SuperBeetles.com | Feature

The $1 Super Beetle - Owner: Mike Goode

I've been into Volkswagens since about the age of 4, when my dad purchased a well used 1968 Beetle for my mom, which became her daily driver from 1979 through 1986. When I started driving, my first car was a VW! My dad helped me by purchasing a 1956 Beetle, followed by a 1964 Sunroof Sedan, which was my car for part of high school. I followed this with quite a few more VWs. My parents were both influential in my Volkswagen hobby beginnings!

When it came time for my younger brother Dan to start driving, we found a very worn out 1973 Super Beetle in nearby Evanston, Illinois. The gentleman that we purchased this car from was going to turn it into a VW powered trike, but luckily we saved it from that fate. We installed a cheap rebuilt engine and it became Dan's daily driver throughout high school, college, and beyond. He is not a car person, but came to appreciate the VWs reliability, durability, and personality. After over a decade of every day use in the Midwest, including being street parked in Chicago for most of that time, the car was extremely rusty, although it still ran well.

I was worried about Dan's safety because of the extensive rust. If he ever got into an accident there was little in the way of structural integrity left. I asked him to sell it to me, which he did for $1.00! He then purchased a used Passat to replace it for daily driving. The Super Beetle sat for several years as life got in the way, but I slowly collected parts for it. It should have been scrapped but I am a glutton for punishment, and while most folks are too intelligent to save a very shot Super Beetle, I was determined to restore it.

The body received new heater channels, front and rear aprons, drivers side quarter panel, lower rear quarter panels, bumper mounts, shock mounts, rear luggage floor, lower front firewall, and plenty of other body work. I replaced the engine cover and rear fenders with ones I saved from a '71 Super I totaled years earlier. The car was repainted in a 1955 VW color, L213 Iceland Green. The chassis received new Wolfsburg West pan halves, and the brakes and suspension were rebuilt using Top Line Parts disc brakes front and rear, Top Line Parts adjustable struts, and all painted items were stripped and powder coated. A 1915cc engine was built using CB Performance internals, with powder coated tin, Berg and Vintage Speed accessories, CSP performance exhaust.

This was mated to a Benco performance four-speed transaxle. International Conditioning Enterprises supplied the air conditioning system, and a Retrosounds radio was installed. I located NOS seats from a 1973 only Sports Bug, and had these and the door panels covered in Porsche Pasha upholstery by Riggs Brothers in St. Charles, IL, who also did the headliner installation. I searched and collected many hard to find VW parts and accessories that were available at the dealer when new, including engine and trunk lights, Formula Vee shifter, Formula Vee steering wheel, clock, rear speaker, tool kit, trunk box, Formula Vee bag "Turtleback" wheels, and had new mats made by cocomats.com.

Most of the work was done by Lance McDonald and Marty Salerno, with body and paint done by Vintage Werks in Marengo, IL, and help by my friends Chuck, Mike, Garrett, Josh, Jeff, and my son, Rhyse and my dad. Since completion, I have been putting some miles on the car. I am not afraid to drive it, but it has also appeared in Hot VWs magazine, has won several awards at some VW shows, and most recently took 3rd place in its class against all makes at the Chicago World of Wheels.