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
- ZO 9984
- (a) Type:
- Type 1
- (b) Year:
- 1953
- (c) Colour:
- ?
- (d) Paint code:
- ?
- (e) Engine CCs:
- 1200
History
- (a) Country of origin:
- Ireland
- (b) County first reg'd:
- Dublin
- (c) Current or last known location:
- Dublin
Model information
Oval Window Beetle Deluxe
Info
This is quite the find in terms of old VW picture, and in turn, history researching. Thanks to Darren O’Rourke and his Original Irish Aircooled VW page on Facebook, we have these lovely period photos. The first photo was posted online which shows this Beetle in what looks to be a London street scene and the second photo shows the same Beetle, on tour in Wicklow. The first photo was taken when the Beetle, a then new model, was being used as a demonstration model for the rollout of Volkswagen in the UK. Stephen O’Flaherty was not just the man behind the introduction of the humble Beetle into Ireland but he also secured the rights to distribute the very same brand in the UK. The deal began in 1953 so this Oval Window Beetle was not only a new model in that it came with the larger oval rear window, but it was the first time the Beetle had been offered for sale in RHD form through UK based dealers. We believe that this Beetle was assembled in Dublin, registered there in March of 1953 and then brought to London to show the public and potential dealers alike what a RHD Oval Window Beetle would look like. Obviously, as the dealers were established across the UK and miles (and scrapes) were put on this Beetle, it was brought back to Ireland. The next we see of this Oval Window Beetle was when it was photographed in 1958, in a very rural looking Dublin county so we can only assume that this Oval Window Beetle, once completed its service as a demonstrator vehicle, was shipped back to Ireland, but as what is the question? We do not know if this Beetle was kept by MDL and loaned out to visitors because by 1958 when the last photos were taken, the new larger rear window models were on sale. Quite how this tourist happened to get their hands on this Oval is a mystery for now or maybe it’s nothing more than a simple coincidence. What is funny is that the 1958 photo, along with a series of tourist’s photos from a trip to Ireland, were discovered in a market in Germany, posted online and discovered by Darren O’Rourke of the Original Irish Aircooled VW group on Facebook. Somehow there is no explanation but all we do know is that it’s a pretty amazing find all these years later.
Check out BYI 368 on our Census as that Beetle also appears in the collection of photos.
Submitted by: Darren O'Rourke
Additional Photos
