VW Maxi Beetle Cabriolet 1973 by Autocult
Uniquely
different
In
the early 1970s, the German television channel ‘ARD’ broadcasted the lottery show
‘Ein Platz an der Sonne’ (A place in the sun), in which a large number of
social institutions in the Federal Republic of Germany were financially supported
by the foundation ‘Deutsches Hilfswerk’.
From
1971 the popularity of the ‘ARD’ show also promoted the actions of the partner
cities, in which the city’s inhabitants were encouraged to participate in the
lottery through various actions, such as a soccer competition with celebrities.
In 1971, the city of Wolfsburg immediately made itself available as the venue
for the premiere.
The
collaboration between the VW plant and the ARD broadcast was very successful
and was continued in the following years. It went so far that in 1973 the company
set its own Beetle model on wheels for the broadcast. The purpose of the customized
Beetle was to properly stage the German show business celebrities, who were
involved in the lottery, in an open car.
To
install a third row of seats, a VW Beetle was cut in half and was extended by
fitting a centerpiece of exactly 750 millimeters. This would have allowed to
seat in total eight people, but in the end there should be ten. In order to
offer two more seats, an emergency bench seat with handholds for two more people
was fitted onto the rear part. In the rear a standard 44 hp boxer engine did
its job and accelerated the Maxi Cabriolet to 115 km/h. This may have remained
a theoretical value, because the cornering behavior due to the long wheelbase
most probably did not allow a very pleasant driving style.
Description: | VW Maxi Beetle Cabriolet 1973 |
Catalogue#: | ATC06051 |
Product Type: | Resincast |
Scale: | 1:43 |
Event: | Road, Concept Cars |
Colour: | - |
Drivers: | - |
Sponsors: | - |
Dates: | 1973 |
Race/Position: | - |
Release Date: | May 2022 |
Weight: | 450 grams |
Comments: | Limited edition of 333 pieces |
About Autocult
A relatively new maker of very well finished resincast models, established in 2015. Very imaginative choice of subjects, often concentrating on the more eccentric episodes in motoring history! Production limited to 333 pieces of each subject, which often means that we get one delivery and that is it, so pre-orders strongly recommended!! Made in China for Germany.