1977 Volkswagen Beetle 1303 LS Cabriolet - ex-Roger Daltrey CBE

One of the 20th Century’s truly great automobiles, the Volkswagen Beetle spawned a host of derivatives, the longest enduring being the Cabriolet. A single prototype was built pre-war, but it was not until 1949 that production commenced, the bulk of which was entrusted to Karmann of Osnabruck whose four-seater Cabriolet appeared soon after the two-seater Hebmuller-built version. Only Karmann’s would stand the test of time, outliving the saloon and remaining ever fashionable, an instantly recognisable motoring icon to this day and one ever popular with showbusiness celebrities.

Mechanical changes to the Cabriolet kept pace with those of the saloon until the latter’s production began to wind down in the early 1970s. Thus, the Cabriolet gained the Super Beetle’s MacPherson strut front suspension, trailing-arm rear suspension and more-bulbous bonnet for 1971. 1973 brought with it a curved windscreen (and shortened bonnet), recessed dashboard and altered rear wings with enlarged light clusters. Topping the range was the 1303 LS with a 49bhp 1.6-litre twinport air-cooled flat-four engine. In this specification the Cabriolet continued to be built until January 1980, two years after German production of the saloon had ended.

The car presented here is 1977 Volkswagen Beetle 1303 LS Cabriolet formerly owned from new for almost 30 years - from 1977 until 2005 - by Roger Daltrey CBE, founder and lead singer of The Who, legendary rock band of the 1960s. The car is accompanied by a signed letter from Daltrey confirming that he owned the car for that period. Also in the history file is a Volkswagen Museum Certificate which confirms the specification above, a build date of 27th January 1977 and that the car was UK-delivered. It also confirms the original colour scheme of Viper Green Metallic paintwork with a Pale Sand hood.

The car has benefitted from diligent ownership since 2005, being regularly serviced and maintained. In 2014 the Karmann bodywork receiving a full bare metal respray in the original factory colour of Viper Green, whilst there are still in situ Cibie Oscar driving lamps fitted during Daltrey’s ownership. The previous owner also had the seating and door cards fully re-trimmed in beige leather, with perforated centre panels.

During the penultimate service while in Daltrey’s care the original service book was misplaced, and so the servicing history for this period is substantiated solely by his signed letter. Accompanying the car is an original book pouch, containing a period owner’s manual, the authenticity certificate from Stiftung AutoMuseum Volkswagen, some old MOT certificates and previous V5 documents. A 2005 newspaper article from when Daltrey sold the car is also included, along with his signed letter to the buyer at the time.

Our vendor is a big fan of The Who, enthusiastically buying the car in 2019, and has since kept up its conscientious custodianship. He has lavished over £10,000 on this very deserving car, primarily to get it back to its original specification, saying “the car is now as near to as it was when it left the factory as I can get it; it's in great nick, not Concours but very good.”

A really fun car in very good condition, with Rock Royalty provenance, at an attractive guide.