Online School With JBugs

Lesson 4: The Super Beetle

Now that we’ve covered the major changes made to the Beetle through its lifetime, we know you’re dying to find out what makes the Super Beetle so super. Introduced in the 1971 model year, the Super Beetle was marketed as the sportier cousin to the standard Beetle. It embodied Volkswagen’s belief that making minor improvements to the design every year produced a better car than introducing a new model every few years like was common with their competitors.

In this lesson we will discuss the differences between the standard and Super Beetle and the technology that went into the new design. We’ll also list changes that help identify the different model years for the Super Beetle.

MacPherson Strut Front Suspension

With the debut of the Super Beetle, Volkswagen adopted the MacPherson strut suspension system, which uses independent coil springs to suspend the front end rather than a steel beam with torsion leaves. Prior to the Super Beetle, all Volkswagen vehicles used torsional suspension (Type 1s and 2s use torsion leaves; Type 3s use torsion rods) in the front end.

The new system uses coil over struts directly connected to the shock tower at the body on one side and the steering knuckle on the other. Three bolts pass through the strut housing and the steering knuckle and thread into the ball joint, which is connected to the lower control arm below it.

The result was better handling, more ground clearance, a smaller turning radius (the Beetle’s turning radius was notoriously bad for its size at 36 ft – the Super Beetle is 31.5 ft), and overall more responsive suspension with better shock absorption. Strut suspension was such an improvement to automotive design in general that it was adopted by most of the automotive industry in the following years.

Both systems use tie rods connected to the steering knuckle to turn the wheel, but Super Beetle models built in 1975 or later were upgraded with rack and pinion steering as opposed to the worm gear steering box used on all previous models.

Mc Phearson Struts are a dead giveaway that you are looking at a Super Beetle.

Other Changes

Adopting the MacPherson suspension system required VW to completely redesign the front end of the vehicle. There is little cross over between the sheet metal used on standard Beetles and Super Beetle front end for this reason. On the outside of the car, Super Beetles had a completely different front apron, fenders, quarter panels, and hood from the same model year standard Beetle.

VW engineers realized the adjustments required to accommodate the new suspension (extending the front end by three inches, among other things) gave them the opportunity to improve the car in other ways as well. Redesigning the front end allowed VW to increase the trunk storage capacity, which was a big deal for such a small car.

They relocated the fuel tank closer to the dash and redesigned the spare tire well (the tire sits flat instead of upright), resulting in almost twice as much storage space. A 1971 standard Beetle came with 4.9 cubic feet of storage space. A 1971 Super Beetle had 9.2 cubic feet of storage space, which is obviously a massive improvement.

Spare tires lay flat under super beetle hoods.

Beetle vs. Super Beetle

The front end is completely different, but the rest of the car from the A-pillar back is pretty much the same (other than the deck lid badge). For that reason, it can be difficult to tell the difference between the two when looking at the car from the rear, so the following information will be geared toward what you CAN see at the front.

Some of the identifying characteristics you can use to distinguish between a Beetle and a Super Beetle are:

1. The factory Beetle front apron is a flat piece of sheet metal. The factory front apron of the Super Beetle is slotted and noticeably more bulbous.
2. The bumper mounting positon is very close to the bottom of apron and fenders on a standard Beetle and is positioned much higher on the apron and fenders on a Super Beetle.
3. Standard Beetle fenders go basically straight down at the front of the car to match the relatively straight up and down front apron. The sheet metal curves back toward the rear of the car on Super Beetle models. Also, the Beetle has a much more pronounced wheel arch than what is found on the Super Beetle.
4. The Beetle hood is round at the bottom where it meets the front apron. The Super Beetle hood is much squared off at the bottom.
5. You can usually see the strut behind the wheel if a Super Beetle hasn’t been lowered.
6. The 1973 and later Super Beetle windshield has a pronounced curve to it, unlike standard Beetle models. However, ’71-72 Super Beetles used the same windshield as the Beetle, so you can’t always rely on the windshield for the early models.

Side Note: All convertible Beetles built from 1971 on are all Super Beetles. Volkswagen did not make a standard Beetle convertible after the 1970 model year. If you see a convertible with obvious tells that it is a ’71 or later model, it is a Super Beetle.

Changes to the Super Beetle through the Years

Like we mentioned above, everything after the A pillar is the same between the two models, so all of the changes we list below will focus on changes specific to front end. If you can’t sleuth it out based on the front end appearance, check out JBugs Online School Lesson 3 for more information about the rest of the car.

1971:
Aside from the features noted above that distinguish it from a standard Beetle, the 1971 Super Beetle had solid bumper mounts and a flat windshield.

Flat Windshield & solid bumper mounts.

1972:
There are few features that distinguish this model year from 1971 based on the appearance of the front end. However, like the standard Beetle, it is the last model year with VW emblem on the hood.

Last year for hood emblem.

1973:
This year marked the biggest change to the body of the Super Beetle during its lifetime. In 1973, VW redesigned the hood (shortened it), cowl, and windshield opening to accommodate a larger curved windshield. It is the first year with the aluminum trim on the cowl and the last year with solid steel bumper mounts.

Curved windshield & shortened front end.

1974:
This is the first model year to use shock absorbing bumper mounts and the last year with a carbureted engine as standard equipment. The new style bumper brackets resulted in a change in the shape of the opening through the fender. All ’74 and later models have a triangular shaped opening for the front bumper brackets to pass through.

Shock bumper mounts introduced.

1975:
This is the first model year with rack and pinion steering.

No visible changes to the exterior, however rack & pinion steering was introduced.

1976:
This was the last year of the Super Beetle Sedan, so any ’77 hard top Beetle built after August 1976 is a standard.

Last year for hardtop Super Beetles.

1977:
There were no Super Beetle sedans built in this year. If it’s a hard top, it’s a standard Beetle.

Any Super Beetles manufactured between 1977-79 were convertibles.

1978-79:
The only Beetles, standard or Super, built during this time (other than special production) are convertible models. The Super sedan was retired with the 1976 model year and the standard sedan the following year.