Any one have a 1974 "LOVE BUG" special edition.

[Geoffffreak]

I have a green 74 love bug with a 2017cc. My grandpa bought it brand new for my grandma. the drove it till the motor died. then my dad rebuilt it as a 1600dp with my grandpa who then gave it to my dad as a wedding present! after i was born (me being the third child) my dad parked it because we couldnt fit everyone in it. i gained an interest aroung 15 and started working on it as a father son project. its been drivable for about 2 months now and i love it!!

[hitest]

Hello folks. I found a Ravenna green (2nd ext. repaint, inside original) '74 beetle for sale locally- and I'm trying to determine whether or not it is a Love Bug. It has a 6/74 manufacture sticker. It's VIN falls in to the range offered by SE Beetles.com, but it has a couple oddities.

Both front door handles and window scrapers have a regular, bright finish.

All other bumper and side trim is black- including the script and hood/decklid handles.

It has really snug-fitting recarro-style bucket seats- that look frighteningly factory. The rear seat is stock and upholstered the same as the fronts, in a gray denim-type sporty breathable fabric.

Through this site and others- I'm having a tough time finding evidence that Ravenna green was used on any beetle other than the lovebug.

Can you folks please help me out? I'm hoping to move on this car tomorrow. Thanks, Bradford
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[Rome]

hitest- do your seats look like these-
https://www.flickr.com/photos/etwilson/347357777/
https://www.flickr.com/photos/etwilson/348194306/

Then you have seats taken out of a 1973 Sports Bug special edition based on a Super Beetle.

Here's a red LB. Although the photo is not mine, it is from a past VW "Bug-a-Fair" meet in Terryville, CT; held in August.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/70626467@N00/7891283780/

Ravenna green (code L65K) was offered on the '73 and '74 SuperBeetle-based convertibles, as well as late Ghias.

Here are VW color charts for '73 and '74-
http://www.thesamba.com/vw/archives/lit/1973
http://www.thesamba.com/vw/archives/lit/74colors.php

Ravenna green nor Phoenix red do not show up for the '74 chart due to the LB being a special edition. VW also had the SunBug special edition in '74. Its gold color is also not listed on the chart.

[hitest]

Thank you so much Rome!

The seats in this are different than the (rather 914-ish looking) example you linked me to. I've never seen stock Recarro seats in a bug- but they look very period correct. I'll price replacing the seats with stockies vs. reupholstering these buckets. I'm sure LB sport seat searching would be a long term deal.

Nonetheless, I did pull the trigger on this car about an hour ago! I like Ravenna so much that I likely would have caved in regardless of the car's possible lack of LE status! It runs, but needs bumper-to-bumper lovin'. I'll post a thread on here when I retrieve it from it's storage unit isolation and the title's in my name.

Thanks so much again sir!
Sincerely, Bradford
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[mrmdls]

Congrat's hitest! I can't wait to see it resurrected from the storage shed.

Corrected for typo that I never noticed
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75 model 110 (Basic Bug) - Project Daily Driver

[Rome]

X2 on the LB, hitest! Pls take a good photo of your front seats and post it here. Some of us such as Bruce and Glenn would be interested in seeing some older Recaros in a '70's Beetle. At the very least keep the Recaros while you look for stockers with the plaid cloth inserts, or get some stockers in the usual leatherette and have them reupholstered if you are truly going for a correct look.

And keep your eyes open for the glovebox emblem-

[mrmdls]

Wow Rome, I never knew they came with a glovebox emblem. That must be extremely hard to find.
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75 model 110 (Basic Bug) - Project Daily Driver

[Silent Thunder]

I would love to buy the dash board emblem to complete my unmolested original love bug.

[49ermapleleaf]

Hello

I was doing some research on my 1974 Beetle and I came across this forum. I noticed the posting on the "1974 Love Bug" and realised that I own a "Love Bug" in Phoenix Red.

I have owned my 1974 Beetle for 21 years, it was the first car I ever owned. It came from Georgia and had original paint on it when I bought it. It was in really good shape when I bought it. I have worked on it over the 21 years and took the body off about 10 years ago and restored it. The paint code on the car was L32K and all the trim is black. I repainted the car in L32K paint color. I have always loved the color combination.

Reason I have posted is I am trying to find out what the car maybe worth as I am thinking of selling it. It has been redone and barely driven since I restored it. The freshly rebuilt engine has less than 1000 KM's on it. It has never seen winter.


If I were to sell this car how much would something like this be worth?
I have read that the Phoenix Red it more rare than the green. Is that true?

How do you post an image?

[jhicken]

[49ermapleleaf]

Thank you.

[hitest]

The value of your beetle to me depends on the hardest economic factor: emotion. I bought my LB based solely on my attachment to the color as a kid- long before I knew it was an SE beetle (just like you). That said, I paid easily 50% higher for that car than I would a regular beetle of the same year/condition. I consider my value really high.

I still think VW people are buying SE beetles, whereas auction speculators are buying '79 verts; campers and splitties.

In perfect condition, with all things equal, I'd bet it's true worth is closer to no more than 20% higher than a regular beetle's. Simply put, if placed next to a regular beetle worth $3000, yours would be about $3600 IMO.
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[emtbasics]

Does anyone know how many of the "Love Bugs" were made in 74? I keep hearing the term "rare" thrown around, but exactly how rare are they? Other than that, my research doesn't turn up any numbers.
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Saturn Yellow '73 Standard Beetle (1987-1995)
Ravenna Green '74 "Love Bug" (2010-present)
'71 Westy (supposed to be Sierra Yellow, rattle canned white...) (2015-present)


Teddy Kennedy needed a Volkswagen

[url=http://www.vw-mplate.com/mplate2-26166.png]Click to view image[/URL]

[cdennisg]

So, a little research brought me here, as I have recently purchased a 74 Love Bug. I mistakenly thought they were called Sport Bugs, but found out I was wrong. Anyway, I figured I would post up in here as it seemed to be the right place.

Here is my car, recently pulled from storage. It was outside most of the last year, but had been indoors for close to a decade previous.

Custom wheels and front fender.

Interior has been replaced. No more houndstooth.

I have known this car since the late 90's. My former manager at a local ski shop owned it, and built it for his kids to drive. He is an excellent mechanic (mostly marine stuff) and went through the engine meticulously when it was determined necessary. The car has not run in a year, and the brakes are gone, but I will tinker it back into shape. The car was sold new at Wilcox Motors in Billings, MT. Still has their sticker on the decklid, and a couple of stamps in the owner's manual.

The price was very reasonable, and the car came with a ton of spare parts, tools, and a bunch of early Rabbit parts, too. Still trying to sort through it all. Plenty of good tradin' stock, for sure.

I have actually owned one other Love Bug. Back in @1990, I needed a tranny for my 73 standard, and I found a lime green bug in the front yard of a house in Northern MN (where I lived at the time) for $100. It had a rod through the block, and so much rust you couldn't lock your dog it it. We sawed the rear apron off to make engine/tranny removal easier, and I hauled the carcass off to my friend's junkyard. As of a few years ago, it was still there, but I think it got crushed recently. Google Earth shows a clear field where that car once rested.

Bradford, we need to see pics of your Ravenna Green beauty in here.
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nothing

[cdennisg]

Also, it came with a full set of the correct wheels, and a full set of mounted studded snow tires on stock steelies.

Only photo I have right now.

I do have another set of these wheels, but they are flat black (original paint) and two of them are 5.5 inchers. I always thought that the Sport Bug came with these, but I am not so sure after this evening's research. Can anyone enlighten me? I will get a few photos of them tomorrow.
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[cdennisg]

A very interesting post about the wheels from another thread.

[alex857]

I think the wheels are correct: All Beetles built for the German market hat ET 41 from August 1973 on due to a changed front wheel suspension on the Super Beetle. It is true that there are sport wheels 4,5 j with ET 34 (until July 1973, the first European Jeans Beetles series for example) as well as with ET 41 (from August 1973 on).
Anyway, the small difference in the distance between the front wheel does only affect the Super Beetle´s more comlpicated front wheel suspension. It is no remarkable difference for the Standard Beetle.
Standard Beetles sold in Europe switched from ET 34 to 41 in August 1973 only to switch back to ET 34 in January 1978 (Mexican imports) - without any change on the front wheel suspension.
So I think the wheels ET 41 are absolutely correct for your Bug. And even if they were not, it would be no problem driving them.

[emtbasics]

I own a '74 Ravenna Green (and primer, lol) Love Bug that I am working to restore. I keep hearing about the special houndstooth seat covers that are different than the stock basket weave, but can never find pics. My Beetle has the basket weave, and I can't determine if this is original to the car. Anyone have pics they'd care to share?

[/img]
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Saturn Yellow '73 Standard Beetle (1987-1995)
Ravenna Green '74 "Love Bug" (2010-present)
'71 Westy (supposed to be Sierra Yellow, rattle canned white...) (2015-present)


Teddy Kennedy needed a Volkswagen

[url=http://www.vw-mplate.com/mplate2-26166.png]Click to view image[/URL]

[SBD]

I don't have any pictures but I parted out a red, one-family-owned-since-new 1974 Love Bug that had draw-string type seat covers installed in it. Front seats were wasted but I think the rear seat upholstery was probably still in decent shape under the covers. Never pulled the covers off to look. The rear seat is buried in my shed but I might have a chance to look at it today. Nice weather is predicted.
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"Just $99 down and $64 a month for 36 months buys you a brand new Volkswagen Beetle!"

[hitest]

Hello Corey and Rome! I don't know how I forgot about this thread. Enclosed are a couple photos of my car when I first rescued it from a storage unit. I still am not sure of the seat manufacturer. Honestly, I've done nothing with the car since buying it because two weeks later, a one-owner 62 ragtop came into my life. But I will start this on car this year:

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