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
- 7645 ZK
- (a) Type:
- Type 1
- (b) Year:
- 1977
- (c) Colour:
- Manila Green
- (d) Paint code:
- L63Y
- (e) Engine CCs:
- 1200
History
- (a) Country of origin:
- Ireland
- (b) County first reg'd:
- Cork
- (c) Current or last known location:
- Cork
Model information
1200 Beetle Deluxe
Info
This 1977 1200 Manila Green Beetle Deluxe was one of a batch of six new Beetles that were delivered to Divane’s of Castleisland in Kerry at the start of April 1977.
The delivery of six Beetles in total consisted of three Manila Green (L63Y) Beetles, one Havana Brown (LD8A) Beetle and an Ocean Blue (L57H) Beetle. Whether convoyed by road from Dublin to Kerry or transported on a truck, these six brightly coloured new Beetles must have been an impressive sight on the road.
This particular Beetle was sold to its first owner in County Cork, hence the ZK registration. It was registered on May 11th 1977 so is one of the last Irish built Beetles to have been registered here. It must have been very well looked after during its life because when I photographed it in the early 1990s it was looking remarkably well and original.
Having made it pretty much unscathed through the late 1970s, the 1980s and the 1990s, we would love to think that someone has taken care of it through the new millennium but we don’t know so are relying on you to tell us if you know the answer.
On a side note, Divane’s are still a Volkswagen dealer to this very day, having first opened their doors in 1954 when Stanley Divane opened up his very own dealership, selling his first new Volkswagen on June 15th 1955. Denis Divane, Stanley’s son, is the dealer principal at Divane’s so the name and tradition lives on. That’s an impressive heritage indeed. www.divane.ie
Additional Photos
