Cars

We want the VW Beetle back

Take a look at some vintage Bugs to see why we think the classic Volkswagen should be brought back, even though it only left last year.

Emme Hall

I love two-seater, RWD convertibles and own a 2004 Mazdaspeed Miata for pavement fun and a lifted 2001 Miata for pre-running. I race air-cooled Volkswagens in desert races like the Mint 400 and the Baja 1000. I have won the Rebelle Rally, seven-day navigational challenge, twice and I am the only driver to compete in an EV, the Rivian R1T.

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Emme Hall

April 17, 2020 2:30 a.m. PT

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It all started with a prototype in 1938.

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The first Volkswagen Beetle was imported to the United States in 1949.

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I've always loved the California look of the 1952 Karmann Convertible.

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Volkswagen Bugs are still out there racing, like this 1969 Class 11 car that completed the Baja 1000 in 2017.

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How many of these 1974 models did you see when you were a kid?

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Once the air-cooled Beetle went out of production, we eventually got a new Beetle in 1997, and again in 2011. Pictured here is a 2013 model.

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Volkswagen tried to recreate the appeal of the Baja Bug with a special Dune edition.

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This 2019 Beetle Convertible is the last we will see of the venerable Bug.

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Unless we get an electrified version in the future. Volkswagen already did a prototype using a vintage chassis for the 2019 Frankfurt Motor Show.

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Dubbed the E-Beetle, it made 81 horsepower with a 36.8-kilowatt-hour battery on board. Unfortunately, the company has no plans to produce it, though you might be able to snag one from VW's partner, eClassics.