Old photo......'52 Beetle

Found an old photo of my '52 Beetle, just before I sold it [around 1981].

That's some patina!
What's its story?

Why those later tail lights

The car was like that when I bought it from the original owners, who lived in East Maitland, NSW. They brought it with them from Germany, where they bought it new.

It had been 'modernised' [tail lights, etc.] here and there, and the sun-roof was coverd in by pop-rivetting a turret section from a Beetle over it. Apart from that, it was very original.

Anyone guess what the car next to it is ?

I've got nothing on the car next to it..... something British? or other body on VW chassis?

Austin?

Nash Healey?

It is Pommy, and they only made 254 of them....in 1954. Chassis is chrome-moly tube, and the body is steel and aluminium. Engine, and other mechanicals are Triumph TR-2.

Nash

Really shouldn't expect you 'young fellas' to know.

It's a Swallow Doretti...had it for nearly 40 years. Actually my son, David, has it now.

HappyDaze wrote:Really shouldn't expect you 'young fellas' to know.

It's a Swallow Doretti...had it for nearly 40 years. Actually my son, David, has it now.

Wow, never would have guessed that mate, going to have to look that up,.........nice looking car from the images I've seen so far.
Rob.

Thanks for posting the picture. Looks like it was modernised quite a bit. Seems the rear guards together with the lights have been exchanged for ones from mid-sixties. Also the engine lid is from a late oval if it's the same as on the car now. I do wonder what had happened to the original parts considering the owners had the car since new.

oldskoolguy wrote:

HappyDaze wrote:Really shouldn't expect you 'young fellas' to know.

It's a Swallow Doretti...had it for nearly 40 years. Actually my son, David, has it now.

Wow, never would have guessed that mate, going to have to look that up,.........nice looking car from the images I've seen so far.
Rob.

I have seen another one of those, I thought it was Italian. A bloke in the bush has two TR2's and the Doretti. I haven't seen it in a few years, I thought it had aluminium panels.

Undis wrote:Seems the rear guards together with the lights have been exchanged for ones from mid-sixties. Also the engine lid is from a late oval if it's the same as on the car now. I do wonder what had happened to the original parts considering the owners had the car since new.

Going by the major height difference in the tail lights between the 2 sides I'd say its a pretty safe bet the RHS guard is original, just the LHS is a 60s guard.

Might have been in a light accident going by the wrong guard and decklid.

I see what you mean Joel. however the picture seems to be a photo of a photo and there is some serious distortion going on as it seems to be taken at an angle. Original split guards should have an indentation behind the tail light. This area was always covered when later model tail lights were installed resulting in a strange positioning of the lights. This can be seen on many updated splits in Europe.