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Rhodrich
14 years ago
https://www.volkszone.com/VZi/showthread.php?t=668624 

Interesting, but what year is it? Rich - do you know this one?

Search on the number plate says that it was registered in April 56, but the body suggests otherwise......

Answers on a post card please.
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Si Med
14 years ago
Wow love the look of that!

Is it not a 58? Steering wheel, unless its been changed?
54 UK rhd
six-o-one
14 years ago
It looks like it has square bush button door handles and it has the rubber bungs on the fan shroud for the HT leads, rather than the tube attached to the manifold. It also has padded sun visors too.

I think the steering wheel may be wrong, who knows what's wrong!

Need more photos...
Lavenham Vintage VW Show - 2012 
Bandwagen | Vintage Volkswagens & Photography 
Rhodrich
14 years ago
Someone else has asked the question on the original thread (one of you guys???)

'59 Body, '56 Pan. And I'd be willing to bet that it's a saloon pan as well. '100% Stock, 100% complete'? Err.... I think not, if it's missing it's original floorpan! Looks like a typical late 80's/ early '90's 'restoration'.

Oh well.... there was I looking for a clean pre -70 RHD Kab......

My search continues.
55Kab
14 years ago

Someone else has asked the question on the original thread (one of you guys???)

'59 Body, '56 Pan. And I'd be willing to bet that it's a saloon pan as well. '100% Stock, 100% complete'? Err.... I think not, if it's missing it's original floorpan! Looks like a typical late 80's/ early '90's 'restoration'.

Oh well.... there was I looking for a clean pre -70 RHD Kab......

My search continues.

Rhodrich wrote:



This is a new car to me but before you discount it, given the rarity of UK RHD Oval Cabriolet's, it's worth considering.

Especially if the seller's story is correct in that this was once a genuine UK 56 car that got reshelled. Assuming the plate is OG and ties up to its OG pan (and that the box and engine are correct) if I didn't already have the 55 I'd be tempted to offer a litte less and put a RHD Oval dash and decklid on that shell...there's not too many cosmtic differences between a 56 and 59/60 Cab. Given the requirement to change a few other items (like the door handles which is easily done) you'd then have a pukka UK RHD Oval Cab!!!

I do wonder why it was reshelled? Major rust or accident I assume.

Of course, assuming it turned out to be a genuine UK RHD 58/60 car then I would say given it's rarity even though it's not Oval, it's worth considering for that price.

Rhodrich
14 years ago

This is a new car to me but before you discount it, given the rarity of UK RHD Oval Cabriolet's, it's worth considering.

Especially if the seller's story is correct in that this was once a genuine UK 56 car that got reshelled. Assuming the plate is OG and ties up to its OG pan (and that the box and engine are correct) if I didn't already have the 55 I'd be tempted to offer a litte less and put a RHD Oval dash and decklid on that shell...there's not too many cosmtic differences between a 56 and 59/60 Cab. Given the requirement to change a few other items (like the door handles which is easily done) you'd then have a pukka UK RHD Oval Cab!!!

I do wonder why it was reshelled? Major rust or accident I assume.

Of course, assuming it turned out to be a genuine UK RHD 58/60 car then I would say given it's rarity even though it's not Oval, it's worth considering for that price.

55Kab wrote:



Call me a purist, but I'm afraid I disagree. A car made from the body of one, and the chassis of another will never be 'right' in my book. If the DVLA were to find out, they would issue it with a Q plate, which says it all (see page 5 of this leaflet):

https://www.dft.gov.uk/dvla/forms/~/media/pdf/leaflets/inf26.ashx 

With the flack I got with my old 11C split bug that had a 3 fold ragtop put in, I know how others in the 'scene' feel as well. That was only a ragtop though, not a complete body swap!


JD
  • JD
  • pre67vw Junkie
14 years ago

if I didn't already have the 55 I'd be tempted to offer a litte less and put a RHD Oval dash and decklid on that shell...there's not too many cosmtic differences between a 56 and 59/60 Cab. Given the requirement to change a few other items (like the door handles which is easily done) you'd then have a pukka UK RHD Oval Cab!!!

55Kab wrote:


There are LOTS of differences between Oval and later Cabrio bodies! For a start, the windscreen and frame are totally different - it´s subtle, but it´s there. It never was an oval - you can´t really make it into one.
What you propose sounds like a good idea, but in reality, you´d just be making a mixed up car even more mismatched IMHO.
"John, you need to get a grip and STOP MOANING AT EVERYTHING. ThumbDown "
UserPostedImage
55Kab
14 years ago

There are LOTS of differences between Oval and later Cabrio bodies! For a start, the windscreen

JD wrote:



Oh yeah, forgot about the windscreen... :oops: :lol:

I reckon there's more chance that this will turn out to be genuine 59 car and the DVLA record's are wrong.

Even 20 years ago I can't see someone using a good 59 cabrio to repair a 56 wrongly.

Await more info with interest...

JD
  • JD
  • pre67vw Junkie
14 years ago



I reckon there's more chance that this will turn out to be genuine 59 car and the DVLA record's are wrong.

Even 20 years ago I can't see someone using a good 59 cabrio to repair a 56 wrongly.

Await more info with interest...

55Kab wrote:



That was my thoughts also. May just be a "personal" Reg.No?
Should be fixable in any case.
"John, you need to get a grip and STOP MOANING AT EVERYTHING. ThumbDown "
UserPostedImage
pre67vw
14 years ago


Even 20 years ago I can't see someone using a good 59 cabrio to repair a 56 wrongly.

55Kab wrote:



20 years ago there were still a lot of cars getting broken. Cabrio pans rust badly when the roof leaks and the carpets soak up the water - could easily have been repaired with a '56 pan...
Rob Amos
Happiness is a stock VW
Rich Oakley
14 years ago
It's most likely a '60 Kab body on a '56 'pan. I have a vague recollection of a similar car many years ago under restoration (could be the same car) that received a LHD to RHD conversion.
47 Beetle, 56 UK Karmann Cabriolet, 56 UK Beetle, 57 UK Type 2, 59 UK Beetle, 66 UK Fastback.
55Kab
14 years ago

20 years ago there were still a lot of cars getting broken. Cabrio pans rust badly when the roof leaks and the carpets soak up the water - could easily have been repaired with a '56 pan...

pre67vw wrote:



You're right Rob. It of course could be the other way round.

So let's place out bets...

56 cab with a 59 body, or a 59 cab with a 56 pan.......or the outsider, 59 cab with 59 pan and wrong DVLA data.

Per Rich's mail, I'm tempted to put my money on a 59 LHD cab converted to RHD with the use of a 56 RHD pan.

Si Med
14 years ago
A contact of mine on fb just got tagged in this album, its public so hopefully wont mind me sharing it

https://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=497395&id=835510650 
54 UK rhd
55Kab
14 years ago

A contact of mine on fb just got tagged in this album, its public so hopefully wont mind me sharing it

Si Med wrote:



Tks Simon. Very interesting but I don't think there's anything there that sheds any further light on what this car is unless any of our 59 experts can see anything...James?

Si Med
14 years ago
I thought so, only thing i noticed were later heater channel vents?
of course they could have been swopped just questions the 56 pan?
54 UK rhd
TEXAS PETE
14 years ago
Should the bonnet pull be on the driver’s side of the car?
UserPostedImage
62 Model Beetle 
Rhodrich
14 years ago
The heater vents look correct to me for a '59.

The bonnet pull being on the wrong side is a bit strange - could suggest that someone moved it over when doing a RHD conversion, without knowing that it should be on the nearside whether it's RHD or LHD.

Couple of other slightly odd observations: no chrome dash trim, except on the glove box. Unless someone has gone down the route of welding up the holes for it in the grills, then that would point to them not being original - which is odd. Might point to a change of dash? And is that a weld line I see under the dash on the nearside? Could just be carpet glue.....

55Kab
14 years ago
H'mmm, gets more interesting. The bonnet pull is definately in the wrong place but you wouldn't normally touch the area it's located when doing a dash swap:?

Look forward to seeing what the seller posts once he's spoken to the previous owner.

mrsherbie
14 years ago
Australian made saloons had the bonnet pull on the rhd with the steering wheel. But they never made kabs so this info does not help.
A dash swap is the ultimate killer of buying a car for me, second only to de-guttered.
SO MANY late kabs I have seen this year have had dash swaps. It seems to be a very accepted thing even in the Kab OC. Pity I think.
Personally I would never touch one unless it could be put back easily.

It's still a cool looking car.
Though personally based on its new owner I would doubt its total genuiness until proved otherwise.
"it'll wreck the patina you haven't worked so hard to create" - 50Karmann
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