1972 was an exceptional year for Volkswagen. For starters, the 15,007,033 unit of the Beetle rolled off the assembly line in Wolfsburg, Germany, ending America’s Ford Model T, aka ‘Tin Lizzy’ long record of sales. In the same year, VW released the VW Baja Champion SE.
Jason of YouTube channel 5150mxVW recently got his hands on an abandoned 1972 VW Beetle Baja Championship SE that had been sitting in a shed for an unknown number of years. He was looking to get this rare old bug running, then later put it on sale.
The 1972 VW Beetle Baja Champion SE (Special Edition) was a rare classic offroader explicitly released for the United States market. In Europe, they were known as the Marathon Edition, while in Australia, they were offered in unique numbered plaques.
The Baja SE came in a distinctive Marathon Blue Metallic shade with mag-style 15-inch wheels, black-painted centers, and a special ‘Baja’ emblem on the glove compartment. Only 1,000 units were made to celebrate the Baja’s success in off-road racing between 1967 and 1971.
Often confused for the European version Weltmeister (World Champion), it differs in detail since it was based on North American specifications adapted for the U.S. and Canada.
The Marathon Beetle had high back seats, Bosch driving lights, and racing stripes (sometimes), while the Baja Champion SE was a dealer option in the U.S. market.
Under the trunk, the 1972 VW Baja SE came with a 4-cylinder 1,600 cc typ. 113 (1302 Super Beetle) engine powering the rear wheels. Unlike other VWs Jason flips, the Baja SE was in reasonably good condition on the exterior, even though there was visible rust on the floor pan.
Getting it to run wasn’t a pain. It fired right up after fiddling with the distributor and condenser (it needed some servicing after sitting for a while).
Which is a bargain considering how rare this old bug is. Still, it’ll need a lot of love to get back its old glory.