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Bruce Berman
Samba Member
Joined: April 13, 2004
Posts: 148
Location: Long Island, NY, USA
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 Posted: Thu Oct 02, 2014 10:13 am Post subject: |
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So I guess that even back then, they were restoring these cars..........
Or maybe disassembling it for parts at a junk yard??
But my real question to Blue Baron, and I've wondered this for several years, is how do you find all of these wonderful photos? It appears that most of them come from Europe, and particularly Germany.
I hope I don't put you on the spot, in terms of having you publicly reveal any trade secrets as to how you locate these images!
Bruce
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Factory original 1957 Type 1 Deluxe Sedan, with 13,000 miles. I purchased her from the estate of the original owner in 1978. Color: L324 Polar Silver, with light beige leatherette interior, dealer-installed Dehne fuel gauge and Motorola Volumatic radio. |
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56Cabrio
Samba Member
Joined: May 22, 2008
Posts: 1899
Location: San Fernando Valley, CA
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| Posted: Thu Oct 02, 2014 11:26 am Post subject: |
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| Bruce Berman wrote: |
So I guess that even back then, they were restoring these cars..........
Or maybe disassembling it for parts at a junk yard??
But my real question to Blue Baron, and I've wondered this for several years, is how do you find all of these wonderful photos? It appears that most of them come from Europe, and particularly Germany.
I hope I don't put you on the spot, in terms of having you publicly reveal any trade secrets as to how you locate these images!
Bruce |
I think he has a time machine and takes them himself 
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1956 Rag Top owned since 1988
1956 Convertible owned since 2000
1963 Hard Top
RIP Dad 4/20/1951 - 2/4/2023 |
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Blue Baron
VW Aficionado
Joined: June 16, 2006
Posts: 24059
Location: Southeast USA
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| Posted: Thu Oct 02, 2014 2:32 pm Post subject: |
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| 56Cabrio wrote: |
| Bruce Berman wrote: |
So I guess that even back then, they were restoring these cars..........
Or maybe disassembling it for parts at a junk yard??
But my real question to Blue Baron, and I've wondered this for several years, is how do you find all of these wonderful photos? It appears that most of them come from Europe, and particularly Germany.
I hope I don't put you on the spot, in terms of having you publicly reveal any trade secrets as to how you locate these images!
Bruce |
I think he has a time machine and takes them himself |
This is true. 
Plus Pogel and I check online auctions and use search engines to find images. I also use my amateur Photoshop skills to try and clean them up.
The photo above was taken from a collection of German collision shop photos, and the mechanic is reskinning the roof of a rollover.
Nobody was more surprised than me to find there were so many old photos out there, and I think there's two reasons we find so many.
First, photography was always popular in Germany. And what better thing to photograph than your best Beetle and your best frau.
Second, it's part of the German culture to discard things that are no longer needed. This explains why so few VWs are left in Germany, even though more were sold there than any other country in the world. In the case of the photos, what some of us might consider family heirlooms end up getting discarded, and then show up on the online auctions. And these are just the images we've managed to find. I'm sure thousands get destroyed.
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We are striving for perfection, to make our cars run forever, if possible.
Heinz Nordhoff |
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79SuperVert
Samba Member
Joined: May 31, 2002
Posts: 9758
Location: Elizabeth, NJ & La Isla Del Encanto
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| Posted: Fri Oct 03, 2014 7:42 am Post subject: |
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I think it says something about the cost of labor back then, that it was cheaper to replace the top of a Beetle, with all the associated work involved to replace the windows, perhaps the doors, replace the headliner, take out and replace the instruments, etc, etc, than it was to just total the car and buy another one.
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Central Jersey VW Society
Wanted: Art Collins VW (Savannah, Georgia) items - license plate surrounds and other items. Also ivory "AM", "FM" and "SW" buttons for a US Blaupunkt Frankfurt. |
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Bruce Berman
Samba Member
Joined: April 13, 2004
Posts: 148
Location: Long Island, NY, USA
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| Posted: Fri Oct 03, 2014 8:13 am Post subject: |
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Blue Baron, thanks very much for the explanation as to how you obtain these really great photos! I get a lot of enjoyment out of looking at them, and I have saved many of these images; they are a true window into the past, to the era of the 1950s when these cars were sold. And not only of the oval window-era cars, but life back then in general.
I'm sure that a lot of these photos were taken (with friends and family posed) to show the pride in their new car. For many of these folks, this was probably the first car they had ever owned, and understandably, they were proud to show it off. The economic recovery in Germany after the war, and the availability of a relatively inexpensive, quality car made in Germany (the VW) made this happen for families that otherwise could not afford an automobile. Here in the US, it was of course a different story: for many people the VW was frequently referred to as "our second car", perhaps to show that they could afford to own two cars, and their primary car was generally a more costly and larger American-made one.
I do have one more question, and please excuse my lack of knowledge, but what does "Then it ends up at Grundmanns. Law of nature", refer to? Was Grundmanns a large junk yard in Germany, etc.?
Thanks again!
Bruce
_________________
Factory original 1957 Type 1 Deluxe Sedan, with 13,000 miles. I purchased her from the estate of the original owner in 1978. Color: L324 Polar Silver, with light beige leatherette interior, dealer-installed Dehne fuel gauge and Motorola Volumatic radio. |
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Blue Baron
VW Aficionado
Joined: June 16, 2006
Posts: 24059
Location: Southeast USA
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| Posted: Fri Oct 03, 2014 1:36 pm Post subject: |
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Hah! My usarieman quote! 
The Grundmanns are well-known German Volkswagen collectors. If a car is insanely rare, it ends up in their collection -- law of nature!
As to the VW being a different story in the U.S., indeed it was. Americans developed a love for the car that the Germans never really had. We had many choices available here, but we chose the Volkswagen. As Germany became more affluent and more choices became available, they discarded the VW.
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Heinz Nordhoff |
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nebkv
Samba Member
Joined: December 22, 2004
Posts: 91
Location: Serbia
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| Posted: Sun Oct 12, 2014 11:21 am Post subject: |
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| Blue Baron wrote: |
Second, it's part of the German culture to discard things that are no longer needed |
In the former Yugoslavia is completely different
People keep old stuff for years as hamsters 
Maybe this is the reason why it is still possible to find a lot of old vw projects in today's states of former Yugoslavia
Novi Sad,Yugoslavia
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Blue Baron
VW Aficionado
Joined: June 16, 2006
Posts: 24059
Location: Southeast USA
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| Posted: Mon Oct 13, 2014 9:05 am Post subject: |
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_________________
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Heinz Nordhoff |
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Blue Baron
VW Aficionado
Joined: June 16, 2006
Posts: 24059
Location: Southeast USA
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| Posted: Mon Oct 13, 2014 9:05 am Post subject: |
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_________________
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Heinz Nordhoff |
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Blue Baron
VW Aficionado
Joined: June 16, 2006
Posts: 24059
Location: Southeast USA
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| Posted: Mon Oct 13, 2014 9:06 am Post subject: |
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Heinz Nordhoff |
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Blue Baron
VW Aficionado
Joined: June 16, 2006
Posts: 24059
Location: Southeast USA
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| Posted: Mon Oct 13, 2014 9:07 am Post subject: |
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Heinz Nordhoff |
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Blue Baron
VW Aficionado
Joined: June 16, 2006
Posts: 24059
Location: Southeast USA
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| Posted: Mon Oct 13, 2014 9:08 am Post subject: |
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Heinz Nordhoff |
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Blue Baron
VW Aficionado
Joined: June 16, 2006
Posts: 24059
Location: Southeast USA
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| Posted: Mon Oct 13, 2014 9:11 am Post subject: |
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Blue Baron
VW Aficionado
Joined: June 16, 2006
Posts: 24059
Location: Southeast USA
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| Posted: Mon Oct 13, 2014 9:12 am Post subject: |
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Last edited by Blue Baron on Mon Oct 13, 2014 9:13 am; edited 1 time in total |
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Blue Baron
VW Aficionado
Joined: June 16, 2006
Posts: 24059
Location: Southeast USA
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| Posted: Mon Oct 13, 2014 9:13 am Post subject: |
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_________________
We are striving for perfection, to make our cars run forever, if possible.
Heinz Nordhoff |
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Blue Baron
VW Aficionado
Joined: June 16, 2006
Posts: 24059
Location: Southeast USA
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| Posted: Mon Oct 13, 2014 9:15 am Post subject: |
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Heinz Nordhoff |
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EverettB 
Administrator
Joined: April 11, 2000
Posts: 69813
Location: Phoenix Metro
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Blue Baron
VW Aficionado
Joined: June 16, 2006
Posts: 24059
Location: Southeast USA
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| Posted: Tue Oct 14, 2014 2:46 pm Post subject: |
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Blue Baron
VW Aficionado
Joined: June 16, 2006
Posts: 24059
Location: Southeast USA
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| Posted: Tue Oct 14, 2014 3:10 pm Post subject: |
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Weird headlights!
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Blue Baron
VW Aficionado
Joined: June 16, 2006
Posts: 24059
Location: Southeast USA
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| Posted: Wed Oct 15, 2014 12:18 pm Post subject: |
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Oval window hipsters
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