classic Beetle on the post about the pictures we took at the Mid America VW Funfest

I just found a company in Vancouver, Canada that is actually making new Kubelwagens, or Things if you prefer. Intermeccanica Custom Coach Builders is also making new 1959 Porsche Roadsters, ‘55 Speedsters, ‘58 Speedsters, and other custom order vehicles.

I gotta get me one of those.