What year is this split?

[L21pearlgrey]

This just popped up on my Facebook, found in the UK. Can anyone identify the year, it looks to be an early one?

[Zwitterkafer]

Are those metal gloveboxes? If so, they were discontinued on 9 May 1949. The metal hatch over the transmission went to June of 1952.
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"Criticism comes easier than Craftsmanship"
- Zeuxius, 400 BC

[finster]

here's the video and the guy - who's well into vws - calling it an oval

Link


maybe 1948/49? note flat vin area behind spare wheel, no shock towers on axle, 3 fingers under rear window...
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"we're here on Earth to fart around" kurt vonnegut

nothing lasts, nothing is finished, and nothing is perfect...

[splitjunkie]

[virtanen]

It could be very early May -49, still have metal gloveboxes and already front hood working with cable.
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Mika
Split beetle restoration panels
Oval beetle restoration panels
New projects

[VW_Jimbo]

I see a 51 written in the trunk!

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Jimbo

There is never enough time to do it right the first time, but all the time necessary the second time!

[splitjunkie]

Gonna need the lower 12" replaced all around. Probably front quarters while you were at it. Front and rear aprons, rear quarter panel ends. Heater channels, floor pans. The passenger door would be quite a challenge to repair. Mika and Wolf will make some money on this one. That roof will need serious work. Hopefully the backbone of the pan is solid.

And it's missing every bolt on part other than the doors. Gonna need big $$$ to bring it back to stock in parts alone. Would be easier and cheaper to do a resto-mod.

That roof is rusted out where it meets the drip channel above the driver's door. Probably going to need most of it replaced.

The car could be a lot worse than it looks, but it also could be a lot better.

I once bought a formerly baja'd '56 shell for $150 for the trunk scuttle panel, and while the body looked pretty solid, once I started poking around, it was like swiss cheese at every panel joint. The floor pans had been patched up using old sign metal. It was really rough. In those days, it was definitely a throw away, but today, cars like it are being saved.

This car should be saved for sure, but it will have to be bought by the right person who has patience and $$$. Gonna need serious skills if they are going to do any work themselves.

I don't think it should be bought by the guy in the video since he's calling an oval window and wasn't sure if the '68 and later gas tank was for it or not....
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Chris

You know, a lot of these scratches will buff right out... Jerry Seinfeld

[Blue Baron]

That's a great find!

Looks like a mid '49. Cool!
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We are striving for perfection, to make our cars run forever, if possible.

Heinz Nordhoff

[buglover34465]

Metal glove boxes stopped in/after 1949.
So the car is 1946-1949

[Hebster52]

It's an early may-49 as Mika also say. It's been discussed on several FB groups.
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~Kris~
"The Hebster52" my Hebmuller replica build
The 912ST
The KidVRod project
The 356 Pre-A replica,SOLD
The 1966 Kommanderwagen, SOLD

[bugger me]

this is the same car when it
was traded between my old mate and john miller back in 92 93 ish .at the time it was the 9th oldest bug in the country .i have 2 photos of it back then but they were taken in the dark.photoes were taking 33 years ago. its definitely early 49 cant remember what month it was built

[lost64]

The car posted by bugger me takes me back in time. It turned up in England and was for for sale at a swapmeet in the London area. I was offered it back in the 1990's, but never took up the chance to buy it. It was considered then to be restorable. From a couple of pictures I have, it's a 1949.

I'm unsure if it could be the same car that was found in a scrapyard in Switzerland during a clearance of the yard in question. Pictures were published in the British magazine VW Motoring at the time. Someone on here might be able to confirm this.

Does anyone know what happened to it?

[Two Glove Boxes]