Is this actually Jason? I ask because 1. The car isn't falling apart 2. It's not surrounded by trees and mud 3. It was easily accessible 4. It isn't filled with mousage. 5. It rolled. Hold on, the winch battery wasn't charged so it is Jason. Well done on finding that thing.
Kudos to Dubwerks on the VW info. He's really become your local VW Historian, and I'm learning a lot from his examination of Jay's cars. Keep it coming! 🤫🤫🤫🤫🤫👍👍👍
Canadian here. Headlights and tailights from that era were same as US spec cars. Canadian cars did not have locking steering columns. Cloth seats were fairly common though. KM speedos were not used until around 1976. Appears you have a Euro!
As someone who currently lives in Europe and has a few 58-59 cars, here are my thoughts. First, Dubwerks is correct on the lights. By 1962 semaphores were no longer allowed, and most countries forced people to mount front turn signals and amber/red tail lights in the back. The new model year started in September, so a September 1957 car would be a 58 model year. So you have a very early 58! The color looks like L243 Diamond gray (amazing color!) with the corresponding brick red and cloth euro interior. In 59, L243 cars changed to the green interior. Funnily, customers who didn’t want a cloth interior here had to special order the vinyl interior. The column lock/starter is common here, and your particular version is a mid-60s accessory. Finally the headlights are definitely Euro but those are not the correct year lenses-they look too new. Awesome find. I’m voting it’s a euro car.
The "new model year" in August didn't commence until August of 62 as I remember as the UK changed it's number plate system to co ordinate with the new model year. A series being August 62 through July 63, B Aug 63 through July 64 etc... I, O, Q and Z were skipped as they resembled numerics from a distance. Q was subsequently adopted for kit cars and home built models but as a prefix, not suffix as with all the other series. The format was ABC 123 A. Where the first 3 alpha were the Town or city where it was first registered, the issue number 100-999 then the year suffix as described above.
Back in the mid 60’s I was stationed in Stuttgart and Augsburg. Those VW’s with those odd flippers were common. I remember several other either French or Italian cars, or whatever they were, some very strange looking had those too. We had some endearing words for them.
Up here in Canada we only switched over to the metric system in the mid to late seventies. So cars before this time had mph speedos. I grew up with the imperial system like you but all of a sudden had to learn the metric system in high school. Messed up…. I still don’t know how much I way in kg’s lol Braaaaaap 🤘🤘
I enjoyed this video! Great production values. Or maybe it was all the knowledgeable opinions and deductions about the car that held my interest. It was just a fun video, all involved made meaningful contributions. 😊
Fingers crossed that this car is a semaphore. Got to admit I had no idea what that even meant. 😁 I’m learning so much about these little German cars thanks to you, Larry, dubworks and everyone. Keep ‘em coming J!
Original 58 wings (fenders) have impressions (explaining this badly) between the bolt holes. Hopefully that makes sense. Also the second two fuse, fuse box, by the fuel tank is standard on European 58's. And a H4 headlight wouldn't be standard fit as that was originally a 6v car. H4 headlights were fitted when they changed to 12v. Euro 58's had cloth seats, was rare to find vinyl seats back then. I think it's a European Semaphore car. And whatever it is, its still a very early 58 model year big window car. You should check the VIN see how early a big window car it really was.
Nice lights 👊 Its a Euro. I'm saying yes semaphores but both removed & bondoed over.Wasnt convinced until dubworks did the magnet. Overall its very cool - Please do not change the home tint orange rear windows, you got to tract down the acrylic green tinted DS sun visor - someone said its the desert sun visor ? This car deserves Fuchs
Check for a cut and spliced wiring harness at the turn signal switch. They will had to have replaced the turn signal lever with a 6 wire one. Semaphore lever was 3 wire I believe
Back in 1965 my parents were looking at buying a VW to get me to and from college. I remember that we checked out a dealership that was advertising any VW in the showroom for $1215. - period. That was a good deal. The dealership turned out not to be an authorized VW dealership, but rather an operation that was directly importing cars from Europe. I never did figure out if they were American-izing European spec cars or somehow procuring American spec cars in Europe. A couple of years later this dealership had VW 1500’s on the floor when they were not available from franchised dealers. They had fastbacks, notchbacks and station wagons. I believe (not sure) that one or more of the three variations never was legitimately imported into the US. I had a friend who drove a 1954 beetle with the flags still in the pillars but disconnected. It was imported by an employee of the Australian embassy who had bought it in Europe and brought it to the US when his country moved him here. At least that was the story.
We didn't adopt the metric system until 1975, so I'd guess speedometers previous to that would be in mph. I have an old VW tail light somewhere. I'll have to check the lens to see if it is all red or two colors. Interesting car.
@@5150mxVW ... Ct added "constitution state" on the top in 1974, so that is an early plate. I believe they started the plate numbers with 2 letters around 1965 or 66.
@@rupe53 Mid 1950s they started two letter and four numbers. In 1957 they reissued to the standard 6x12 plate starting with BB-1000. May have been BC. Then they switched to all numbers in the early ‘60s until 1966 when we went to BA-1000 again and continued that series until 1980 when we ran out. 1974-5 was a one year only plate, white base with blue Constitution State and Connecticut. You’ll notice the 1976+ plates reverse the orientation of the scripts. Like I said, nerd😂
@@DubWerks ... I didn't realize they went back and forth early on. Registered a car in 1964 when I moved here and that was all numbers. Got another car in 66 and that started with letters (I forget) my 69 bug started with GH XXXX, in 72ish we got one with LD XXXX. Have an old dark bule plate in the garage starting HD, so guessing 70ish. BTW, that plate got swapped for reflector plates, so I have the reverse coloring of the same plate. Those plates came with my 64 Corvan 95, which is now on classic plates.
It could quite possibly be a trafficator beetle. I've known of cars that had the hole filled over when converting to flashing indicators. Some manufacturers used a trim plate to cover the gap on early flashing indicator cars, probably to save on tooling costs.
H4 was/ is definitely a European fitment, don’t know if Canada used them. My dad had a car in the very early 70’s ( probably 1970) with semaphore indicators. It looks a very clean bug
In the late 60’s VW went to what you call a European rear turn signal. The Goober that did the body work on this car just threw the car back together. The running boards were notorious for rusting out. I learned how to drive in a 59 VW. The week I got my permit my brother totaled the VW. The color is similar to the color I had my VW painted. The Earl Scheibe special paint job. I don’t think it has semaphores. Brought back fond memories.
Not sure if its a semiphore car or not but all bugs up to 60 or 61 have the small two fuse box on the drivers side of the gas tank.. its for the head lights ..my 60 has it
I have a 1958. It would have a made in Germany tag under the front ID tag if an export car. I suspect a soldier stationed in Europe brought it back. They could bring a car back free back then. So yes the semifores are bondoed over. And yes the forward fuses for the headlights is normal for a ‘58. Parents had a ‘ 61 with cloth seats and a Saxomat no clutch pedal car brought back by a US soldier .The steering lock, cloth seats, kilometer speedo crude overrider holes add on low fender blinkers and bulb headlights all scream Euro spec car.
Lookin like a Euro semaphore. I’m hoping all of its pieces came with the car. But that car isn’t for you! It’s neither rotting out nor full of acorns! Congrats!
I’m tipping it’s a semaphore vehicle..my first car when I was 16 years old here in Australia was a 1958, semaphore, 36hp and 6 volt. Also and like in your example, it had a small fuse box near the fuel tank for the replacement indicators..
Australia here too: I had 59 with semaphores, no fuel gauge, emergency lever down under (pun not intended) dashboard, 36hp, 2 spoke steering wheel. Headlights the same as in barn video but I converted to sealed beams, identical inside door panels with arm rests and duo-colour combination to yours, driver-only inside sun-visor - dark green(?) perspex. The thing about Aussie VW's is that they were manufactured here in their entirety from 1959 to 1966 - not ckd or imported.
i see at the end, you start stripping the paint to see if its a semaphore car. now wouldn't it be easier to strip back the trim on the inside pillar to see ? or is access not that great ?
Dear 5150mxVW 👍👌👏 Congratulations 🎉 Looks like a great purchase and a solid car. Being with floor pans and not rodent infested/damaged, it's quite an unusual sight on this channel. 2) 🙈 Thanks for the cliffhanger! Grrrr 😬😤 3) Don't worry, Jen, at least it's blue 💙! 😁 ;-) 4) Dubwerks knowledge is very impressive. 5) Nice to see Josh again. I wonder if his VW enthusiasm has somehow cooled down a bit. Thanks a lot for making teaching explaining recording editing uploading and sharing. Best regards luck and especially health to all involved people.
Cool find! Maybe it'll get some attention now. What do you do with all the projects you bring home? Do you have a number limit, and something has to go before something new can come? Asking for a friend...
My son has a 57 rag top he is restoring to be like a new one. He has even sent the factory radio to have it rebuilt to a am/fm radio. It will also have a much more powerful engine and a transmission re geared to travel on today's freeways. He is doing all the body work and interior himself. The only outside work is the engine and transmission.
Since I own a 117, Deluxe Ragtop 58 in Capri Blue, I’m guessing it is possibly a semi car, but I’m not convinced yet, since there is a mixed bag of stuff there. Get a Heritage certificate ordered ASAP. And that one is worth a full resto, the cloth will be next to impossible to source, but a nice accurate style new vinyl interior looks fine too… nice find, hopefully you just don’t try and run the 36HP engine and crash box trans in it… not safe in modern traffic for sure… good luck!..
The shifter looks like a period "Shift Star" I think they were later sold in vw accessory catalogues. It could even have been fitted in Europe as I have seen a mid 60's dated pic of a car with one fitted. (In Peter Noad's book VW Beetle in Motorsport) Edit, I think it is a semaphore car.
So the european bugs had this tunsignals on the b-pillar till 1959 from factory. Later they removed or just covered it with welding sheetmetal or just bondo after 1960 and installed aftermaket turning signals. Try to see if the "Winker" like we call it in germany are still unter there or look, if there had been holes.
In the UK and Europe, the body has an individual number (chasis number), if you guys have the same in the USA, surely it will tell you where it originally came from.
Nice lots of potential. Different to see you not digging one out of the mud and bush. I'd never heard of semaphores before so googled it as you suggested to someone. Interesting concept. If it is one could you hook up both them and the regular turn signals? they would be neat to see working, just some idiot might not see them and give you a whack . Of course around here it wouldn't matter. A lot of people here believe other drivers are physic. we all know where they're going-no signals needed . Why I always give lots of room-idiot space.
Hello king junk man you are without a doubt you will always be without a doubt are all way be buying junk and spending to much money for cars big supper fan of the channel and all way be thanks make more videos thanks
Nice cliff hanger. Clearly not a semaphore car. Thanks for the great content, You used the word derbiss in a video. best word ever. please use in as much as possible. because my boss doesn't like it. It's all about the derbiss.
Left rear is OG Euro hacked for US overiders. OG Euro ‘58 would have only had blades. R rear is US spec. ‘62 and up “big” light US spec. Hence the factory over rider hole on that side. Solid red R. rear tail lens is a replacement due to accident or similar at a time Euro replacement was not available here is US. Euro tails were were more than likely added when semaphores were deleted while car was in Europe. IMO, the car was imported sans semaphores but with Euro rear tails. At some point accident happened which necessitated changes on RR and US spec bumper with overriders was done at or about the same time.
I'm thinking it's definitely a European bug, but I don't think it had semaphores. That's my guess, but it will be revealed soon. Can't wait to find out!
A Canadian deluxe car of the era would be indistinguishable from an American one. My 58 was originally delivered to Toronto and had optional cloth upholstery identical to this car's. The passenger seat is correct with original upholstery, the driver's seat is a later model. You can usually identify if the front fenders are euro by looking at the mounting holes for the top turn signals. Non-semaphore cars had 3 holes... 2 small holes with a large hole in the middle. Euro fenders that were converted later usually have 3 small holes for the retrofit signal lights. I assume it was so you could use common drill bit sizes to do the retrofit. Original VW rear fenders would have dimples between the mounting holes. 58 & 59 would also have drainage tubes in the engine compartment from the cooling vents under the rear window. Another 2 year item is the plastic sun visors attached to the rear view mirror. They are more rounded than the oval versions and became vinyl for the '60 model year. This is a sweet car... take care of it!
i did not know that about the sun visors, thank you for that info. I will have to look my oval and 58 visors now :). I ground the paint off the pillar , welded up semaphores ! no real surprise there but nice to confirm
Excellent condition , generally speaking.. I'm always overwhelmed by how much "Lore" there must be, that you ..and others have followed... the secret tell-tale signs, etc. Seems the evidence says it's a European car. I concur.
You know you can look at the Cabin Wire Harness the wires ran From A pillar to B pillar in the roof Rails I think you can see it in back of the Rag Tracks, and no it’s not a Semaphores Car , I think it’s a year Out ,but they had to Put Running lights on the front Fenders ,and they don’t have relays so they had to Add The turn signals in theHorn Grills
I forgot to comment about the redundant front turns. I suspect small round turns were done at the same time the semaphore delete and euro rear turns were done. I have seen Euro cars with update aftermarket signals like those. Possibly a state inspection for registration dictated model year lighting update in which top of fender peanuts were added. Interesting they are orange lenses as US spec were clear, IIRC. This is a lot more speculation on my part about the fronts and is not as clear cut to me. Hopefully someone more knowledgeable about local laws can chime in.
Is this actually Jason? I ask because 1. The car isn't falling apart 2. It's not surrounded by trees and mud 3. It was easily accessible 4. It isn't filled with mousage. 5. It rolled. Hold on, the winch battery wasn't charged so it is Jason. Well done on finding that thing.
HAHA🤣😂😭! Luckily I brought the Gopro because the tripod main camera in the background had a flashing red battery as well !
has heater channels too...ha ha.
Jason is just holding it for Larry. There's a good chance Larry is going to restore it when he gets the space for it. Just my opinion.
@@vintage76vipergreenBeetle Yea it is a rescue either way. fun to watch and see what he finds. OMG he does some finds.
It's a euro... Canada had MPH until the mid 70's.
Kudos to Dubwerks on the VW info. He's really become your local VW Historian, and I'm learning a lot from his examination of Jay's cars. Keep it coming! 🤫🤫🤫🤫🤫👍👍👍
You guys were totally geeking out, it was awesome! If it was a Canadian car it would have beaver droppings inside😁
moose prints on the roof too.
You guys are cracking me up with that magnet. Can’t believe we have to find out.
it's exciting !!! :))
I'm YES it is a semiphore German. Great find--what a wonderful beetle!
I like your thinking ! thank you
The fuses at the left side of the gas tank are for the headlights. And I say yes, it originally was a semaphore bug.
Hey Jason....You guy's are cracking me up with the flash light. Dubwerks knows his stuff. Josh got big since I seen him last!
Awesome find brother!! She is beautiful!!!
What a mystery we have to figure out LOL. It is such a cool car... could always use another rag LOL
yes ! prob have to cut up that oval in the driveway you've been eyeing to save this 58 ragtop🤣
Canadian here. Headlights and tailights from that era were same as US spec cars. Canadian cars did not have locking steering columns. Cloth seats were fairly common though. KM speedos were not used until around 1976. Appears you have a Euro!
It's got a semaphore turn signal switch on the column. Only semaphore cars had that. Bust out the grinder!
Amazing find. And great back story
As someone who currently lives in Europe and has a few 58-59 cars, here are my thoughts. First, Dubwerks is correct on the lights. By 1962 semaphores were no longer allowed, and most countries forced people to mount front turn signals and amber/red tail lights in the back. The new model year started in September, so a September 1957 car would be a 58 model year. So you have a very early 58! The color looks like L243 Diamond gray (amazing color!) with the corresponding brick red and cloth euro interior. In 59, L243 cars changed to the green interior. Funnily, customers who didn’t want a cloth interior here had to special order the vinyl interior. The column lock/starter is common here, and your particular version is a mid-60s accessory. Finally the headlights are definitely Euro but those are not the correct year lenses-they look too new. Awesome find. I’m voting it’s a euro car.
LOTS of great info Jeff thank you... the start of the 58 year was Aug 1st 57 ....i like your vote :)
The "new model year" in August didn't commence until August of 62 as I remember as the UK changed it's number plate system to co ordinate with the new model year. A series being August 62 through July 63, B Aug 63 through July 64 etc...
I, O, Q and Z were skipped as they resembled numerics from a distance.
Q was subsequently adopted for kit cars and home built models but as a prefix, not suffix as with all the other series.
The format was ABC 123 A.
Where the first 3 alpha were the Town or city where it was first registered, the issue number 100-999 then the year suffix as described above.
Back in the mid 60’s I was stationed in Stuttgart and Augsburg. Those VW’s with those odd flippers were common. I remember several other either French or Italian cars, or whatever they were, some very strange looking had those too. We had some endearing words for them.
Dubwerks is stuffed full of facts & golden tidbits, I don't know how he does it
I am going to go against the consensus....just because. So I say, tt does not have semaphores. Great find!! Great video!!
Great find jason hope Jen likes it :)
Up here in Canada we only switched over to the metric system in the mid to late seventies. So cars before this time had mph speedos. I grew up with the imperial system like you but all of a sudden had to learn the metric system in high school. Messed up…. I still don’t know how much I way in kg’s lol
Braaaaaap 🤘🤘
I enjoyed this video! Great production values. Or maybe it was all the knowledgeable opinions and deductions about the car that held my interest. It was just a fun video, all involved made meaningful contributions. 😊
Fingers crossed that this car is a semaphore. Got to admit I had no idea what that even meant. 😁 I’m learning so much about these little German cars thanks to you, Larry, dubworks and everyone. Keep ‘em coming J!
thank you Glen , I just gotta have me a semaphore car :)
Can’t wait to see ! 🤞🏻hope it is !!!
The more I watch you find big, you make me want to get another bug, so I too can push cars around😅
Never saw two sets of turn signals on the front. Damn German tires!! That had to be a original semaphore!!!
Original 58 wings (fenders) have impressions (explaining this badly) between the bolt holes. Hopefully that makes sense.
Also the second two fuse, fuse box, by the fuel tank is standard on European 58's.
And a H4 headlight wouldn't be standard fit as that was originally a 6v car. H4 headlights were fitted when they changed to 12v.
Euro 58's had cloth seats, was rare to find vinyl seats back then.
I think it's a European Semaphore car.
And whatever it is, its still a very early 58 model year big window car. You should check the VIN see how early a big window car it really was.
Love it. Another amazing find. I think your hunch is right.
thank you, I hope so :)
Dubs is a font of knowledge!! I’m learning a lot from your vids!!
Nice lights 👊 Its a Euro. I'm saying yes semaphores but both removed & bondoed over.Wasnt convinced until dubworks did the magnet. Overall its very cool - Please do not change the home tint orange rear windows, you got to tract down the acrylic green tinted DS sun visor - someone said its the desert sun visor ? This car deserves Fuchs
A CLIFFHANGER!!?!?! YOU VW-LOVING CLIFFHANGING ESS-OH-BEE!! :)
Das ist ein Semaphoren-Auto (thanks google ) 😅🤣😂 Good Luck Jason!! John here, from the back-roads of Northeastern Tennessee.
Check for a cut and spliced wiring harness at the turn signal switch. They will had to have replaced the turn signal lever with a 6 wire one. Semaphore lever was 3 wire I believe
ahhh, another great tip , thank you !
You're such a tease 😂 can't wait till the next video 😁
haha, let the comments speak 1st :)...very soon...the results are IN
Awesome find. Man nice thanks from. Sc
Dubworks ( he who stands with his hands in his pockets ) real value for money, young man ! Kind regards Alex
haha, still rockin' the nickname
Nice score!! I’ve never seen a pre-60 that wasn’t a rust bucket.
Back in 1965 my parents were looking at buying a VW to get me to and from college. I remember that we checked out a dealership that was advertising any VW in the showroom for $1215. - period. That was a good deal. The dealership turned out not to be an authorized VW dealership, but rather an operation that was directly importing cars from Europe. I never did figure out if they were American-izing European spec cars or somehow procuring American spec cars in Europe.
A couple of years later this dealership had VW 1500’s on the floor when they were not available from franchised dealers. They had fastbacks, notchbacks and station wagons. I believe (not sure) that one or more of the three variations never was legitimately imported into the US.
I had a friend who drove a 1954 beetle with the flags still in the pillars but disconnected. It was imported by an employee of the Australian embassy who had bought it in Europe and brought it to the US when his country moved him here. At least that was the story.
We didn't adopt the metric system until 1975, so I'd guess speedometers previous to that would be in mph. I have an old VW tail light somewhere. I'll have to check the lens to see if it is all red or two colors. Interesting car.
For sure once had semaphores. The euro column ignition, plate mounting, etc are all sure signs. Likely welded over.
Those blue ct plates are over 50 years old!😎👍cool find!
ehh, they aren't older than me haha
@@5150mxVW ... Ct added "constitution state" on the top in 1974, so that is an early plate. I believe they started the plate numbers with 2 letters around 1965 or 66.
@@rupe53 Mid 1950s they started two letter and four numbers. In 1957 they reissued to the standard 6x12 plate starting with BB-1000. May have been BC. Then they switched to all numbers in the early ‘60s until 1966 when we went to BA-1000 again and continued that series until 1980 when we ran out. 1974-5 was a one year only plate, white base with blue Constitution State and Connecticut. You’ll notice the 1976+ plates reverse the orientation of the scripts. Like I said, nerd😂
@@DubWerks ... I didn't realize they went back and forth early on. Registered a car in 1964 when I moved here and that was all numbers. Got another car in 66 and that started with letters (I forget) my 69 bug started with GH XXXX, in 72ish we got one with LD XXXX. Have an old dark bule plate in the garage starting HD, so guessing 70ish. BTW, that plate got swapped for reflector plates, so I have the reverse coloring of the same plate. Those plates came with my 64 Corvan 95, which is now on classic plates.
Regardless I saw the “Idiot” book slide down on the back seat. European semaphore car and the book. Worth every penny dude.
Haha saw that too. Maybe a first edition😮
@@ocavant I was thinking the same thing !
I was eyeing that too ! I said the same thing , I thought it was an early version too. i'll have to check the dates
The Vin number ought to tell you where the car was originally shipped to.
It could quite possibly be a trafficator beetle. I've known of cars that had the hole filled over when converting to flashing indicators. Some manufacturers used a trim plate to cover the gap on early flashing indicator cars, probably to save on tooling costs.
H4 was/ is definitely a European fitment, don’t know if Canada used them. My dad had a car in the very early 70’s ( probably 1970) with semaphore indicators. It looks a very clean bug
In the late 60’s VW went to what you call a European rear turn signal. The Goober that did the body work on this car just threw the car back together. The running boards were notorious for rusting out.
I learned how to drive in a 59 VW. The week I got my permit my brother totaled the VW. The color is similar to the color I had my VW painted. The Earl Scheibe special paint job. I don’t think it has semaphores. Brought back fond memories.
what a teaser at the end!
Nice purchase!!❤
thank you
Land o' lakes,wi.....wow,,a good bug....what!!!!!!😮😮😮...cool
Very cool ride!!
thank you , I got a Kawasaki tecate 250 engine from him as well
Not sure if its a semiphore car or not but all bugs up to 60 or 61 have the small two fuse box on the drivers side of the gas tank.. its for the head lights ..my 60 has it
I'm saying yes to the semaphores. My guess it was purchased in Europe by a soldier and brought back to the USA. Nice to have Dubwerks around, eh???
yes, he is very knowledgeable, he will learn even more about the earlier cars when he gets one.
It likely still has the semaphore wiring. Few go through the trouble of removing it. See if you have a couple of extra wires .
I have a 1958. It would have a made in Germany tag under the front ID tag if an export car. I suspect a soldier stationed in Europe brought it back. They could bring a car back free back then. So yes the semifores are bondoed over. And yes the forward fuses for the headlights is normal for a ‘58. Parents had a ‘ 61 with cloth seats and a Saxomat no clutch pedal car brought back by a US soldier .The steering lock, cloth seats, kilometer speedo crude overrider holes add on low fender blinkers and bulb headlights all scream Euro spec car.
Lookin like a Euro semaphore. I’m hoping all of its pieces came with the car. But that car isn’t for you! It’s neither rotting out nor full of acorns!
Congrats!
I’m tipping it’s a semaphore vehicle..my first car when I was 16 years old here in Australia was a 1958, semaphore, 36hp and 6 volt. Also and like in your example, it had a small fuse box near the fuel tank for the replacement indicators..
Australia here too: I had 59 with semaphores, no fuel gauge, emergency lever down under (pun not intended) dashboard, 36hp, 2 spoke steering wheel.
Headlights the same as in barn video but I converted to sealed beams, identical inside door panels with arm rests and duo-colour combination to yours, driver-only inside sun-visor - dark green(?) perspex.
The thing about Aussie VW's is that they were manufactured here in their entirety from 1959 to 1966 - not ckd or imported.
Nice find 👌
thank you
I'm guessing it is a semaphore car! Wonder if you could see sand scratches in the paint where the semaphores would have been?
The suspense!
Nice lookin car regardless.
thank you
i see at the end, you start stripping the paint to see if its a semaphore car. now wouldn't it be easier to strip back the trim on the inside pillar to see ? or is access not that great ?
Brother you have peace the gold on you hang is beautiful love volky that num one on my life Nice Florida USA 😳😳👍
Canadian speedometers would of been in miles per hour back then but the headlights were the same type as the Canadian models.
awesome, great news, thank you for sharing
Dear 5150mxVW
👍👌👏 Congratulations 🎉 Looks like a great purchase and a solid car. Being with floor pans and not rodent infested/damaged, it's quite an unusual sight on this channel. 2) 🙈 Thanks for the cliffhanger! Grrrr 😬😤 3) Don't worry, Jen, at least it's blue 💙! 😁 ;-) 4) Dubwerks knowledge is very impressive. 5) Nice to see Josh again. I wonder if his VW enthusiasm has somehow cooled down a bit. Thanks a lot for making teaching explaining recording editing uploading and sharing.
Best regards luck and especially health to all involved people.
Excellent video Jason :) also say Canada car possibly to and good find !
If it was for Italian market then it wouldn’t had semaphores from the factory. We started the 50/50 tail light and front turn signals with 58 model.
I think it was a Euro bug, and I also think from your magnet test that it is a semaphore bug too.
I like your thoughts :)
What a Hodgepodge!
nah, just a car that was made street legal while in europe , and had a rear fender hit and replaced here in the USA
its blue // love it its blue
Cool find! Maybe it'll get some attention now. What do you do with all the projects you bring home? Do you have a number limit, and something has to go before something new can come? Asking for a friend...
Back in the early sixties I had a 1959 ragtop like this one it did not have semaphores
You are more than likely here in the US. No? US cars did not have semaphores in ‘58.
Currently living in Mexico, but yes it was in the U.S. @@ocavant
My son has a 57 rag top he is restoring to be like a new one. He has even sent the factory radio to have it rebuilt to a am/fm radio. It will also have a much more powerful engine and a transmission re geared to travel on today's freeways. He is doing all the body work and interior himself. The only outside work is the engine and transmission.
Since I own a 117, Deluxe Ragtop 58 in Capri Blue, I’m guessing it is possibly a semi car, but I’m not convinced yet, since there is a mixed bag of stuff there. Get a Heritage certificate ordered ASAP. And that one is worth a full resto, the cloth will be next to impossible to source, but a nice accurate style new vinyl interior looks fine too… nice find, hopefully you just don’t try and run the 36HP engine and crash box trans in it… not safe in modern traffic for sure… good luck!..
The shifter looks like a period "Shift Star" I think they were later sold in vw accessory catalogues.
It could even have been fitted in Europe as I have seen a mid 60's dated pic of a car with one fitted. (In Peter Noad's book VW Beetle in Motorsport)
Edit, I think it is a semaphore car.
So the european bugs had this tunsignals on the b-pillar till 1959 from factory. Later they removed or just covered it with welding sheetmetal or just bondo after 1960 and installed aftermaket turning signals. Try to see if the "Winker" like we call it in germany are still unter there or look, if there had been holes.
Dang, NE US, where Beetles go to hibernate.
Those headlights look like they're possibly from an air cooled Porsche
In the UK and Europe, the body has an individual number (chasis number), if you guys have the same in the USA, surely it will tell you where it originally came from.
Nice lots of potential. Different to see you not digging one out of the mud and bush. I'd never heard of semaphores before so googled it as you suggested to someone. Interesting concept. If it is one could you hook up both them and the regular turn signals? they would be neat to see working, just some idiot might not see them and give you a whack . Of course around here it wouldn't matter. A lot of people here believe other drivers are physic. we all know where they're going-no signals needed . Why I always give lots of room-idiot space.
Herbie Rides Again!🤔🤷♂️🤣👨🔧😁
Yes
Nice touch, when will we find out? I say yes.
the results are IN, very soon
nice job.
Hello king junk man you are without a doubt you will always be without a doubt are all way be buying junk and spending to much money for cars big supper fan of the channel and all way be thanks make more videos thanks
Love to have that beauty
plot twist, only has it on one side,
Mustie1 !!!!!!
don't jinx me🤣
Nice cliff hanger. Clearly not a semaphore car. Thanks for the great content, You used the word derbiss in a video. best word ever. please use in as much as possible. because my boss doesn't like it. It's all about the derbiss.
Interesting!
Cracking Beetle
Nice vw
Yes, Semaphores, euros had them till 1960 I think
I like it ! thank you
Left rear is OG Euro hacked for US overiders. OG Euro ‘58 would have only had blades. R rear is US spec. ‘62 and up “big” light US spec. Hence the factory over rider hole on that side. Solid red R. rear tail lens is a replacement due to accident or similar at a time Euro replacement was not available here is US.
Euro tails were were more than likely added when semaphores were deleted while car was in Europe.
IMO, the car was imported sans semaphores but with Euro rear tails. At some point accident happened which necessitated changes on RR and US spec bumper with overriders was done at or about the same time.
Im pretty sure that's what he said. :/
Another good find Jason! How do you find these cars?
thank you Deb, this one was in our club classifieds. Larry saw it and passed it on to me
I'm thinking it's definitely a European bug, but I don't think it had semaphores. That's my guess, but it will be revealed soon. Can't wait to find out!
If it’s a euro 58 it has them
Better headlamp than US model
And then some.
Canadian cars didn't get H4's and had the same taillights and over-rider bumpers that the US got.
Reeled in another one!!
A Canadian deluxe car of the era would be indistinguishable from an American one. My 58 was originally delivered to Toronto and had optional cloth upholstery identical to this car's. The passenger seat is correct with original upholstery, the driver's seat is a later model. You can usually identify if the front fenders are euro by looking at the mounting holes for the top turn signals. Non-semaphore cars had 3 holes... 2 small holes with a large hole in the middle. Euro fenders that were converted later usually have 3 small holes for the retrofit signal lights. I assume it was so you could use common drill bit sizes to do the retrofit. Original VW rear fenders would have dimples between the mounting holes. 58 & 59 would also have drainage tubes in the engine compartment from the cooling vents under the rear window. Another 2 year item is the plastic sun visors attached to the rear view mirror. They are more rounded than the oval versions and became vinyl for the '60 model year. This is a sweet car... take care of it!
i did not know that about the sun visors, thank you for that info. I will have to look my oval and 58 visors now :). I ground the paint off the pillar , welded up semaphores ! no real surprise there but nice to confirm
Well? You can’t leave us hanging like this 😂
Haha, I was planning next vid the reveal but I bought like 4 split buses this week !
Excellent condition , generally speaking.. I'm always overwhelmed by how much "Lore" there must be, that you ..and others have followed... the secret tell-tale signs, etc. Seems the evidence says it's a European car. I concur.
Now there is a first u pushing a car to ur trailer 🚙😱
You know you can look at the Cabin Wire Harness the wires ran From A pillar to B pillar in the roof Rails I think you can see it in back of the Rag Tracks, and no it’s not a Semaphores Car , I think it’s a year Out ,but they had to Put Running lights on the front Fenders ,and they don’t have relays so they had to Add The turn signals in theHorn Grills
We had Semaphores 58 and 59 in Europe. 60 changed to flashing indicators.
I forgot to comment about the redundant front turns. I suspect small round turns were done at the same time the semaphore delete and euro rear turns were done. I have seen Euro cars with update aftermarket signals like those.
Possibly a state inspection for registration dictated model year lighting update in which top of fender peanuts were added. Interesting they are orange lenses as US spec were clear, IIRC.
This is a lot more speculation on my part about the fronts and is not as clear cut to me. Hopefully someone more knowledgeable about local laws can chime in.