The trunk on my '74 Super Beetle is stuck. I believe the cable is broken, disconnected, or needs adjustment. How do I get the trunk open without damaging the hood?
Try Having One Person Hold The Button In On The Trunk Handle And Press Down On The Hood While You Pull The Inside Handle. Then Try Opening It.
See if the cable is broken at the release handle inside the car. There might be enough cable left to get some vice-grips on so you can pull it.
I remember how we had to open these cars with stuck trunks, but it wasn’t pretty. An air-chisel was used to cut a circle in the hood right around the handle and “Voil?!”, the hood opens.
The good news is that now you can repair the cable/latch. The bad news is that you need a new hood panel.
CSA
Looks like this is common enough for some saint to write it up…
http://www.midsouthvw.com/TechTips/tech_tip_OpeningTrunk.htm
Good luck with it.