Details

• Condition
  Pre-Owned Clear Title
• Engine
  1.6L Flat-4 Air-Cooled 1600 cc
• Drivetrain
  Not Specified
• Interior
  Black
• VIN #
  1562155972
• Mileage
  31938
• Transmission
  Manual
• Exterior Color
  Red
• Stock #
  SN3337
• Warranty
  

1976 Volkswagen Super Beetle Convertible — Karmann Cabrio in Red with Black Soft Top Why This Car Is Special The 1976 Volkswagen Super Beetle Convertible is one of the most collectible variants of the entire Beetle lineup, and for good reason. By 1976, Volkswagen had already ended production of the standard Beetle sedan in Germany, but the convertible — hand-built by coachbuilder Karmann in Osnabrück — was kept alive specifically for markets like the United States, where demand remained strong. That decision to continue the Karmann Cabrio while killing the hardtop actually makes the 1976 model year a meaningful one for collectors. These cars were never cheap to produce. Karmann reinforced the body to compensate for the loss of the roof structure, and the conversion process was labor-intensive enough that the convertible carried a significant price premium over the standard sedan when new. The Super Beetle designation itself is important context. Introduced in 1971, the Super Beetle — known internally as the Type 1302 and later the 1303 — differed from the standard Beetle in two key ways: it used MacPherson strut front suspension instead of the old kingpin-and-torsion-bar setup, and it featured a larger, more curved windshield that gave the front of the car a rounder, more modern profile. The curved windshield also expanded interior volume noticeably compared to the flat-glass standard Beetle. By 1976, Volkswagen had settled on the 1303-based platform for the Cabrio, which meant buyers got improved handling geometry and more front storage space along with the open-air body style. Karmann had been building VW convertibles since 1949, and by the time this car rolled out of the Osnabrück plant, the company had decades of experience reinforcing the unibody and fitting convertible tops that held up well in real-world use. The result was a car with notably less cowl shake than most open-top vehicles of the era, a point VW's own marketing leaned on. The fact...