Vin#: 0 045 075 (17-May-1962)
Color: Gulf Blue
Delivered: to Kiel, Germany on 21-May-62
Background:
Dave Love found out about this Notchback after reading a classified ad from the San Diego Union Tribune one morning in September 1993, listing a 1962 Notchback for sale, asking price was $3,000. Wanting a 67, 12-volt at the time, and having no knowledge that Notchbacks were even built that early, Dave decided to “go check it out”. After successfully “blocking” a family who wanted to purchase it for their 16 year old daughter, Dave quickly purchased this beautiful Notchback and saved it from certain destruction. This rare and early “1500” with all of its original paperwork, has a very interesting history, and a mystery. This Notchback was originally purchased on October 4th, 1962, with 493 miles on the odometer, by Mr. Barry Farwell, of San Diego, California, for $2,602, at Pacific View Motors, on Garnett Avenue in Pacific Beach, San Diego, California. Mr. Farwell purchased this Notchback after his neighbor from across the street bought the Pearl White one from a litter of five, and he decided that he had to have one. Considering this was only 13 months after the official unveiling of the VW 1500 line at the Frankfurt Auto Show in September 1961, this Notchback and this “litter of five”, could quite possibly have been some of the very first Notchbacks to reach the west coast of the United States. The original documents that came with the car also reveal that it was issued to a German Doctor from Rendsburg. In that lies the mystery, what purpose did it serve in those first five months and 493 miles before it mysteriously ended up in San Diego with 4 others…..Dealer Car? Demonstration Car? Buyer exchange program? You could only assume, but for certain, this original “Grey Market” early Notchback never experienced a German winter, and Mr. Farwell owned and lovingly logged over 200,000 miles over a 31 year period, until Dave read the paper that fateful morning.
Restoration:
Car and original rims were repainted before purchase. Body is straight, never hit, and no rust. Original early chrome bumpers. Retains original and matching number, 6-volt, 1493cc, 1500 motor with Solex side-draft carburetor. Engine was rebuilt using same case. Transmission rebuilt. Original rear drums replaced with early NOS ones. Headlights converted from American spec back to German spec using NOS Hella 2-bulb fluted lenses. Sidemarker lenses and rear flat taillight lenses replaced using NOS Hella parts. Original cats-eye mirror, tool set, push-button dash, and red-needle gauges. The original interior is mostly there, and the original carpet was removed by the original owner. Dave has painstakingly over the years replaced most of the hard to find early type 3 components such as early wrap-around dash, and early muffler with heat exchangers. Paying extreme attention to detail, everything that goes on this car is strictly German and early year correct, including accessories like the authentic "Wolfsburg" AM radio with correct ivory domed knobs and Hirschmann "red tip" antenna. Also, the car still bears the original “black and gold” California license plates which were originally issued to the car in October 1962, along with reproduction German plates that was issued to the German Doctor in Rendsburg.
