Sometimes a car can instantly transport you back to another era and fill your head with memories that you thought were long forgotten. You can achieve a similar effect by adding carefully selected accessories to put it in a particular period of time, but this orange 1300S 1600 Bug being sold at a Brightwells auction on 21^st September is the real thing. A bone fide time warp classic…

It might not look like much at first, and certainly there’s no shortage of scabby bits, but closer inspection reveals a treasure trove of once fashionable add-ons that make this dazzling orange 1973 Beetle actually quite special.

It’s a car that takes me back to the early Volkswagen scene when VW Action and Stanford Hall were just about the only events on the show calendar. The days before slamming a car so low that a twig in the road could result in major damage to the underside. I’ve got no doubt some, or probably most, of the accessories fitted here would raise a chuckle or two at a VW meet today but for me, being a glutton for nostalgia, they just causes a real tingle.

I suspect it’s been stowed away since the late ’80s or early ’90s and has remained untouched since then. Starting at the back, there’s the obligatory engine lid cowl to prevent water dropping into the engine compartment. Kamei made these, but we’re unsure of this one’s origins. We love the Ocean Magic surf sticker in the back window and the number plate itself looks period too. Of course, the icing on the cake would have been a chrome zoom tube, but we expect one of these can still be found somewhere.

The SSP Sprint Star wheels look totally retro today but must have looked terribly cutting edge and way ahead of their time back in the late ‘80s when Wolfies were all the rage. And if you look closely enough you might just be able to make out that ‘Keep on Beetling!’ sticker in the rear side window. In case you didn’t know, Beetling was a grass-roots publication at the time…

The Perspex stone guard atop the front bumper was also popular back then and provided an excellent mounting point for the front plate. The only problem, I seem to remember, was clearance when opening the bonnet!

Everything inside also looks like it’s been in its own time bubble. Check out the centre tray and the wooden capped drilled gearlever. There’s even a matching matt black radio cassette player. Meanwhile, those blue velour seats look untouched, as do the matching blue door panels. Okay, we would have liked to have seen some plastic door trays bolted to them, but with so many other cosily period features present we’d still love the opportunity to take this gem home…

If you’re similarly intrigued, the estimate is a paltry £2,000-£3,000. You can see the auction entry here. Accompanying the sale is a history file which includes 23 old MoTs and assorted maintenance invoices. Just think, you could have the car to play with during the day – and nights of entertainment going through every document for the ultimate trip down memory lane…

Ian

The opinions expressed here are the personal opinions of the author and do not necessarily represent the views and opinions of VW Heritage.