1974 Volkswagen| Acapulco Edition | 1 of 400 | 80,000 Miles

GuysWithRides is proud to present Lot #26022 — a survivor-quality, 80K-mile 1974 Volkswagen Thing Acapulco Edition.  Bidding tentatively opens Thursday, May 21, 2026, at 11:00 AM Eastern and closes two weeks later on Thursday, June 4, 2026, at 4 pm Eastern.

This 1974 Volkswagen Thing Acapulco Edition currently resides in a collection in the Mission, Kansas area and is ready to find its next home.

The Volkswagen Thing: Born for Duty, Built for Fun

The Volkswagen Thing — known in Germany as the Kübelwagen Typ 181 — arrived in the American market in 1973 as one of the most unapologetically utilitarian vehicles ever offered for civilian sale. Originally developed in the late 1960s at the request of the West German military as a modern successor to the wartime Kübelwagen, the Typ 181 was engineered for no-nonsense duty: a simple, flat-sided body with removable doors, a fold-down windshield, a convertible canvas top, and a completely interchangeable front and rear fascia. VW’s American importer, knowing the vehicle’s boxy silhouette was too odd to market on conventional terms, leaned into the absurdity and simply called it “The Thing” — and the name stuck perfectly.

Under that slab-sided shell lives the proven, air-cooled Volkswagen platform that powered generations of Beetles and Buses. The standard 1600cc flat-four, rear-mounted and air-cooled, produces a modest 46 horsepower — but paired with the Thing’s nimble, open body and four-wheel independent torsion bar suspension, it delivers a driving experience that is far more engaging than the specifications suggest. The four-speed manual gearbox is direct and satisfying, and the car’s upright, open-air driving position gives the pilot a connection to the road that no modern crossover can replicate. The Thing was sold in the U.S. for only two model years — 1973 and 1974 — before tightening federal safety regulations ended production, ensuring that every survivor carries inherent scarcity from day one.

The 1974 Acapulco Edition: One of Approximately 400

For its second and final American model year, Volkswagen released a special limited edition that has become the most coveted Thing variant among collectors: the 1974 Acapulco Edition. Finished in crisp white with eye-catching factory blue accent trim — including a blue-painted hood, blue bumpers, and coordinated blue accents — the Acapulco Edition announced itself with genuine resort-town flair. Inside, the theme continued with blue and white striped upholstery that looks lifted directly from a poolside cabana. Volkswagen recommended that all three factory top configurations be delivered with each Acapulco unit — the convertible soft top, the OEM hard top, and the model-exclusive surrey fringe top — and this example retains all three.

Production of the Acapulco Edition was intentionally limited, with approximately 400 units produced for the U.S. market. This particular car is believed to have been a slow seller at its original Denver, Colorado dealership — Vern Hagestad VW — remaining unsold until 1975. The original owner’s manual, showing that first purchaser, accompanies the car today. It is also the only Acapulco Thing known to the current family with a blue-painted hard top; all others observed have carried white hard tops, suggesting the dealership painted it to help move the car. Whether that makes it a curiosity or a one-of-one depends on your perspective — but it’s a great story either way.

Provenance and History: A True Colorado Survivor

This Thing has been in the same family since June 1978, when they acquired it as the second owners with approximately 14,000 miles on the clock. The family added the remaining 65,600 miles themselves over nearly five decades, with the car residing its entire life in Colorado until 2019, when it relocated to Kansas City. Roughly a third of the total mileage — approximately 23,000 miles — came from annual tow-bar trips between Colorado and Arizona, where the car wintered with its owner. Because it was towed on all four wheels VW-style, the speedometer was never disconnected, and the 79,600-mile reading is fully genuine.

This is, emphatically, an unrestored survivor. The pan is original to the car with no replacement sections. The battery tray has never rotted or been replaced. All factory Thing-specific skid plates and undercarriage covers are present. The car comes with its original two OEM black master keys. For the last 40 years it has been garaged whenever not being driven. The only rust ever encountered was minor bubbling above both rear fenders, caught early around 1982, repaired, and repainted — the only area of the car that has seen paint work.

Mechanical Highlights

The engine was rebuilt at approximately 60,000 miles and upgraded slightly in displacement at that time: 88mm Mahle/Cima pistons and cylinders (not the common 87mm slip-in variety) bring the displacement from the stock 1.6 liters to a true 1.7 liters. The original stock Thing “AM” engine block was retained, as were the stock distributor, carburetor, cam, and original mirrors. Nothing else was modified.

One detail worth calling out: while the stock exhaust was eventually replaced, it was not replaced with a generic Bug muffler — the owner sourced a brand-new, factory OEM THING-specific muffler from Volkswagen around 1980, when such parts could still be purchased new. That is an increasingly rare detail on a car of this age.

The transmission is the correct four-speed Thing transaxle, and drum brakes are present at all four corners. The car starts cold and drives as described.

Exterior: As-Worn, Not As-Restored

The car presents in its signature Acapulco white and blue livery without hubcaps — a choice the owner made more than 40 years ago because, frankly, it looks better that way. The original hubcaps are included in the sale for the buyer who wants to return the car to a more factory appearance. The steel wheels are fitted with GT Radial touring tires mounted in 2019. There are no whitewalls on this car, and no rollbar.

An additional original detail that will appeal to marque specialists: this car retains its correct right-hand “long” arm mirror — a one-year-only fitment specific to the 1974 THING that is frequently missing or substituted on surviving examples.

Three Tops, All Accounted For

As Volkswagen intended, this Acapulco comes with all three tops. The primary top in regular use is a premium white convertible top with reinforced frame and bows, purchased new and professionally installed at The ThingShop in Chandler, Arizona around 2015 — an upgrade that has served as the car’s daily cover for roughly 90% of its ownership. The OEM VW hard top (factory option ZVW 175 101) is the distinctive blue-painted unit believed to have been dealer-modified. Finally, the Acapulco-exclusive surrey fringe top is present: the frame is structurally sound, though the fabric is in poor condition and has never been installed during this family’s ownership. The lower surrey frame is not included. All four of the correct grey (not black) removable Acapulco-specific side windows are present with clear, haze-free mylar soft plastic glass.

The Bottom Line

Unrestored survivors of any collector car are increasingly difficult to find. Unrestored Acapulco Edition Things, with documented single-family ownership stretching back 47 years, original keys, original owner’s manual, correct tops, an original-spec muffler sourced new from VW, the correct one-year-only right-arm mirror, and a genuinely rust-free pan, are essentially unicorns. This is not a car that was rescued, re-shelled, or reinvented. It is exactly what it has always been — and that is precisely the point.

GuysWithRides is honored to offer this extraordinary machine to the serious collector market — 100% dealer-free, as always.

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Walk Around, Cold Start, and Driving POV Video:

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CarFax®

Since Volkswagen manufactured this Thing for sale well before 1981, a CarFax is not available for it.

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Pre-Purchase Inspection (“PPI”)

This section contains the Lemon Squad mechanic’s findings during their physical inspection of this 1974 Volkswagen Thing for sale.  Click on each picture to read each section of the mechanic’s report:

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