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Fri Jan 03, 2003 11:06 pm

I have a 71 bug, the registration and everything says 71, but all the specs and stuff point me to 70. Was my carmade in 70 and sold in 71? Is there some weird explanation for this?
Thanks in Advance

Sat Jan 04, 2003 9:32 am

I have the same issue with my 72. It is just little things, like a 70-71 fuse block. My paperwork says it was built Dec of 71, but sold as a 72. You just have to assume that the factory had alot of "leftover" parts that found their way into later models. So your car, like mine, was probably built early in the year's manufacturing run. As for exact answers, you will have to use the serial # from the engine (if it is original) and/or the vin. If you don't have the original engine, but do have a bill of sale or old maint records, the # should be on one of those. Then go to a site such as aircooled.net and look at their model year designations. Compare your #'s and there you have it.

Sat Jan 04, 2003 1:10 pm

Check the VIN #s. For very early cars the production numbers did run according to the calendar year but by the 1960s(can't remember what year it switched) production numbers were changed over to run from August to July. Therefore any car produced from August 1971 to July 1972 was a 72 Model. This is pretty much how the American model year runs. Now to complicate matters VW also made changes in parts during the production year and so some improved parts especcially electrical parts for some years do not fit the whole year car. A further complication is that VWs produced for markets other than American market are not the same. Some features changes were introduced first on Euro cars and some features introduced first on American spec cars. Different countries different safety requirements. For instance 67 Cars produced for the English market still had 66 style sloping headlamps and American market cars had upright sealed units. Still complicating manners is that things like tail lights etc over 30 years have been changed due to collissions, owners upgrades etc. J.T Garwwods Car of the Century a two volume set lists most of the production changes year to year for American cars. If you have certain questions post your VIN and the parts that you have questions about and maybe I can research it. Philip (with one L)

Sat Jan 04, 2003 3:46 pm

Read this

http://www.geocities.com/ausiebug1970/years.html

Starting 1962 VW used the German summer holidays (July) to change model years, so fro example the 71 model year commenced on 1 Aug 1970 and finished on 30 July 71, so a 71 model can be first registered in either 70 or 71 Calendar year, and yes - that CAN make it confusing.

My 70 is a 71 according to the registration, fo this reason.

Rob
Rob and Dave's aircooled VW pages
Repairs and maintenance for the home mechanic
http://www.geocities.com/aussiebug1970/

Sun Jan 05, 2003 2:03 am

Hey thanks , Well I did figure out that it was made between 8/70-7/71 by the vin number. Also I just figured out that one of the previous owners replaced the original motor with a super beetle motor from 10/72-7/73.
Thanks for the links I also found that the EMPI website has all the same information. Thanks you guys...