WARNING.— The person in whose name this vehicle is displayed may or may not be the current owner of the vehicle. Readers are warned, therefore, that this entry is not proof of ownership.
Details
- Registration Mark
- 519 PZC
- (a) Type:
- Type 1
- (b) Year:
- 1973
- (c) Colour:
- Metallic Green & Silver
- (d) Paint code:
- Non VW
- (e) Engine CCs:
- 1641
History
- (a) Country of origin:
- Germany
- (b) County first reg'd:
- Dublin
- (c) Current or last known location:
- Limerick County
Model information
1303 Beetle
Info
This 1303 was ordered new by an Irish family living in Germany. They drove the Beetle for a number of years before moving to Switzerland, taking it with them. They stayed in Switzerland for a few years before making the move back home to Ireland, and taking their Beetle with them of course.
The family used their 1303 until 1986 when Jack Honan spotted it for sale in a garage not too far from his home. The car was pretty much rust free but that didn’t stop Jack carrying out a full body-off restoration. Believe it or not, the paint you see in these photos is the same as applied in 1986! Jack added a plethora of accessories such as a Kamei front spoiler, genuine VW stone guards front and rear, rare VW stamped sill trims, a Kamei centre console, an Autoplas rear window louvre, Genuine Porsche 914 rims and a 1641cc engine. Over the 30 years Jack owned the Beetle as well as the service history built up by the original owners, there is now a massive history file documenting each step in this Beetle’s life.
After 30 years of very happy ownership Jack decided to sell his pride and joy in the summer of 1986. If you’ve never driven a 1303 you should. They are more like a modern car with their modern strut suspension and curved windscreen. I really cannot get over how nice this 1303 is to drive. Jack did an amazing job restoring and maintaining this German ’03. Everything opens and closes as it should without any fuss. All of the switches work and there is a reassuring clunk when you close the door, in fact, it’s the only Beetle I’ve ever owned where you do actually have to open the window to close the door properly.
EDIT 1-6-18: Added photos from 1986 & old magazine articles
Submitted by: Cathal O'Toole
Additional Photos
