1970 Volkswagen Beetle

The story of the Beetle is well known; it was initially designed to provide cheap transport for the hard working German masses. Built in very small numbers before and during World War II, the Beetle literally rose from the ashes of Volkswagen's bombed-out Wolfsburg factory to become an instant success in Europe, Britain, America and virtually every other country in the world. The model evolved through various facelifts and numerous mechanical changes - there were more than 70,000 identifiable modifications - and provided a platform for other models, including commercial vehicles and sporting derivatives such as those by Karmann-Ghia. It was this constant development and attention to detail which allowed the Beetle to maintain its position, and as production raced past the 15,000,000 mark, the Beetle went on to be crowned as the best-selling car of all time.

The car offered here today is a matching numbers 1970 model. This car was first registered in Budapest Hungary with the license plate 'BHH-545'. The car now has been MOT'd and tested in Lincolnshire England and, by the auction, will benefit from an age related number plate issued by the DVLA. The vendor purchased the car from an established Volkswagen restorer in Marcali, Hungary. The car was totally original and it was the vendor's intention to keep it that way, however, on closer inspection of the hidden areas of the car- it became clear that some panels had corroded and needed replacing. Attila Szabo, the engineer, felt that to do the car justice a full and comprehensive restoration would be justified on this particular car. So with that agreed, Attila set about dismantling the car and at the same time documenting and photographing the strip down, the preparation work and the subsequent restoration work.The project took 4 months from start to finish and during that time the decision was made to change from the original white to the striking grey that you see today. The upholstery was changed to complement the paint work and a full mechanical overall was carried out.

We have a 'birth certificate', issued by the Official Volkswagen museum in Wolfsburg Germany, confirming that the car was built on the 13th May 1970. This document was issued on the 10th of April 2001 to Krisztian Gyuries of Budapest, who ran the car for nearly nine years before selling it to Attilla Szabo on the 14th September 2009. He then used it as a town car before selling it to the current vendor on 03/06/2011 and then started the restoration project with Attilla. Since the restoration the car has been used every day around the Lake Balaton region of Hungary where the vendor lives and it has given many miles of happy motoring. The vendor can confirm that the car has only had two previous owners from new.

A full photo album documenting the rebuild is offered with the car and will be available for viewing prior to the auction. Sold with current V5C registration certificate, this wonderful 1970 Beetle has an MoT test certificate valid until September 2013. With all the work now done, this Beetle really is ready to be driven and enjoyed, either as a show car or as everyday transport.