Super Beetle Buyer's Guide

What is a Super Beetle?

The Super Beetle is an improved version of the standard Beetle, introduced by Volkswagen in 1971. The Beetle convertible after 1970 was based on the Super Beetle. The standard Beetle sedan continued to be sold in the US alongside the Super Beetle sedan. The Super Beetle sedan was also known as the 1302 sedan until 1973, when it became the 1303 sedan.

The improvements featured in the Super Beetle included a flat trunk floor, flat placement of the spare tire in a recessed well, and a relocated and reshaped gas tank, resulting in a phenomenal 86% increase in trunk space. These changes were made possible by the adoption of a MacPherson strut suspension in the front instead of the traditional Beetle torsion bar suspension. This suspension vastly improved the ride quality. In 1973 the Super also received a new curved windshield which increased the amount of space between the front seat occupants and the windshield, thus increasing the sensation of roominess in the cabin. In 1975 rack and pinion steering was introduced to the Super, making its steering more precise and responsive.

The Super Beetle sedan ceased US sales after 1975. Standard Beetle sedans continued to be available in the US through 1977. From the front door pillars back, the Super and the Standard Beetles received the same improvements each year, including engine, transmission, rear suspension and body component changes.

Are Super Beetles worth more than Standard Beetles?

Generally speaking, early Beetles are worth more than later Beetles. Among enthusiasts, Supers are almost always worth less than Standard Beetles in the same condition. However, the general public cannot usually distinguish between the two and so in the general market the difference in worth will be smaller or non-existent. Special editions, of which there were quite a few based on the Super platform, can add some value if the equipment is original and in good condition.

What is special about a Super?

Supers handle very well. They have a smaller turning radius, more precise steering, a better ride, and a longer wheelbase (3 inches), all due to the MacPherson strut suspension. They have much more trunk space. However, they weigh about 155 – 160 pounds more than a Standard, and so they will not accelerate as well as a Standard with the same drivetrain.

The other unique feature of Supers is that they came in many special editions to try to stimulate flagging sales in the 70’s. Among them were the Baja Bug, Sun Bug, Sports Bug, Love Bug, Fun Bug, LaGrande Bug, Champagne Edition, several European editions such as the Jeans Bug, City Bug, Winter Bug and Big Bug, and two special convertible editions, the Triple White (exterior, interior and top color) and the Epilog (Triple Black). These special editions were usually cosmetic, including unique paint, lettering, decals and interior trim, although some also came with special wheels. Details of these special editions can be found in many VW books, for example, “Volkswagen Beetles, Buses and Beyond” by James M. Flammang, Krause Publications, 1996, among others.

Do Supers have special problems?

Supers use many components, especially forward of the doors, that are different from Standards. For instance: front inner and outer fenders; trunk lid; windshield (from 1973 on); steering; front suspension; apron and trunk floor. In addition the floor pan has an additional structural member welded to the front of the pan to accommodate the different steering and suspension. Because these parts are unique to Supers, and there were far fewer Supers made than Standards, they are not as easy to find nor as cheap as they are for Standards. It is also expensive and difficult to convert a Super to a Standard and is usually not worthwhile to do so. Such a conversion would also significantly lessen the value of the car.

Another problem unique to Supers is that their front suspensions are very sensitive to wear of their components, giving rise to a shimmy in the front wheels and steering around 50-60 mph. There are numerous components to the front suspension that can cause the shimmies, and it sometimes requires replacement of numerous bushings, ball joints, linkages and even the struts before the”Super shimmies” are eliminated. You are very likely to encounter this problem if you own a Super for several years unless the previous owner replaced all the parts already. It is important that you test drive a Super at highway speeds so that if it suffers from the shimmies you can incorporate an estimate for repairing that into your offer to the seller. Plan on spending as much as it would cost to replace similar components on a modern day compact car.

The final major problem in a Super is that unlike Standards but like most modern cars, part of the body is used for the front suspension: the tops of the struts are bolted to the inner fenders. Thus, a Super floor pan is not totally independent of the body the way a Standard floor pan is. This can be a safety problem if the inner fenders rust extensively, because the front struts depend on those sections for support. In addition to all the other places to check for rust on a Beetle, pay special attention to the inner fender areas and trunk area near the tops of the struts. If rust is severe in those areas the car may not be safe to drive.

How can you tell a Super apart from a Standard?

The surest sign of a Super is behind the front wheels, where you will see a big coil spring. Standards have no visible springs at all in the front. Other signs of Supers are: a bigger and wider trunk lid (at the front it seems to bulge above the bumper); a flat trunk floor; a spare tire sitting flat in a recessed well in the floor; a windshield washer reservoir located on the passenger side of the trunk, unlike Standards which have it on the driver’s side; a flat gas tank only a few inches high and located very close to the windshield, unlike a Standard’s which is vertical and close to the front of the car; a spare tire jack located under the rear seat behind the battery, unlike Standards which have it in the trunk.

From 1973 on, all Supers also have a protruding, rounded windshield and a shortened trunk lid without the VW emblem near the windshield. Many Supers of all years, but not all, have a row of vertical slots in the front apron under the bumper. These slots were intended to channel cooling air to the air conditioner condenser coils which were located behind the front apron. However, A/C was optional and so some Supers were delivered without the slots.

Should I buy a Super instead of a Standard?

For practical use, Supers are best because of their extra space and better ride (when properly maintained), while still retaining most of the classic look and feel of a Beetle, especially for the general public. They drive well in modern traffic where good high speed handling is important. They are cheaper to buy than Standards because they are not as old.

Parts are readily available for most of a Super from the front door pillars back, because production of Standards continued in other parts of the world up to 2003 and Supers share parts with Standards from the front door pillars back. However, front parts for a Super will probably be harder to find because Supers were not produced outside Germany in any appreciable numbers, and were only produced for a total of about 8 years. Buying a Super will also require a little additional caution on the part of the buyer, to test drive the car at highway speeds to check for the shimmies, and to inspect the tops of the inner fenders for rust around the struts.

For the classic car enthusiast, Standards are better to buy, the earlier the better. Standards are more favored in car enthusiast circles and so a pristine Standard will generally elicit more “oohs” and “ahs” than a Super at car shows (although Supers usually have their own classes at the bigger shows). Enthusiasts generally feel that a Super looks inflated and awkward compared to a Standard. Supers are sometimes referred to as “Fat Chicks” for this reason. As a result of this bias, Standards will command higher prices among enthusiasts and collectors.

Consequently, Standards are more expensive to buy because of their higher value, and original or NOS (“New Old Stock”, meaning new, original, and never used) parts for them are more expensive. However, because more parts are interchangeable among various years of Standards, you can probably find more used parts that will fit a given Standard than you will for a Super.


Additional Super Beetle Resources

Websites:
http://www.Superbeetles.com
http://www.superbeetlesonly.com/

Books:
Essential VW Beetle Cabriolet by Keith Seume, Bay View Books LTD, 1996
Volkswagen Beetles, Buses and Beyond by James M. Flammang, Krause Publications, 1996