TheSamba.com :: View topic - Interesting article, the South African VW 1600S

Tue Mar 19, 2013 3:19 am

I came across this last night. Fairly short read and interesting.
"The freaky Frankenstein VW Beetles of South Africa."

http://jalopnik.com/5962574/the-freaky-frankenstein-vw-beetles-of-south-africa

Tue Mar 19, 2013 1:22 pm

I had to laugh that my tail light comment got a mention in that article. :lol:

THey really are an odd mix of parts, A mates uncle here in Aus owns a really tidy unrestored 75 model.

Sun Jan 12, 2014 1:03 am

Doing some searching and ran across this article. Does anyone know anything else about them. What parts our which and could one easily be assembled out of stock parts s minus the hood

Sun Jan 12, 2014 1:27 am

You can still pick them up for a song here from about $1000 upwards.

Many still have the 1600 single port setup.

I have a set of 1600S heads, intakes and carb in the garage.

Sun Jan 12, 2014 1:52 am

http://www.gumtree.co.za/a-cars/goodwood/for-sale-...0040904609

Sun Jan 12, 2014 3:00 am

Amazing! I did not think there were any more around. I sure hope noone finds out about the "elephant's foot" taillight adapter for pre 73 rear fenders, that was the most butt-ugly design I ever saw. How bad would that be on an early car! The car as a whole is pretty cool, though.

Sun Jan 12, 2014 11:19 am

I built one (not knowing at the time) because I wanted the curved windshield on my newest Bonneville car. It uses a link pin beam and a swing axle transmission just like the SA car. Since finding these various articles on the 1600S car configuration, it has been accepted as "stock body" since it was actually done by VW of SA. We have a lot of these bodies (1303) here in the US which I was hoping could be used to run on the salt. The biggest downside of the late Super Beetle was the suspension and the cost making it work right. There is also someone in Utah that makes an adapter to mount a ball joint beam under a Super Beetle (a copy of a dealer-designed unit). It certainly makes a different looking car with a vary spacious interior due to the forward window design/dash arrangement. Click on the links in my sig line if you want to see pictures.

Sun Jan 12, 2014 11:56 am

Hyperspace wrote: http://www.gumtree.co.za/a-cars/goodwood/for-sale-...0040904609
Is that a 181 fan shroud? And wide 5's? :shock: The car has fresh air rear tin, plus the engine tin has been painted, so I don't know what's original and what isn't.

Sun Jan 12, 2014 1:56 pm

Yes, SA Beetles are wide 5's and some came factory fitted with Rostyle wheels....

Here is a pic of mine