Jd, I have to correct you on this. Hebmuller was already in contact with Volkswagenwerk early 49, February. They made 2 prototypes known as 14-1, 14-2. those cars went on the testingprogram but failed. Vww ordered another proto in march 49 to be tested. At that point, they already ordered a completesetup for the export beetle that went on sale in June 49, with ribbed side trim ( not on the engine cover) ivory dash inserts, 100 mm clock, round horngril and all other export parts.

The drawings I have seen somewhere long time ago 😮 ....are all from the area february 49. Only 1 was from oktober 48 and show us a car simular like the first prototypes with Popes nose on the engine cover. Those drawings are not secret as there are picts known on the internet where you can see them. You just have to look for them. Most of you have seen the picts but never seen the drawings:?

As the engineers at VWW were not satisfied, they ordered at some point early 49 the 4th prototype but this time Rudolph Ringel his special workshop in Wolfsburg made the car. It is this car that showed up in Bad Camberg.
It is this car that was the standard for the hebmuller. On this car they finetuned the plans and drawings to be used for the production.

The 3 proto's were tested during a long time and got updated in that period. There is known that the testcars were still used at the end of 49.
1 car by Hebmüller, 1 by Gotfried Schultz, 1 by Vw engineers.

The contract was signed in april 49 but on that point, they were almost ready to start production that went of in june 49 with 25 préproduction cars to be showed at the maindealerships in Germany and Swiss for a start.


I do not know what parts are original from that car. For sure the engine cover is the real deal. The weldings on the inside of the engine cover are odd, the brake light is also rare, never seen this and can not identify the light. I am sure they took it from an existing car or construction.

The paperwork with the VIN nr is the real deal. The old picts of the car are real. The Vin tag is new, brand new .
It is unclear to me what other parts are real and what is reconstructed...but hey? This is some history reconstruction in the sence of the vw38. Rescue what is left and rebuilt the car.
The footwell reinforcement is smaller then on production cars. It misses the 3 pressed ribs. There is NO body number in the front. The roofframe is from an early car as it have the flat bottom where it touches the doorgap. roofrubber is held on by a C profile. Back seat reinforcement seems to be new made or very good restored. The air intake is original from a Hebmuller.

Now the text on page 2 give us this info:

To the history:
The 2 seater is in dec 48 in vw special construction shop for the Geneva autoshow in 49 built. It is a type 10/14 ( hebmulleraufbau) The customs at the border in Swiss was made at 14/03/49. At that point the car was loaned to AMAG( VW maindealer) At 21/04/49 it was registrated at a lady from Zurich. Until 1961 it had 6 owners. One of them was the mayor of St Moritz, Mr GARTMANN-KOLLER. It is possible to get an extraction of each car's history in Swiss. After a bad accident ( that is always the case ) in 1961 the car was put in parts by a German mechanic working at AMAG. He intended to rebuilt the car but failed...In 2010 the car is restored by Michael Berg from Rockenberg.

What is remarkeble for this car is that it was made entirely by VW and not by Hebmuller. It seems that it was unclear at that point that Hebmuller whould get the contract for building the 2 seater.

The contract from VW to Hebmuller to built 675 kabrioletts was finaly signed at 06/04/49. It states: the 2 seater to be built according to the technical development, written down in orders by the Volkswagenwerk.

The hebmuller specific engine cover, the mainpiece of the car, was handmade on a wooden buck and was made out of 4 main parts welded together, like all engine covers of early cars.

Prototechnical special is the small nose of the engine cover and the corners where the numberplate is located.
The air intake part is made out of one piece and was pressed.The dash still had no radiocut-out and the doorwindowscrapers were mounted with messing( brass) strips.
The car had already grooved bumpers and side trim and was showed in the magazine "auto" on a report of the Geneva autoshow.

The birthcertificate:
VIN : 090852 built on 31/12/49( at VW) left the factory at 09/03/49.
Dear sir...
We can confirm that the VIN correspond with a ccabriolet type14. The vin from this car was from the running type 11 production. The body was made at the specialconstruction shop from Volkswagen. This was found on the original cardboard card from the production that was found in the archives at VW.
The hebmuller had 2 seats for the driver and co driver and 2 emergency seats in the back like a 2+2 seater.

The cut out of the contract:

VWW gmbh in Wolfsburg:
Volkswagenwerk made the company
karosseriewerk Josef Hebmuller Sohne, Wulfrath
Hebmuller an order, 675 cabrioletbody's ( 2 seat type 14 with emergency seat according to the drawing 48/146) (drawing 146 made at the end in 48) folowing the written orders from the technical development service at VW to construct and assemble them on rolling chassis delivered by VW.

According to the contract from Vw made at 06/04/1949 we communicate folowing:
VW deliver 675 complet rolling chassis/
all parts needed according to the partlists from the type 14 send over to us at 24 march 1949

End of information. If I made a mistake in writing, excuse me. I never leared German in school, The english was rather basic, but I tried :omg: :beer: ( yes I want 1or 2 now)

It is clear that on 24 march the part list was already done....

There are 3 things that botthers me on the car::?
First: It is not finished
Second: The engine cover opens rather high
third: It is not mine :thumbdn:

Have a nice read. Peter

---