Gunyah Grey on a 56'

Hefner Learner Dubber

15 posts · joined Mar 2012 · 2 Dec 2012, 10:39 am

#933898

Hi Folks

looking for any of images of the Gunyah Grey that Volkswagen painted some of their 50's beetles in Australia. Specifically the 56 Beetle.

Photo's of original would be great or well matched resto...

I have searched and honestly nothing much comes up and any of the Grey Aussie Ovals i've seen at shows
seem' too dark??

Thanks

Chris G

Chris G
1956 Oval Beetle
www.customstreeter.com

olovw Casual Dubber

23 posts · joined Oct 2009 · 31 Jan 2013, 10:20 pm

#941758

http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=535486&highlight=gunyah+gray+grey
i think this is it (5vert6 pic) but you already asked👍the guy who owns og aussie oval thats inthis post told me 'is not a normal colour, although it is original paint.... was told that in Australia in the 50's, they mixed their own colours' thats what i thought gunnayah grey is but could be wrong...

HappyDaze Superannuated

2,887 posts · joined Jun 2009 · 1 Feb 2013, 5:55 am

#941770

Gunyah Grey finished in mid 1960, when lacquer [Duco] was replaced by baked enamel. I don't think ovals were ever Gunyah Grey, were they?

I'd rather wear a Beetle out by racing it than by polishing it!

sander288 "Bolt-on Master"

1,404 posts · joined Aug 2008 · 1 Feb 2013, 8:58 am

#941784

Where's Phil74camper when you need him? 😂

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Hefner Learner Dubber

15 posts · joined Mar 2012 · 1 Feb 2013, 2:19 pm

#941823

HappyDaze wrote:Gunyah Grey finished in mid 1960, when lacquer [Duco] was replaced by baked enamel. I don't think ovals were ever Gunyah Grey, were they?

Here's an article I have at home

Gulf green, Mountain Blue, Arnhem Black, Alpine white, Manly Tan & Gunyah Grey. The article is from Sept 56 and am pretty sure the Aussie knock down cars are from Aug 55 and mine was built in Sept 55...

Maybe I need to order a birth Certificate

Chris G
1956 Oval Beetle
www.customstreeter.com

Hefner Learner Dubber

15 posts · joined Mar 2012 · 1 Feb 2013, 2:24 pm

#941824

The other thing is, I'm going to need to find someone on the Gold Coast, Far North Coast or Brisbane who can mix up Gunyah Grey.

I have some small samples from under the current paint!

Chris G
1956 Oval Beetle
www.customstreeter.com

HappyDaze Superannuated

2,887 posts · joined Jun 2009 · 1 Feb 2013, 2:42 pm

#941825

I stand corrected, Chris 😊.....always thought Gunyah Grey came out with the 'big' window.

My Cooper Porsche race car was built for Laurie Whitehead in 1959, by the way.

I'd rather wear a Beetle out by racing it than by polishing it!

Hefner Learner Dubber

15 posts · joined Mar 2012 · 1 Feb 2013, 8:21 pm

#941870

Your Cooper Porsche looks amazing. I wonder if any of Laurie's Ovals are still in existence??

Chris G
1956 Oval Beetle
www.customstreeter.com

Phil74Camper Head in the Clouds

2,703 posts · joined Aug 2002 · 8 Feb 2013, 6:54 am

#942720

I'm always here somewhere!

The BALM/Dulux paint catalogues of the time list Gunyah Grey (Dulux 7883) as official colours for 1956-57-58. The greys used before this were Glenburnie Grey and Gypsy Grey, and afterwards Seagull Grey and Misty Grey. However older coloues often carried on a little longer as old paint stocks were used up.

http://www.clubvw.org.au/vwpaint

Ordering a birth certificate from Germany may not be a useful thing for Australian-assembled cars as the German archives do not have the Australian production records (these no longer exist).

I have been hoping for a while that someone in Melbourne could track down Laurie Whitehead's family and see what happened to him (I know he has already passed away) and his cars. He began as a Melbourne newspaper journalist and became the most successful of the VW 'round Australia' trials drivers. He won the 1955 Redex, and the 1957 Mobilgas, and was also the best VW in the 1954 Redex (won by Gelignite Jack Murray - Laurie finished 13th). After he retired from trials driving he opened a VW dealership at St Kilda, which he owned until about 1965 (after that it became Smiths Motors). I dunno what happened to Laurie after that. Today his legacy has been somewhat forgotten, overshadowed perhaps by his good friend Eddie Perkins (Larry's father). Who knows what became of his trials VWs.

HappyDaze Superannuated

2,887 posts · joined Jun 2009 · 8 Feb 2013, 7:13 am

#942723

I bought a Beetle [new] in 1960....it was Gunyah Grey. They must have had a few drums left over.😁 It was early 1960, before the change to baked enamel.

Laurie Whithead raced [circuit] a VW-based open wheeler called the Whitehead Special, as well as the Cooper Porsche [which I now own].

I'd rather wear a Beetle out by racing it than by polishing it!

Phil74Camper Head in the Clouds

2,703 posts · joined Aug 2002 · 8 Feb 2013, 8:11 am

#942732

Yes he must have been quite the adventurer back in the day. Laurie donated the first 'perpetual trophy' to the VW Club of Victoria in 1955. He worked for the Melbourne Herald as a motoring journalist, so it would be interesting to look at his articles from the early-mid '50s when he first came across the Volkswagen. The NSW State Library has lots of newspapers on microfiche so next time I'm there I'll look for the Melbourne Herald; would be great to reprint them in Zeitschrift. The library's scanners can save straight to a JPG on a USB stick, and I have the software to convert to text.

Yes the BALM catalogues didn't mention Gunyah Grey after 1958, but obviously it was still used even after it was no longer 'official'. Maybe Clayton had to use up all their old stock of lacquer, no matter what colours were left, before the switch to baked enamel in 1960.

I have a photo of the Whitehead Special somewhere at home; I think it was in a race programme for a meet at Gnoo Blas in the late '50s. It was reproduced in the Knowing Australian VWs book we published in the early '90s. I wonder how much of an influence it was on the later Formula Vee designs? Would be great to know what became of it.

AA003 Custom Title Time!

1,189 posts · joined Oct 2011 · 8 Feb 2013, 9:14 am

#942740

Phil don't take too much notice of the Balm catalogues. They are probably just as innacurate as the Bosch ones.

I read it on samba, so it must be correct.

Sometimes Volkswagen dealers sell spare parts. Amazing isn't it!😂

Hefner Learner Dubber

15 posts · joined Mar 2012 · 10 Feb 2013, 7:16 pm

#943047

My car is a September 55, which I believe is a 56 model. So is it somewhat possible that it could reall be 'Gypsy Grey'? Seems the Australian assembled models are a little inconsistent. I know the Model changed internationally in August to 56, so can only assume the Aussie knock downs are in-line with this?

What I have paintwise is a lighter grey under the coat of some sort of grey that had been painted on.

My Father in-law owned the car for 35 years but sadly passed before I could gain all of his knowledge!

Chris G
1956 Oval Beetle
www.customstreeter.com

farkengruven Seriously Crusin Dubber

167 posts · joined Jan 2006 · 12 Feb 2013, 6:58 am

#943308

Phil74Camper wrote:Yes he must have been quite the adventurer back in the day. Laurie donated the first 'perpetual trophy' to the VW Club of Victoria in 1955. He worked for the Melbourne Herald as a motoring journalist, so it would be interesting to look at his articles from the early-mid '50s when he first came across the Volkswagen. The NSW State Library has lots of newspapers on microfiche so next time I'm there I'll look for the Melbourne Herald; would be great to reprint them in Zeitschrift. The library's scanners can save straight to a JPG on a USB stick, and I have the software to convert to text.

Yes the BALM catalogues didn't mention Gunyah Grey after 1958, but obviously it was still used even after it was no longer 'official'. Maybe Clayton had to use up all their old stock of lacquer, no matter what colours were left, before the switch to baked enamel in 1960.

I have a photo of the Whitehead Special somewhere at home; I think it was in a race programme for a meet at Gnoo Blas in the late '50s. It was reproduced in the Knowing Australian VWs book we published in the early '90s. I wonder how much of an influence it was on the later Formula Vee designs? Would be great to know what became of it.

A friend has a 1959 VW Australian brochure, and it lists Gunyah Gray as a 1959 colour. So it was still available at that time.

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66brm Seriously Crusin Dubber

140 posts · joined Nov 2009 · 6 Mar 2013, 5:23 pm

#946630

My Gunyah Grey 57 that is currently a work in progress

pod i`ve got to finish this thing one day

4,980 posts · joined Dec 2003 · 6 Mar 2013, 6:33 pm

#946647

Dave from Flatfour has a 56 oval ,it's in issue 4 of the VWMA
heres a pic from the old bulli show from 2004,what shade of grey who knows, but it is it's og colour

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Hefner Learner Dubber

15 posts · joined Mar 2012 · 6 Mar 2013, 8:34 pm

#946680

Nice work 66BRM, that looks fantastic. Did you have the paint mixed up, did you use a VW code or have it colour matched?

Some results of the sanding, the original Gunyah Grey is the middle colour!

Just for fun, my little girl had to help with the removal of the back window.

All that paint is coming off. I didn't plan on a bare metal respray but I think a little more effort is deserved and so far all the metal looks pretty good underneath with only a few very minor rust repairs needed and a small section of the original floorpans at the back of the passenger side.

Chris G
1956 Oval Beetle
www.customstreeter.com