Having received the details of the car's previous keepers from the DVLA and a 'birth certificate' from Wolfsburg, I decided to write to Mrs. Bird, the wife of the original owner. Today I got a phone call from 93 year old Mrs. Bird and had a chat with her about the beetle!

More on the cars history...

Built on August 19th 1957, It left Wolfsburg on August 22nd and headed to Chelmsford where it was registered as 452 BAR on 6th September 1957 to Ernest Bird From Bishop's Stortford, Herdfordshire.

Since the war, Ernest had been working as a sales rep for Walter Lawrence, a local builders based in Sawbridgeworth who, during the war, were a sub-contactor to DeHaviland working on mosquito aircraft.

Ernest was presented with the beetle when he retired in 1976 and his wife Vera sold the car to St. Andrews Road Garage in Par, Cornwall when Ernest died in 1990.

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Hi Six-O-One/Malcolm,
I was going through this section and wondered if you could tell me which issue of IVVM did you see the bit about the ten-or-so RHD square windows which were imported into the UK between 1958 and 1965. I'd like to read this...
Regards,
Nicolas.

VOL 5, No2, Page 27

THE STANDARD'S

Harvey Simpson, Canadian Correspondent.

When the rectangular rear window model came out for the 1958 model year, just about all Standard models dried-up in Britain. From 1958 to 1965 I would estimate that no more than 10 original R.H.D. Standards were imported into Britain, and these were to special order. I doubt if many readers can remember seeing one on British roads!

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Harvey Simpson has been a good friend of mine for more years than I care to remember, so I'm sure he won't mind me saying that the number he mentions of ten big window standards is really an esimate of how many he feels were imported based on his excellent knowledge of standard models. This figure is not based on any hard facts from VW. I think that the number (again only in my opinion) would be higher. :)

1965 cars, in common with all Beetles new from then on, have the horrible bigger windows all round with skinny door and screen pillars. Anyway, these are really more of a VW 'Beetle' base model to become known as the 1200A 😶

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Anyone have a contact at VW UK who might be able to do a bit of research into exact numbers?

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Hi everyone. I have a 1964 Canadian Standard that I've owned for about 10 years. I've always known it was originally from Canada but I've only recently found that Canadian Standards are a particular breed (there are a few for sale on Samba.com) and this prompted me to look for some more info - which is how I found my way here. Most of the little info I found ties up with the details on my car - but some doesn't. I would love to know more about the car's history and it's correct spec so if anyone can shed any light, I'd be very grateful.
It's pearl white with a brick red interior (luckily, my favourite colour combination). It was on the Isle of Man from about 1974 until I bought it. I have been given a list of previous owners who I will try and contact. It has some additional trim and period extras, some of which I think were fitted by the dealer and are common to all the Canadian Standards, and some added by the original owner. It has a steering wheel from an Oval, not a three spoke one. The engine lid has a T handle and a flat number plate light like that normally found on a '64. It appears to be original but the other Standards I have seen have a pope's nose, even cars later than '64. The door panels are the originals and are brick red but the original seats and quarter panels were long gone, replaced by later, black basketweave seats. I have fitted early seats which look great but I believe it should have smooth vinyl seats instead. When I work out how I'll post some photos of the car.

Andy

Hi Andy, welcome to the forum. 😃
Nice to hear from another Standard owner in the UK

I'd love to see some pictures.

You can add them (one per post) by hitting the 'Choose File' button when you create a new post, and just navigate to the jpeg on your computer.

Or, you can host them somewhere and link to the url for the picture using the Img button, ie the url for a picture may be something like: https://www.mkvw.co.uk/vw/tatton06/IMG_0092.jpg  (Click on this link and it will open the image at this address in a new window).

If you press the img button and enter the full url for the picture, it will display the image within the post like this:



Hope this helps you.

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Are people losing the plot here :?:

A proper Standard, (the continuation of the true People's Car as launched in 1938), has no trim whatsoever (some people did add side/bonnet trim), wing-nut bolt down seats, a crash box, cable brakes, black 3 spoke steering wheel, black bakelite door knobs and switches and centre roof only cloth headlining :!:

Some of the cars matching this description did have headlight rims and or bumpers, hubcaps and exterior handles plated for certain markets. Production of these beautiful (in their simplicity) cars ran into the rectangular window production for a short while and were as basic as a 40's split. I own a 1956 UK from new right hand drive Standard, and it surely must be one of the rarest 'Beetles' around, because at the time nobody in the UK wanted them. They didn't want pre-war driving technology.

If the car has any of the following from new: two spoke steering wheel, ivory knobs, seats on runners, hydraulic brakes, synchromesh on any of the gears - IT IS NOT A TRUE STANDARD MODEL, more of a VW 'Beetle" base model.:wink:

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John, do you know roughly how many UK RHD STD Ovals are left? :?

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I had a 1953 RHD Standard back in the late '70s, the real thing, grey and VERY basic, like the 56 I have now. It was registered here from new and came in with the first batch of VWs for the UK that year (945 units - nearly all deluxes).

It even had the original (dated 1953!) log book. Registration LOW 514, which still checks out at the DVLA registration site. If it the car still exists, who has it now, I would love to know :!:

I also know of a really nice '54 stored away. 8)

The UK RHD Standard Oval is so rare, tops I would estimate that no more than half a dozen still exist. Even rarer the UK RHD rectangular window variety of the REAL Standard model.

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Let's try this one. I know the dash trim and grab handle were added later as the holes are roughly drilled and not stamped out. The fuel gauge is a VDO electric one, there is still a reserve tap but with an extension that looks handmade (and has a big warning light like something off a Thunderbirds set). The box on the right is the outlet for the petrol heater which is a US made 'Perfection'.
 6606.jpg You have insufficient rights to see the content.

It should look like more like this. This is a 1960 Canadian car. To be honest I prefer mine, even if it's not correct, and obviously the original owner felt the same.  6607.jpg You have insufficient rights to see the content.

kabman, does yours have cable or hydraulic brakes?

:roll:

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The blue '60 looks more like it but with trim added. But does it have a full crash box and cable brakes, and with the seats bolted on the floor (can't see in this picture) :?:

If not, I would not think it's a true standard (unless someone's done a lot of alterations and hard work).

The proper standard, I believe, ended production in Germany in 1962 :wink:

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Of course it's a 'real' standard, you can read about the Canadian Standard's unique specifications on the ad for this blue car at:

https://www.thesamba.com/vw/classifieds/detail.php?id=350061 

Not all Standard need to necessarily sport the all-painted German look. Otherwise, you'd dismiss all the export models from Belgium, Holland and Switzerland with their chrome bumpers and hubcaps. The same goes for UK RHD Standards which should also have chrome bits.
I think these variations are fascinating...

I think that the exterior body trim strips are added to this car. Some parts were chrome plated for different markets as we all know.Chrome bits on a Standard do not mean that it's not a Standard. But I do not accept that a car with hydraulic brakes, syncromesh on any gears or seats on runners is a true Standard (People's Car). That was my question – does this car have these :?:

Pay attention :evil:

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As I said, read the ad to learn about this a bit. So...pay attention too.
Pay attention? How arrogant!
If you knew about the subject before dismissing other people's cars, you'd know that Canadian Standards came with chrome strips. Here's another example from 1962.  6638.jpg You have insufficient rights to see the content.

I really do think that the whole point is being missed here. :?

So okay, I'll word it this way. I MYSELF do not consider these cars to be true Standard model. I consider the true Standard model to be the continuation of the concept of the German People's Car – Volkswagen, KdF Wagen – and was built in ever smaller numbers up to (I believe) 1962.

The People's Car had to be built to sell at an almost impossibly low price. For this reason it was as basic as absolutely possible. It was crude, tough and cheap with its full crash box and cable brakes. For further cost saving the front seats were just held down with a couple of wing nuts. However, it is worth noting that some of the cars introduced in 1938 did have some body parts plated. There was no money to spend on trim strips, or even proper sound proofing. And that's how the car carried on into 1949, when the new model, the Export (Deluxe) was introduced. The original was of course named the Standard to differentiate it from the new Deluxe, and its production continued.

As changes were made to the Deluxe (items that they shared, like the windows and dash layout for example), they were usually modified for the Standard too. If changes were made to the Deluxe's hydraulics for example, then you would expect the Standard to be unaffected.

So I cannot understand how cars that have been built with Deluxe features which make them MORE EXPENSIVE such as hydraulic brakes, a synchromesh box and unecessary items such as trim strips can be considered proper Standard models.

The are NOT. I would argue that the basic body cars with this stuff fitted, (like these so called Canadian Standards) are down graded Deluxe cars. They have a basic body on a Deluxe pan :!:

My friend, well-known VW buff Harvey Simpson has an excellent knowledge of the Standard model, and like me has owned several Standards and considers them to be far more interesting than the Deluxe.

He owns one of the most interesting base model 'Beetles" around, he has had this car for years, and I have looked after it in the past for him.

It is a 1964 model. with a CRASH BOX, basic interior, and the seats are fixed down with wing-nuts. BUT it also has hydraulic brakes and trim strips from new. It was built for the Belgium market. He rightly loves this rarity, but agrees that it is not a true Standard model, but more of a very unusual base model. :?

So, are we talking about proper Standards or about base models on this part of the forum :?:

The white 1962 car illustrated previous even has the expensive towel rail bumpers fitted. It certainly looks more like a Deluxe than a Standard. I could argue that my all original '49 model Deluxe is more of a Standard than that – being such an early Deluxe it has a 3 spoke (white) steering wheel, Standard chassis – yes a crash box AND CABLE BRAKES. I certainly think my scruffy RHD '56 STANDARD looks the part though :!:

I'd rather be arrogant to than ignorant :twisted:

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My original post was refering to proper standard models with cable brakes, small headlining and little or no chrome.

But I would still like to hear about the later base models like the 1200A too! 😃

 6640.jpg You have insufficient rights to see the content.

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Spot on six-o-one. The car you show is the real thing (and a very rare version of course) 😃

We all are interested in the other types. But why is that some-one will always come along and swear black is white :!:

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