| Author |
Message |
jeffff
Samba Member
Joined: February 23, 2006
Posts: 1044
Location: Alberta, Canada
|
 Posted: Tue Mar 01, 2011 11:21 am Post subject: VW of Canada formed on Sep 11, 1952. |
 |
|
That info is from The Standard Catalog of Volkswagen by John Gunnell.
So the oldest VW to be sold in Canada, exported (delivered) to Canada would have been a 53?
It not possible to have any VW with an export code to Canada earlier than 53?
Any split window beetles in Canada would've been imported from another country?
Basically if someone owns any 53 VW originally exported to Canada....that is pretty rare, can't be more than a few hundred, maybe less. I wonder if its possible to find out what VINs came to CAN, if it was sequential, or random. |
|
| Back to top |
|
 |
sunroof
Samba Member
Joined: October 06, 2006
Posts: 2051
Location: Winnipeg
|
| Posted: Tue Mar 01, 2011 11:39 am Post subject: |
|
|
Have you spoken to Rick Herity?
Don |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
jeffff
Samba Member
Joined: February 23, 2006
Posts: 1044
Location: Alberta, Canada
|
| Posted: Tue Mar 01, 2011 12:01 pm Post subject: |
|
|
About what? this thread no  Have I spoken to him before yes. I have his old 53. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
53 0val
Samba Professor
Joined: July 03, 2003
Posts: 11396
Location: Irvine, CA
|
| Posted: Tue Mar 01, 2011 12:08 pm Post subject: Re: VW of Canada formed on Sep 11, 1952. |
|
|
| jeffff wrote: |
That info is from The Standard Catalog of Volkswagen by John Gunnell.
So the oldest VW to be sold in Canada, exported (delivered) to Canada would have been a 53?
It not possible to have any VW with an export code to Canada earlier than 53?
Any split window beetles in Canada would've been imported from another country?
Basically if someone owns any 53 VW originally exported to Canada....that is pretty rare, can't be more than a few hundred, maybe less. I wonder if its possible to find out what VINs came to CAN, if it was sequential, or random. |
My '53 was one of 7 sold by Speedway motors in Victoria (Canada's oldest dealership) in '53 and they were the first VW's sold in Canada. You will not find an earlier Canadian VW. 
ID #1-0541532
body number #175217
Engine block # 1-065599
_________________
"What a fool believes he sees, no wise man has the power to reason away." Dobee, Dobee, Do
Last edited by 53 0val on Tue Mar 01, 2011 12:12 pm; edited 1 time in total |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
jeffff
Samba Member
Joined: February 23, 2006
Posts: 1044
Location: Alberta, Canada
|
| Posted: Tue Mar 01, 2011 12:11 pm Post subject: |
|
|
Whats your VIN? My 53 is early.........almost a Zwitter.
Hey your're not supposed to edit your post...........makes me look dumb Thanks by the way.
What other Canadian cities had VW dealerships in Canada? |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
53 0val
Samba Professor
Joined: July 03, 2003
Posts: 11396
Location: Irvine, CA
|
| Posted: Tue Mar 01, 2011 12:22 pm Post subject: |
|
|
| jeffff wrote: |
| Whats your VIN? My 53 is early.........almost a Zwitter. |
If you are that early..........you better check the invoice. Speedway says they sold the first cars and they are still stating that. Who was your car's original dealer?
_________________
"What a fool believes he sees, no wise man has the power to reason away." Dobee, Dobee, Do |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
jeffff
Samba Member
Joined: February 23, 2006
Posts: 1044
Location: Alberta, Canada
|
| Posted: Tue Mar 01, 2011 12:32 pm Post subject: |
|
|
ID# 1-0522723
I don't know who the original dealer is. I going to send away for a birth cert soon. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
53 0val
Samba Professor
Joined: July 03, 2003
Posts: 11396
Location: Irvine, CA
|
| Posted: Tue Mar 01, 2011 12:49 pm Post subject: |
|
|
| jeffff wrote: |
ID# 1-0522723
I don't know who the original dealer is. I going to send away for a birth cert soon. |
There are earlier cars in Canada, but according to records at Speedway, they weren't Canadian import. VW refused to ship cars to Canada for retail sales until the Toronto distributors, VW Canada Ltd., had $2 million worth of parts in stock. That was late in '53, according to Bruce Passmore who founded the dealership. Their claim was they received the first "Canadian" cars. Let us know what your birth certificate says. VW kept very good records.......they still do. I can't say the same for dealers though.
_________________
"What a fool believes he sees, no wise man has the power to reason away." Dobee, Dobee, Do |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
uberwagen
Samba Member
Joined: February 11, 2006
Posts: 183
|
| Posted: Tue Mar 01, 2011 1:04 pm Post subject: |
|
|
| The first VWs brought into Canada by Volkswagen were shipped in July 1952 for display at the Canadian National Exibition in Toronto. This was before the founding of Volkswagen Canada, and before any official dealerships were established. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
uberwagen
Samba Member
Joined: February 11, 2006
Posts: 183
|
| Posted: Tue Mar 01, 2011 1:10 pm Post subject: |
|
|
Here is a picture from a VW canada publication ... Perhaps these were the first imported for official sale through VW Canada.
|
|
| Back to top |
|
|
uberwagen
Samba Member
Joined: February 11, 2006
Posts: 183
|
| Posted: Tue Mar 01, 2011 1:12 pm Post subject: |
|
|
These appear to be the same vehicles:
Last edited by uberwagen on Tue Mar 01, 2011 1:34 pm; edited 1 time in total |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
uberwagen
Samba Member
Joined: February 11, 2006
Posts: 183
|
| Posted: Tue Mar 01, 2011 1:32 pm Post subject: Re: VW of Canada formed on Sep 11, 1952. |
|
|
| 53 0val wrote: |
My '53 was one of 7 sold by Speedway motors in Victoria (Canada's oldest dealership) in '53 and they were the first VW's sold in Canada. You will not find an earlier Canadian VW.
ID #1-0541532
body number #175217
Engine block # 1-065599 |
I think your body number is likely 475217, not 175217 judging by the samba vin look-up table.
That would put it just slightly older than my 53 Canadian Custom Sunroof which was originally purchased at Purvis Motors in Winnipeg.
ID # 540420
Body # 473980
You may have the nicest looking Canadian Volkswagen, but you can definitely not lay claim to the oldest.  ...not that I can lay claim to that either... |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
sunroof
Samba Member
Joined: October 06, 2006
Posts: 2051
Location: Winnipeg
|
| Posted: Tue Mar 01, 2011 1:44 pm Post subject: |
|
|
The VIN of a Canadian custom I used to own:
Don |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
53 0val
Samba Professor
Joined: July 03, 2003
Posts: 11396
Location: Irvine, CA
|
| Posted: Tue Mar 01, 2011 2:38 pm Post subject: Re: VW of Canada formed on Sep 11, 1952. |
|
|
| uberwagen wrote: |
| 53 0val wrote: |
My '53 was one of 7 sold by Speedway motors in Victoria (Canada's oldest dealership) in '53 and they were the first VW's sold in Canada. You will not find an earlier Canadian VW.
ID #1-0541532
body number #175217
Engine block # 1-065599 |
I think your body number is likely 475217, not 175217 judging by the samba vin look-up table.
That would put it just slightly older than my 53 Canadian Custom Sunroof which was originally purchased at Purvis Motors in Winnipeg.
ID # 540420
Body # 473980
You may have the nicest looking Canadian Volkswagen, but you can definitely not lay claim to the oldest. ...not that I can lay claim to that either... |
I know that Speedway sold 4 cars before they sold mine. I was told my car was number #5 of the only seven sold by Speedway in '53. I'm sure that they didn't get consecutive numbered cars so I knew there must be earlier cars out there. It's the, "I sold mine first" dealer mentality. I wouldn't be surprised if they did sell the first VW, but it may not have been the first numbered VW. Their fame being: they SOLD the first seven VW's in Canada. Yours just sat on the lot longer.
(I'll look that the body number up this weekend when I get back home, but I pretty sure that's what's on it.)
_________________
"What a fool believes he sees, no wise man has the power to reason away." Dobee, Dobee, Do
Last edited by 53 0val on Tue Mar 01, 2011 2:57 pm; edited 1 time in total |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
jeffff
Samba Member
Joined: February 23, 2006
Posts: 1044
Location: Alberta, Canada
|
| Posted: Tue Mar 01, 2011 2:56 pm Post subject: |
|
|
Intertesting, that snow pic is cool. So if a Canadian in 1950, 51, 52 wanted a VW he would've had to import it. I'm assuming that would've been done via the US as opposed to ordering 1 from Germany.
Just goes to show you how uncommon it would've been to see a split driving around in Canada prior to a VW establishing a dealer in Canada.
Sounds like there was Speedway in Victoria, Purvis in Winnipeg and the Toronto dealer. What about other major Cdn cities....Van, Edm, Cal, Mont when did they get VW dealerships? |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
sunroof
Samba Member
Joined: October 06, 2006
Posts: 2051
Location: Winnipeg
|
| Posted: Tue Mar 01, 2011 4:10 pm Post subject: |
|
|
So the one I had is 7900 units before yours. I wonder what the daily count was in July of '53?
Don |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
uberwagen
Samba Member
Joined: February 11, 2006
Posts: 183
|
| Posted: Tue Mar 01, 2011 4:10 pm Post subject: |
|
|
Here are some interesting figures from a VW publication that seem to suggest that 254 beetles, and 110 transporters were exported to Canada in 1952:
|
|
| Back to top |
|
|
sunroof
Samba Member
Joined: October 06, 2006
Posts: 2051
Location: Winnipeg
|
| Posted: Tue Mar 01, 2011 4:15 pm Post subject: |
|
|
|
|
| Back to top |
|
|
uberwagen
Samba Member
Joined: February 11, 2006
Posts: 183
|
| Posted: Tue Mar 01, 2011 4:35 pm Post subject: |
|
|
Here is a clipping from a Toronto newspaper from Dec 10, 1952 that refers to the first three VW's clearing customs the day prior. This seems to line up with the date on the pictures showing the "first VWs" in the snow.
|
|
| Back to top |
|
|
Trevor P
Samba Member
Joined: January 21, 2004
Posts: 898
Location: Saskatoon, SK, Canada
|
| Posted: Tue Mar 01, 2011 9:35 pm Post subject: |
|
|
| uberwagen wrote: |
| The first VWs brought into Canada by Volkswagen were shipped in July 1952 for display at the Canadian National Exibition in Toronto. This was before the founding of Volkswagen Canada, and before any official dealerships were established. |
And Ken's 52 (previously Rick's then Steve's) is reported to be one of those used for the exhibition. Last time I was at his place he showed me the birth cert. that shows it being delivered to Baden Baden Germany in mid 52 sometime. This would make sense if they needed to have cars for the Canadian Exibition in TO that summer prior to any dealer network being operational. Likely that it was an early version of a dealer transfer to Canada so they had cars for display then sold here afterwards. This would make it one of the 1st splits in Canada even if not "officially"
Last I talked to Rick he said he had pics of this car from the event in 1952.
_________________
53 SG Barndoor SC
53 Canadian standard oval
56 Wolfsburg PG/SG
57 Oval, 2332 & Berg 5
70 911T
91 Westy |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
|
