1979 VW German Police Beetle - Jay Leno’s Garage

[@TheFPF422]

The red light is a fog light... you turn it on in case of heavy fog so you don’t get rear ended by cars travelling too fast for the conditions

[@cyberiankorninger1025]

Yes: "Nebelschlussleuchte" = Fogbacklamp

[@LincolnRon]

I think it used to be required on all cars in Germany... maybe even all of the EU. If it wasn't required, it was on almost all of the cars back in the 1980s.

[@philippm.1271]

@@LincolnRon mandatory since 1. Januar 1991

[@karstent.66]

@@LincolnRon Not "used to be required". I is still required. In western Europe...

[@AlejjSi]

@@karstent.66 So to say European Union. And before the European Economic Community. And since many central and eastern Europe cars were exported to the so colled "west", they used to have them too before entering the EU (my country for example since 1987 + all older cars had to be given it retrospectively).

[@joshkahn9600]

The little red light on the back of the car, is the rear fog light. It’s something a lot of European cars have on them.

[@matumbomabeco5085]

The red fog light it's also a laser been

[@gergelyh]

yup you are correct! That is a rear fog light! Rear Blinding Laser Beam!

[@VrumsAdventures]

It;s mandatory for European cars to have them... and to my experience, people use them anytime there's no fog :D

[@GTvehicle]

In the first decades after World War II, a fog light was an optional extra, and to save expense, when people opted, they just fitted a single one. A lot of cheap European cars - especially Italian ones - have Asymmetric Rear light clusters to this day - with just ONE (white) Backup lamp in ONE cluster - and ONE (red) Fog-light, in the mirroring position, in the Other rear light-cluster.

[@MrSparklespring]

Indeed they became mandatory in the seventees, later they were integrated in the rear light unit.

[@staplafara]

These cars were mostly used in smaller villages and countryside police departements (in the 70`s and 80`s). In bigger cities they had BMW`s, VW Passat`s or Opel Rekord E`s, and some local more exotic brands. Thank you for presenting this old memory, it makes me smile. Greetings from Germany.

[@peterduxbury927]

The best bit of this video, was the solid 'clunk' of those doors on the Beetle, and they are renowned for this.

[@soilmanted]

I don't remember ever hearing the doors clunk on a beetle, in real life, like the clunk I hear in the video. I think maybe the video editor had the door sounds enhanced.

[@gerdhermann752]

I grew up with Bugs, my dad had six of them...I absolutely LOVE these cars. They don't pretend to be anything than basic. And yes, the security-door thump when closing the doors are legendary. If you want to close the door from the inside, first open the window. Brilliant. How simple life was in those days....

[@dennisderbyonair7659]

All old Policecars were white and green. And the lite on the Back is a Foglight. You are just allowed to turn it when there is very heavy fog and you can see just 50m outside your car. Greetings from Germany 🇩🇪

[@ishouldgetalif3]

in Sweden police cars just had a red light on them till we figured out ''hey Relays are a thing and maybe change from red to blue so people don't mistake police officers signaling for a stop for a DAF Reversing!

[@motioninmind6015]

I hate the rear fog lights, because of the idiots who don't turn them off. And they're totally superfluous on newer cars where the taillights alone are bright enough to see in the fog, I mean since like the 1990s. I wish they would just do away with the stupid things.

[@motioninmind6015]

@easystreets70 yeah but regardless of the wattage, modern taillights are plenty bright enough to see in thick fog

[@letoubib21]

*+Willi Gari* _"[...] And they're totally superfluous on newer cars where the taillights alone are bright enough to see in the fog [...]"_ It depens on the car: My old, Britisch roadster is very flat, only some two feet high without the windshield. For that vehicle you must use all the lights the car do offer, if you don't wanna be overlooked on the highway...

[@gstutje]

easystreets70 Rear lights and front parking lights are 5W, fog and brake lights as you say 21W.

[@isderaimperator]

Let's put some things right: A beetle as a police car was rare in 1979. Since there are already the VW Passat, Opels, Fords, Mercedes and BMW etc .. The beetle was one or two periods earlier, but was still partially used. Passengers were never transported in this VW. That would have violated the safety regulations. At that time you called the colleagues with the Bulli, the VW bus to transport the gangsters. One of the reasons to replace the beetle for a 4-door car. The green on the vehicle is wrong, in this period it should be a bit darker. Later this signal green was used. This signal green was then applied as a foil on silver cars. Why silver instead of white? On the second hand market, you could sell a silver one better than a white one. Actually, this green and white color combination was used throughout Germany. First a very dark green (military, but shiny), then a mix of white and a lighter green, then signal-green and silver body. Of course, the Bavarians had to be different. While all other states in Germany had white / silver fenders and green doors, the Bavarian had white / silver cars with only green stripes. In order to adapt to the European colleagues, then the blue was used instead of the green. Meanwhile, a light yellow has been added in addition, for better visibility. The little extra red light in the back is the tail-foglight which is very strong.

[@motioninmind6015]

Great and accurate post! I hope Jay and his friend read it ... But they won't

[@fk4515]

As others have eluded to this particular car was used for deliveries, administrative tasks and such. Yes they had built 4 door cars and many were in use in government service, but there was a little bit of snobbery in who got what. I was stationed at a USAFE (United States Air Forces in Europe) MUNNS squadron in the late 80's. A MUNNS squadron was a group of American Air Force Members assigned to a squadron that supported a Host nation Air Wing, if there was ever a war and the NATO command structure was implemented this squadron would be under the command of the host wing commander, the host wing would then be under control of the NATO command structure. Anyway the squadron commander I served under the last 1/2 of the tour had been assigned to a MUNNS in Germany and explained how his commander managed to upgrade himself in staff cars. The way the Germans operated is that all squadron Commanders were assigned a military staff car, the MUNNS commander at this German base hadn't been assigned one. For some reason a General Officer was coming to visit the MUNNS so arrangements had to be made to support the General as a distinguished visitor. Normally the hosting Squadron Commander would pick up the DV airside in their staff car, the MUNNS commander voluntered he could us one of the Pick up trucks assigned to his squadron. The German Wing Commander was horrified and demanded the German transportation commander issue the US MUNNS a staff car, he did- a VW Beetle. At the next meeting the MUNNS Commander verified that he would be meeting and transporting the General in his newly assigned VW Beetle, the German Wing Commander was again horrified and went back to the Transportation Commander and demanded the MUNNS be assigned a Passat Sedan like "All the other squadron commanders" If I remember correctly German production of the beetle stopped in January 1978 and they supplied the German market with Mexican or South American Bugs until 1985 when they stopped importing them to Europe.

[@isallah1kafir196]

@isderaimperator and over in Austria, where I come from, the Gendarmarie was using this beetle too, but with a one-tone sort of grey-bluish color. One can compare this division of "police-work" to the Highway-Patrol and the local sheriff in towns, I guess.... Also the blue light was mounted directly over the drivers door. .... well those were the days....

[@davidhollenshead4892]

You seem to be forgetting snow covered roads at higher altitude, which was part of the reason that Beetles were still in use by Police. The Audi Quattro hadn't been produced, so the Beetles were kept longer than expected, and I even saw two in use in the 1990s...

[@mickeymouse-om4lz]

Good post. They were used by the Swedish police too. Both for patrol and traffic control.

[@markjennings2315]

Red light is almost definitely a fog lamp

[@1rexrex]

That was my guess also. Just European spec'd cars would have them.

[@MarcoWegleiter]

Absolut richtig!!

[@markjennings2315]

or a "Nebelscheinwerfer" for those foggy autumn mornings auf Deutschland

[@landrover4444]

EU spec, all cars must have red rear fog lamp. European cars imported in the USA used to have the rear fog lamps, some not hooked up.

[@signlsirchir2156]

I'm surprised jay didn't know that..... sitting in my audi with red and blues in my mirror. No officer I do not have a burned out bulb, it's a euro thing.

[@svtirefire]

COMMENT SECTION BREAKDOWN: 37% "you pronounced Polizei wrong" 29% "these guys don't know anything about the car" 41% "the red light is a fog light" 3% criticisms of my math skills

[@dvamateur]

Polizei is wong, Telefunken is wrong, Volkswagen is wrong. And I thought English was a Germanic language. How can we trust anything they say if they can't even say the names properly.

[@AlejjSi]

@@dvamateur I gues it is the same way when Americans/English people try to listen to a German speaking english language :D As far as I can recall, only Michael Schumacher came very close to sound not like a German. In 99% of other cases you immiedatly see they're German.

[@MrVorpalsword]

@@AlejjSi ha ha, if they speak perfect English, how would you know they were German? its like kit car Lamborghinis, you can't tell the good ones from the real thing.unless you start asking questions and digging deeper.

[@AlejjSi]

@@MrVorpalsword Yes, but you can learn how to speak. And as I said, Michael Schumacher really spoke like near native Englishman, except for reading "th" like "s" :D

[@MrVorpalsword]

@@AlejjSi what are you on about?

[@sandramoskwa]

I'm in the hospital recovering from bypass surgery and seeing this made me laugh a lot ! Thanks for featuring a slow car, just great !

[@TheMikielopez]

It’s a stock 1600cc dual port engine, and the alternator is completely stock. The wiring harness is a mess! ...and it’s pronounced “POL ITS I”. It’s actually very cool seeing this car again! I was living in Würzburg Germany from ‘87-‘91 and saw that very car damn near everyday when I came into town to work! If you have any questions about the car, please feel free to ask! Oh, and by the way, the Beetles never had a 5 speed in them, from inception to the last one that came off the lines, they were all 4 speeds, wether it was the true manual or the “Auto-stick” automatic.

[@libertywagon3197]

Was the windshield washer fluid pumped by bleeding air pressure from the spare tire? Thanks!

[@garyseefeld620]

MICHAEL LOPEZ - Nein! The auto-stick was a 3 speed. It was based on a 4 speed, with 1st removed. The Porsche auto-stick was a 4 speed.

[@johnpossum556]

If I recall correctly the windshield fluid is literally foot pumped up by a bulb inside the cockpit by the left foot. I had a 78 Capri II that had the same type of system.

[@moyadapne968]

Are you sure of that? The Beetle 010 wasn't in the Porsche (Sportomatic) of this era, and the newer Porsche 4 spds were tiptronic. The 4 spd 928 trans was a Mercedes 622.3. The 3 spd 928 was an 010. Happy for you to provide info to prove me wrong though.

[@lunarpking]

Nope, a valve prevented the spare from going below something like 30 PSI.

[@sarjim4381]

That's a Telefunken FuG-8 radio, used by the German police, fire, and paramedic services from 1978 to the mid-2000's, and some are still in use by rural fire brigades. They were advanced radios for their day, with 200 user selectable channels and optional encryption or voice scrambler. They operated in a frequency range of 74 .125-87.225 MHz, just below the commercial FM band. That's why the antenna resembles a 70's FM car antenna.

[@Patrik1964]

What is interesting that they did not have the extra battery? In the Bundeswehr where I had a Thing and a SEM 25 the car needed an extra battery to get 24V, what a huge radio that was but quite good range.

[@sarjim4381]

The FuG-8 is a 12 volt radio so no need for a 24 volt supply.

[@Patrik1964]

Yes but these old fashioned FUG and SEM radios sucked up tremendous electric power, on the thing we had a crank so even with nearly not much electric power left we could start the engine after some radio transmitting sessions while observing traffic or whatever ...

[@sarjim4381]

I understand, but the military SEM radio operated at a higher output power on a lower band than the FuG radios. The SEM radios also used three vacuum tubes in the transmitter finals to handle the higher wattage, so they sucked up more amperage than the lower powered and fully transistorized FuG radio. It was equivalent (though with lower output power) to the Motorola radios we had in our police cars, and they were able to run fine on 12 volts, even when we were parked for long periods of time while running radar, in addition to the radio.

[@aaronbays4]

Now the real question, if you key the mic on that radio while idling, does it cause the engine to strain/drop down in idle because its drawing so much juice???

[@TheHarryChanne1]

POLE-ITZ-EYE

[@TokyoTraveller]

Thank you.

[@disvillage]

Thank you for doing that, I was just about to do that when I saw your post

[@akishot6735]

thank you for Jay's sake

[@Chummy57C]

Vielen Dank

[@TheHarryChanne1]

I'm just glad my college german was finally good for something. ( just kidding, I use it in bits more often than I'd expect )

[@mattkaustickomments]

My grandfather had a 1940’s Telefunken radio he brought home after his postwar service in Germany. My stepdad has it now, and it still works! I may be wrong but I think Telefunken is now Blaupunkt.

[@danielveres4351]

"It doesn't have air-conditioning, right?" That's perhaps the most American question one can ask about a European car made before 2000.

[@TrenMax]

how many cup holders ? is the most American question

[@SelfReflective]

Context. It was asked because the alternator seemed too big.

[@supergrobi5136]

The question is not that hilarious: VW announced air condition in the Beetle for the 1968 Models.

[@darrengiddings8229]

Agreed. My 1975 VW California market beetle has fine working factory air-conditioning.

[@irongoatrocky2343]

It has Air Conditioning ....."2 Windows and 40 MPH!" really what else do you need!

[@sauwercraud]

The Red Light is the Fog light, which became mandatory in Germany. The Green/White livery was used widely in Germany until the 90's, but mostly in Southern Germany (Bavaria, Baden Würtemberg). Polizei is pronounced Poly-zye. The Windshield washer bottle is fed with the spare tire pressure, which always was fun ;)

[@tomquimby6432]

I spent 1979-1980 in West Berlin with the U.S. Army, I saw a lot of those.

[@powerfuljones]

I am from Germany. This made me smile for TWENTY MINUTES! thank you

[@kathors]

Bavarian police cars used to have a ‘band’ of green below the belt line on the sides of the car, just like this beetle. The police cars of other German states had the doors, hood and trunk lid in the same green. This is often still like this today, although most police cars are not white anymore.

[@Torsee]

Who needs power! You can't outrun the Telefunken Radio! 😂

[@FPVREVIEWS]

About 25-30 years ago, I witnessed a guy on a bicycle successfully outrun a police VW beetle cop car in La Paz Mexico. it was hysterical. The car was running poorly, and the cops driving it were both super fat. The scruffy guy on the old bicycle thought he had a good chance, and he was right.

[@tomquimby6432]

That was in Mexico not Germany, the Germans took better care of their cars

[@AB-ou8ve]

FPVREVIEWS Was there a shootout? Lol

[@FPVREVIEWS]

I don't even think the police had guns back then in La Paz. There was almost no serious crime at the time. Besides, the Mexican cops are usually hesitant to shoot because they have to buy their own bullets.

[@ottmarmontes]

Damn. I can honestly imagine that happening. When I went to Taxco, Mexico there was a lot of white Beatles driving around as taxis. I took one up to a nice vantage point in the town and they where in their element in the narrow cobblestone streets and going up the steep roads.

[@1965vw]

What a great video! I've been restoring my 1965 VW Beetle for about 4 years and this video reminded me how special these little, happy cars truly are. I drove mine in high school just a few years ago and everyone loved it. I never got tired of seeing people's faces light up when they passed me! I can't wait to finally save up enough money to finish restoring the car I learned to drive in and get it back on the road.

[@zoperxplex]

At first I thought this would be a pretty boring episode but upon viewing the show in its entirety it actually turned out to be one of the most entertaining program of the series.

[@Schlipperschlopper]

Blue white symbols on the doors means Bavarian Police! ;-) Wuerzburg is located in Bavaria :-)

[@marcelelflein]

Schlipperschlopper its my hometown...

[@Pfirtzer]

I used to watch Polizei revier with that lady surname was Carrière forgot her first name.Used to watch Der Alte Siegfried Lowitz was my favorite , Tatort Shimanski ,Haferkamp and Derrick. Liebe Grüsse nach Deutschland aus die Niederlande

[@davidjones332]

And green is pretty much universal on German police cars.

[@Trichromasie]

Okay, da alles mit der Farbe und der Nebelschlussleuchte gesagt wurde, kann ich ja die Klappe halten ^^

[@irongoatrocky2343]

@@davidjones332 Our Favorite Uncle had me living in Weisbaden in Jan 77 to Apr 78!......pretty much all the Polizei cars I saw were two tone green and white no matter where I went in country! the Polizei pretty much is a National Police Force for the most part......much like Canada's RCMP.....

[@hp24756]

Friend of mine restored this original Polizeiauto der Polizeidirektion Unterfranken (Policecar from the Police headquarter lower franconia) Wuerzburg. Thank you Bruno.

[@razerrath_com]

I live in Würzburg and remember these police Beetles very well.

[@danbelow90]

The sign on the side means it's Bavarian police. All German police cars by that time had the same color scheme and only differed with that sign.

[@googleuser4896]

The little red light at the back is called "Nebelschlussleuchte" in German. Means like "Fog Back Light" or "mist back light" i dont know in english. And it is switched on you cant see more then 50 Meters (165 feet) in mist.

[@sparky6086]

Also, i believe, that the single red light, which they pointed out on the rear bumper is a rear fog light, which were common, of not required in West Germany in the '80's. It's much brighter than the normal tail lights. There are sudden, thick fog banks in many places in Germany, causing a lot of big pile ups. Most cars had it within the normal tail light enclosure, so it wasn't as obvious on other cars.

[@sparky6086]

@@googleuser4896 Sorry, I see, that you beat me to the explanation.

[@panoscoach310]

Wasn't much darker green or just like that? And since you are probably from Germany, they said that this car used from '79 up till to '82. I think it was much earlier, in the '60s. VW stop production of Käfer in early '70s. Am I wrong?

[@bobanofat2585]

no. earlier police cars were tannengrun in color. so this is most def. from late 70s - to mid 80ies.

[@jamesFong]

I’ve always wanted an old beetle. Now I want one even more!

[@Schaneification]

Funny how little Americans know about Germany , Now I am saying this as a American . But I live in Europe for over 20 years . I got pulled over by the Polizei for speeding on a B road . The Polizei officer was very nice ,But also Happy because I was the first American he ever give a speeding ticket to . 😊 I payed the ticket right there on the side of the road (normal in Germany) it only 25 Euro .

[@Schnitzengruben]

Have your space bar fixed. Just sayin...

[@GeekTherapyRadio]

I assure you, having traveled a fair bit around Europe, it is equally interesting how very little the average European knows about the United States. Understandably though. If it's not in your back yard, how much effort is the average person going to put into studying something that doesn't effect them day-to-day? I don't expect a German to know everything about my country. The joy is learning from each other over a beer or a meal.

[@nicolasblume1046]

@@GeekTherapyRadio in international education scores the US is always behind many EU and Asian countrys.

[@Schaneification]

You would be surprised how much the Europeans know about Americans , Most of their TV shows and music are American . How many Europeans you see on American TV ? They also get American news : They understand what happens in America effects them a lot . I live in Europe I am American and watch The American News every day . Then was the last time you watched any European news ?

[@ronaldckrausejr7762]

Quite the number of countries throughout Europe... Are looking into adopting ticket prices that change in relation to ones income; basically a percentage of ones income. The European drivers punitive system in general is better than that which has ever existed in America. Get caught driving in Europe while under the influence of anything and watch what happens

[@dan.man3000]

afaik Beetles were manufactured in Germany up until 1978. After the plant holidays that year the manufacturing was outsourced to Mexico. The cars were built there, then shipped to the Emden plant (northern Germany) and finally assembled (head rests, cavity preservation and whathaveyou). Got a 1980s model with the 34 hp engine and it says "hecho en Mexico" in some places.

[@wornoutshoes11]

Everytime i drive my 73' bug i see people smile... Thats the most satisfying feeling of all, Thats why i love my bug. 😎✌️👍

[@clarencemcgregor8568]

I was stationed in West Germany in the 1970s. There were also Polizzi VW Type II Vans commonly used in radar traffic control which commonly included a camera so pursuits were unnecessary if a driver failed to stop a pair of officers would be dispatched to the address of the owner to confiscate the license tags. The vans had a table in the back to sit down with the "client" and do the necessary paperwork. On the Autobahn the Porsche 911s were employed as pursuit vehicles but more importantly they all had two way radios.

[@Colhogan06]

Actually they didn't even do that. At least not when I was there. The ticket was sent to them in the mail along with their snapshot, or as we used to call it, their "glamour shot". I was in charge of the American Traffic Section in the Kaiserslautern US Forces Police Station from December 1985-1989 and we worked with the German Police directly. I would get the American tickets from them and then forward it to the soldier or airman by virtue of the address on the American registration. If a person failed to pay the ticket or make some arrangements then the Polizei would show up at their door looking for them. But that didn't happen until the person failed to follow the instructions on the ticket.

[@Pfirtzer]

@@Colhogan06 I have gotten a glamour shot or mugshot in 2009 in my care, speeding 30 km's above limit.

[@gstutje]

7:38 I just did a quick search which confirmed that the last Beetle built in Germany left the factory in january 1978 Edit: At Karmann in Osnabrück, Germany, the convertible production continued until january 1980.

[@georgebamber6871]

Yep was replaced by the vw golf

[@Colhogan06]

I was stationed in Germany twice and on one of my Tours I was stationed in Kaiserslautern and was in charge of the Traffic Section. In Germany the Traffic Section of our MP Station responded to serious accidents, fatalities and anything alcohol related. We had a close working relationship with the German Polizei. People ask how we could be stationed off post. It's easier to explain it this way. Germans don't just hit Germans and Americans don't just hit Americans on post. So our US Forces Police Station was situated off post right off one of the main Highways (Hwy B-40). One thing everyone learns when they are stationed in Germany and that is that the German Polizei command a great deal of respect. I mean, most all of the citizens respect them and it wouldn't matter if they drove up on a Big Wheel kids toy, they would still get the same respect from the general public. A car like this VW bug could have been used in a traffic unit where there were no chasing of criminals, just responding to accidents and incidents. One thing I should mention is that there are places in Germany that have roads that are so narrow that you need small cars to maneuver through some of the streets. So most cars are small to begin with. In some of those towns it's not uncommon that if you were on one of those narrow residential roads and you came face to face with another car, the person who was closest to either the corner or to a pull over spot, would have to back up and allow the other to go through. It happened to me several times because I lived in a very small old town near my post. Anyway I digress. The VW Bugs are a dime a dozen over there and there would be no disrespectful actions on the part of anyone if the Polizei showed up in one. They get that much respect. My ex-cousin in Law was one. I knew many of them and they are all really nice guys. I mean really nice! They just don't take any $#i+ from anyone and it's well known by the general public. So everyone treats them with respect as it should be. Plus in Germany they pay over a thousand something for their drivers license. This means they are less apt to do something completely stupid that may get their license revoked for life. It happens but it's very rare to see some German mouthing off to a German Policeman or spitting on them or any of the other disgusting things you see people do when watching cops. Those night sticks they have are made of a very hard rubber. They call them gummie sticks pronounced "goomie". If you get hit by one you will feel it two or three times because it will recoil like rubber does and re-strike the person. But because it's hard it really doesn't feel good. So it's well known to all Germans to just be respectful and you never have to worry about being swatted by a gummie stick. Just an example of how much Germans respect the police. I had a blue light I was authorized to put on my private vehicle if I was paged from home to a fatal car accident. My apartment was right by a professional soccer stadium and the game had just let out. It was like a sea of people walking down the road by my residence. They usually made the road in front of my apartment building one way when games let out. Well I got paged because of a fatality and was coming out of my parking lot and there was the sea of people. I popped the blue light on my car and it was like Moses parting the Red Sea!!! They let me through without incident or delay. That just shows how much the German citizens respect the police and their blue light. It was awesome!! Lol. Sorry this got so long.....

[@Pfirtzer]

I agree but sadly times have changed since you left Germany, we have a lot of Arabs, Africans and the lot and they don't show much respect to Police officers. They spit, they are armed and they use violence against police. Even the atitude of ordinary German deteriorated towards the police.Importing scum does that to a country. There are many no go areas which weren't in the 70's and 80;s

[@Colhogan06]

@@Pfirtzer Wow, that's not good. My Daughter, Son-in-Law and Grandson live over there. I believe near Dieburg which is close to Darmstadt. I don't remember there being many no go areas. I do remember a couple due to terrorist activity, but that was about it, definitely not much more than that. I always loved living there in Germany. Everyone I came in contact with were always extremely nice to me. I felt the respect that the GP's got was a good indicator of the morals of the average German citizen. Here, in some areas, if I were to put a light on my car as I did in Germany to respond to a bad accident, no one would get out of the of the way.

[@rogerpalacios6131]

Back in 1982, I became friends with a guy who had an old 60 something VW. I would drive to his house and whenever we went out I'd leave my car there because I always wanted to drive the beetle. Leno and the guy aren't lying when they say that driving that car surely will put a smile on your face and whoever is riding along. I regret not getting one then, but who knows I just might do that one of these days.

[@MisterMikeTexas]

I miss the original Beetle! You don't see quite as many of them in the States anymore. I would love to have a '67.

[@MikeDyer6378]

Always great to see Air-Cooled VW represented on Jay Leno's Garage! '79 was the last year for German Beetle production, which as Spike mentions was built in Mexico until '03. The Beetle was never built as a 5-speed from the factory, only "4 on the floor." However customizers like Gene Berg offered 5-speed conversions 30+ years ago. Oh and Jay the Beetle "safari windshield" is a real thing now. I would never run one, but the certainly look kewl.

[@gstutje]

11:56 The windshield washer fluid was propelled by the tire pressure of the spare tire.

[@ZGryphon]

Yep. Until there wasn't any left in it...

[@jmoney7289]

Gerard Stutje what is your picture

[@dietersmythe9649]

If I recall the windshield washer would only deplete the air from the spare until a certain pressure was reached. Otherwise your spare would be flat.

[@Stan-fs2ji]

It's actually quite a clever system, because the air from the spare tire is used only to pressurize the washer fluid tank, and no air is lost when the washer is used. The only way to deplete the air in the tire is to try to keep using the washer after it's run out of fluid.

[@gstutje]

@@Stan-fs2ji Exactly, no such thing as a flat tire.

[@IPHOBOSSI]

Telefunken (funken = sparks or sending) they made TVs, Radios and Stereos. The green doesnt match the real green on the police cars back than. Before they change to silver/blue all police cars in germany were all in a beige white/green color back than. ^^ i was so happy to see this on your show, greetings from Germany. And yeah the red light is an actual fog light.

[@MennoKiel]

Actually, ‘funk’ = broadcast in German. Telefunken simply means (‘tele’=) remote/far broadcast, an awesome name for a radio company.

[@pinkdispatcher]

Menno Kiel, that's also not quite right. "Ein Funke" is a spark, and "Funk" is just radio in general, describing the technology and more specifically radio telephony. It is derived from the very early Marconi-style spark transmitters. Broadcast is "Rundfunk", literally omnidirectional radio, rarely (today only anachronistically) abbreviated to "Funk". Specifically, audio broadcast is "Radio" and TV broadcast is "Fernsehen" (literally distance-watching, or tele-vision). "Funken" can also be a verb meaning "to talk on the radio".

[@scarecrow2885]

You're right about the green not matching, it's too light. The real green was darker.

[@tobyw9573]

I looked up “funken” in reverso and found this: “SOS funken to send out {or} radio an SOS ; to put out an SOS” So it sounds like the name may have originated as a description of radio morse code generated by sparks. Just a guess.

[@copbug]

From 1947 through the early '70s, police cars were Fir Green, the later ones with white fenders. This Mint Green was introduced in several states in the 1970s.

[@dieselmike74]

I have a '65 that I restored and I agree; It can give a taste of the 356 experience while putting a smile on your face. It is perhaps the quintessential "happy" car. My mom was in the hospital for a month before she passed away and I would take my bug to go visit her. No matter how badly I felt leaving to return home, driving my bug always made me feel better. Thanks for sharing the video and thanks for giving the bug the credit it deserves.

[@sebsworld01]

I'm surprised how little jay knows about classic beetles. I hope he buys one for his collection to smile down the road in.

[@dreammfyre]

I'm not German, but that pronunciation of "Polizei" was completely off, right?

[@aminamchannel]

yup pretty terrible, would be more something like po-li-tzaye

[@motioninmind6015]

Ja! It was terrible. Say: "pole eats EYE" quickly and you'll be pretty close to correct.

[@HeikoQuant]

Brilliant way to explain it...

[@AndrewVOdom]

I lost track of how many inane observations the owner made about VW amd Germans... I agree with comment below that Germany actually imported Mexican Bugs from ‘79 onward... That’s what this is...

[@AndrewVOdom]

Also, very moronic comments by both about Germany and especially the whole “clown car” commentary. In the wide open spaces of the USA, a Beetle is hard to imagine as a police car but less true in Europe...

[@ralphbillick1210]

The red light on the bumper is a fog light. Served in Germany & fog is really dense so they came up with this light . It is much brighter than regular light to pierce the fog for cars behind on autobahn. All cars there had them.

[@Bratfalken]

Ralph Billick Yes, foglights have about the same wattage as a brake light, some 20watt bulb, and to not mix it up with the actual brake light, it is sepatatly placed, only one light is fully legal although some cars has two, still legal, but you only need one to oblige to the rules. Early in the days of foglights on Volvo 240 they where wired only to stay on while at low beam (only talking about rear foglights) This made cue driving in half bad weather very jumpy, as the car who had put on his rear foglights and forgotten about them and then had to change from high to lowbeam when meeting oposing traffic, the cars in the cue misstook the foglights as beeing brakelights all of them stepping on their brakes, the cue went jumpy as hell. This was changed in two or three years to allways stay on if the switch was flicked. Personally I only use rear foglights as I use highbeams, if someone get's close enough for me to see him, I don't need to have them on anymore (all this in foggy weather)

[@arthur_p_dent]

Actually, all cars didn't have fog lights back in the day. They became mandatory for new cars only in the late 1980s, and were optional until then. In fact, even reversing lights weren't mandatory in the late 1970s/early 1980s (although most cars did have them).

[@arthur_p_dent]

Arjen Zwamborn Interesting about the 2CV. But I am fairly sure that this wasn't a legal requirement. I used to drive a 1991 VW Golf II. The rear foglamp would NOT automatically switch off at high beam. In fact, it was just a simple switch. If you forgot to turn the fog lamp off, it would get on again next time you turn on the headlights (low or high beam).

[@m0ther_bra1ned12]

Finaly a cop car my Hyundai Accent could outrun. XD

[@TheRealChilly]

Perhaps my Hyundai could 🤣

[@user-neo71665]

yeaaaaaah no

[@matumbomabeco5085]

Not in traffic you will not out run it you will overheat

[@fidelcatsro6948]

my 115cc yamaha moped can outrun it as well!

[@punkbloater]

/M0ther_bra1ned/ I am not sure about that. 😆

[@ZGryphon]

I had a 1966 Beetle for a while, 25-30 years ago. Apart from the fact that the electrical system would occasionally just get up, excuse itself, and leave the room for a while, and the fact that I could never seem to convince the front main seal to stop leaking oil like it was going out of style, it was a great car. If nothing else, it was always fun to watch teenage gas station attendants try to find the fuel filler (they didn't have an external flap in 1966, you had to open the trunk). I still kind of miss it. How many cars nowadays have an engine so small you can work on it at your kitchen table?

[@timm1139]

I remember driving a yellow bug in high school that my dad had bought for us. One day we put my brother’s St Bernard in the back for a trip to the vet. What fun!

[@lexpee]

Tot eind jaren 80 reden in Amsterdam ook volkswagen politie kevers rond. Until the end of the eighties, Volkswagen police Beetle are also driving around in Amsterdam.

[@Pfirtzer]

I remember them, good old times.

[@lexpee]

Yep indestructible with little maintenance it keep driving.

[@wclark3196]

It's got a cop motor. It's got cop suspension. It's got cop shocks. It's got cop tires. It's model made before catalyc converters so it'll run good on regular gas. So whatyaya say?

[@slowfiddy4231]

W Clark Fix the cigarette lighter!!

[@sebsworld01]

You don't like it? **Jumps bridge**

[@Paul_VanGo]

Best comment, period.

[@ralfhenke8148]

Is this the new Polizei-mobile or what?

[@wclark3196]

Ist das das neue Blauwagen oder was?

[@MRTUBESOUND]

All VWs bring back great memories!

[@lm1314]

I had a 72 Beetle convertible and do 80 down the highway going to and from college over the weekends. Still have dreams about that car. Some day I will own one again. Love the smell of the interior and the sound of the engine. Great car to push up the street to sneak out at 3 in the morning so as not to wake the parents. Glad to see one loved.

[@gmultimedio]

Here in Ecuador. Sout America, Police Cars were also VW Beetles in the 60´s - 70´s. Cheap, reliable, easy to repair. The perfect Police car for the rural roads we use to have back then.

[@Happy_Soyjak]

Due to the coat of arms it is from Bavaria. Green and white was / is the color scheme for all over Germany. The red light is a fog light.

[@stanjuice]

Average Dude we switched to silver and blue a while ago, but there are still one or two green and whites around.

[@axemanracing6222]

Fun fact: the siren still sounds the same.

[@olivergerber]

They said that it is from Würzburg.

[@trekaddict]

@Stanislav Joos In Berlin who are too damn broke to change, and in Bavaria because Bavaria is a special little snowflake. And as a private person you can own a fire vehicle, at least in my state, but you have to permanently disable the sirens and cover up/remove the blue lights. The sirens are coded, as they are in the US, dependent on what sort of Emergency vehicle you have, i.e. between cops, EMS and the fire department.

[@olivergerber]

New police cars in Bavaria are also silver and blue now (with some yellow) ... see www.polizei.bayern.de/oberbayern/news/presse/bildergalerie/index.html/5630 But yes ... Bavaria kept the green/white longer than other states.

[@TBustah]

4:04-4:16 He's not wrong, but the way he worded it is a bit confusing in context. It wasn't the Beetle being used in those capacities in Europe, it was other air-cooled Volkswagens. If you've seen any World War II movie involving the Germans, you've probably seen the first Volkswagen used by the military, the Type 82 Kubelwagen. It had a number of variants, including an amphibious version called the Schwimmwagen, and what could be considered the ancestors of the baja bug: the Type 82/E and the Type 87, which were Beetle bodies on the more off road-oriented Kubelwagen chassis. In the late 1960s, the German military adopted the Kubelwagen's spiritual successor, the Type 181, which was called the Thing in our market. It not only filled the same role as the Kubelwagen, it was styled to resemble it. The Type 2 (van/pickup) was converted by other companies into a number of specialty vehicles: ambulances, food and beer trucks, cherry pickers, hearses, and even fire trucks. The fire trucks were usually based on the panel van version, and had a second Volkswagen engine inside to power the water pump. As for the postal service, Volkswagen built a small mail van themselves known as the Type 147 Kleinlieferwagen, better known by its nickname Fridolin. It was based on the Karman Ghia's chassis, and resembled a cross between the Type 2 and the Type 3. Only about 200 of them survive today, many of which ended up in North America.

[@nazicollectibles9821]

Great information, thanks for sharing!

[@ratscoot]

The red light at the back is a fog light. Mandatory in Europe.

[@journalisten_boy9141]

JFI: Back in the day, every german police car was green and white, (todays designs are silver-blueand neon-yellow) this particular car has the code of arms of the sate of bavaria painted on the door. The city of Würtzburg is also Dirk Nowitzkis hometown.

[@kennyshepherd8311]

Heilbronn 1961-64, American school student, our class visited the VW factory! (Memories)

[@Daweisstebescheid]

Macht nix, es gibt genügend amerikanische Autos, über die wir Deutsche uns lustig machen 🤗🤗😆👌👍

[@motioninmind6015]

So ungefähr ... Alle?

[@andrashelembai3185]

Ist so Alte ami motoren 7 Liter Hubraum gefühlte 70ps

[@GlamStacheessnostalgialounge]

Translation for the Amerikaner: No worries, there are enough American cars we Germans make fun of.

[@boxershorts989]

in die Spaltmaße kannst du den ganzen Käfer reinstecken

[@Sundara229]

Vom Wenderadius und der zur Sitzbank umgebauten Wohnzimmercouch mal ganz zu schweigen.

[@MrSparklespring]

My dear american friends and Mr. Leno let me spell the right pronunciation for Polizei. It is PO-LEE-TSEYE and not any other. These cars were used for normal everyday police jobs (like traffic regulation etc.) but of course they weren't used on the Autobahn (highways). For special interceptions they used the famous BMW 2002 tii and the Porche 911. Greetings from a Belgian who speaks four languages (dutch, french, german, english). By the way, very entertaining episodes, keep doing the good work!

[@andreasrauer3201]

I love the website ... as I am from germany, I can answer some uncertanties... This beetel is in original german police paintjob for all of West-germany - the blue and white logo on the doors indecates that it was in Service in bavaria- the town„Würzburg“ is in that state.... The littel red lamp is a fog light, only to be used when visability was under 50 meters - in that era ist was not integrated Ceep up the nice show

[@Darknamja]

I lived in the Hunsruck from '77-'81. I remember these Polizei "Bugs". I was driving a '72 Beetle during that time. :D

[@mattkaustickomments]

From what I’ve seen green & White is standard livery for most/all German cop cars in the 70’s & 80’s, it’s not just for Wurzburg.

[@DuckmanCycles]

Actually, Hans Ledwinka worked for Tatra and did a lot of the original designs. But the swing axle design came from Edmund Rumpler. Tatra is the car that Porsche graciously copied when developing the Volkswagen. Tatra specifically (not Ledwinka) attempted to sue Porsche (VW wasn't yet a brand yet, they were called KdF-Wagens at the time and not yet branded as a corporation.) Hitler put the kibosh on that when he invaded the Czechs and shut down Tatra. After the war, and well into the 1960s... VW paid Tatra 1,000,000DM in an out-of-court settlement. But by that time VW certainly had that kind of money... lol!

[@th.h.4947]

DuckmanCycles and VW Garage Yes so it wasn't Ferdinand Porsches "Invention" as the Germans always claim. By the way, the older generation name him still after his wartime derivative, a.k.a Kübelwagen, which is a word play as it can mean also garbage truck. Kübel = Wastebin, yeah you got it, a very sophisticated resistance and undermining of the "Mythos" of the 3rd. Reich.

[@GaminGusTav]

@@th.h.4947 Except Kübel does not mean wastebin, but bucket. And swing axle is still a German invention

[@toolzshed]

Yayyy Duckman!

[@DuckmanCycles]

@@toolzshed Yay meeeeeee! LoL! :-D

[@dsruddell]

79 BUG and he cant stop smiling. what a simple guy

[@Pfirtzer]

No a smart guy not those idiots and morons who love that mindless Tesla made by psychopath like Elon Musk.

[@Freigeist53]

9:43 This little redlight is a rear fog lamp . In Europe and other countries adhering to UN Regulation 48, vehicles must be equipped with one or two bright red "rear fog lamps", which serve as high-intensity rear position lamps to be turned on by the driver in conditions of poor visibility to make the vehicle more visible from the rear.

[@susannjarvis5587]

OMG I want one of these. This takes the Volkswagen Bug to a whole new level.

[@neilpiper9889]

I had a 1966 1300cc beetle in the late 1960s. It had a 6 volt battery and despite that it never let me down over the years I had it, even in the hard winters in Norfolk England at that time. I was working at Lotus cars Hethel Norfolk 1969 to 1971 building the Renault 16 engined Europa (P5) and my blue Beetle was my daily commute car with 3 other Lotus employees. We worked a car share system. One of the other 3 cars was an MGB. A bit cramped in the back. Ah, happy times.

[@fahnleindieselschweif5022]

Those day all german police cars were green/white. After that they came also in silver with green foil to better sail them afterwards. Nowadays they are silver/blue. The sign on the door is for the state (Bayern/Bavaria). The red light is for fog and called Nebelschlußleuchte (fog tail light). Greetings from germany :-)

[@motioninmind6015]

They don't sail their cars ;-)

[@fahnleindieselschweif5022]

Willi Gari : old police cars are sold by auctions in germany. Mostly they are done... Of course the radios and alarm signs are removed. zoll-auktion.de/auktion/anbieter_auktionsuebersicht.php?anbieter_id=1699 - For federal propertys from Army socks up to old Ships there is an extra company called VEBEG.

[@fahnleindieselschweif5022]

Willi Gari Ah, ok, now I get it. OFC they sale them. Sorry for that.

[@thefiascogarage3215]

Turn up the Telefunken radio!

[@donaldsalkovick396]

Farfegnugën

[@danieloceans9652]

This car is pretty damn cool!

[@pablocalle4483]

VW german 79 police car, looks like a very mexican 79 vocho. The telefunken radio looks very original, but in 78s german finished the production with a fuel injection version and the next cars came from mexico.

[@madelief47]

I had a street version of this car, blue colour, a VW 1300. With a full petrol tank, all the weigth was on the rear axle. And so the front wheels had less grip... So steering was a challenge, with rain or snow. Steer left or right, and you go straight... So, what a lot of people did, add some weight in the front storage place. I had a large piece of concrete in the front. That made the handling a lot better! The red light on the rear is a fog light. The car was fun to drive, the engine always did start, the battery is under the rear seat, inside the car. So frost and moisture had less effect. Easy to maintain, cheap in spareparts. Only petrol consumption is a bit high. 1:10 / 1:13 at least. Sometimes I still dream about my car, that I do find it again, with all my stuff still in it.

[@MarcS4R]

imho the green is off. the original police green is darker.

[@PrimoStracciatella]

The older the model, the darker the color. The last green/white versions were actually this color, or very close to it. Google "1979 German police cars" and you will see the last cop cars in this color, mostly VW Passat and VW bus. Not many Beetles on the force in 1979, though. And most police cars had green bodies with white fenders; the 1979 Beetles I found had a different paint scheme than in this video, they had green hoods front and back.

[@Allan_aka_RocKITEman]

*"HERBIE JOINS THE POLICE FORCE"* 😁😁😁😁😁😁😁

[@andyc.4387]

Pronounced "pol-eets-EYE" not "pol-it-zay."

[@KsNoz]

po - lee - zeye

[@lt7automotive931]

@KsNoz, It is correct how Andy Crews has it. The Germans have the sound of a "t" as a part of how they pronounce the letter "z".

[@kevn99]

Lets hang him for that.

[@michaelpertold4941]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/mGbInHqCmJJld9E

[@jacyborreaux919]

I don't care for the telefunken radio or the sirens but the old beetle is a joy to drive! Hope to someday buy one

[@cdstoc]

I love this! I saw many of these in the wild when I lived in Germany in the 1980's. By the way, the little light on the left rear is a fog light. When turned on, it glows as brightly as a brake light. If you've seen the yahoos around LA who drive with fog lights on all the time, you may have noticed the extra-bright taillight in the lower-left area of the rear if the car was German.

[@geoffdearth8575]

I checked the oil (Oel) in many VWs in the early 70s. It told you that the Zuendfolge was 1432. And when you opened the gas door it told you the Oktanzahlbedarf (octane requirement).

[@wthutch7882]

If I saw one of these chasing me I’d just take the chance to run ... I’d beat it 😂😂😂. Love your series and you Jay!!! My dream to see your garage and meet you one day!

[@Ron.seesum]

william hutchby Same.

[@WS-gw5ms]

You could probably out run this on a bicycle. Lol

[@RCCrawlerz209]

I would do JUST that! Lmao 🤣

[@peternt2008]

Just goes to show the different cultures and mindsets of different nationalities.

[@aszbzpszbz9786]

If i recall correctly they had different cars for chasing. This was more the car the officers took for everyday police work that didn't require high speed chases.

[@TBustah]

7:25-7:30 No, 2003 was the end. There weren't any more original Beetles after that. He's probably confusing Mexican production with Brazilian production. The Brazilian factory discontinued it in 1986, resumed in 1993, and then discontinued it again 1996.

[@moralcoach717]

My grandma used to have one of those, what I remember the most is that peculiar smell it had from the materials in the interior

[@th.h.4947]

I was sitting in the back of such a Volkswagen climbing fully loaded 3 Adults, 3 Kidds and Bagage very steep natural roads in the 1970, Subarus weren't imported then to Switzerland. The car was unbeaten when climbing bad, very steep natural streets or better gravel paths in the Swiss mountains because of the big wheels and the engine in the back.

[@mws3779]

I have had a couple of retired police cruisers, a 2003 Chevy Impala and 2012 Dodge Charger both unmarked detective cars. They were a blast, I remember picking the Impala from the auction. I was driving it back I came to a red light I was in the first position behind the crosswalk. As I waited for the light to turn green I thought I know what could be fun, the light turn green I looked quickly the left and right to make sure I was clear I hammered the throttle and left hash marks through the intersection. Retired police cars are so fun.

[@LunaRendezvous]

That's unfunking believable!

[@andreasburki]

Jay, you should come and drive one of our former Rijkspolitie Porsche some day😉 in Holland.

[@borginator1493]

Ah yes, now my Geo Metro feels Unstoppable!

[@Dany-oj2jv]

I love those VW Beetle in the past in my 20's i had about 30 or more of them, i know those car very well, my last one was a 73 super Beetle...

[@firstnamelastname-ct7nr]

The little red light is a "fog" light ,used up in the mountains during bad weather so you don't get rearended...many volvo have that ability on one side (driver) that goes very bright when switched on...here in canada -very useful. Love the show

lol Mountains. try Aoutoban Without it in wall like fog. been there done that. scary

[@johnnyfavorite1194]

It’s absolutely gorgeous. *LUV🐞BUGS*

[@Allan_aka_RocKITEman]

👍👍

[@stefanriemann7074]

VW Bugs are great Cars

[@stefanriemann7074]

This VW is a great car Easy to repair on low cost run But the engine needs a bit lot of gas Depends on peoples driving styles

[@brandywell44]

I still have my Corgi model of one of these

[@malaert64]

My god, this is the most hilarious beetle I've seen XD _Halt, im Namen des Käfers!_

[@xanderdavis15]

Fun fact: it was revealed on the Smoking Tire podcast that this beetle was actually built in Mexico and shipped to German

[@makarov138]

My 1971 Super Beetle pegged the needle at 90! I came off the peddle because I got scared! I had a balanced crank and ported heads. Standard 34PICT 3 card and a 009 dist!. Fastest 50 horsepower car I ever drove!

[@jackknife6841]

Kmart blue light special ! Lol 😂

[@carerconnect3665]

That model Beetle (or Bug as it's known in the US) had disc front brakes

[@Tomh821]

Yes, I think since 1972 in VWs.

[@paulpeterson4320]

0-60 in 12 seconds?? Oh please Jay!!! 😂😂😂 more like 20 seconds!!

[@ronmilne3961]

That little red light on the rear of the car is a fog tail light. It is so bright it can be seen very well on foggy nights. Many German cars have them from the factory.

[@bobbypaluga4346]

I drove the hell out of my ‘65 Bug, then I bought a ‘75 Bug broke the mold and got a new ‘77 Rabbit. Now years later I just picked up a “new” Diesel 2015 Bug, part of the recall it was pulled off a dealers lot. I got it with 1300 miles. It’s a joy to drive, although it’s not a German made model, my Infiniti sits in the garage giving my a guilt complex.

[@henningschmid1277]

"Achtung hier spicht die Polizei"! 😁

[@Seegalgalguntijak]

The little red light will have been the rear fog light which is mandatory in Germany for every car.

[@LincolnRon]

9:51 My 1993 Mazda B2200 (mini-truck) had a distributor and a carburetor.

[@katnerd6712]

That's because Ford used to not change the engines on cars for up to a decade at a time. (Mazdas were Fords at that point, you're B2200 was a variant of Ford Ranger).

[@WillN2Go1]

Thanks for this. Jay's a tall guy. Look at that head room! My friend had a '66 VW in high school, his father who was really tall liked it because it had more headroom than any of the mid 1970s U.S. cars he'd been in. Also, this is a Super Beetle, better suspension in the front than the standard bugs, and larger trunk-- you can actually fit an entire teenaged idiot inside.... I had a 1971 Super Beetle that better suspension probably saved my young reckless life a few times. Later I had a 67' but I was more mature by then...) And the seat rails! Spike Feresten, look into those. If you are rear ended in some models of VW bug, the front seats can slide backward off the rails and you hit your head on the rear window and wind up badly maybe permanently hurt. I learned about this after I got rid of my first VW, was worried for a Berlin minute, then remembered, oh yeah, I was a notorious tailgater in my bug, trying to tweak up my gas mileage. Maybe some kind of welded stop added to the rails would fix it. Maybe by 1979 it was fixed.

[@kickinbackinOC]

So I had just left the NBC Studios in Burbank, (after fixing one of the elevators), and headed home to Irvine on a rainy evening. Headed west on Alameda, I hadn't even gotten to N.Hollywood Way, when a big old American car pulled out directly in front of me in my white 1966 Bug. I smashed into his driver's door, my aftermarket shoulder belt snapped and I hit the windshield. My knees re-shaped the A-pillar and the ashtray! Anyway, I recovered just fine, and that was 1996. While recuperating, I started a business, and 4 years later I bought my 2001 Viper GTS! Sometimes accidents re-direct our lives!