The trick is to match the rpms as the engine drops naturally you just slot it in gear at the right moment. If you do it often enough at some point you don't even notice anymore until you try to drive another vehicle, at which point hilarity will ensue.
Those old beetles were just four speeds, pretty beefy gears. I never managed a good downshift though, I would cheat and very briefly depress the clutch so it wouldn't slip. Do it too long and you'd get that horribly expensive smell. I was dirt poor and got the car for free so I really couldn't complain. Baby blue. And it taught me to be very careful on wet surfaces with a rear mounted engine (took out a bicycle stand with it in front of one of the busiest coffee places in Amsterdam West, "Tramlijn Begeerte" (dutch translation of a 'streetcar called desire'). Funny little car.
Those old beetles were just four speeds, pretty beefy gears. I never managed a good downshift though, I would cheat and very briefly depress the clutch so it wouldn't slip. Do it too long and you'd get that horribly expensive smell. I was dirt poor and got the car for free so I really couldn't complain. Baby blue. And it taught me to be very careful on wet surfaces with a rear mounted engine (took out a bicycle stand with it in front of one of the busiest coffee places in Amsterdam West, "Tramlijn Begeerte" (dutch translation of a 'streetcar called desire'). Funny little car.