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Thu Aug 21, 2008 7:07 am

11-57 is my oldest dated one but I have an earlier one that is undated. I haven't been able to determine the date, only that it is older by looking at the dealer listings.

My best guess would be 1954 or 1955 on a start date but I do not know.

The undated one I have is listed in the first column on the dealer pages:
http://www.thesamba.com/vw/archives/info/usa_dealers_al.php

Fri Aug 22, 2008 7:10 am

Good Morning, Everett,

That first column with the early listings is actually what prompted the question. I lived and worked in the Lansdale/Norristown PA area for many years working for several VW Dealers. I was the last Service Training Instructor for VWoA Valley Forge and I closed that VW Training Center in late 1988, so I know the area very well.

There are two listings that surprised me:
Trooper - Dependable Autos
Lansdale - Foreign Car & Motorcycle Sales
Can you provide a street address for these two early PA Dealers? Trooper is right there near where the Valley Forge Training Center was. So as a former area resident, and enthusiast, I'm really curious as to those two locations.

By the way, you may remember me from your visit to Bentley Publishers a few years ago. Stanagon and I worked together.

Art LeBrun
vwtecheditor

Fri Aug 22, 2008 7:31 am

Lansdale, PA
Foreign Car & Motorcycle Sales
Route 463
P.O. Box 68
Tel. Lansdale 45 15

Trooper, PA
Dependable Autos
Ridge Pike
Tel. Norristown 5-69 61

For reference, this book says W 7/58 in the back but this is not a date of July, 1958 as far as I can tell due to the dealers listed.

Fri Aug 29, 2008 10:25 pm

Scored a 4.57 book last week.

At first glance, the listings appear to be similar to the 11.57 dealers on the site.

Sat Aug 30, 2008 7:24 am

Everett,

Thanks for the information. To satisfy my personal curiosity, I'll see what I can find out about those two locations.

On a second point, do you have any reference for:

Sniders Corner Mobil Service
14300 Colesville Rd.
Silver Spring, MD

I have a "Spare Parts List" dated August 1954 that covers 1947 through January 1954 and it is rubber-stamped in several places with this address. I'm wondering what the story might be on this "Dealer".

Art LeBrun
vwtecheditor

Sun Aug 31, 2008 10:11 pm

I have only the information posted on the site, aside from street addresses which are in the books out not posted.

I don't recognize that dealer name.

Sun Oct 05, 2008 9:23 pm

splittybusgirl wrote: Hey guys! My husband and I have recently found a dealer frame from Jay Thomas Decatur Alabama. We are trying to figure out the time frame it was located in Decatur as we live extremely close and my bus came from a Decatur dealer. We do not have any of those booklets with the dealers names and it is not listed in the Dealers area. Could someone please take a look in their booklets and let us know when they were in Decatur, AL? We would greatly appreciate it.
if you found it cool.
the dealer was on 31 going from hartselle to decature,then it was a nightclub,now its nothing.

or i could be wrong :D

Tue Oct 07, 2008 12:05 am

Located a IV/58 book today. I updated my list in the first post of this thread.

This is also the earliest book I have that is dated with a quarter date:
IV / Fourth quarter

Mon Nov 10, 2008 2:49 pm

Located a II/59 book recently. I updated my list in the first post of this thread.

Wed Apr 01, 2009 5:53 pm

Located a July 1, 1968 book recently. I updated my list in the first post of this thread.

Sun Jun 06, 2010 7:30 am

Ev; Got anything from '71 yet? I'm looking for a vintage L/P frame from an authorized MI VW dealer from that specific year. e.g. Bushouse (Battle Creek) would be OK, but Nichols would not (I worked at Bushouse in college).

It appears your current list only goes up to late 60's. Or am I missing something?

Thanx. Art

Sun Jun 06, 2010 10:44 am

Yes, we have only added the listing through 1967 or so, except for some random dealers here & there.

The post-67 books are much larger so we haven't spent the time and made the page modification necessary to enter that data.

The later books are also quite common & cheap so if you want to check out a particular area, I'd pick one up.

Sun Sep 11, 2011 4:52 pm

Hello Everett,I was wondering if I could borrow your time.I have been researching the vw dealers in my area,I live in Eureka Calif I was wondering if there is any updates on the dealers in this area for 1958. I have been looking at old city directory's at the local library.It shows Herman motors as A vw dealer in 1957,It shows no dealers in Eureka in 1958, but I did find A name affleated with Hermans motors listed as An empoyee of redwood motors in 1958. This is the year that I was wondering if you have A update for.The local dealer changed names from 1957 to 1958 from Hermans motors to Redwood motors.I was wondering what name shows up in the 1958 publication. Any help would be appreciated as time allows ,good day Kevin

Sun Sep 11, 2011 10:27 pm

Since you are asking about 1958, the names are listed in the dealer section of the site:
http://www.thesamba.com/vw/archives/info/usa_dealers_ca1.php

I checked & I found another book in my stack of stuff that is not on the site yet though

The book is IV 1958 (Fourth Quarter 1958) and it lists Redwood Motors

Sun Sep 11, 2011 11:00 pm

Everett,thank you for the information thats what I'm looking for.Also the year 58 has yet to be added to the list of dealers,Kevin

Mon Sep 12, 2011 9:03 pm

Kevhum, my best friend is the 3rd owner of an all original 58 that was sold at Redwood motors in Eureka.
It still has on it the Redwood motors original plate frames front and rear. On another note, I checked and in my 4/57 printed 58 dealer booklet, and there is no Eureka dealer listed.

Tue Sep 13, 2011 10:22 am

Thank you for the info.I think I know of the bug you are talking about.If it's the one I'm thinking of I met the owner they had it in town ,I know he sold it out of the area maybe through the samba? Any ways the car was brown and very original.The same car use to be owned by A past member of the local club. As for the license plate frames I remember them being A different style than most of the Redwood motor ones I've seen. if you can I would love to see pics of those frames as time allows. As for the dealer not being listed in your dealer book from what I'm seeing there was A change of name somewhere between 57 and 58 from Herman motors to Redwood motors.It's looking like Herman motors was started maybe mid year 57 and the name was changed in 58. I'm going back to the library to search fictitious business statements to see if I could narrow it down. On Another little interesting note The person listed as secretary and treasurer of redwood motors in the 59 directory by the name of Eberle Schultz was A professional football player in the late 40s,he played for the LA Rams for A few years amongst other teams He is listed in Wikipedia .Once again thanks for your time and information ,Kevin

Tue Sep 13, 2011 11:29 am

kevhum wrote: Thank you for the info.I think I know of the bug you are talking about.If it's the one I'm thinking of I met the owner they had it in town ,I know he sold it out of the area maybe through the samba? Any ways the car was brown and very original.The same car use to be owned by A past member of the local club. As for the license plate frames I remember them being A different style than most of the Redwood motor ones I've seen. if you can I would love to see pics of those frames as time allows.

Kevin, yep, sounds like the same car, here is the only pic of it I have at the moment, and I think its the pic from the sale add. Crappy 60's repaint, but other than that a real nice car.

I talked to him about the car last night, and the car is in storage safe and sound where its been pretty much since he bought it Other than stripping the wheels back down to its original paint he has done nothing else to the car. Niether he nor I have any pics of the plate frames, but as I remember they were really cool early style frames. Ill try and bug him for some frame pics.....

Tue Sep 13, 2011 11:38 am

Thats the one A friend years ago told me about an original bug in A barn in Elk river,in the Eureka area and I think thats the same car.Also can you see about the original purchase date I think the car had A very good paper trail with it, Thanks again Kevin