i have got these bumpers for my 58 im not quite sure if thay are original or after market or come like it any ideas

Someones just added some towel rails to a set of standard euro style bumpers, other than that all pretty standard

U.S forces special edition bumpers. Made when the factory was under U.S control 1945 to 46. Worth a small fortune. Check for cog wheel logo to confirm.









or could be a local botch job.

No, they're not '45-'46 bumpers! Early bumpers were grooved. And remember VWs that old were not sold in Australia; VW wasn't launched here until 1954.

They're just usual Aussie pre '61 bumpers, and someone has added upper rails to make them look like the later Deluxe bumpers.

i will check with my other towel rail i have and see if thay match

LOL
they are aftermarket dress up and are not a one off made thing.
I think they did this to help sell off early cars or to help up grade cars to look newer. I was told once they where for new Zealand export but I'm not sure if its true.

I have a few sets the same and and found two different sorts.
one bolts onto the top edge of the bumper on the ends( like you have pictured) and one sort bolt onto the front with a nice shaped ends and use standerd chrome bumper bolts.

I'm pretty sure the vw factory was under British control '45,'46 not US, It was Major Ivan Hirst, British Army who resurrected VW. Those bumpers are interesting though, towel rails were put on US export models because the standard bumpers were too low for US safety regs., so they had them a lot earlier than us. Maybe they are transitional ones?

Nope, no such thing. Australian 1958 VWs were only ever fitted with these sorts of bumpers, the same as those ones were originally.

They're an aftermarket conversion.

BTW, yes you're right, the factory was under British army (REME) control from 1945 to 1949. The US Army was not involved as the town of Wolfsburg is in what was the British sector of divided Germany. That said, they probably did make cars for the US occupational forces stationed further south, in the late '40s. But their bumpers looked nothing like those ones.

The US-style 'Deluxe' bumpers were fitted as standard to Australian VWs from late 1961. The blade is the same shape as earlier, but the verticals are much taller and house the 'towel rails'.

In the UK these bumpers were not fitted as standard and were only available as an option.

The Australian Standard used the same basic blade, but without the verticals and towel rails.

it was a Joke guys. obviously the Dub Spotto Boys never read the last line.

my '60 bug came with them from the PO (I only had the rear set).. I didn't realise they were different at the time but should of asked her when they were put on... maybe same time as when they bogged the semaphores! Wasn't sure whether to keep them when got the bumpers rechromed but decided they were part of the car

I've seen them on a lot of NZ cars...

added on to make look like later model