Lately, I’ve been happy to contribute some machinery that’s been a bit older than the usual late-’80s, early-’90s vintage that one most often sees here. This oranjeboom 1971 Beetle is on its fifth decade of motoring, and it doesn’t exactly look all that worse for wear. Sure, there are some paint issues, but if there’s a chance it’s been properly welded beneath there’s not much grief the yearly inspector visit could give.

Make the jump to see the VW in detail.

It’s wearing white-on-black old-style plates which could very well be its original ones. The chrome on the car is shiny and all details are present. It would make a viable restoration project, if there isn’t anything severe lurking underneath the Gorbachev patches on the front.

It does look that it’s more about rust repairs than a front shunt that’s caused the partial respray on the front, since the bumper hasn’t been damaged, but those and other shiny parts could have been replaced later in its life.

I’m thinking the orange colour actually suits it really well. It’s a cheery, but a classy choice for it.

From this angle, there isn’t much other wear than the faded, matte’d paint. The wheelarches have rotted through from the inside, but the holes are surprisingly small.

I do not pretend to know too much about Beetles, I leave that for somebody more well-versed in Volkswagens; but I can tell the small taillights mean it’s not the later Jumbo model with the elephant foot items.

In the rear, on the engine front, there’s a 1248cc plant out of which have been persuaded 40 horsepower. That is not a lot, but it’s not a lot of car either (except in the symbolical sense, of course).

Once, all Finnish market parking lots looked like this. There only were more Saabs and Taunuses and Datsuns in the background, as well as the markets being smaller.

Viewed directly from the side, I like the Beetle shape best. It’s a brilliant-looking bit of design, one of the essential cars. There’s hardly a town in the world where there’s not a VW Beetle driver or enthusiast, and while their numbers have dwindled in comparison to the insane 21,5 million examples built, they’re still most likely the most common classic car in existence. I’ve never driven one, and while I can do without owning one, I’d happily like to sample a Beetle for a weekend.

Images: Copyright 2012 Hooniverse/Antti Kautonen