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Zero to 50 mph in only 14.6 Seconds!Miss Hilda, my 1966 VW, was one of 1,080,165 Beetles produced that year. She was sold to her original owner, Mrs. Hilda Garman, at Autohaus Lancaster Inc. that same year. Here's a cute photo of Miss Hilda "wearing" the great decals (magnetic) that our friends, Judy & Paul, kindly sent! So much fun.
Miss Hilda runs on a small 6 Volt, 77 ampere-hour battery, that powers her 1300cc engine. She gives out a whopping 50hp from her air-cooled engine!!! Whoa! Here's a picture of Miss Hilda's original engine just before my master mechanic, Earl Huber, rebuilt her: 
My original owners manual says that she's capable of an average of 28.5 miles per gallon and her fuel tank is 10.6 gallons. She still has her original Pearl White paint and dark red (Pigalle) leatherette upholstery. Although I did slip on new, dark red, cotton seat covers for this cross-country trip, for my own comfort. Here's a picture of Miss Hilda with her beau, Fritz. Fritz is a handsome 1964 VW Bug that Bob, by husband, owns. They keep company when they're stored together in their own service bay! 
I put white-wall radials on Miss Hilda, as recommended by my master mechanic, Earl Huber. Bias ply tires would have been the original tires on a 1966 Bug. Earl cautioned that the radials would provide a much smoother and safer cross-country ride - especially up mountain roads. I'm sure he's right. The 1966 VW Bug was unique, as it was the only year that the 1300cc engine was offered and there were some technical improvements/design changes. Many folks believe that the 1966 VW Beetle was the best model VW built! Even John Muir, the author of the essential and best-loved VW maintenance book, "How to Keep Your Volkswagen Alive", says "The 1966 Beetle is my personal favorite. The 1300 engine was powerful, frugal on gas, and could wail at high RPM all day if asked. This is an excellent collectable that can double as a daily driver, strong and well constructed" Still, any vintage VW Bug is GREAT! They're ALL loveable! Honk if you see us on the road! Air-cooled rules!
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