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Thu Apr 05, 2007 9:18 pm

I was browsing through some of my BD owner's manuals trying to identify all the subtle differences between the various revisons of which their are tons. Here is the bus image on the cover for comparison. Anyone have other revisions to compare? Does anyone know how many different revisions their were during the BD period? I have, or have seen the following revisions:

July 1953 (German text)
January 1954 (English text)
June 1954 (English text)
March 1954 (German text)
September 1954 (English text)
March 1955 (semi-barndoor, German text)

July 1953:
Notice the high vents, round air filter, no VW logo on the front, no cargo door handle, etc.

March 1954:
Notice the hub cap centers, elongated windows, mushroom air filter, higher steering wheel, black wheel wells, etc.

Fri Apr 06, 2007 7:04 am

Anchovy wrote: July 1953:

cargo door popouts too?

Fri Apr 06, 2007 10:02 am

RockStock wrote: Anchovy wrote: July 1953:

cargo door popouts too?

...and the front door handles are different, the headlight rings, rain gutter, front windshield, bottom of rocker panel, bumper.....

I am curious to know how many different versions of manuals were issued. I have identified 6 of them, what others are out there?

Fri Nov 28, 2008 1:42 pm

Here are some more dates of Barndoor Manuals I have seen:
October 1950
June 1952
March 1953
July 1953 (German)
January 1954 (Dated 12-53)
June 1954
September 1954
September 1954 (German)

Fri Nov 28, 2008 1:52 pm

My June '53 standard microbus came with a Marz 1953 ed. owners manual in German. The bus was sold new in the Netherlands. I'd have expected a Dutch language manual, really. It was brought to the US by an American in the fifties.

Sat Nov 29, 2008 3:11 am

I have a september 52 (German)
and a march 54 (German) new edition of november 57
This one has NO fold-out sheet!

Sun Nov 30, 2008 12:52 pm

I have a mai 1951 and a january 1954 , both printed in French.