Hi guys. I recently purchased a 64 factory sunroof bug and am trying to figure out if its pearl white or polar white. Can anyone please tell me if polar white is creamy or stark white? Thanks heaps

From memory, Polar white is a slightly creamy white and Pearl white is a greyish-white.

The difficulty with Australian-made VWs such as yours is that overseas VW colours and codes don't apply. The Australian factory in Melbourne was supplied by BALM (British Australian Lead Manufacturers), who became part of Dulux in the 1960s. All Australian colours came with a BALM/Dulux number, which can be found in their catalogues and colour cards of the time. After 1961, by which time Aussie VWs were fully manufactured (rather than just assembled from German parts as before), the colours also had a Volkswagen Australia colour number. These were a different format from VW colour numbers used in Germany. The colour name and code was printed on a small sticker, placed on the body next to the brake reservoir.

1962's Australian white was Nimbus White, which was BALM 9828 (VW 1.2.900). In 1963 this was replaced by Pearl White (BALM 4927, VW 1.3.003). Australian new model changes were made in the early months of the year, NOT the previous August as Germany did.

Another white was added for 1964, Polar White (BALM 6030, VW 1.3.903). Polar White was listed for 1963/64, and 1965/66, while Pearl White was only listed for 1963. It's therefore more probable that your car is Polar White.

For 1967, the last full year of local manufacture, the new white was Lotus White (Dulux 01290, VW 909). This was a much creamier white that carried over onto the CKD-assembled big-window '68 and '69 Beetles. From 1970 the fridge-like Antarctica White (Dulux 12330, VW 911) was used, but it was actually a Nissan colour.

One other thing - the Australian Pearl White is NOT the same as the equivalent US-Euro Pearl White, seen here only on fully imported Karmann Ghias. German Pearl White was BALM 4804, VW L87.

A comprehensive list of Australian VW paint colours is here:

http://www.clubvw.org.au/vwpaint 

Awesome info thank you very much

So I just had a look and there is no sticker but there is a plate with SF 1254 does this tell me the colour?

Its difficult with white

as My Son says.. its not really a color... lol

My Dad bought a new beetle in 1964 and it was Polar white

and the sticker said I think DULUX and a number..

I polished it many times but all I know it wasn't a bright white like a fridge... more creamy as Phil said..

LEE

I was really hoping it was pearl white cause i wanted to do a herbie, looks like it is polar though. Not much I can do about it i guess.

Nope, that's the Sunroof body number. Doesn't mean anything. The paint sticker really was a sticker, with a kind of reflective surface and the letters in black. Most of them are long gone by now. Later Superbug ones actually had a Dulux logo on them, but 6V Beetles didn't. If yours is still there it will be on the curvy panel between the washer bottle and brake fluid bottle, behind the spare tyre. If it's gone - no dramas. Your colour can easily be matched by all good body shops.

Australian VWs didn't use the 'Herbie' Pearl White, which was VW L87 code (Dulux 4804) as applied to German-built Beetles. Aussie Pearl White was a slightly different colour, which is why it has a different Dulux code. Only the fully imported Ghias used L87.

White was the most popular colour for Australian VWs - according to a 1962 survey by VWA, 25.6% of Aussie buyers chose white. Next most popular was Turquoise (21.2%), Grey (15.3%) and Green (14.1%). Have a look at the 1964 documentary 'The Shape of Quality', filmed at the Melbourne factory. There are scenes of the assembly line where every single car is white!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MiCojp22cj8