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
- ZV3 2211
- (a) Type:
- Type 1
- (b) Year:
- 1961
- (c) Colour:
- Light Beige
- (d) Paint code:
- L275
- (e) Engine CCs:
- 1600
History
- (a) Country of origin:
- United Kingdom
- (b) County first reg'd:
- Donegal
- (c) Current or last known location:
- Donegal
Model information
1200 Sunroof Deluxe Beetle
Info
Originally a 1200 Sunroof Deluxe model in Gulf Blue (L390), this car was assembled in Wolfsburg Germany and shipped to the UK via Ramsgate in April of 1961. It was sold in Eastleigh, Hampshire on 1 June 1961. The original registration was 33 CAA. For some reason, this registration plate was transferred to another vehicle by one of the several previous owners. The replacement plate was RAS 883.
It spent a good deal of its life in the Hampshire and Dorset regions before heading to Sussex and then Northampton, where I bought it in 2004. I drove it back down to Surrey, where it would live until we moved to Ireland. The car came with pretty much all the history you could think of, including the original bill of sale. When I got hold of it, it was hand-painted in white and was rotten in several places, despite having been patched up a lot.
I bought it to restore it, so after about a year of daily driving, I got to work on a body-off restoration with the goal of using it for my wedding day – which we ended up doing with a week or two to spare. The result is what you see here.
In 2018, we decided to move to Ireland to be with my wife’s family so we had the car shipped over to our new house and got it registered in Ireland.
Here are a few details:
The paint is a close match for VW’ Light Beige (L275). The 1200 engine was replaced with a 1600 single port. The gearbox is from a 1300S / GT Beetle. Wheels are 15″ Flat4 Fuchs with 145 Firestone F-560 on the front and 205/70 Firestone F-560 on the rear. Brakes are CSP wide 5 discs and callipers. Lowered a few inches all around via an adjustable beam on the front and spline adjustment on the rear. Interior is mostly TMI – door cards and seat upholstery – and the headliner was from BFY Obsolete parts. It’s pretty much standard inside, except for a CSP quick shifter.
UPDATE Beetle.ie: I am very lucky to have seen this Beetle in the metal and it’s a beauty. The owner Jon Gilbert, whom I had the pleasure to work with for almost 10 years at Volksworld Magazine, has definitely understated the amount of work and effort that has gone into making this Beetle what it is. If you’re lucky enough to be in or around the North West of Ireland and you spot it out and about or at a show, take some time to take it all in. This is an amazingly well restored Beetle with nothing but top quality parts from well known companies being used. No corners were cut in this restoration, despite the extremely tight deadline of an impending wedding! If you don’t believe me, this Ragtop Beetle won an award at the very first classic car show it was brought to so as they say, the proof is in the pudding, or in this case, the proof is in the Resto-Cal Ragtop Beetle!
Submitted by: Jon Gilbert
Additional Photos
