Exhibits

The Volkswagen Museum of Puerto Rico proudly displays this magnificent specimen of the 1952 VW Beetle, who not only is shown is exemplary condition, but whom also happens to be a member of the exclusive One Hundred Thousand Kilometer Club. Beetle owners whose vehicles had reached the mark of 100,000 kilometers without the change of the engine would be granted the historic badge. The badge came in several designs during the years, some merely with the VW logo, and some with the VW logo and the figure of St. Christopher, Patron Saint of the Traveler.

The 1952 Beetle is primarily remembered for being the last of the "split-window" models, however it also had some specific characteristics particular to the 1952 calendar year model. The following paragraphs will document these characteristics and historical facts of this year's Beetle.

Technically, a few late-1951 changes used on the 1952 models included sturdier jacking point, and the deletion of wheel bolts from the tool kit. In November of '51, the rear seat bolsters that had been used in the Export Sedan since 1949 were discontinued and the exhaust valves were improved. Starting in December, new 8-volt 0.6-watt dashboard indicator lamps were used.

The Volkswagen underwent numerous changes during the 1952 calendar year, but not all at once. For instance, the use of vent windows, associated with the 1952 Beetle, didn't go into effect until October 1, 1952. In January, a hollow bolt with a felt ring was adopted to prevent grease leaks and the handbrake lever boot on the chassis tunnel of Export models was modified. Starting in February, the hydraulic brakes reservoir no longer had a float and Volkswagen made some electrical changes involving parking lights, which were in the headlights and attached to a different system terminal.

In March, a Klettermaxe jack was added to the tool kit; also in March, the use of a connecting pipe between the tailpipe and the exhaust silencer was dropped. Late, in May, the use of double springs stopped and single springs were used. June saw the diameter of the clutch adjusting nut reduced, and a new clutch cable operating lever with a conical eye was adopted.

Specific changes associated to the 1952 calendar year are: Glass vent windows added; vent flaps in front-quarter body panels discontinued. Heating control used a rotary knob, formerly a pull-knob. "T" type rear hood handle introduced, formerly a loop-type. Two brake taillights (formerly one brake-and stoplight in the center of the hood. Window crank makes 3 ½ turns, formerly 10 ½ turns. Glove compartment gets a door, formerly open bin. Turn signal control moved to steering wheel from prior position on dashboard. Tires changed to 5.60x 15, replacing the 5.00x16 tires. The transmission gets synchronized gears for 2^nd. thru 4^th. gear, formerly a crash box.

The engine, as usual, the horizontally opposed, overhead-valve four-cylinder (air-cooled) flat four engine was used. A displacement of 69.0 cubic inches, or 1,131cc continued unchanged from previous models. Horsepower rating was 24.5 hp at 3,300 rpm's. Top Speed for the Beetle was 65mph with a fuel mileage of 34mpg.

Production numbers for the year 1952 were 114,348 vehicles. According to industry publication Ward's, 601 Volkswagens were registered in the United States for calendar year 1952.

Volkswagen color available for the 1952 Beetle sedan: L11 = Pastel Green, L13 = Medium Green, L-14 = Reseda Green, L21 = Pearl Gray, L23 = Silver Gray, L31 = Dove Blue, L32 = Dark Blue, L-36 Azure Blue, L37 = Medium Blue, L41 Black, L55 = Maroon red, L70 = Medium Brown, L73 Chestnut Brown, L87 = Pearl White, L90 = Sand Beige. All models had a standard Beige cloth interior. Beige and Red leatherette interiors were available depending on the body color. Headliner color was Beige or Gray depending on body color. Carpets were Gray Beige or Honey brown depending on body color. Standard Sedans came only with Black rubber mats. Deluxe Export models came with Black or Beige mats depending on choice and body color.

1952 VW Beetles were classified in two categories, the 1100 Standard and the 1100 Deluxe. Specifications were basically the same, with the Deluxe model tilting the scale at 200 pounds heavier due to the additional equipment. For 1952, the production records show 110,095 Sedans and 4,253 Cabriolets.

Some historical footnotes for the year 1952 include:

Manufacturer - Volkswagenwerk GmbH, Wolfsburg, West Germany

Distributor - Hoffman Motor Car Co., New York City, NY USA

Volkswagen of Canada was established on September 11, 1952.

For the year 1952 41.4 per cent of all Volkswagens made were exported.

During the year 1952, Volkswagen workers were building 734 cars per day.

In September of 1961, Volkswagen announced that they would be producing a new car, the VW 1500. The car would share very little with the Beetle. The engine would be rear-mounted, air-cooled and with a displacement of 1,498cc, with its cooling system redesigned to take up less space than in the Beetle.

There would be much secrecy surrounding the new vehicle, and after a partial fire at the factory, management decided to board up all windows to stop prying eyes. In that building, and away from the curious press, the Type III was born. The design had begun in 1959 and by 1960 several prototypes were ready for testing.

At the 1960 Geneva Auto Show, Volkswagen's official position was that there were no new designs in the works! Despite the secrecy, word of a "new" VW had been spreading. Information was scarce and unreliable. The August 1959 edition of "Sports Cars Illustrated" revealed "Volkswagen" is, according to well founded sources, going to built a car somewhat along the lines of the new Austin A-40 in addition to the regular line of Beetles and Transporters.

In early 1961 Volkswagen officially announced that a new model line was on the way. VW released photos to the press, along with the name "VW 1500", but little else. When the vehicle was released later that year, everyone realized how radically different the car was to the Beetle. Volkswagen purposely elected not to call the vehicle Volkswagen, to avoid confusion with the successful Beetle line, so the vehicle was officially promoted as VW 1500, rather than Volkswagen 1500.

The first model of this line was a standard looking sedan. It would eventually earn the nickname "Notchback". Released around the same time as the Notchback, another model of the Type 3 variety was called the "Squareback", or Station Wagon.

The Squareback was called the Variant, and it would prove to be the longest running model of the Type III line. In August of 1965, a third Type III joined the line. Aptly named the "Fastback" because of its sports car fastback style, these cars were tastefully designed and well proportioned. Production of the Type III ceased in 1973.

Production for the VW Type 31 1500/1600 Variant (Station Wagon) was recorded at 1,202,935 units. For the record, the term "station wagon" describes a passenger car with a body style similar to a sedan, or saloon, but with a roofline following the entire rear cargo area and/or extra row of seats, ending with a more vertical door than on a "hatchback".

The term station wagon is particular to the United States, Australia, Canada and New Zealand, while the term "estate" is used in England. European manufacturers such as Audi, BMW and Mercedes Benz have often referred to their wagons as "Avant", "Touring", and "Estate", respectively to distinguish them from their sedan counterparts.

The Museum unit is a 1969 model purchased from its original owner in Puerto Rico. It remains is unrestored condition but in excellent form. The vehicle has 99 thousand miles on the odometer, very close to reaching the 100 Mile landmark. The unit carries its original paint job in Savannah Beige with brown interiors and the full carpeting is in excellent conditions.

The Station Wagon, just like other Type III versions, had the gas tank filler cap, under a latch door on the right front fender, yet Type III owners needed to be watchful when taking the vehicles for service at non-VW specialists, since service people tended to confuse the oil filler cap on the back of the vehicle with the gas filler, The oil filler cap is located on the inside frame of the rear door, and although clearly marked OIL, it still caused confusion.

For your reading pleasure, we were able to obtain a dozen of the original ads that Volkswagen published in newspaper and magazines during the years 1961 through 1973. Following the company's design, these ads continued the trend of not taking anything serious, and used humor to highlight the vehicles attributes.

We were able to get our hands on an original sales brochure from 1969. Even in formal publications like this sale brochure, VW maintained the use of humor and informal style to promote their product.

The Museum's Station Wagon keeps good company, in the forma of a "Fastback" and a "notchback" Type III's.

If you enjoyed this article, you may want to read the following stories:

Unrestored VW Type III Fastback finds a home at the Volkswagen Museum of P.R

Volkswagen 1500 Type III Sedan - A Beetle in Disguise?

Well the Volkswagen Museum of Puerto Rico is committed to include all possible original or custom made versions of the Volkswagen. The unit we present to you in this report certainly falls in the custom made category and proclaims the creativity of VW fanatics.

The vehicle started life as a 1963 Type 2 Bus, complete with safari windshield; it was cut, stretched, welded and hand formed into a flat-bed service truck, road certified, meeting DMV standards and capable of hauling light vehicles. Oh, and it does all of that in great style!

The vehicle was hand-built in Puerto Rico by a gentleman we will identify as Remy, built for the sole purpose of transporting his super special clinically restored 1965 VW Beetle to and from auto shows. Remy was so picky with his Beetle, that he didn't want it to touch the road, so the truck was built following the same criteria used to restore the Beetle. End result, a flat-truck to haul his Beetle that was so nice and unique, that would require another flat-bed to carry the flat-bed. It got so confusing that Remy decided to sell the vehicles to Dr. Norman, for exhibition at the Volkswagen Museum of Puerto Rico.

Just by looking at the photos included in this report, you will agree that if you owned either of them, you would not want to risk the finish over any road, for any purpose, so I guess it was a good marriage for all.

The Type 2 bus required special work in the geometry to keep the unit straight after lengthening the frame, work that required the use of a frame platform to achieve mathematical correctness in all measurements. The suspension also needed extra reinforcement as the payload capacity of the truck would increase significantly carrying the weight of the mechanical equipment necessary for the flat-bed conversion, and eventually the weight of another vehicle.

Coil-over shocks and stiffer bars and suspension springs were added, and spec correct sway bars installed to guarantee a straight and safe ride. The actual platform is finished in wood, varnished and polished to a high gloss. Polished aluminum and chrome was added to complete the custom truck look.

The completed unit went to the paint booth and finished in the same light green and white two-tone combination of the '65 Beetle it was to carry. It was an awesome look and a sight that turned many heads on the highway.

When the unit was purchased by Dr. Norman, he decided to build a shorter, lighter version of a VW Beetle for the truck and car combination, literally taking a load of the payload weight. The Beetle we call "Shorty" was hand-formed and built at the Volkswagen Foundation shops in Lajas, Puerto Rico. The body was made of metal and hand shaped to conform to the original Beetle look.

There was no need for doors, so the sides were sealed shut, to lessen the weight and at the same time add rigidity to the body and frame. A peppy engine was added and Dr. Norman had built another winner.

The truck and car combination is one of the favorite of visitors of the museum, and certainly adds a new dimension to the typical Volkswagen characteristic personality as a utilitarian vehicle. If you wish to read more about the original 1965 Beetle built by Remy, you may do so by clicking on the following link: 1965 Volkswagen Beetle Type 1 - Two tone .

Every once in a while you run into things that are not what they seem to be, or perhaps what they should be, yet they add spice, a small twist into the "status quo", perhaps even enthusiasm and humor to our lives. Well, we feel that the 1953 VW Beetle that we here present to you falls into that category. Read on and find out.

This Beetle started life as a basic, 1953 model with sunroof. After years of service and companionship to its original owner, the car was abandoned and left to pasture, literally. Years later, the Beetle fell into loving hands that made a project out of bringing "Tweety" back to life. The time and the elements had taken a toll on Tweety and many components were beyond salvage, leaving the new owner no choice but to look for substitute components anyway he could find them and afford.

Slowly, parts were gathered, but many of them not belonging to the 1953 split window model. Turn signals, wheels, engine and others were replaced by what became available. As the vehicle started to gain shape, it began to assume its own personality, and when time came for the vehicle to enter the paint booth, the canary yellow color you now see was the natural option.

"Tweety" had entered a new life, a new shape and a new personality, today, the media calls these transformations a "total make-over", but regardless the name, the owner had a new car.

Now, the vehicle came to rest at the Volkswagen Museum of Puerto Rico, into the able and caring hands of Dr. Norman, who after checking its vitals and putting Tweety on a special diet, has given the car thumbs up and allow it to soon rejoin the company of its brothers and sisters on the museum's main exhibition floor.

The specifications book may say this is not a perfect car, it is not a faithful restoration of a Volkswagen, but you know what, Tweety does not care, he is happy to be back in action and proud to be at the Museum. Dr. Norman seems pleased with Tweety's attitude, so that is the way it is going to be.

Those of you that have the opportunity to visit the Volkswagen Museum of Puerto Rico in Yauco, and get a chance to see Tweety, will agree with Dr. Norman that certain things are better left the way they are.