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
- 9573 ZU
- (a) Type:
- Type 1
- (b) Year:
- 2003
- (c) Colour:
- Aquarius Blue
- (d) Paint code:
- LB5B
- (e) Engine CCs:
- 1600
History
- (a) Country of origin:
- Ireland
- (b) County first reg'd:
- Dublin
- (c) Current or last known location:
- Louth
Model information
Ultima Edicion
Info
Thanks to Kieran Reid for these photos that he took in April 2023, at the Cars & Coffee which was held at Dundalk I.T.
The Beetle itself that is sitting on an Irish chassis is a very rare Última Edición Beetle, which means it was a special edition to mark the end of aircooled Beetle production in 2003.
In July 2003 VW Mexico announced that aircooled Beetle production was to end at its Puebla plant and to mark this very special occasion they were producing a limited run of just 3,000 Última Edición Beetles.
The Última Edición became an instant classic before being even produced, with global orders coming in from collectors, eager to buy the last new aircooled Beetle to ever be assembled. Many collectors had earmarked an area in their collection to display and preserve a zero mile Beetle.
The Última Edición was offered in two colours; Harvestmoon Beige (LB1M) or, as in the case here, Aquarius Blue (LB5B). All engines would be their tried and tested 1600cc unit, not that many would see the road anyway so performance was not an issue. The Última Edición Beetle also came with chrome bumpers, trim, hubcaps and rear view mirrors, as opposed to the painted bumpers & trim on all other Mexican Beetles. As standard in this Beetle was a CD player with four speakers , a Wolfsburg badge above the bonnet handle which harks back to the first Beetles produced in Germany. The colour coded glovebox door also received a special edition plaque, there was a rear parcel shelf and tinted glass while outside the colour coded wheels added a unique look.
On a side note, there was one Última Edición Beetle that left the assembly line painted orange, Snap Orange (LD2B) to be exact. This was a special request from Prof. Wilfried Bockelmann who was a member of the Board of Management.
When the last Última Edición Beetle rolled off the production line on July 30th 2003, it was sent to Wolfsburg to put on display in their museum but this particular Beetle, one of only 3,000 Última Edición Beetles, was one of only 450-500 that were exported to European buyers so this really is quite a special Beetle indeed.
This Beetle was separated from its Mexican chassis and transferred onto a fully restored Irish chassis bearing the registration number 9573 ZU, which was a Dublin registered 1974 1200 Beetle. Not only is this a very cool ‘last off the line’ Beetle but it’s also on an original Irish registration number too. To make life easier for the owner, this Beetle has been converted to right hand drive. Two other accessories that will help the driver are the spotlights and the Kamei style front spoiler to help deflect the airflow from under the light nose of the Beetle. The pop-up glass sunroof will add some light and ventilation in the cabin.
Thanks again to Kieran for the photos and the best of luck to the very lucky owner of this rare Aquarius Blue (LB5B) Última Edición Beetle.
Submitted by: Kieran Reid
Additional Photos
