BEETLES’ BURROW
Spooky car graveyard packed with dozens of iconic 60s VW Beetles found in abandoned mine – and they’re in good condition
Some of the vehicles appear to have been locked away before they were ever driven
A SPOOKY car graveyard packed with dozens of iconic 60s Volkswagen Beetles has been discovered in an abandoned mine.
The astonishing timewarp collection even shows the motors to be in surprisingly good condition despite their damp surroundings.
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The remarkable discovery was made by urban explorer Bob Thissen, who discovered the long-lost hoard in an abandoned Swiss slate mine.
Hidden deep inside a mountain, he said the mine had miles of tunnels and stretched across three floors.
Uploading his findings to YouTube, viewers were able to gauge their eyes on dozens of forgotten VWs like classic Golfs and Beetles from the 1960s and '70s - now sought after collectors' items.
There were even a VW Passat's ranging from different eras.
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The VW Beetle became world famous in Disney's 1969 movie The Love Bug, which focuses on a car of the same make called Herbie with a mind of its own.
But Thissen's photos show the collection, which appears to have been parked in the mine decades ago, still in bafflingly good condition.
While damp has damaged some of the interiors, most of the bodywork seems to be pristine.
Dutch YouTuber Thissen, who has more than 662,000 subscribers, told followers he found around 40 VWs in the mine.
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Thissen, who has not revealed the mine's exact location, said many of the cars seem to have been shut away when they were brand new.
Local media reports said it is unclear who owns the cars, but some say the mine might have been used as a storage space for a dealer who wanted to harvest the motors for spares.
Urban explorers discover an eerie abandoned car graveyard, ’Cavern of Lost Souls' in the Ceredigion region of Wales
It comes after another explorer discovered an eerie car graveyard hidden in the forest with a fleet of decaying classic motors.
Also amongst them was an iconic Volkswagen Beetle, where all that remained of the legendary motor was its turquoise carcass without headlights and wheels.
Elsewhere, haunting photos show a "wonderland" classic car graveyard with over 300 vehicles dating back to the 1950s.
A man discovered the property with hundreds of cars from his childhood, although the condition of them cars made some viewers feel "incredibly sad."
And a petrolhead found himself stumbling upon a jaw-dropping 1970s car graveyard with iconic yellow buses and banged up vintage vans.
A video posted on YouTube shows an abandoned Montana wasteland where rotting vehicles litter the landscape for as far as the eye can see.
VW Beetle factfile
By Tom Malley
The Volkswagen Beetle is most iconic for its appearance in the 1969 movie The Love Bug.
Following the adventures of a sentient VW Beetle named Herbie, the film turned the tide for the iconic motor.
Despite its relatively small size, the VW Beetle has the longest production history in the automotive world.
The easily recognisable vehicle has been in production for 65 years, and over 21.5million models have been born during this time.
Volkswagen means “people’s car”, and that’s how the Beetle was born in 1938 — as a reliable motor costing less than £100.
In the 86 years since, the VW Beetle has established a reputation as the car which achieved the impossible.
Sales in the UK took off in the swinging Sixties when it became the car of choice for families, young professionals — and hippies.
In the US, a 1959 ad campaign based around the slogan “Think Small” helped to drive buyers — and by 1970 the car sold 570,000 a year.
The rounded old-shape Beetle continued to be made until July 2003 — but now it is finally the end for the car.
VW is unlikely to bring the Beetle back, but it will always be arguably the most influential car of all time.
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