2 minute read
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
Take a closer look at the South Africa's 1600-S and you’ll notice the windscreen on a Super Bug is curved. This addition meant more perceived interior space and allowed the addition of ‘modern’ features like a padded dashboard but also required extensive engineering work to make it happen.
The Super Bug (officially launched in May 1975) is essentially a hybrid of South Africa’s 1600-L and Europe’s 1303. The 1600-S went for the curved screen and padded dash option slotted into a 1600-L shell. This meant the pre-1303 front and rear wings were carried across (with the front indicator moved to the bumper) and the torsion beam front-end remained. The curved front windscreen gave a 6% increase in glass area while the rear too saw some enlargement. To accommodate these changes, the boot lid was revised (an SA 1600-S bonnet), which being slightly higher in profile gave more room for luggage. At the back the 1600-S kept the old-style rear arches but followed international trend with the large ‘elephant foot’ tail light cluster, which meant a bulky body-coloured spacer had to be added between light and fender.
Although at the top end of the VW Beetle’s price ladder, the more refined 1600-S sold well with a total of just over 5 000 units hitting over a four-year span.
