Well I'm new to this forum so bear with me. IMO the 65 111-112-115-116 are really the last of the of the standard ( BTW those designations above also apply to Canadian 1200 custom as well as vehicles built from 65 on ) model. The reason I say 65 is because the engine is the last of the old Franz Reimspiess design from the beginning (cast in generator stand 30hp (36 SAE hp) and the pan has the old stud-clamp-wing nut seat hold down plus the old pan dimples for the floormats to snap over. I have several books that say that VW created the name change to 1200A in 1965. My understanding is the 1200A designation came about to differentiate a standard from deluxe which was also known as just a 1200. My books say cable brakes went away after April 1962.
By 1965 a 1200A could be ordered with several trim levels. The basic car came with painted bumpers (euro-blade) painted hub caps, door handles (inside & out), deck lid handle, driver mirror (might be a option), ft. hood (bonnet) handle, and painted headlamp ring. I have seen pictures (factory) of 1200A's with added body side molding painted. The same year you could have ordered your car with chrome euro blade bumpers. The 1200 Custom ( Canadian ), has all the items above, but were chrome, except the inside door handles and the rear deck lid push button handle, but they used the 1956-1959 deluxe steering wheel and the deluxe export chrome rim headlamps plus the export deluxe chrome bumpers (to meet U.S. & Canadian bumper height requirement).
I have owned my 1965 111 since 1968. I knew the original owner. This guy ordered the car from one of our local dealers here in Southern California and picked it up in January 1965 at Wolfsburg and toured Europe for a month before bringing it back. My car is built almost like a Canadian 1200 Custom. The exceptions are Kilometer speedometer, amber rear turn signal lamps, no crankcase emission devise, windscreen glass (which along with amber turn ,signal, speedometer,) were changed before leaving U.S. customs. The owner gave me the parts to put back on. My car has the tunnel type transaxle, but it's final drive is like all the old 30 hp (36hp SAE)cars at 4.43:1 instead of the 1965 113's 4.375:1
BTW that paint color for the bumpers, brackets, door handles ect. is L-328 steel gray. My 30hp (36SAE) engine uses the 34hp (40hp) fresh air heater & exhaust system. The heads have spacers to make the length the same as the 40hp head. Some of the engine tin is unique to this engine only and the intake is different because the heat riser tubes are longer to fit the muffler. I love the no gas gauge and the reserve tap on the new type tank!
Don