1955 Volkswagen Beetle Convertible Sedan

Ferdinand Porsche conceived the Beetle in 1932 as a mass-produced, low-priced vehicle that was available and affordable for all Germans. This 'people's car' was just hitting its stride in 1955 when, by year-end, the Wolfsburg Works had produced a total of 279,988 cars in one year alone. By 1965, production achieved the million-car mark.

During World War II, the Fallersleben plant was partially destroyed. The Volkswagen project was offered to Henry Ford II, who felt the car wasn't 'worth a damn.' No one wanted the Volkswagen, partially due to the American public's strong anti-German sentiment. One man, however, did see promise in the company. A Dutchman brought the car to the United States and partnered with foreign car importer Max Hoffman, and helped fill America's demands for affordable transportation. By 1952, Volkswagen produced and sold over 100,000 of these little air-cooled cars. Model choices included the Standard, the Deluxe, the Deluxe with Sunshine Roof, the Type 2 Microbus, and the Cabriolet.

This vehicle is a 1955 Volkswagen Cabriolet that has been given a restoration. This was a heavily optioned car from the factory when new, and is finished in silvery blue Mittelblau metallic paintwork with original and proper fender skirts. The car rides on whitewall tires and there are chrome hubcaps and trim rings. Other features include twin fog lamps, illuminated semaphore turn indicators, the European 'Heart' tail lamps, and the City Arms (Wolfsburg crest) badge.

The interior features pale blue leather, translucent plastic sun visors, twin door panel pockets, an original Blaupunkt 'Frankfurt' pushbutton LMUK radio, and twin leather-upholstered bolster pillows to the rear. There is also a rare 'Deluxe Panel' dashboard clock, located in the center of the dash.

Mounted in the rear is a 72.74 cubic-inch air- and oil-cooled horizontally opposed four-cylinder engine with a single Solex carburetor. There is a four-speed manual transmission and four-wheel hydraulic brakes.

By Daniel Vaughan | Apr 2014