Early Cabriolet from the final model year of the Oval-window model
Delivered new in Germany through MAHAG in Munich
Imported to Austria in 1960 as a wedding present
With its current owner for almost 30 years
Still partly preserved in original condition
Wonderful original colour combination
When Volkswagen first officially offered the Beetle with its roof removed in 1949, the Wirtschaftswunder was still some way off. Wolfsburg was building a car for the people, but apparently at least a small number of those people wanted some sunshine above their heads while driving. Two coachbuilders were given the opportunity to oblige: Hebmüller in Wülfrath and Karmann in Osnabrück.
The two approached the task rather differently. Hebmüller turned the Beetle into an elegant two-seater with a long rear deck and a hood that folded away almost completely. The Type 14A looked rather like a small sports car and was correspondingly elaborate to build. A major fire at the Hebmüller works in 1949 came at the worst possible moment. Financial difficulties followed, and by 1952 it was all over. Instead of the 2,000 originally planned, fewer than 700 were built.
Karmann had better luck – and the more practical concept. Its four-seater Cabriolet largely retained the familiar Beetle silhouette. Since removing the roof also removed an important part of the body structure, considerable reinforcement was required underneath. Strengthened sills and additional bracing made the Cabriolet heavier than the saloon, but four people could still come along for the ride. Provided nobody in the back had grown too tall.
Mechanically, the open Volkswagens followed the development of the saloon. The original 1.1-litre flat-four gave way to the more powerful 1.2-litre engine in 1954. Along the way came all those little improvements with which Volkswagen civilised the Beetle year by year.
By 1957, Volkswagen had continued to refine the Beetle both technically and visually, and Karmann kept pace with the Cabriolet. Yet the open Volkswagen retained a character all of its own. What in 1949 had still seemed almost like an indulgence at the fringes of Volkswagen’s thoroughly sensible model range had long since become a fixture.
According to its Volkswagen certificate, this Cabriolet was completed on the last day of February 1957 and delivered four days later to MAHAG in Munich. It was finished, as it is today, in Shetland Grey with red leatherette upholstery. In 1960, the used Cabriolet came to Austria, apparently as a wedding present: between the application for individual type approval and its first Austrian registration, the name of its proud Viennese owner changed from Amalia Bednarcik to Amalia Petru. From 1972, the open Volkswagen was registered to her husband for another four years. It then passed to a family in Upper Austria, who would keep it until the mid-1990s.
Since 1997, this early Cabriolet has been with its current owner for almost three decades. Until a few years ago, he drove his open Volkswagen regularly. In the past few years, rather less so. It will therefore require a little fettling to get the rare Type 15 back on the road, while its interior and hood appear still to be original. With a Beetle, that should hardly be a major undertaking. They do, after all, have a habit of running almost regardless.