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I have to say that when you look back at any colour chart from the 1970s, especially Volkswagen’s vibrant range, you really see how times have changed. Gone are the colourful and sometimes brave shades, only to be replaced by more sombre colours such as greys and silvers we see today but fashion and tastes change.

I own a few Beetles and apart from one black Beetle, they are all bright colours such as Tomato Red (L30M) and Texas Yellow (L10B) but the one that is missing from my collection is Lofoten Green (L61H). Lofoten Green was often seen as the farmer’s colour, the car that was rusting in front of your eyes while it was dragging a horsebox behind it, and in reality this was the case. The 1975/76 colour was extremely popular in Ireland, especially in the farming community for some reason. We all thought they would be ten a penny in later years but they have all but vanished from our scene, as others like Havana Brown (LD8A) and Rally Yellow (L10A) but that’s more down to the fact that later cars were not valued by enthusiasts who favoured earlier VWs, myself included. The 1970s Beetles are now becoming the rarity on our roads and at shows so the once parts cars are now prized restoration projects. Lofoten Green Beetles, rare? Who knew????

This Beetle of the Lofoten variety is one such Beetle that appears to have met its maker a long time ago with all that remains being this photo. This particular Beetle was assembled in Dublin in December 1974 and sent out to its Dublin dealer. In the first week of January 1975, this Lofoten Green Beetle found its new owner and it drove off the forecourt wearing its new raised digit number plates, 49 NRI.  I’m afraid that’s where the trail runs cold, apart from when we discovered the photo after Darren O’Rourke posted the image on the Original Irish Aircooled VW Facebook page in August 2025.

Submitted by: Darren O'Rourke

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