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[ARTO]

Volkswagen Beetle 1303 wins “Golden Classic Steering Wheel 2012″

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On October 16, the Volkswagen 1303 from 1972 was awarded the “Golden Classic Steering Wheel” having been voted the “Classic of the Year 2012″ by the readers of Germany’s AUTO BILD KLASSIK magazine. With 8,432 votes, it won the coveted prize awarded for the third time with a significant lead over its nine competitors.

With the car celebrating its 40th birthday, the readers of AUTO BILD KLASSIK have given the 1303 Beetle a very special gift.

 

The 1303 model, also known as the Super Beetle in the US market, was launched in 1972 and was the final stage of the decades-long development of the Beetle and a successor to its predecessor the 1302 that was introduced two years previously. The 1303 was primarily developed to address increased safety and security requirements for both domestic and global export markets.

 

In Europe, the 1303 model was usually fitted with a 1300cc engine while the 1303S badged version indicated a 1600cc engine. Some early cabriolet versions sported 1303LS badges, like the 1974 left-hand drive version I owned in the early to mid 1980s. Whilst the cabriolet version built by Karmann continued in production until January 1980, the saloon/sedan version of the 1303 was discontinued in 1975 with a final lavish special edition for both the US and European markets in three special metallic paint finishes – Hellas beige metallic (L98C), Ontario blue metallic (L95M) and Moss green metallic (L95C) – and had body-coloured matching door cards, sumptous pile carpet and courduroy upholstery. In addition, the dashboard had a wood-effect facia, plus a padded sports steering wheel, wood gearknob and 5½J x 15 sports steel wheels and black side stripes. In the UK and Europe this was called the 1303 Big Beetle, whilst the US last edition version was named La Grande Bug and, unlike its European counterparts, was more high-tech featuring air-conditioning with a fuel-injected engine and catalytic converter.

 

Enhanced safety features on the exterior of the 1303 which were most noticable were the large curved windshield that increased the distance between the glass and the head of the driver and front passenger, a marked difference compared to the almost flat glass and dashboard of its predecessor. At the rear, the three-segment tail lamp units were greatly enlarged to provide brighter and more visible lighting. The lamps were nicknamed “elephant feet” by fans.

 

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