VW TRIVIA

- By Herschel D. -

APRIL’S – ANSWERS

1. Q: In what year did the U.S.A. get its last shipment of VW Beetle Sedans?
   A: 1977. They were German-built but I’ve seen some original equipment body parts on late model Beetles that were stamped Brazil.

2. Q: Did VW make a flat bed Type 2 during the split-window era?
   A: There was, indeed, a flatbed split-window Type 2 available. You could gain one by simply ordering a single or double cab without the hinged side and tailgates!.

3. Q: Are the VW models that have been made for or in other countries the same models made for the U.S.A., albeit outfitted differently?
   A: The VWs sent to other countries were mostly the same ones we got with different lighting, horsepower choices and bumpers, etc. But some of the countries that had their own VW assembly plants did have models we did not. Australia had a little VW jeep called a Country Buggy. Brazil has several such as one that was like a Type-4, called the Brasilia. They had their own Karmann Ghia too. It looked nothing like the one seen in the U.S. As late as the ‘90s, parts of South Africa was getting a Beetle in the form of a knocked down assembly kit. It was essentially a 1964 model complete with U.S. style bumpers.

4. Q: By what model name were the early prototype Type-2s known?
   A: The very first Bus prototypes were known as the Type 29s.

5. Q: What is a Type 34?
   A: It is the Type-3 "razor Edge" Karmann Ghia. (The Brazilian model did not look like it either.).

6. Q: What VW one-off inspired the early VW convertible?
   A: There was a pre-war VW convertible concept model. But the real inspiration toward both the Karmann built Cabriolet and the Hebmuller model is considered to be a one off model built right after WWII. It is commonly called the "Radcliff Car" because Major Ivan Hurst had it designed for his military superior, Colonel Radcliff.
   

1. After VW’s first Director-General, Heinz Nordoff came on board in 1948, he set about upgrading the construction of the VW. In a few short years nearly every part of the Beetle got redesigned even though the car looked nearly the same. By what year was that accomplished?
2. There was a toy VW made many years ago that was constructed of sheet metal, was a bump and go toy, and had a transparent engine lid that revealed a glowing "spark plug" and a revolving fan belt. Can you name the maker?
3. When did the Beetle go from having door handles featuring a pull out release, to being the push button type?
4. What well-known actor starred in a VW commercial many years ago that featured him being surprised about finding a second trunk in the back of a Type 3 instead of the engine being visible?
5. Years ago a company made a conversion kit that allowed a Beetle to look like certain models of vintage Fords. What year model Fords did they copy?
6. When did the Beetle get a sealed steering gear box that doesn’t need lubricating?

Answers and new questions next month. - Herschel