Gearrbox AH3503123
Starter Bosch 12V 0.7hp
Engine RHS 27 VW 211.101.102E
Engine LHS 22 VW 211.101.102E

My mate has a Taipan with this running gear and we would like to know what year and madel they came from. It is a flat motor and appears to be a beetle gearbox.

The gearbox number looks like a serial number; it isn't a VW part number. VW gearbox part numbers are in the format nnn 3nn nnn, so it doesn't match.

The starter could be from anything after 1968 - earlier ones are 6-volt.

I thought the engine numbers could mean something - they are in VW part numbering format. If so, the three centre digits 101 tell you the 'main group' (1) and 'sub-group' (01) of what they are. '1' is engine, and '01' is major component thereof (crankcase, cylinder, cylinder head etc). The first three digits tell you what it is from - '2' means it was originally Kombi. The last letter 'E' is a modification code, meaning at least the fifth variation of that part. However I got stuck on the third group of digits - 102. I can't find anything that matches with '101 102' in my VW parts catalogue - sorry.

It isn't a complete motor part number - they have '100' in the centre. But it's something like that anyway. Maybe a bizarre exchange engine number for what was originally a Kombi? Post a photo or two and we can give you more info.

AH is a beetle transaxle code.
Most likely IRS and most likely pre 1973.
Around 1973..late 1972?... they went to a number system
that represented the day-month-year of manufacture,
and this one does not match that.
The AH trans did go into the 'date code time zone',
but when the 3.875 crownwheel and pinion was available the letters became AT.

AH has 4.125 diff ratio, and 0.883 fourth gear.
It most likely has a bronze fork for 1st and 2nd.

I have seen a swingaxle trans with an AH case
but its history was unknown, and was probably an IRS converted back to swing.

Those part numbers are from the engine case halves of a bus as Phil has indicated.