Iconic 1955 Volkswagen Beetle Found After 52 Years in Junkyard and Costs Over R$ 391,000

After Volkswagen Declared Its End in 2018, Chinese Automaker Tries to Resurrect the Beetle and Brazenly Manufactures an Electric Copy of the Iconic Beetle

One of the most coveted classics in the automotive world, the Volkswagen Beetle, collects admirers wherever it goes. And it’s no wonder, the old Beetle was produced for 65 years and sold over 21 million units worldwide! Brazil alone became the third country with the most units manufactured – 3 million – just behind Germany and the United States.

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The most coveted and consequently most valuable Beetles are those made until the end of the 1950s, due to the oval rear window that was removed from production in 1958 in favor of a rectangular window for better visibility.

Beetle Discovered After 52 Years Forgotten in Junkyard and Worth a Fortune

A buyer in the U.S. got incredibly lucky and recently acquired the classic Beetle manufactured in 1955. The Volkswagen Beetle spent over 52 years abandoned in a junkyard.

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As can be seen in the image (on the cover), its wheels were buried in the ground, its body was covered with vegetation, and luckily it had not been sent to a crusher during that time.

For the luck of its admirers, the Beetle can be restored. The Beetle had original documents in the glove compartment and its boxer engine was still original. In other words, it has potential for a possible restoration. A well-preserved 1955 Volkswagen Beetle can be worth over US$ 70,000 (approximately R$ 391,000) in market value!

The History of the Iconic Volkswagen Beetle

Although the Beetle has preserved its iconic shape over the years, it has always managed to respond sensibly to social and technical developments.

Using only minor design modifications, it adapted both inside and outside to the spirit of the times and the discoveries of modern automotive technology.

Beetle Was Born from the Ambition of Dictator Adolf Hitler and the Talent of Ferdinand Porsche

For those who don’t know, the original model was born from the ambition of dictator Adolf Hitler and the talent of Ferdinand Porsche, who in the early 1930s laid the groundwork for the project. Although there were no hydraulic brakes yet, the rubber engine mounts were a significant advancement for the time.

The Volkswagen (Volk means people and wagen means car in German) was meant to be “a functional and reliable automobile, albeit with relatively light construction.

It needed to offer space for four people, reach speeds of up to 100 km/h with an air-cooled boxer engine, and be able to climb hills with a 30% incline.”

After numerous attempts and tests, a four-cylinder boxer engine (985 c.c. and 22.5 hp) with air cooling was used, which remained the basis of the engine until the model’s end of life in 2003.

The engine continued to be modernized over the years, with: automatic mixture enrichment (1965); 1.6 engine with 50 hp (1970); electronic ignition (1988); catalytic converter (1990); electronic fuel injection, and hydraulic valve lifters and lambda sensor (1993).

The start of exports in October 1947 was the first step toward the international expansion of the model. The first 56 exported units of the compact were sent to the Netherlands.

In January 1949, the first Beetle crossed the ocean to the U.S., pioneering the entry of the German brand onto the American continent. Uncle Sam’s country would be responsible for buying nearly 11 million of the 21 million Beetles produced.

It didn’t take long for the convertible version to arrive in July 1949. And the demand kept growing: if 100,000 units were produced in 1950, three years later the number jumped to half a million, and to 1 million in 1955.

On February 17, 1972, a special milestone was reached: the Beetle 15,007,034 came off the assembly line to dethrone the Ford Model T as the most produced car on the planet.

In Brazil, It Has Never Stopped Being a Niche Car.

In Brazil, it has never stopped being a niche car, despite production being halted twice, with cycles between 1956 and 1986, and a revival triggered by the Itamar Beetle between 1993 and 1996, while in Mexico the little sedan continued uninterrupted until 2003.

The final Mexican version, dubbed “Última Edición”, represented the end of one of the brightest chapters in automotive history. A total of 21,529,464 units were placed on the streets in 20 different countries. But the story was not over yet.

Five years before the demise of the original Beetle, in 1998, the New Beetle was already born, a project led by the U.S. designer J. Mays and produced also in Puebla, Mexico.

Despite its retro features, now more accurately known as a coupe, it had a platform (shared with the Golf IV) and much more modern engines, to the point of including a limited RSi version (limited to 250 units) equipped with a 3.2 V6 engine producing 224 hp. The engine became front-mounted and transverse, as well as the traction was made front-wheel drive. From the start, gasoline 2.0 and 1.9 turbo-diesel engines with direct injection were available.

Volkswagen Announced at the 2018 Los Angeles Auto Show the End of Production of the Model

To the dismay of Beetle lovers, Volkswagen announced at the 2018 Los Angeles Auto Show that it would end production of the model. Its farewell edition, coupe or convertible, features elements reminiscent of the Mexican “Última Edición” Beetle, and has only one engine: a 2.0 turbocharged gasoline engine with 176 hp, paired with a six-speed automatic transmission.

Could the end not have arrived yet? Unless the rumors of the Beetle returning to life as an electric model are confirmed, a possibility admitted by Volkswagen itself. As we have seen at other times, there always seems to be an Itamar to resurrect the good old Beetle.

Volkswagen Wants to Sue Chinese Automaker for Brazenly Manufacturing an Electric Copy of the Iconic Beetle

The Chinese industry has not yet abandoned some old habits, and multinational Volkswagen was not thrilled with the electric car manufacturer ORA, which is part of the Great Wall Motors group. The brand presented a clone of the Beetle at the Shanghai Auto Show. Named ORA Punk Cat, the vehicle bears the same traits as the iconic car from VW.

It is evident that ORA drew inspiration – if not outright copied – the design of the Volkswagen Beetle in its new Punk Cat. The curved hood, rounded headlights, and the shape of the rear, complete with oval taillights, harken back to the old Beetle.