This 1949 Volkswagen Beetle Is FAMOUS! Here's What It's Like To Drive...

Поділитися
Вставка
  • Опубліковано 29 лют 2024
  • ( www.alltfl.com/ ) Check out our new spot to find ALL our content, from news to videos and our podcasts!
    Kase and Tommy Drive the 1949 Beetle Volkswagen used in their Super Bowl Ad! ( / tflcar ) Visit our Patreon page to support the TFL team!
    Watch more videos from TFL Studios:
    The Fast Lane Truck ( / tfltruck )
    The Fast Lane Car ( / tflcar )
    TFLoffroad ( / tfloffroad )
    TFLbike ( / tflbike )
    TFLnow ( / tflnow )
    TFLclassics ( / tflclassics )
    TFLtalk ( / tfltalk )
    TFL Podcasts:
    TFL Talkin' Cars Podcast ( redcircle.com/shows/tfltalk-c... )
    TFL Talkin' Trucks Podcast ( redcircle.com/shows/tfl-talki... )
  • Авто та транспорт

КОМЕНТАРІ • 134

  • @richsarchet9762
    @richsarchet9762 4 місяці тому +86

    Makes my 40 HP 1962 Bug look like a hot rod! And the luxuries I have...Automatic choke, a left side mirror, seat belts, working turn signals, a radio and a glovebox door.

    • @kuntakinte4333
      @kuntakinte4333 4 місяці тому +6

      A hydraulic brake... synchroned gears...

    • @LinguraDeLemn93
      @LinguraDeLemn93 3 місяці тому +1

      The syncromeshed gears make a world of a difference as well

    • @fortheloveofnoise9298
      @fortheloveofnoise9298 3 місяці тому

      you dont need any of those things

    • @bugnut82
      @bugnut82 3 місяці тому +2

      Same, I love driving my 40hp 62 Bug!

    • @CowboyGarage
      @CowboyGarage 3 місяці тому

      You even have a fuel gauge! My '61 still uses the reserve lever on the firewall to switch the gas tank to reserve after running out of gas.

  • @abqcrutch
    @abqcrutch 4 місяці тому +33

    Mom & dad both owned beetles in the 60s. Dad commuted 35 miles to LA. In mom's beetle, the driver's door didn't latch properly and I'd watch my mom open the door while driving and slam it closed. I'm 5yo, of course I had to try it, sitting in the front passenger seat with no seatbelt. I opened the door a little too far and fell out of the seat. I was holding onto the door handle when mom slammed on the brakes and I ended up in the footwell with a goose-egg on top of my head from where I smashed into the dash. I'd forgotten about it until I watched your vid. Thanks guys!

  • @Audi_cab2.3
    @Audi_cab2.3 3 місяці тому +19

    Here in Germany this First Type of Beetle is called the „Brezel Käfer“ Couse of its unique Rear Windows.
    Greetings from Germany! Keep up the good work!

    • @Gunny426HemiPlymouth
      @Gunny426HemiPlymouth 3 місяці тому +2

      Aaahh that's where that Brezel term came from, I thought it was from Bazil. Thanks for that.

    • @Audi_cab2.3
      @Audi_cab2.3 3 місяці тому

      @@Gunny426HemiPlymouth you‘re welcome

    • @atvheads
      @atvheads 3 місяці тому

      We call them a bubble in Sweden.

    • @TheAnnoyingBoss
      @TheAnnoyingBoss 3 місяці тому

      Now vw sells crap. Should sell this thing all it needs is some more power not 25hp

  • @nicogi
    @nicogi 4 місяці тому +26

    Kase's smile says it all! Great video guys :)

  • @crittercherry3800
    @crittercherry3800 4 місяці тому +6

    Skinny tires: I was going through a really old magazine one day and came across a VW Beetle ad, mostly about the tires. The main line read: The secret to less tire wear, is less tire. Remember, tires went fast back then. Good tires, even faster.

    • @ericknoblauch9195
      @ericknoblauch9195 4 місяці тому

      I grew up around VW's. Many people I know who had one put 80,000 miles on a set of cheap bias ply tires. They also said if you put radial tires on them that the tire would rot before it would wear out. Those old VW's would run for a very long time on a set of tires. A gallon of gas went a long way in a beetle too. Back then cars on the road would only get half or less miles to the gallon than a VW beetle.

    • @crittercherry3800
      @crittercherry3800 4 місяці тому

      @@ericknoblauch9195
      I grew up with many relatives having them. Then, some friends. We made use of the Beetle's full range of capabilities. (Where's that starter button?). And I've never driven one. It's on my list! 😁

    • @Jerms995
      @Jerms995 4 місяці тому

      @@ericknoblauch9195I was told if you overfill the tank the fumes get to you! Is that true?

  • @lunabouch
    @lunabouch 4 місяці тому +6

    My first of 4 Beetles was a 1960 that I bought with my graduation from high school gift of $100 in 1971. It was definitely well used and had some issues but it was my first car and will never be forgotten.

  • @robtanner5583
    @robtanner5583 4 місяці тому +15

    Thanks for taking time to show some respect to the OG VW

  • @henryhawthorn8849
    @henryhawthorn8849 3 місяці тому +10

    I’ve heard that the earliest VW Beetles had no fuel gauge, but instead had a deep stick to measure the fuel level, just like it’s done in measuring the oil level in the engine. I also heard that in the earliest Beetles, if the engine started to sputter because it was low on fuel, that there was a knob that the driver would turn in order to release an extra reserve of gasoline. In the video I didn’t see any fuel gauge, but just a speedometer, and an odometer. So it’s probably true that the earliest VW Beetles had no fuel gauge. You just can’t get any simpler, and basic than those early cars. I didn’t know that it didn’t have any side view mirror, not even in the driver’s side.

    • @CowboyGarage
      @CowboyGarage 3 місяці тому +2

      The '61 was the last year without a gas gauge. I have two of them that I am currently restoring in my shop. You have a little lever on the firewall that selects the gas for on/off/reserve similar to a motorcycle. When it starts to sputter you reach down and flip the lever 90 degrees and you get an extra gallon or so of gas that should get you to the nearest gas station. In this video you can see the lever clearly many times, such as the 3 minute mark.

    • @TomAlmy
      @TomAlmy 8 днів тому

      Stop the video at 3:03. The red lever on the firewall is the fuel lever. It adjusted the pickup in the tank -- at the bottom for "reserve" and up a ways for normal. It also had a third, off, position.

  • @KyleJewell
    @KyleJewell 4 місяці тому +9

    I got my dad a 1957 small window beetle. They are so fun to drive

  • @hmmhmmmmhh
    @hmmhmmmmhh 4 місяці тому +11

    Kase and Tommy testning a true classic, does not get much better than that!

  • @wilmarbarrick3194
    @wilmarbarrick3194 4 місяці тому +20

    I'm just impressed they're 2 under 30s that know how to drive a stick in the U.S.A.

    • @fortheloveofnoise9298
      @fortheloveofnoise9298 3 місяці тому +1

      I am 29 and my daily driver is a 5 speed manual 1998 Nissan Sentra, and I share a side care with my grandfather which is a 2002 5 speed manual Mazda Miata

    • @zonoscopePictures
      @zonoscopePictures 3 місяці тому

      My under 18 kids know how to drive stick (the 17 year old def does and the 13 year old is learning)!

    • @CadillacGregg309
      @CadillacGregg309 3 місяці тому

      Great bonding experience between a Father and his children. They'll always remember. Be patient Dad.@@zonoscopePictures

    • @MilitaryHistoryUnveiled
      @MilitaryHistoryUnveiled 3 місяці тому +2

      I’m 15 and my dad taught me in his 07 Honda CiVIc

    • @gregsayles9253
      @gregsayles9253 2 місяці тому +1

      Aren't one or both engineer's?

  • @OmarDenarzi
    @OmarDenarzi 3 місяці тому +4

    More content like this please 😊😊😊

  • @patrickchubey3127
    @patrickchubey3127 4 місяці тому +6

    I'd sooner have the 49 bug than the id4.

  • @michaelbressette2599
    @michaelbressette2599 Місяць тому +1

    The angle of the rear wheels is why I liked this model I don't remember any other car that had this design.
    That beetle is gorgeous.
    The one aspect of this car I hated so much was the close proximity of the brake to the clutch & for anyone with large feet makes it exceptionally hard to drive & I noticed the driver did the same thing as I use to do engage both brake & clutch at the same time.
    I really like that whiney hissy sound as the speed increases & upshifting.
    At the end that nice teensy weensy clunk sound on shifting from first to second. I forgot about that sound when the gear was slightly out of sync.
    A real jewel this beetle is.
    Thanks for sharing this event with us.

  • @robervin9107
    @robervin9107 4 місяці тому +5

    Omg our iconic duo brothers review a iconic vehicle

  • @johnwjeromejr
    @johnwjeromejr 4 місяці тому +5

    I had a bright red VW bug (standard bug, not the SuperBeatle). 60 HP may not sound like much, but, due to its super light weight, it was quick off the line and had a "killer" 2nd gear that was much quicker than that of other economy cars of that era. The engine had high displacement (1.6 liter) for the stated horsepower and curb weight which contributed to its feeling of peppiness.

  • @57WillysCJ
    @57WillysCJ 4 місяці тому +6

    To put in perspective my lawn tractor has the same horse power. Those skinny tires and rear engine helped in winter snow not to mention other bad road conditions. There are old Land Rover guys that still swear by the skinnier tire. I do like them on some rough roads.

    • @AJ-qn6gd
      @AJ-qn6gd 4 місяці тому

      If you ever watch the rallying they always use very skinny tyres on the snow stages (usually with studs) and yes to skinny tyres on Land Rovers 👍🏻🇬🇧

  • @gregamos8793
    @gregamos8793 4 місяці тому +5

    Very cool! I’ve owned two different VW’s. Loved them both.

  • @CadillacGregg309
    @CadillacGregg309 4 місяці тому +2

    Cool 1949 Beetle! I've owned 3 Super Beatles. A Red Sky Blue 1971 Super Bettle which was my favorite. Then a Red 1971 Super Beatles, and lastly, a 1972 Brown Super Beatle with a crank Sun Roof, that was very cool. Fun Fact, did you know the Super Beatles are one foot longer than the regular Beatles? After all these years since I owned one, I only recently found that out a few years ago. The Beatles that I owned were in my College Years 1989-1992. Looking back now that I'm much older, I don't know how I endured the Hot Summers of South Florida in those things. One thing My Super Beatles had that the 1949 Didn't have were Vent Side Windows. On the Interstate going 70, you got plenty of breeze and at that speed, the VW was floating on air. LOL

  • @lindabutler4903
    @lindabutler4903 4 місяці тому +8

    Double clutch when shifting , no grind 😢

  • @RidersInBlack
    @RidersInBlack 4 місяці тому +4

    Even the Germans back in the forties knew how to make a car that steered well and still do today. It's what sets German cars apart from everything else.

  • @lffit
    @lffit 4 місяці тому +2

    I owned a '50's small window in Germany in '68? drove all over Europe, loved the lever for the extra petrol, and the compliant comfortable suspension, we left in parked in the street in London before heading back to Australia.

  • @thebigguy8306
    @thebigguy8306 4 місяці тому +2

    Thank you, Kase and Tommy, great coverage. Always wanted one as a youngin, but by the time I was driving 1) they discontinued, 2) OMG so small, the term 10 lbs into a 5lb bag, if I drove only a toddler would have room to ride with me. Note the original Bug, small changes, not unlike the Porsche 911

  • @caddyman7725
    @caddyman7725 2 місяці тому +1

    That iconic exhaust sound always reminds me of someone rattling pennies in a jar! Love it!

  • @Stuka87
    @Stuka87 4 місяці тому +2

    I have driven quite a few bugs. From an early 60's model, to a 70's super, to a late 90's mexican market car. They are all fun cars to drive. All very slow, but fun cars.

  • @bobbates7343
    @bobbates7343 2 місяці тому

    I learned to drive in a Bug . It had no clutch and was push start only . It was a field car . The push start was fine if I had people or at least one other person with me to push but by myself once I got it going I was sure to not stall it . Learning to drive with no clutch was a good thing as I became a truck driver and learning when to shift and not using the clutch is important.

  • @usecoperator6357
    @usecoperator6357 4 місяці тому +2

    I love these cars. My dad owns a 72 year 1300 red and white buggy. I love driving it

  • @Andywinnipeg
    @Andywinnipeg 4 місяці тому +1

    My dad had a beetle from 57, that was our family car in the 70s.

  • @7728abbott
    @7728abbott 4 місяці тому +1

    Kase liked it! Wow. Such a great car, so simple and minimalist.

  • @rik999
    @rik999 4 місяці тому +2

    Owned a '58 (36 hp) and a '66 (50 hp). Yes they were slow even by mid 60's standards. The engine was very loud on the inside of the car at highway speeds and the heater/defroster was miserably weak unless you were on the highway. The engines would last over 100,000 miles driven flatout at 60-65 mph unlike their import competition (Renault, Fiat, and the British) which would clap out at about 60,000 miles or less. German Bosch and French Ducellier electrics were as reliable as American electrics of the era (Delco, Autolite, etc) and miles ahead of Lucas (British) and the even worse Magneti Marelli in Fiats and other Italian cars.

  • @Jerms995
    @Jerms995 4 місяці тому

    My father's first car! He had a 72-73” Super Bug. Back in his high school days, he got 6 football players in that little car!

  • @flatheadV8
    @flatheadV8 4 місяці тому +1

    My first car was a 1948 Morris 8E and and later I had a 1964 VW Bug, however I could never modulate the brake pedal to bring the VW to a smooth stop. The front wheels tended to lockup. The Morris was slower but easier to drive.

  • @michaelmartin2276
    @michaelmartin2276 4 місяці тому +1

    My wife had a 1969. Drove it in HS through college. It angers me we sold it soon after we got married. Cool piece of history this car

  • @TheTechCguy
    @TheTechCguy 3 місяці тому

    I remember seeing my fair share of these classic VW Beetles, especially from the 60s when they were in their prime and when the hype for these was at its peak, as a kid in the 1990s. Nostalgia!

  • @davidmcelfresh3024
    @davidmcelfresh3024 4 місяці тому

    Thanks for this episode. Fun historical vehicle.

  • @jakebob5101
    @jakebob5101 4 місяці тому +3

    '49 with the ''Crashbox''

  • @user-kh9sy7fh7u
    @user-kh9sy7fh7u 4 місяці тому +3

    Awesome! Very enjoyable video.

  • @shitloveaduck
    @shitloveaduck 4 місяці тому +1

    Nice job guys! You could tell it was nerve wracking, but a cool experience for both of you!!
    Stay safe, Eh!

  • @Gunny426HemiPlymouth
    @Gunny426HemiPlymouth 3 місяці тому

    My dad had a 52 standard. We later found out it was a Hoffman car.

  • @bosse641
    @bosse641 4 місяці тому +3

    Fun car.

  • @classicforreal
    @classicforreal 4 місяці тому +3

    It's nice seeing both of TFL's Dollar General Doug DeMuros fumble out and about.

  • @classic287
    @classic287 Місяць тому

    My face hit the windshield in a head on collision in my friends 1960 Beetle back in 67

  • @anthonymrskipt9252
    @anthonymrskipt9252 4 місяці тому

    My parents’ friends had a red bug back in the mid-sixties and I remember riding in the “way back” (ie, behind the rear seats) as a 3-4-yr old. I guess you wouldn’t be able to do that today!

  • @bennyhannover9361
    @bennyhannover9361 3 місяці тому

    The beetle was produced at 1.131 cc with 25.5 bhp at 3.600 rpm , the compression was lowered for German Coal petroleum that had 78 octane to 6.3 to 1!
    The first Beetle KDF Sedan from 1938 had 23.5 bhp from 985 cc and 7.2 to 1 compression 98 kmh topspeed. The postwar version reached 103 kmh or 65 miles per hour too speed

  • @melvinjacobs2328
    @melvinjacobs2328 3 місяці тому

    My first new car was a '63 Beetle.

  • @henrikhkarpynskyi8712
    @henrikhkarpynskyi8712 4 місяці тому +2

    Talking about VW history no one for some reason mentions 1938 and Sparkarte

    • @zonoscopePictures
      @zonoscopePictures 3 місяці тому

      I’m 100% sure there are many VW nerds out there who are aware of the Savings Program, Ferdinand Porsche, Hitler and Ivan Hirst… this is a video about a 49 model so I’m not sure what your point is?

  • @Xander_Zimmermann
    @Xander_Zimmermann 2 місяці тому +1

    Sounds suspiciously like a Junkers Ju 87 Dive Bomber.

  • @samuel90497
    @samuel90497 3 місяці тому

    here in brazil this car is really common, but its rare to find the old ones

  • @zonoscopePictures
    @zonoscopePictures 3 місяці тому

    The rear seat legroom (comment at 3:53) isn’t the only thing these cars have in common with the 911. If you got out of this car and got into any generation of air cooled 911 (esp. the Torsion bar cars), you would immediately notice several similarities. Floor hinged pedals and their position, how close the windshield is, the light and precise steering, even the distinctive smell of the air cooled engine (granted different air cooled engines will have varying degrees of oil tightness, lol ). It’s almost as if Porsche took the Type I and constantly refined/developed the idea until they had evolved an entirely new car from the basic concept… for a completely wild iteration of this same idea, see the Type 64 / Type 60K10 (great video of it on youtube called "The Porsche Type 64 | Chris Harris Drives | Top Gear")

  • @mylittleparody2277
    @mylittleparody2277 3 місяці тому

    Wonderful!

  • @williamjamesw
    @williamjamesw 3 місяці тому

    I didn't realize that the engine was running until you went to open the hood.

  • @timescales
    @timescales 3 місяці тому

    Nice one!

  •  4 місяці тому +1

    very nice

  • @bryaninnc5511
    @bryaninnc5511 4 місяці тому

    Reminds me of my HS buddy's 65 Beetle, though a bit more primitive. I wonder how the new ID.4 will fair in 2099.

  • @timothyokane9710
    @timothyokane9710 3 місяці тому

    The drivers window looks very modern, no vent window, just a big glass roll down window. I remember Volkswagen ads from the sixties, and seventies referring to the two that were sold in 49' also ads like all cars will have port holes in their sides, as if that was a selling point, but the Beetle soldiered on unchanged.

    • @labajadaman
      @labajadaman 3 місяці тому

      If I recall correctly the early Beetles like this one without the wind wing instead had windows with a sort of a scooped section of glass cut out of the top edge. When you began to lower the window this scooped section would allow a small amount of fresh air to enter through the top edge. If you needed more then you would lower the window further like you would a normal window.

  • @ChuddleBuggy
    @ChuddleBuggy 4 місяці тому

    that engine is surprisingly quiet and smooth. must have had a 20-lb flywheel.

  • @RyansuBike
    @RyansuBike 4 місяці тому

    my first car was a 1974 type I so I guess that was 25 years in the US when it came out, it wasn't mine until 1985

  • @k1e1v1i1n
    @k1e1v1i1n 3 місяці тому

    that is special.

  • @garysarratt1
    @garysarratt1 4 місяці тому +1

    Were y’all referring to the transmission whine?

    • @zonoscopePictures
      @zonoscopePictures 3 місяці тому

      Yeah that was pretty loud, I wonder if all the early models whined like that?

  • @GereDJ2
    @GereDJ2 4 місяці тому

    The rear two-piece "split" window was cheaper to produce than a one-piece oval.

  • @xxxy9928
    @xxxy9928 3 місяці тому

    nice dark blue

  • @vintagevwchannel
    @vintagevwchannel 25 днів тому

    Hey I have a 1949 VW Beetle Too : )

  • @BroadwaySamFlowers
    @BroadwaySamFlowers 3 місяці тому

    What color is this?....I love it.

  • @russellriggan2088
    @russellriggan2088 4 місяці тому

    The little man with the funny haircut+ little 'stache approves.

  • @mhassouneh
    @mhassouneh 4 місяці тому +2

    I want to get a '67 or '69 🥹

  • @30smsuperstrat
    @30smsuperstrat 4 місяці тому

    If Tommy or Case were involved in a minor traffic collision, would you have shared the video, along with Volkswagen's response?

  • @shanemallinson7644
    @shanemallinson7644 4 місяці тому +3

    It's better than ev vehicles

    • @harriettanthony7352
      @harriettanthony7352 4 місяці тому

      NO! it is NOT! Not by any anti-EV-ites warped mind! I have owned 03 Beetles and two EVs. The EV is worlds better. PERIOD

  • @Lucas-up6ww
    @Lucas-up6ww 4 місяці тому

    Does Jay have one?

  • @Rawwrrrrrrrrrrrr
    @Rawwrrrrrrrrrrrr 2 місяці тому

    I know a lady who used to have a green one, I was super young when she got rid of the car, but according to her , it was a rotting mess of a car 😅

  • @thomasthurston6656
    @thomasthurston6656 4 місяці тому

    😂 Just get in and give it the beans lol 😊

  • @rayjay8322
    @rayjay8322 4 місяці тому

    If I wanted a 49, I would much rather have the 49 Ford my dad bought for 100 bucks in 65.

  • @WatchMeBURNFuel
    @WatchMeBURNFuel 4 місяці тому

    Why is the rear wheel camber so positive!? Like it's abnormal haha
    Positive 50 degree angle...like wtf? lol

  • @aaronramirez6828
    @aaronramirez6828 3 місяці тому

    I would not let you drive this car, let alone my 62.

  • @evaldasgr6999
    @evaldasgr6999 4 місяці тому

    75 years.. we are missing few years.

    • @mj6493
      @mj6493 3 місяці тому

      75 years in the US

  • @timbutterworth6414
    @timbutterworth6414 4 місяці тому

    They were designed after the Chrysler air flow look it up!

    • @zonoscopePictures
      @zonoscopePictures 3 місяці тому

      I think they had more in common design wise with Hans Ledwinka’s Tatra T 77 and T 87, which are rear engined air cooled cars. Porsche admitted being influenced by Ledwinka when he designed the Type I

  • @Acejustforalaugh
    @Acejustforalaugh 3 місяці тому

    The big expert can't find reverse ! 😅😂

  • @josueelombre931
    @josueelombre931 3 місяці тому +2

    Back when VW made actual people’s cars.

  • @tomgerds7140
    @tomgerds7140 4 місяці тому

    Just two beetles sold in US in 1949, don't know how many actually imported and sold later. Anyone?

    • @Matt-re3or
      @Matt-re3or 4 місяці тому

      Thought I was gonna have to be the guy to bring that up. VW imported 2, private import companies bringing new cars and individual people bringing them later, who knows?

  • @MavadoKen
    @MavadoKen 4 місяці тому +2

    Lets hope VW keeps playing with their vintage vehicles and goes back to their roots.

    • @alexzhdanyuk4237
      @alexzhdanyuk4237 4 місяці тому

      I don’t know if you want them to go all the way back to their roots. You know what I mean? 😅

    • @harriettanthony7352
      @harriettanthony7352 4 місяці тому

      @@alexzhdanyuk4237 We understand, BUT VWs roots are better than the Layda

  • @volvo09
    @volvo09 4 місяці тому +1

    Wow, those are very very basic... I've only really seen the newer 60's beetles.

  • @kc0lif
    @kc0lif 4 місяці тому

    same car from 1949-2000

  • @stevekniess3665
    @stevekniess3665 4 місяці тому

    That rear wheel looks a little off

  • @misterwhipple2870
    @misterwhipple2870 3 місяці тому

    Speedometer cables are ten bucks. What's this guy's problem?

  • @Flaviorrodolfo
    @Flaviorrodolfo 3 місяці тому

    I don't think it does 120 even in km/h hahah

  • @AeroSS87
    @AeroSS87 3 місяці тому

    75 years since Hitler contracted Ferdinand Porsche to dwisgn and build it, now a pop culture symbol 🥰

  • @pedrodaniellopesferreira2916
    @pedrodaniellopesferreira2916 3 місяці тому

    Couldn't find the reverse, take 20 seconds to shift to 2nd
    ... and the comment is "nice shift Tommy" - Completely American!

  • @sertyuhg
    @sertyuhg 4 місяці тому

    Not worth the ads

  • @ed9492
    @ed9492 4 місяці тому

    Seatbelt probably wouldn't help you much in that if you did have it.

  • @dan98996
    @dan98996 2 місяці тому

    Most of it is broken lol

  • @Matthew-qo3ql
    @Matthew-qo3ql Місяць тому

    The people’s car

  • @ltjoseph9042
    @ltjoseph9042 Місяць тому

    How do these 2
    millennial children get
    these rare high value
    cars for the purpose
    of making videos for
    youtube?

  • @GibsonBuck
    @GibsonBuck 4 місяці тому

    Hitler's car!

    • @harriettanthony7352
      @harriettanthony7352 4 місяці тому

      Which was far better than Stalins car, Psst! do not tell the Leftist in the USA that news