1956 Volkswagen Beetle 1200

We are pleased to be selling this delightful 1956 Beetle, resplendent in beige and with a left-hand drive configuration.

This matching numbers car was delivered to its first owner in Columbia where it lived its life up until May of this year.

Our seller, a frequent visitor to the South American country, imported the car and having done a few small jobs to it, and most importantly having got it properly UK registered and road legal, is now ready to sell it on.

He purchased the car from a Volkswagen parts shop owner who had restored the car during his long period of ownership. When not used, it was stored in a dry and dark basement garage away from the sun’s damaging rays.

We are told the car was regularly subject to the Columbian equivalent of the MoT, but of course we have no idea how in depth this may be.

We can report that the car drives well, though of course don’t expect to get anywhere in a hurry with just 30hp emanating from the 1200cc engine. It’s not always about speed, sometimes you need to kick back and relax, and this may well be the car to do just that in.

The car indicators, radio and windscreen wipers don't seem to work, but the headlights do.

Prairie Beige says the data sheet, a copy of which confirms the car’s original specification. Painted by the last Columbian owner, the colour really suits the car, helping to show off that distinctive Beetle shape.

The paint still has a lovely lustre to it, the car having clearly been much loved in the past few years. On closer inspection there are some imperfections which a new owner may wish to address. Nothing too major. There are the usual stone chips here and there and the driver’s door does have some imperfections around the handle.

We also note an area of poor paintwork to the bottom of the driver’s door near the hinge.

There’s lots of chrome on this lovely old Beetle and we suspect some of it has been replaced during the restoration.

The hubcaps are wonderfully shiny, and we just love the whitewall tyres. However, they are older cross plies, and we would suggest they be replaced.

The glass, original we guess, is scratched in places, not surprising perhaps after 65 years.

The Beetle left the factory with red leatherette seating and this was doubtless replaced during the restoration. The retrimmed beige seats are in super condition, with door cards and even the steering wheel to match. We like it a lot. We do note a small area of damage to the passenger door card.

Beetle interiors are simplicity themselves, with barely any controls and just the speedometer to distract you from the job of driving. There’s not even a fuel gauge which may make life interesting.

It is often the little details that delight, such as the period cream Blaupunkt radio and mesh parcel shelf under the dashboard.

Carpets are in good order and a peep underneath reveals solid floors.

Driving a Beetle is always an experience, the floor hinged pedals taking a little getting used to and early cars like ours have a rather small accelerator pedal.

The boot boasts a matching spare wheel and tyre and with it a simple tool kit too. The fuel tank looks reassuringly new, which we like as it sits proudly behind the front mounted spare.

We always include plenty of pictures of a car’s underside, so pause a while and look in our gallery. The dry South American climate has clearly helped keep the Beetle in good order. We might be tempted to top up the underseal in places, especially if the car is to be used all year round.

We can also see evidence of newly fitted parts, no doubt installed by our parts shop owning Columbian.

The engine compartment looks to be in fine order and with, you guessed it, plenty of new looking parts.

We cannot tell you much about the engine other than it is original to the car and it seems to run well.

We have probably already told you all we know about the Beetle’s history already. To reiterate…

Long-term Columbian owner carried out the restoration and our seller imported the car earlier this year.

There is a little paperwork, in Spanish of course, not a language we are fluent in, sadly!

You cannot help but fall for the charms of an early Beetle. Whether it is the iconic looks, or the distinctive sound from that simple engine, you can guarantee a crowd will gather whenever you park.

Most older drivers have a Beetle story, whether it’s from ownership experience or simply passenger rides. Any time spent beetling leaves an indelible impression.

A life in the dry has clearly helped keep this car in good order and it is easy to see that money, time and effort has been lavished on her in recent years.

So, if we have whetted your appetite, all that remains is to put in a generous bid.

We estimate the car will sell for between £12,500 and £16,000.

Viewing is always encouraged, within government guidelines of course. The car is located at our Abingdon headquarters; we are open Mon-Fri 9am-5pm and to arrange an appointment please use the ‘Contact Seller’ button at the top of the listing to make an appointment. Feel free to ask any questions or make observations in the comments section below or try our ‘Frequently Asked Questions’