Where is the best place to find info on post-oval standard beetles?

• UK specs
• Production numbers for each year/month (for RHD type 112 if possible!)
• Body/chassis number info

Pointers to any good websites or books would be great.

😃

---

My dear Six-O-One!
You are asking the impossible...when I wrote to Wolfsburg for the birth certificate and correct specification for my 60 standard, they couldn't answer half of my questions...I had to return the certificate because I doubted their interpretation of the wheel colour scheme. In turn, they changed their tune but I am still not certain about what they're saying. I think they probably want to see the back of me with all my questions!
There are hardly no period photos of standard square windows, if any at all. Nobody knows exactly how the external door handles were treated, nor the front and rear bonnet handles.
It seems easier to find stuff about splits and 40s cars!
In truth, it was all a bit of a grey era for standards in the 60s; they were slowly disappearing because they were not selling as well as the deluxe (hence the fact there are so few square window standards in existence today).
The competition from emerging european manufacturers started to pose a potential threat to the beetle. The idea of a wartime-looking beetle was somehow starting to feel quite unfashionable in the 60s.
Standard square windows were therefore sold mostly as company cars in Germany for staff use and for advertising.
That's why I hope that English 57 or 58 will truly get the attention it deserves...
Nicolas.

PS: The best example of a RHD 60 standard is Richard Copping's car which is virtually untouched besides an external respray. It has chromed handles (in and out), chromed bumpers and hubcaps too.
Wonderful machine!

Thanks 48REME,

So far I've only found this single website with info and pictures of standard beetles.

https://www.clik.to/jupitergrey 

:cry:

---

I have good news for you Nicolas, it's in my garage! :wink:

 4552.jpg You have insufficient rights to see the content.

---

Fantastic, Malcolm!
Well done...Can I come and see it one day? If you need any of the (scarse) info I have collected, or want to see photos or anything, don't hesitate to ask.
If you need to see any details on mine, the spec is virtually identical. I think the seat material on yours will be grey vinyl being an 'export' standard, if I'm not mistaken, whereas mine has the checkered woven material with grey vinyl on the seat sides. Otherwise, it's all the same really.
Great news! And great that it hasn't gone to the US or Japan.
Nicolas.

I made a call to the ebay seller and now know some of this cars history...

1958 model right hand drive standard beetle, first registered in early September 1957, making it one of the very first big window beetles after the end of the ovals.

It was originally a company car, driven from new by a Mr. Bird from St. Austell in Cornwall. He worked for a company in the china clay industry and although the car spent all of its life in Cornwall, it was supplied by a dealership somewhere else, presumably near to the headquarters of Mr. Bird's employers.

When Mr. Bird retired, he was presented with his beetle by the company as a retirement gift and it stayed in his possession until his death in 1990.

His widow sold the beetle to the local garage who had maintained it for most of its life and they kept it in storage for 12 years.

It was purchased from the garage in 2002 by Andrew Rippon from Truro in Cornwall who planned to restore it and add it to his collection of three late 1950s beetles.

In February 2006 Andrew decided that as he still had no spare time to start the planned restoration, he would advertise the '58 on ebay. This is where it was bought by another Andrew, surname Ham, who was looking for a 1958 beetle to form the basis of his next resto-cal project (see the "Britain's best Resto-Cal" feature in the March 2006 issue of UltraVW).

Andy had been after a basket case original '58 rag-top bug for ages, which a friend in Norfolk owned but refused to sell, so opted to buy the Standard '58 instead.

His plans were soon changed when his friend phoned with the news that he had now decided to sell the rag-top bug after all!

This is all I know at the moment but I'm sure there will be more to follow...

---

Great history already! You may be able to approach the people involved with the china clay factory and who knows, there may be some period photos. It seems like the car is pretty original from the photos, so it's not like you need to uncover its former appearance.
Have you driven it? (From your last pic, it seems all wired up, with lights on)
N

I've not driven it yet.
Andy drove it off the trailer and round to my garage but its very loud as it needs a new exhaust box and j-tubes.

Also has an oil leak from the flywheel oil seal and the choke is stuck.

I'm hoping that as it was a company car, it was registered to the company so I might be able to get the details from the DVLA?

---

You nutter, how many you got now? Really pleased it went to a good home. Just think you have a car that probably rarer than your heb :lol:

Also their like chalk and cheese.

Sparky

---

I've just read in an old copy of IVVM that only about ten RHD big window standard beetles were special-ordered in England between 1958 and 1965!

:shock:

---

And only three have cropped up to this day, yours, Paula's old 58 and Richard Copping's 60.
Scarse little buggers... 😃

The body number is 19 133 which, according to all the lists I've found, makes it a July 1957 body on an August chassis.

I didn't think VW made any big window beetles until August 1st? :?

The last body made in July 1957 is listed everywhere as 23 794!

I've sent off for a birth certificate which might shed some light on this.

Anyone have any more details on early big window body numbers?

---

Congrats Six-o-one on the find! 😃

The Standards are fun! Yours still have the mechanical brakes, doen't it?

I have a -63 standard too. Mine have hydraulic brakes, but the original non-syncro Crashbox and the original 30hp engine.

As I found mine in the spring -04:


After cleaning/"polishing" it:


Interiour:


BTW. Mine is For Sale... :wink:

---

Hi, yes mine does still have the original pan with the cable brakes.

It's complete apart from an engine from '56 which needs new J tubes and an exhaust box.

Also, all of the floor matts and carpets are missing, which I think may cause me a few headaches! I've bought a set of RHD grey mats from Richard Oakley so just need to find the rubber bit for behind the pedals, and the mat for the tunnel (Is this bit the same as a LHD std?)

Malc

---

I've just recieved all the info on the previous keepers from the DVLA.
It was first registered to a Mr. Ernest Bird from Biscovey in Cornwall then transfered to Mrs Bird in 1990.

Now, the previous owner I spoke to on the phone, told me that he didn't know the original registration number, as it was transfered before he bought the car in 2002.

The original registration number was 452 BAR and acording to the DVLA it was retained by the guy I spoke to on Jan 27th this year and replaced with 726 USX!

He must have a very bad memory!

---

I suppose that the chrome trim on your car have been fitted later as your front hood doesn't have it? The fronthood handle on the other hand must have been swapped to a chromed one too... As the bumpers too. Unless they are by special order from the original buyer?

I have a link where you can find out the different colour combinations for standards somewhere. I must try and find it for you.

😃

---

I hope this link works... :?

---

hey six-o-one,

i have a spare bulkhead matt in grey!...





£35.00 inc p+p

---

Hi Hebster52,
The stripes you can see on the side are white, not chrome trim.

From what Nicolas has said, and other UK specification standard beetles I have seen, most have some chrome from the dealer.

The birth certificate states:

M001 Chrome-plated bumpers, hub caps, outlet pipes, tank cap and door handles; in addition with trim strips (which I assume are running board chrome strips?) and passenger sun visor.

They also state the colour as L243 Diamond Grey, which is wrong as it's Jupiter Grey which looks like the original std colour!

---