My First '66

losthillsguy · Post by **losthillsguy** » Fri Mar 19, 2010 9:41 am

I'm a bit short on time this morning but here's a quick preview of my new car.

Model 115

crazydaze · Post by **crazydaze** » Sat Mar 20, 2010 7:57 am

Standards ROCK!

Nice car

Alex.

Post by **jmartini** » Sun Mar 21, 2010 4:47 pm

Nice! Love the bamboo tray and the vase!

Blue Baron · Post by **Blue Baron** » Mon Apr 05, 2010 10:57 am

That's a really neat standard.

I'm pretty hardcore when it comes to standards. I'd probably remove the parcel tray and vase because the car is supposed to be stripped down. I wonder if '66 standards had chrome hubcaps?

losthillsguy · Post by **losthillsguy** » Mon Apr 05, 2010 11:34 am

I agree on keeping the standard simple. The parcel tray is now in my 1963 Ragtop. The vase is in my 56. The hubcaps were chrome on this car which was marketed as a 1200A

Here are the differences between a '66 standard and a '66 deluxe that I have researched so far

1966 Model 115 VW Sedan Standard w/ Sunroof
European Delivery - Germany

What is a Standard?
The VW Beetle most Americans are familiar with is the Deluxe which was the model sold in the US. In Europe VW also offered a stripped down version of the Beetle called the Standard. It cost about 10% less than the Deluxe model.
Very few standards had sunroofs due to the added expense.

How Did a ’66 Standard Come (less) Equipped?

Leftover Parts From Earlier Models Category

Ragtop instead of steel sunroof
1200 40hp engine
One speed wipers
Steering wheel lock
’65 Front Seat Frames
Early license light housing
Dimmer switch left on floor
Three spoke steering wheel
Fuel tank shutoff and reserve valve

Down Graded Category

Single horn grill
Smaller headliner
Short tunnel mats (2)
Cardboard luggage area
Painted Euro blade bumpers
Painted front turn signal housings
Painted door, hood, and decklid handles
Painted interior window winders/handles
Painted wind wing and window divider
Pebble grain panel / back of rear seat
Plain upholstery and door panels
No exterior lock on pass. side.

Let’s Just Leave It Off Category

No radio
No dash trim
No fuel gauge
No side or hood trim
No running board trim
No luggage area carpet
No window rubber trim
No speedometer trim ring
No Emergency Blinker Circuit
No dome light switches on doors
No cardboard wire cover under hood

Euro Stuff Category

KPH speedometer
Euro taillights
Euro Bumpers

How Many Post ’63 Factory Ragtops Are There in the U.S. ?
1 in California, 1 in Texas, 1 in Virgina that I've located.

Blue Baron · Post by **Blue Baron** » Tue Apr 06, 2010 11:01 am

The other interesting thing about Standards is how small the production numbers of these cars were. In the split window era, Standards constituted 30 to 40 percent of production, but over the years the percentage of production declined until it was under 5 percent by the end of the fifties. By 1966 it was tiny, probably just 2 to 3 percent of total Beetle production. The main purchasers of the car in Germany were senior citizens who still wanted the original car.

rokemester · Post by **rokemester** » Tue Apr 06, 2010 7:08 pm

Great history lesson on the Standard model vs. the Deluxe. Thanks! Does you car come equipped with a 1300cc engine? It says that some cars came with the 1200cc. The badging indicates 1300 for the 66 model year.

Where are you from losthills? Your profile does not indicate your location, perhaps on purpose...sorry just curious.

losthillsguy · Post by **losthillsguy** » Tue Apr 06, 2010 7:33 pm

My car is equipped with a 40hp 1200cc engine, this is supported by the Birth Certificate. The engine number starts with a "D"
From what I've gathered the D engine was the 1200 40hp put in late model standards in Europe, about 1966 to 1969. Up to 65 they had 36hp engines.

The badge on the decklid says 1200. This is what all the 1200A's had on the decklid.

And I work in Lost Hiils Ca

rokemester · Post by **rokemester** » Tue Apr 06, 2010 8:18 pm

Cool, it was hard to tell from the picture. Really cool car. How did you find it?

losthillsguy · Post by **losthillsguy** » Tue Apr 06, 2010 8:43 pm

rokemester wrote:really cool car. How did you find it?

I run a Chapter of the Vintage Volkswagen Club of America. Our website gets a lot of traffic since we've been raffling cars to help wounded soldiers since 2002. Hence if you internet search for Vintage VW guys in CA you might find me.

www.centralcoastvwclub.com

I get quite a few calls about cars, but very few lead to purchases. This one I made sure I got when I found out about it.

rokemester · Post by **rokemester** » Tue Apr 06, 2010 9:17 pm

I'm a recent member of COVVC, Central Ohio Vintage Volkswagen Club. Me and others in the northern part of the state are working to recruit other VW lovers here. We have formed COVVC North to attract members by having some events in and around the Cleveland area.

I've heard about your club before. I think it's great what you do for our soldiers. You have quite a few nice 66 Bugs in your club. Maybe you can convince them to join the conversation in this forum...if they already haven't. We have an annual event in Columbus called Volksfest. It's one of the larger VW shows and swap meets in this part of the country. Proceeds goes to a non-profit org called Camp for Kids. It's nice to meet you, and thanks for the close up of your engine deck lid:)

Mike

http://www.covvc.org/covvcnorth.htm

losthillsguy · Post by **losthillsguy** » Mon Aug 23, 2010 1:59 pm

Blue Baron wrote:The other interesting thing about Standards is how small the production numbers of these cars were. In the split window era, Standards constituted 30 to 40 percent of production, but over the years the percentage of production declined until it was under 5 percent by the end of the fifties. By 1966 it was tiny, probably just 2 to 3 percent of total Beetle production. The main purchasers of the car in Germany were senior citizens who still wanted the original car.

I love these statistics. It makes a lot of sense and I tell this story quite a bit. Thanks for sharing. It's hard to find much standard specific information.