FS: 1964 VW Beetle, 22 original miles. (If you have to ask, "How much?" you can't afford it!)

[MetroMPG]

Imagine your dear old uncle passes away, and he wills you his tool collection and a couple of cars.

Of course, you've known all your life about the old Beetle in storage that he bought as "back up" for his other old Beetle... which he never even drove! (Complete with window stickers, the hubcaps never installed, wipers in boxes, never even washed.)

But did you know the auction estimate would be around A MILLION DOLLARS? (Says Torch on Jalopnik)

Holy cow!!!


I certainly didn't know that was possible. I wonder if the nephew did.





Source: 1964 Volkswagen Beetle

[jamesqf]

Originally Posted by MetroMPG

[IMG]But did you know the auction estimate would be around A MILLION DOLLARS? (Says Torch on Jalopnik)

One can only wonder at the vagaries of human psychology...

[freebeard]

Its black paint is a little dusty, because it has never been washed – ever!

Uh-huh. Sure.

Made me look:



I agree with Torchinsky, I couldn't resist the temptation to put miles on it. Plus which, for that price it should have a sunroof.

[slowmover]

It’s the “put it into storage” part that matters.

Was looking at a 1940 Lincoln last night. Apparently good until stored in a damp garage. What’s there in its place I wouldn’t bother with.

Favorite stories are:

- the pair of Lockheed Lodestars Howard Hughes kept at a Dallas airport for nearly thirty years. Full-time crews. Regularly serviced and exercised. Always on call. Legend is they never were.

- And the guy who had built the awesome Lake Tahoe King, “Thunderbird”. Airplane engines on a fast motor yacht. But WWII got him worried the USG would commandeer. So, hire a mining engineering company to blast a long tunnel up under his home so the yacht was safe form prying eyes.

Starting that set of motors is one of the sweetest sounds available.

[MetroMPG]

Lake Tahoe King, “Thunderbird”

Didn't know about that one before -- looked at a few videos. Wow!

[freebeard]

- And the guy who had built the awesome Lake Tahoe King, “Thunderbird”. Airplane engines on a fast motor yacht. But WWII got him worried the USG would commandeer. So, hire a mining engineering company to blast a long tunnel up under his home so the yacht was safe form prying eyes.

It's a nice boat but I want to see the tunnel it would fit in.

The house had many secret passage ways including this 600’0″ long tunnel that connected the house to the boat dock where workers moved in supplies.

https://michaelbbishop.wordpress.com...derbird-lodge/

One yard wide tunnel, P-38 engines:


https://www.tahoedailytribune.com/en...g-new-engines/

I don't know what this flathead dual-spark V-12 is from but I like the detailing:

http://www.woodyboater.com/blog/2018...s-all-records/

[slowmover]

The 1930s were the last time the REALLY rich cared about boats or cars most of us could relate. Come the postwar era, transcontinental airliners changed the status signals. “Where” mattered more. The Jet Set.

Thunderbird is a study in beauty. Stationary & silent. All fires lit and crossing Tahoe in comfort & style at speeds mere mortals could only imagine.

Bill Harrah owned it awhile. Imagine being aboard with Sinatra and Grace Kelly (you choose the “stars”).

100’ boat Tunnel.

Even as a business proposition the costs of skilled, full-time crew had to make an impressive number. Engines of that sort require constant monitoring. Boats of that sort, the same.

It’s peers were the “Long Island Commuters” taking the far too rich from their estate to the shoreline at Wall Street starting in the 1920s (had to have high horsepower/weight ratio engines. Thank you WWI, those obscene profits, the Wall Street bubble and warbird powerplants!)


And compare also to the private rail cars. Best story there either the Beebes, or of “Magellan” and the secret NYC tunnel & entrance underneath the Waldorf-Astoria used by FDR.

.

[freebeard]

Justacarguy must've caught wind of this thread because he put up a post on Thunderbird:

Just A Car Guy: twin Rolls Royce V 12 aircraft engines... rumbling. Turn it on, turn it up. Annoy most of your co-workers for 15 seconds, the ones who dig engines? They'll high 5 you


This looks better than the green examples in the Tahoe Daily Tribune article. But that doesn't look like a lot of air cleaners for 1150hp.

[slowmover]

One can read a motors potential by the sound of its idle.