Skip to main content

Track Down Your Car’s Story with VW’s History Dept.

Volkswagen’s history department aims to help enthusiasts by taking some of the guesswork out of the meticulous process of tracing down a classic car’s history.

Volkswagen owners interested in finding out more about their car’s origins can send their VIN number to history@volkswagen.de. They need to include a proof of ownership (such as a copy of a title or a registration document) to ensure that they’re authorized to inquire about the car. Upon receiving the request, someone in Wolfsburg will scour Volkswagen’s vast archives – the company has over three kilometers’ worth of files! – and send back basic information about the car’s earliest days.

The VIN research service came in handy when I was piecing together the history of my 1972 1302, a model better known as the “Super Beetle.” I knew virtually nothing about the car, because it was modified during the 1990s and it’s no longer wearing its original registration number. And while I could tell that it was originally dark green, I didn’t know whether I owned a 1302 or a 1302 L until I contacted Volkswagen, because my car is fitted with parts from both models.

Volkswagen’s archives department got back to me fewer than 24 hours after receiving my VIN number. I learned that my Beetle is a base 1302, not an L, and that it left the factory painted Sumatra Green with off-white vinyl upholstery on the seats and on the door panels. It must have been quite a head-turner back in the ‘70s.

Interestingly, my Beetle is not technically a German car. In fact, I’m not sure that it’s ever spun a wheel on German soil. That’s because it was built on February 7, 1972, in Belgium and shipped to a dealership in France the very next day.

Air-cooled Volkswagens often have a murky past, so the VIN research tool is invaluable if you’re tracing the history of your car, either for the sake of curiosity or, like me, to bring it back to its original condition. Owners of newer models can ask Volkswagen for information, too, as long as the car is at least ten-years old.

The post Track Down Your Car’s Story with VW’s History Dept. appeared first on VWVortex.



from VWVortex http://ift.tt/2cwXuQK
via IFTTT

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Watch: The Stig Drives (nearly) Seven Generations of Golf GTI

With Volkswagen announcing “major” updates to the Golf, it seems an appropriate time to look back on what we’ve had so far. And who better to guide us through the rich history of the most popular European car ever made than Ben Collins, the former Stig? Some say he’s never met a GTI he doesn’t love, and that he can’t grow any of his own facial hair. All we know is … Ben Collins is actually a pretty solid presenter. Working his way through seven generations of the GTI (skipping over the Mk6) Collins tells us a little bit about each one and matches each mark to its corresponding facial hair craze. The Mk1 GTI for instance, is light and quick, but can lose traction under hard acceleration (in heavy rain). Despite that, Collins calls the Mk1 a “pure gem.” The Mk4, meanwhile, is a powerful return to form after the perhaps too sensible Mk3. Collins ends in the only way he could, with the Mk7, which accelerates faster than a Lamborghini Countach and is all kinds of wonderful. Watch, ...

Watch: The Story of the Ads that Made VW Big in America

The ads for the original Beetle are almost as famous and well-loved as the Beetle itself. Looking back now it’s easy to forget, though, just how easily things could have wrong. A new short from Dial M Films tracks the history of those early Volkswagen ads that sold America on the people’s car. The story, of course, begins with the visionary agency that made the ads: Doyle Dane Bernach (DDB). As a popular agency for Jewish products, no agency was more aware of the implications of Volkswagen, and no one, it seems, was more skeptical of the brand than DDB. “Remember Those Great Volkswagen Ads?” from Dial M Films on Vimeo . William Bernbach, though, was adament that the firm take the client, probably as a way of attracting other lucrative automotive clients. Saddled with a client that he didn’t want, art director Helmut Krone says in the film that he originally came up with ads that were all wrong. Krone tried to do what other manufacturers did and was intent on selling the Beetle ...

Watch: The Zerouno Cruis’n USA

ItalDesign is drumming up excitement for its new supercar based around the same 5.2-liter Audi V10 that powers the R8. Naturally, it hit the road for a cruise around California last week to celebrate Monterey Car Week. There isn’t much in the way of V10 noise—which is a real shame given the sound it makes—but you do at least get a good look at the car inside and out in this video. With a body made entirely of carbon fiber and designed to be as aerodynamic and light as possible, ItalDesign figures that it will be good for a 0-60 time of just 3.2 seconds. “We put it our best skills into the production of the first car,” said Massimo Bovi, head of pre-series production, when the Zerouno was first unveiled in Geneva earlier this year. “Using some of the finest productions methods and engaging our high-skilled workers.” The car features clever aero tricks gleaned from single-seat racing, like a y-duct up front to improve downforce and turn-in. Available in a number of trim levels, the...