How is the year of manufacture determined?

[4118thing]

I have a Thing with a 183 designation, but a 10/74 manufacture date. I know in the US as well as some German model cars, the plant shut down in the summer to re-tool, and began the new year production in September.

Porsche was renound for mixing parts between years, in the early years. For example, if they had left over 67 parts, they were known to use them on non-US cars, until the supply ran out, or it got too far in the production year. Did VW do the same thing in Mexico? And what was the beginning of a production year?

[77kafer]

What you "know" about US cars (GM, Ford, MoPar) does not apply to German cars. They do not shut down in the summer and retool.

What is your car registered / titled as 73 or 74?

Does the VIN start with 183 or 184?

Does it have gas heater (standard on 73 or muffs on the rear fenders, normal on 74)
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Supposed to be 77käfer, but there are no umlauts on an american keyboard

Overheard on 27 June 07, one lady to another when they saw my Harli in a parking lot at West Point, "maybe he found it on the clearance aisle at the Volkswagen dealer"

[4118thing]

Yes, to basically all the questions, and I have no doubt of it being a late 73. But the production sticker indicates 10 73 as the build date.

Along the lines of production year start date, I had a ‘68 Porsche 912, that had a Porsche COA (Certificate of Authenticity), indicating it was built on 9/5/67. On the car were some 67 pieces. Porsche historians indicated that Porsche would use some leftover 67 parts, in this case, back then, if the effect was not noticeable, or had no effect on the car.

My point, if the VW beetle, changed model years in August, https://www.thesamba.com/vw/archives/info/bugchassisdating.php
why did th 181 change on a calander year? If it did.

[Deckard]

>>
Yes, to basically all the questions, and I have no doubt of it being a late 73. But the production sticker indicates 10 73 as the build date
.
Manufacture date of October 1973 will make it a 1973 model, which should have the gasoline heater in the front trunk, 1600 dual-port engine AM code, smooth fan shroud (no pipes for hear exchangers)

[Joe 20]

I have a 12/73 sticker on a 183 vin. with all the 73 features. It is a 73 by title. Do you think they just kept making the 73 model until they ran out of 73 parts?

[4118thing]

No, I’m learning that, unlike the Bug, that changed model years, the Things, apparently changed on calendar year basis. It’s interesting that the same company, VW, would have two different model year changes, but it may have been due to the Mexican plant.