Stark utility is the overriding impression when you first see Ivan Fuller’s 1947 Volkswagen, the oldest Beetle in New Zealand
When Ivan turned the tiny key, pulled the choke (Luftclapper) knob on the floor and pressed the flat black starter button on the lower edge of the dashboard, that typical sound of a VW air-cooled flat four came from the rear – obviously with little sound deadening material between it and us.
He apologised in advance for any noises he might extract from the ‘crash’ gearbox, giving the excuse he was out of practice. Ivan drove gently for a few kilometres until the engine was properly warm. He soon demonstrated the 25bhp (18kW) engine’s good performance in second and third gears – ideal ratios for the winding country roads where he lives. At the risk of upsetting Porsche 911 owners, there were times when the little flat four gave a fair aural impersonation of its delicious and distant flat
six cousin.
Ivan also demonstrated the typical Beetle tail-happiness. He has been a VW nut for a long time, starting with a Beetle he bought many years ago and soon put on its roof. Being of an analytical nature, he had to buy another to find out why it happened and how not to do it again.
Ian’s Beetle, carrying the registration number ‘PRETZL’, cruised happily on the open road at about 85kph, giving the impression it would do so forever. The theoretical top speed is 100kph, which PRETZL can slightly exceed. It’s no museum piece – Ivan bought and restored the car to use, even though there is a cost in doing so. He has driven it to Nelson and to Queenstown on another trip, as well as many kilometres in the North Island, so he knows it will in fact cruise all day at 85kph, day after day.
The controls are suitably basic in keeping with the rest of the car: in addition to the ignition key and starter button, a large speedometer is flanked by two switches – one for lights and one for the windscreen wipers (described by Ivan as toy wipers). A knob in the upper middle of the dash operates the direction semaphores, and there are warning lights for oil pressure, generator and high beam. There is no fuel gauge, just a lever on the passenger side foot well to switch to ‘reserve’ when the petrol tank runs low. There are also two buttons on the floor, one being the ‘Luftclapper’ and the other marked ‘H’ for heat. Obviously, a new owner would not need a 90-minute tutorial on how to operate the car.
New Zealand’s Oldest Beetle
Volkswagen No 1-071167 was manufactured in November 1947, in the Wolfsburg factory that still had wartime holes in the roof and was run by the Royal EME. A British commission headed by Sir William Rootes visited the factory shortly after World War II and confidently predicted it would fall down of its own accord within two years. The commission also predicted no future for the car being produced there!
At the time, occupying Allied forces requisitioned all production and it appears only civilians with the right military connections could acquire a car. A few early Beetles found their way to New Zealand with returning servicemen and Ivan’s was one of them, possibly arriving at Ohakea with a Sergeant Leon Gribble. A friend of Ivan’s has confirmed seeing several Beetles at Ohakea soon after the war.
There is a gap in its history from then until the beginning of its ownership papers in 1962. From that date the car spent most of its time in the Manawatu-Wanganui area. Harry Duynhoven, Member of Parliament for New Plymouth and well known VW and Porsche enthusiast, discovered the car in Hamilton some 20 years ago. He knew from its split rear window that it was an early one, but didn’t realise until later that he had found New Zealand’s oldest Beetle. The car sat in Harry’s shed for some years and it took Ivan the best part of 10 years to convince Harry to sell. The claim to being New Zealand’s oldest Beetle is based on a difference of 20 or 30 in chassis numbers between Ivan’s car and the next oldest. As he noted, they were probably made on same day in November 1947. PRETZL is one of about 30 Beetles of 1947 vintage on a worldwide VW register.
Reconstruction
When Ivan acquired the Beetle it moved to a succession of panel shops as a downtime restoration project, without making any progress. Eventually, he took it to Craig’s Panel and Paint at Manaia where, although its priority status was theoretically unchanged, a great deal of work was done on the body. Every attempt was made to ensure it was correct in even the most minor detail, including internal structures that would never be seen again. As the panel work was nearing its end, Ivan found himself between jobs, so he worked fulltime on the car at Stuart Craig’s workshop for six months. He carried out most of the work from that point on – finishing the panel work, body assembly and pre-paint preparation.
The glaring difference, especially on a sunny day, was the bright work on the later car. It’s not hard to have more bright work than none
Ivan painted the car in single pack paint for ease of touch-up work. It is the correct shade of KdF Grey, which was like Henry Ford’s black: ‘Any colour you like, as long as…’ However, it seems the British Coal Board received a fleet of appropriately black cars, some maroon examples went to the USSR and the US may have got some blue cars.
‘PRETZL’ was very incomplete when Ivan bought it – just a rolling body with one door and the wrong engine. Parts were imported from Germany, Ireland, the US and Australia, as well as being sourced from throughout New Zealand or specially made. Some were unobtainable and Ivan was not prepared to pay exorbitant prices for a few others. Consequently, he pointed out a few incorrect items, such as the headlight lenses and the seat upholstery not being replaced because he could not find the correct material.
Ivan’s eye for detail extended to sourcing the correct brand of German bolts of the correct head size. In fact, as we chatted our way through an afternoon, it became clear Ivan is no ordinary car enthusiast/restorer. He works to standards I can only dream of, aiming to faithfully reproduce what would have been and only reluctantly settling for compromise when there is clearly no option. When I suggested that being so fussy could be both a blessing and a curse, he agreed, but clearly sees it more as a blessing.
Ivan is a cabinetmaker by trade and his standards of workmanship got him involved in the first super yacht built by Fitzroy Engineering in New Plymouth. As an unexpected bonus, he was a member of the crew that delivered the multi-million dollar craft to Europe. On his return he found himself between jobs again as there were no orders at that stage for further yachts.
He spent some time restoring cars as a fulltime occupation before starting a shift job. The restoration work continues during his days off. Current projects include a concours restoration of a Porsche 911 for an Auckland client, a 1937 Ford V8 coupe and a 1963 EH Holden Wagon. His own projects include an early oval back-window Beetle and a mid-fifties Kombi. His standards of workmanship are such he will never lack clients who expect the best. His name is destined to be well known in the classic car restoration field.
16 Years of progress
Several months after I first visited Ivan, I returned to compare PRETZL with a 1963 Beetle from Wellington he had recently finished restoring. While conceding it was possibly better than new in some respects, he said it was not done to Concours standard – a usable classic. Having said that, it subsequently won its class at the annual Easter VW Nationals.
It was an interesting comparison. The profiles were essentially the same from any angle. The glaring difference, especially on a sunny day, was the bright work on the later car. It’s not hard to have more bright work than none, but a considerable amount had been added in the intervening years to keep the Beetle more or less up with 1960s fashions. The other obvious difference, of course, was the later model’s rectangular back window. Less obvious was its deeper windscreen.
Sound-wise, the difference was definitely noticeable. The later car’s quiet, traditionally smooth sounding engine contrasted strongly with PRETZL’s relatively loud agricultural noise. Also familiar was the satisfying ‘thunk’ of the newer car’s door closing, compared to PRETZL’s mechanical sounding counterpart.
Overall, the Volkswagen progressed in 16 years from a strictly utilitarian vehicle to a far more sophisticated one, albeit with basically the same simple running gear. PRETZL has not one unnecessary item, whereas the later car has more creature comforts and plenty of ornamentation. Luckily, this progress was made without losing any of the Beetle’s quirky charm. Ivan is not sure how many parts would be interchangeable between the two cars, but by 1967, the engine lid’s rubber seal was the only part in common with the 1947 model.
Strength Through Joy
When the forerunner of the Beetle was launched prior to the Second World War, it was to be made available to average citizens through a lay-by savings scheme allowing them to own a car in just over four years (a cunning plan to generate funds to build the factory). Responsibility for this finance scheme was given to a German labour organisation, the Deutsche Arbeitsfront (DAF). When Adolf Hitler laid the cornerstone for the new car factory, he announced that the new car was to be called the KdF Wagen – the Kraft-durch-Freude Wagen or Strength through Joy Car!
By 1967, the engine lid’s rubber seal was the only part in common with the 1947 model
The factory was to be built adjacent to a new town, to be called Stadt des KdF, or KdF Town. Both projects were only partly completed before World War II. The town became Wolfsburg, the home of Volkswagen, and the rest is history. Pre-war prototypes carried the KdF logo, a cogged wheel, on every conceivable part. By the time Volkswagen production began after the war, the symbol was in disrepute, so it was progressively removed. However, in 1947 it still remained on many parts, which means later items are incorrect. This makes restoration of the earliest Beetles especially difficult.
Pretzel
Why PRETZEL? It seems that, when the Volkswagen first appeared, its two-piece back window reminded Germans of the shape of a beer pretzel. The nickname stuck, until the arrival of the one-piece oval rear window in 1953. About that time, the name Beetle came into vogue (or Bug in US), and has stuck ever since.
Interestingly, it was possible to buy a kit from your local VW dealer in the ’50s to convert your two-piece rear window to the one-piece style. A few owners who bought and installed that kit, or subsequent owners of modified cars, must have regretted it later.
Specifications: 1947 Volkswagen
Engine: Air-cooled overhead valve flat four cylinder
Capacity: 1131cc
Bore/stroke: 75x64mm
C/ratio: 5.8:1
Max power: 25bhp (18kW) @ 3200rpm
Fuel System: mechanical fuel pump, Solex carburettor, 40-litre tank
Transmission: four-speed, non-synchromesh manual
Axle ratio: 4.43:1
Body/chassis: Two door, four seat, all steel body
Suspension: Front: transverse laminated torsion bars, short single acting telescopic dampers; Rear: swing axle, torsion bars, single acting lever dampers
Brakes: cast-iron drums front and rear, cable operated
Steering: worm and sector
Tyres: 5.00×16-inch cross-ply
DIMENSIONSONS
Length: 4070mm
Width: 1540mm
Height: 1500mm
Wheelbase: 2400mm
Front (F/R): 1290mm/1250mm
Kerb weight: 690kg
PERFORMANCE
0-100kph: 23sec
Max speed: 100kph (appx)
Economy: 36mpg
PRODUCTION
1945: 1785
1946: 10020
1947: 8987
Loading ...
