Thanks to British Army officer Major Ivan Hirst: ’48 Volkswagen
After the war, all manufacturing in Germany was to be dismantled. They offered the VW plant along with the Type 1 to Britain but they refused it because it was ugly and didn’t measure up to their standards. Thankfully for Volkswagen, no other car manufacturer was interested in the factory; “the vehicle does not meet the fundamental technical requirement of a motor-car … it is quite unattractive to the average buyer … To build the car commercially would be a completely uneconomic enterprise.” Civilian manufacturing of the Type 1 Sedan began under the stewardship of British officer Major Ivan Hirst. Today’s find is the oldest Type 1 we’ve seen offered in a long time. It is a ’48 and they didn’t make that many that year. The seller says less than 20,000 but we haven’t been able to confirm. It is a glorious restoration done with all of the right materials or as close as possible. This is a pretty simple car with 25hp, cable operated brakes and semaphores. The seller is asking $49,000. Click here for the listing.