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• Our Bring a Trailer auction pick of the day is this 1967 Volkswagen Beetle, up for auction until Thursday, July 14.• For a buyer who wants a cost-effective way to get into vintage-car ownership, a 1960s Bug like this is a perfect starting point.• This example has had exterior and interior refinishing, as well as mechanical repairs and maintenance, and is in good working order.There’s a never-ending parade of high-dollar collectibles circulating car auctions, but sometimes there’s more fun to be had with something more affordable that won’t break the bank when it inevitably breaks down. This 1967 Volkswagen Beetle is just one such option, and it’s currently up for auction on Bring a Trailer—which, like Car and Driver, is part of Hearst Autos.

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Vintage VWs like this one are still relatively common, which tends to keep prices for nice examples within reach. A 1964 model, which we showcased a few months ago, ultimately sold for just $17,500. Plus, with parts still widely available, repairs and maintenance won’t be too much of a chore.

I should know. In high school and early college I drove a 1969 Beetle as my daily driver. My father and I fixed up the car together in his garage and quickly learned how easy it is to remove the air-cooled flat-four to help facilitate repairs.

Bring a Trailer

This 1967 model, which has been repainted in Savannah Beige, probably won’t need much in the way of repairs or maintenance following the close of the auction, as the current owner has already done a lot of work. Videos included in the auction listing show the car running smoothly—well, as smoothly as a Sixties VW ever did.
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The original 1.5-liter boxer four has been replaced with a larger-displacement 1.6-liter one from a later model that recently received a valve and timing adjustment as well as new spark plugs. The distributor cap, ignition rotor, and fuel filter have also been replaced.

Bring a Trailer

The interior has been refurbished with matching Savannah Beige dashboard, door panels, and steering wheel. Replacement seats were installed in the front and back and wear brown-colored vinyl covers that look period correct. The original stereo has been replaced with a vintage-style head unit with AM and FM radio as well as Bluetooth connectivity. The Beetle is not a pristine example, nor is it all original. The owner reports there are chips in the paint and a few dents here and there. Perfectly restored show pieces might be the ideal to some, but if you ask me, I’d rather have a nice but imperfect car like this which will be less nerve-wracking to drive and enjoy. And there’s a chance of getting a bargain: With five days go until the auction ends on Thursday, July 14, the bidding is only at $5000.
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Glacier View River Retreat

Glacier View River Retreat near Anchorage, Alaska, hosts a charming event each July 4: launching cars, trucks, and RVs off a cliff and down 300 feet to their doom.The tradition started in the early 2000s, when someone hit a moose and needed to dispose of the wrecked vehicle. That someone had imagination, and it was all downhill from there.They love nature in Alaska, so it goes without saying that when the party’s over, what’s left of the vehicles is taken to be recycled. This Fourth of July tradition is a little Evel Knievel, a little Demolition Derby, and 100 percent awesome. Where other towns gather to watch fireworks and chow down on hot dogs to celebrate the signing of the Declaration of Independence, Alaskans in and around Anchorage travel to Glacier View River Retreat in Glacier View, Alaska, to watch cars get launched off a 300-foot cliff. Don’t believe me? See for yourself:
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No Alaskans were harmed in the making of this video. In fact, the system for launching the cars is completely hands-off. Car and Driver spoke with Arnie Hrncir, one of the founders of Glacier View River Retreat and the organizer of the event, and he explained that they have two launch tracks: one with a railroad track that attaches to the vehicles’ steering arm, and another one where they tie the steering wheel straight with ratchet straps and open the throttle.
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As if that wasn’t cool enough, the cars are painted with some wacky paint jobs. Many of the 13 vehicles that got launched off the cliff this year featured red, white, and blue alongside patriotic slogans, but others were personalized to represent the community. Above are pictures of a few of the cars courtesy of Ice Monkey Garage, a local customization shop.
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Some even came all the way from Reno, Nevada, as part of the Caravan of Carnage. This one below was painted by residents of Maple Springs of Palmer, a nursing and rehabilitation community outside Anchorage.
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The Glacier View Fourth of July Car Launch began in 2005, according to Hrncir, and it started in a way that can only happen in Alaska. In 2003, his wife hit a moose in their Volvo, and eventually he got tired of working on the car. What to do with a totaled Volvo? Put a rock in the trunk and run it off a cliff. Obviously. Now, though, it has evolved over the years to become an Independence Day event dedicated to what Hrncir calls an “F Day.” “F Day means it’s freedom, faith, family, food, and fun,” he said, “We’re having a birthday party [for the U.S.].” He also highlighted the importance of honoring veterans to the event, noting that they acknowledge veterans’ contributions to this country “over and over” throughout the day.

Glacier View River Retreat

After the birthday party is over, the cars are loaded up onto 18-wheelers and taken to be recycled, because the second-best way to celebrate America the Beautiful—after launching cars, of course—is to honor her natural beauty by keeping her clean.
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VinFast, a Vietnamese startup that targets starting sales of its electric crossovers in the United States this year, will open its first showrooms next week.The showrooms will be in Santa Monica, San Diego, San Mateo, Corte Madera, Commerce, and Berkeley, California, with 24 more stores due to open in the state by the end of 2022.VinFast’s lineup includes the two-row VF8 and the three-row VF9, both of which have a dual-motor setup and claimed ranges between 248 and 369 miles.VinFast, a Vietnamese automaker founded in 2017, has been plotting its entry into the U.S. car market for some time. In 2021, after unveiling a pair of electric SUVs, VinFast declared its intentions to bring its EVs stateside in March 2022. Although the fledgling company missed that objective, VinFast still claims it will begin American sales by end of 2022. Now the company is preparing to take a major step toward that goal. As first reported in Automotive News, VinFast will open its first six U.S. showrooms in California next week, with plans for 30 locations throughout the state by the end of the year.

The VinFast VF8.
Tung Pham Photo

The stores will open on July 14 in Santa Monica, San Diego, San Mateo, Corte Madera, Commerce, and Berkeley. This plan was confirmed to Car and Driver by a VinFast spokesperson on Friday. VinFast set up its U.S. headquarters in Los Angeles in 2021 and has been displaying its two-row VF8 crossover around the Golden State in an attempt to drum up hype before sales begin.

The VinFast VF9, formerly called the VF e36.
VinFast

VinFast plans to launch two EVs as its foray into the U.S. market—the aforementioned VF8 and a larger, three-row VF9. The former will have a dual-motor powertrain with either 348 horsepower and 368 pound-feet of torque, or 402 ponies and 457 pound-feet. VinFast claims 5.8-second and 5.3-second 60-mph acceleration times, respectively, and ranges between 248 and 290 miles on Europe’s more optimistic WLTP test cycle. The VF9 comes exclusively with the 402-hp dual-motor setup and a claimed 6.3-second sprint to 60 mph. Range for the VF9 is estimated between 262 and 369 miles on the WLTP cycle.

The VF8 will start at $40,700 and the VF9 at $55,500, but these prices will not include the battery, which will be leased from VinFast. There will be a cheaper monthly plan at $35 for the VF8 and $44 for the VF9, with a limit of 310 driving miles per month, or an unlimited lease at $110 and $160 a month. VinFast also says a purchase option for the battery will be offered in the future. Along with aiming to sell its electric SUVs in the U.S., VinFast eventually plans to assemble cars here as well. Earlier this year, the automaker announced plans to invest $2 billion in a plant in Chatham County, North Carolina. Production is supposed to get underway in July 2024, with the capacity to build 150,000 units per year.
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This week’s question comes from a viewer who asked the oracles of the Window Shop series: What’s the perfect car for a real-estate agent? Any experienced Realtor would have asked in return: What are you selling and where? You can’t sell million-dollar homes in a Pontiac, but you can’t sell off-grid North Dakota yurts in a BMW 7-series.Lacking such information, the episode turned into another Myers-Briggs test for the panelists. The genteel John Pearley Huffman needed a mere 90 seconds to land on a vintage Mercedes S-class. It looked more likely to be promoting fire-sale tract homes in a Tucson suburb, but like so much real estate nowadays, it’s a fixer-upper that just needs a little vision.Joey Capparella went for a slice of history—his own—securing the keys to a Land Rover LR2, a vehicle that had been owned by a real-estate agent in his past. Although that Realtor made the house sale, perhaps Capparella should have heeded the instincts of his youth when it came to the Landie. Unless he was trying to sell condos and colonials in Connecticut.

Jonathon Ramsey sent one right up the middle, aiming to satisfy the greatest number of real-estate agents in the largest geographical area. His Jeep Grand Cherokee wouldn’t win any awards for style, but as the automotive equivalent of a two-bedroom ranch house on a quarter of an acre, it’s familiar and approachable, and the driver probably hosts great grillouts. K.C. Colwell prioritized space and comfort for his clients, pulling up in a Genesis G90. In fact, depending on his real estate beat, the interior of his car might have been nicer than any home he had to show.Tony Quiroga yet again defied expectations, nabbing a Lincoln that everyone can fit in and that nobody loves. This one’s for the new real-estate agent still doing his overnight Uber gig while he waits on his first big commission check. But these days, there are probably more than a few of them out there.Hop in and come check out our model episode. We really think you’re going to like this next one.

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