Acapulco Thing 1974 Original Unrestored 36K-Mile Beauty

1974 Volkswagen Thing Description

1974 VW THING ACAPULCO EDITION

VIN #184 254 2176 & Engine #024956
Built May 1974
MATCHING NUMBERS
ORIGINAL PAINT & INTERIOR
36,600 ORIGINAL MILES
RUNS & DRIVES LIKE A NEW CAR
ORIGINAL SURREY TOP
ORIGINAL OPTIONAL BUMPER GUARDS
ORIGINAL OWNERS MANUAL & TOOL KIT
DOCUMENTED OWNERSHIP HISTORY

HISTORY:

TYPE 181: The VW Type 181 Thing was built from 1969-80 worldwide but only sold in America from 1973-74. The American Things were built at the VW factory in Puebla Mexico. North American market price was $2775, $1000 more than the Beetle. VW stopped importing after 1974 due to safety concerns. 140,000 were built between 1969-80. 25,000 were imported to USA in 1973-74 & 14,733 were built in 1974 for the US market and sold by VW of America.

ACAPULCO EDITION: Originally White & Blue Acapulcos were sold to The Princess hotel in Acapulco Guerrero, Mexico while the White & Pink ones were included with a bungalow or villa while staying at Las Brisas in Acapulco Mexico. VW was encouragedby returning American customers to build a small batch for public sale. The special Acapulco editions were built for two months between May-July 1974 and factory workers at the Puebla factory claimed only 400 Acapulco Things were made for the USA market in 1974. All were originally fitted with a metal-frame surrey top covered with blue & white stripes. Most owners chose to trade-in the surrey top for either a soft-top or a hardtop.

OWNERSHIP HISTORY:

1. Lucille & Russell Weaver (Knoxville Tennessee) bought 21 August 1974 at Van Slyke VW in Knoxville TN. Russell passed away in 1995 & Lucile in 2000.

2. Roger King (Sausalito California) owned 2006-08 as part of his collection. “That’s one fun car. I had it in my collection for a brief period, both bought it & sold it on e-bay. I didn’t drive it much and I had it stored in a climate controlled garage, so it was never parked outside or driven in the rain. The only maintenance was for oil changes. I had the DEPLANE license plate after the 1977 TV show Fantasy Island”.

3. Ron Pratte (Glendale Arizona) owned 2008-09 as part of his 100-car $350M collection.

4. Larry Dustman (Chandler Arizona) owned 2009-Feb2016. Used as the master for Acapulco parts reproductions as it was the best original Acapulco he’s ever seen. Bought with 30K miles.

5. Jon House (Big Island Hawaii) bought Dec 2015 at 36,602 miles, part of his classic VW collection in San Diego CA.

MILEAGE CHRONOLOGY:

26 July 1974 7 Knoxville Tennessee Arrived at dealership

10 Sep 1974 615 Knoxville Tennessee Engine & trans oil changed at dealership

12 Aug 1975 5195 Knoxville Tennessee 6000-mile service

06 Dec 1985 34,191 Oil change decal

April 2014 36,455 Chandler Arizona Listed on ebay

Feb 2016 36,602 San Diego California Purchased

VALUES:

Hemmings 1974 Thing Acapulco Edition: Low $9K, Average $19K, & High $27,500

Haggerty lists average value at $25,000 & #2 rating at $35,000.

NADA values Average $20K & High $31,600.

HOW TO IDENTIFY A REAL ACAPULCO THING:

1974, dash with no glovebox door, running boards mounted with hex head bolts into the rocker panels. Surrey top has special mounting brackets at windshield pillar. Blue paint: front hood, rocker panels just below 2nd rib, dash, license light hood, bumpers, & bumper brackets.

On Aug-29-16 at 13:46:36 PDT, seller added the following information:

100+ PHOTOS & VIDEOS: Many buyers have been asking for more details on this Acapulco. Here's a web site we created with over 100 images & driving videos as well as the ownership history.

On Aug-29-16 at 13:58:04 PDT, seller added the following information:

More photos & videos: ACAPULCO WEB SITE