1955 Volkswagen Beetle

Imported from Belgium in 2004 after having been in dry storage for many years, it has had just the one former keeper here in the UK. Now in the care of the vendor for the past six years, this wonderful early ‘oval window’ left-hand-drive VW Beetle has been recently resprayed in its original colour.

Lightly fettled and enjoyed only on high days and holidays, it’s now time for this delightful old Beetle to find a new home. Being offered with a sensible guide price and an even more reasonable reserve, this is your chance to buy an early Beetle on which someone else has already done the heavy lifting.

The green bodywork is in very good shape following a bare metal respray six years ago. The work has been done well as witnessed by the panel alignment and absence of dents and dinks, as well as the good shine to the attractive green paint.

The chromework is generally good, too. Only lightly patinated, it gleams nicely and should polish up well. The trafficators work - and trafficators are never a bad thing to have in your life, are they?

The badges are in great shape, as are the light lenses and glass. The running boards are solid but the rubber covering is splitting in places.

The steel wheels, which are fitted with good chrome hubcaps, look terrific. They’re shod with Firestone F560 tyres too, all of which appear to be fairly new and so are still sporting good tread.

As we will never tire of explaining, our experience shows that matching high-quality tyres are an infallible sign of a caring and mechanically sympathetic owner who is prepared to spend the appropriate amount in maintaining their car properly. Their presence does not, of course, preclude the need for a thorough inspection - something the vendor would welcome, by the way – but it does perhaps give you an insight into their attitude towards maintenance.

Aside from the usual stonechips and minor marks, the bodywork is generally very good. Sure, some of the chromework, most noticeably around the quarterlights and the wiper blades, is heavily rusted and there’s a dent in the middle of the rear bumper but it looks fabulous and what few flaws it has could be easily remedied.

The interior looks to be largely original, and shows the sort of patina and wear you would expect to see in a car of this age.

But, that said, let’s not damn with faint praise or get too negative because it gets better the more you dig. The beige cloth upholstery, for example, is in a decent condition with no rips, tears or other significant damage other than a little sun-induced degradation to the very top surface of both front seats. Neatly piped in turquoise, they’re still fairly plump and supportive.

The headlining is very good having been replaced while it has been in the vendor’s care, and the brown carpets have been refurbished and made good.

The green vinyl door cards aren’t the originals (although the originals do come with the car, along with a few other bits and bobs including new/old stock switches…) and they’re in a decent shape. They’re also fitted with some fabulous white and chrome door handles and window winders.

Other lovely touches include corduroy trim and grab handles, complete with chrome coat hangers, on the B-pillars. There are fluted chrome ashtrays too, plus a single sun-visor/rear-view mirror combo that is worth so utterly gorgeous that it’s worth the price of entry for that one feature alone.

White switches, knobs and handles and a wonderfully ornate VDO speedometer add a glamourous touch to what is a very thoughtful design, especially when you consider the car’s working-class roots.

The ‘frunk’ is solid but, like the rest of the interior, in need of tidying up.

Other problems? Well, the upholstery could do with a good clean and some of the details could do with (yes, here comes that word again…) prettification.

But, it’s solid and all there and retrimming and re-chroming as necessary would be an enjoyable and straightforward process that would bring the Beetle back to its former glory.

The engine comes from a 1959 car, so while it is not the original it is period-correct. We’re told that the Beetle starts well and drives as it should.

The engine bay and underside of the car are in much the same condition as the rest, which is to say they’re largely solid but in need of some light cosmetic refurbishment.

The vendor tells us that he doesn’t think it has ever been welded and that the only non-original panel is the spare wheel well, which he had replaced at the same time as the respray.

The Beetle doesn’t have a current MOT certificate, and while it is exempt by virtue of its age, we would strongly encourage the new owner to have the car re-MOT’d at the earliest. The cost of an MOT is a small investment when offset against the purchase and upkeep of any classic car, and it gives an independent, third-party assessment of the car’s condition, which not only provides reassurance to the owner (and any subsequent purchasers) but might also be invaluable in the event of a bump when negotiating with the police and any interested insurance companies…

Sadly, there is little in the way of paperwork for the car, so potential bidders must set their limits based on its current condition rather than being able to reply on a thick history folder.

There are also some spares including hubcaps, door cards, switches and more.

If you’d like to inspect the car prior to placing a bid – something we would encourage – then please use the Contact Seller button to arrange an appointment.

There are probably millions of old Beetles still giving faithful service to their adoring owners across the world, and there are probably tens of thousands of them for sale at any one time - and some of them are very nice indeed.

Like this one. Beautifully painted and only gently patinated, its semi-vintage looks bring old school aesthetics to a familiar recipe.

Solid, it needs only minor cosmetic fettling as and when time and finds permit, so would make an ideal daily driver for a Beetle enthusiast who is looking for an opportunity to add value as they enjoy life with one of the nicer examples we’ve seen in a while.

And, while it won’t be cheap we don’t think it will be terribly expensive either; with a guide price of somewhere between £15,000 and £20,000, it still offers its canny new owner the chance to help it appreciate as they fettle and titivate.

Viewing is always encouraged, and this particular car is located with the seller near Tunbridge Wells; to arrange an appointment please use the Contact Seller button at the top of the listing. Feel free to ask any questions or make observations in the comments section below, or try our ‘Frequently Asked Questions’.

This vehicle is not with us at The Market’s HQ near Abingdon, which means we have had to rely on the owner’s description of it, in conjunction with the photographs you see here, to compile the listing.

With this in mind, we would encourage potential bidders to contact the owner themselves and arrange to view the car in person, or to arrange a dedicated video call in which they can view the car virtually and ask questions.