http://cgi.ebay.com.au/1952-Volkswagen-Beetle-Split-Oval-/260691213339?pt=AU_...

This is awesome whats it worth and whos bidding on it?

Tell me what to look for it looks the part to me.

I'd say $20K plus

real split

I am sure some experts will jump in and correct me if i am wrong.......

A 1952 split window will have cooling vents on the front quarter panels. It will not have chrome molds in the back window rubber. It will not have vent windows on the doors.
The next model was called a Switter, but it should have a dash like an oval window beetle. The engine tinware looks like a 1953/43 engine, and according to thsamba, the engine number is from late 1953 or 1954. The VIN doesn't match anything according to thesamba. I think some other parts are wrong also, but not 100% on them.

........it's had 8 more bids and gone up $1600 since this thread came up

It's worth what you get for it. Looks the real deal to me.
My best guess $22,500

he says its from Rhodesia (Zimbabwe) so who knows exactly what the specs are or where it was built

but looks to have a lot of NQR bits - very possibly a zwitter but doesn't explain the dash
but who know - and I find it hard to believe its a factory RHD wasn't there only a few hundred of them...(stand corrected if someone can enlighten me)

we used to bolt together friday arvo specials here with whatever parts we had hence the three different models you see in 1960

still looks cool - but hope the new owner does work out what they do or don't end up with...

i like the blue...!

Hi

I know the seller, I've never seen the car though, you know him as well Damo.

Steve

ooh the plot thickens..

shed any light 1303Steve...?

yep real split

thanks for the insightful info

I'm happy that you all know the owner and believe it to be a real split but there are so many incorrect parts on it that it just doesn't add up

so if you do know the owner or are helping to boost the sale by commenting that it is real

could you all please explain:
the tail lights
the front guards
the bonnet
the chrome body trim
the lack of crotch coolers
possibly the seats
the chrome trim in the rear windows
the vent windows in the doors
and god knows what else

I'm trying to be realistic and ascertain some info on the car
is it a 52 split? was it a Standard? was it a Zwitter with a dash graft? or is it a 54 with some extra grafting?

erm.. maybe it would be pertinent to put those questions direct to the seller?
don't u think?
better to be direct n transparent thru the egay thing than 3rd hand info that anybody can offer
it's an old beetle looks in ok nic n will prolly get big bucks at the end of the day..

GOd damn its a 58 year old car, ofcourse its gonna have the odd non original part, last time i checked most vw suppliers didnt carry period correct split parts ,
RHD is interesting though

But for the most part its all pretty original, 52 was the last year of crotch coolers, there was bound to be some after that without them, Ive certainly seen a couple on the samba without them, also sporting hearts and various other bits similar to this one

dont quote me on it but from memory cable brakes finished when zwitters started too, on export models anwya

I'm not familiar with the car, but if was originally purchased in Zimbabwe, then it could well have been assembled in South Africa rather than Wolfsburg. VW began assembling CKD kits at Uitenhage in August 1951. If so, then it could easily be a 'bitsa' with parts from different years mixed in.

http://www.vw.co.za/about/history/ 

The engine number matches a late 1953 engine, but that could have been changed at any time, years ago. I don't think anyone reasonably expects a 58-year old car to still have its orginal engine. It's close, anyhow. But the chassis number puzzles me. Early cars did have the '1-' prefix, so that's not the problem, but after that there seems to be too many digits. 1-2340509. If we drop the 9 it means a 1951 car - too old (220,134 - 313,829). However if we ignore the 2, then 340509 matches a 1952 chassis (318,830 - 428,156). My theory is that, if it is indeed a South African CKD car, the Uitenhage factory may have restamped the number with a '1-2' prefix to indicate a non Wolfsburg car. I can't make sense of the chassis number otherwise.

Only German 'export' models had vents in the front quarter panels, and they were only for 1951. It's quite reasonable for a 1952 car to not have them, especially if the body shell is a CKD stamping. Likewise the earlier dash. A German-stamped body shell would have been shipped to South Africa then processed, assembled and finished - it could easily have been finished six months after a similar German-made car. German 1952 cars changed to 15" wheels, but CKD cars could have still used old stock of 16" ones. It uses the 1952 vent window doors but seems to have the earlier engine lid handle. Chrome trim around the windows is not so strange - even some German export models had window chrome in 1951.

http://www.vw-resource.com/years.html 

I think it's important not to get too focussed on what US websites say about Wolfsburg-made models for the US market. There are lots of interesting exceptions from other VW factories from around the world.

Paul (h) I am asking the seller these questions too but thought i'd also ask on here as forums are a great way of finding out info a seller may not want to disclose or may not even know himself
plenty of chop top beetles on the market where the owner firmly believes its a factory convertible - so sharing is caring...



Thanks Phil
thats the sort of info I was hoping for just trying to make sense of the car

I don't for a minute expect that a car of this age will be 100% correct esp here in Australia
I for one know how hard it is to source the correct bits n bobs for these period of cars




And thanks all the same for your comments Matberry but my history lesson is better served without your helpful comments
as far as sticking to type3's mate.... don't be fooled by the user name...

- what's wrong with wanting to learn a bit more about a split beetle - the numbers and parts don't add up...! thats all I'm saying and if anyone, myself included, was going to invest the sort of coin this will go for - I'd like to gather all the info I can from a variety of sources...




and again am more than happy to hear from the people who state that it is a real split, thats cool I'm just asking how sure you are...?

Quote:

Originally posted by type3disease Paul (h) I am asking the seller these questions too but thought i'd also ask on here as forums are a great way of finding out info a seller may not want to disclose or may not even know himself plenty of chop top beetles on the market where the owner firmly believes its a factory convertible - so sharing is caring... Thanks Phil thats the sort of info I was hoping for just trying to make sense of the car I don't for a minute expect that a car of this age will be 100% correct esp here in Australia I for one know how hard it is to source the correct bits n bobs for these period of cars And thanks all the same for your comments Matberry but my history lesson is better served without your helpful comments as far as sticking to type3's mate.... don't be fooled by the user name... - what's wrong with wanting to learn a bit more about a split beetle - the numbers and parts don't add up...! thats all I'm saying and if anyone, myself included, was going to invest the sort of coin this will go for - I'd like to gather all the info I can from a variety of sources... and again am more than happy to hear from the people who state that it is a real split, thats cool I'm just asking how sure you are...?

Nothing wrong with wanting to learn, but I'm buggered if I can understand how you can question so many things from a few pictures. Ive been around these cars for some time now, and even worked on a split or two, but window chrome, crotch coolers and tail lights and guards, come on, what were you thinking? I think your history lesson is moving foward with my comments, otherwise you may still think all splits didn't have window trim, or crotch coolers.

Matberry, you appear to be knowledgeable on these early cars.
So, did all splits have the rear window trim? If not, which and when did they have them?
You mentioned that the crotch coolers were 1 years only. Which year was that?

what I was thinking was trying to determine how genuine the car is, was or wasn't

i've been round vw's for a little while now too and no greater learning curve than the one I'm on at the moment...
I'm trying to restore a 52 at the moment and know very well which models 'should' have had chrome trim on the rear window and that crotch coolers are a "one year only" item for want of a better term
but that included part of 51 and 52 (and may or may not include export models?)

so this car is looking more and more like a 53...? but more questions will probably need to follow

crutch coolers or front 1/4 panel vents were on 51s only

Standards had no rear window interior trim

It will be fascinating to see what it finally sells for. I doubt the purists will be bidding too much for it, it would take plenty of time and money to get it back to being original.

Um.... dudes... regardless.. its awesome. case closed

i don't mind a set of fake boobs... its still boobs in the end...

you have a good point!!!!! Ha Ha

Quote:

Originally posted by bajachris88 Um.... dudes... regardless.. its awesome. case closed i don't mind a set of fake boobs... its still boobs in the end...