The latest reference page added to the new Club Veedub website is for Australian Volkswagens.

This page lists the annual changes made to our Australian-built cars, and how they are different from German built and US-spec cars. Hopefully this will clarify things for enthusiasts (old and new) confused by reading US/UK websites and books that don't recognise Australia.

Thanks to Dave for the pics, and to Joel for his help with the details. Of course if you spot anything that should be corrected, please let us know.

http://www.clubvw.org.au/austvw001 

Thanks for sharing I now relise my bug is a 66 not 67 bug, but first reg'd in 67

The 56 model must have appeared prior to March 56, as my 56 model was first registered in February 56.
My Wolfsburg birth certificate has a build date of Oct 55, and it is definitely a 56 year model.

thanks for putting this up phil. it is great to have some australian references out there.

would the serial batch thing explain how my og standard (according to the original owner) has a feb? 63 chassis number with a nov? 62 engine number and a may 63 stamped speedo? i specifically asked him about the engine and speedo and he says neither were changed. he did all his own maintanance.

i sent you a few notes on my observations.
i missed a few:
i don't think the glass was australian in 56 as i have only seen sekurit or duroglas.
circa 63 sunroof models had a SR prefix body number and standards had a S prefix.

Yes the shipping out of parts from Germany, and mixing with some Australian parts, causes havoc.

That Wolfsburg birth certificiate for your '56 model means that Wolfsburg allocated the number and stamped the chassis in October 1955. It would then have been allocated to a CKD kit, packed into a crate and shipped out to Australia. It probably arrived before Xmas, and probably assembled and finished in Melbourne in January or early February, in time to be sold in February. For Australian cars, the Wolfsburg certificate is NOT when it was assembled and finished, only when the kit was stamped in Germany.

Also there was no clear 'cutover day' when the cars suddenly became THIS year's models. Kit parts were stacked, stored, mixed and matched in Melbourne, with newer parts added as they became available. You'll always find a mix of different age bits on Aussie cars.

Later when the Melbourne factory stamped their own chassis, all parts weren't stamped all the time. The factory had all the dies to make the 1,000-odd steel parts, but not 1,000 presses. Large parts were made in batches, then the dies changed and batch of different parts run off. Thus you find a Feb '63 chassis (the numbers allocated by Germany) mixed with a new VDO speedo (VDO had a factory in Melbourne) and an older stock engine. Perfectly normal, as the factory had to have a large warehouse full of parts ready to assemble. The 'just in time' system they use today wasn't around in the 1960s.

Watch a VW film like 'Shape of Quality' and you'll see the factory conveyors being used to store stampings.

Phil, When did Germany start the August model year changeover?

German 1958 year model started 1 August 1957. But not for CKD kits (made of older parts) and not for Australian assembled or manufactured cars.

Should this topic be called Australian Made VW 'Beetles' reference page

Just wanted to know if anyone new if the 66 vw bug had clear front indicator lens or the amber ones?

clear till the 12V cars. ('68)

my 65 has the W I D E clear lens which are fitted in slightly different location to the early narrows

Thankyou, clears a lot of confusion.

sucks that no type 4s were sold here.

that expains why I never seen one here.


less than 20 type 34s no love there.