VW January 1955 Early Oval Beetle Bug Volkswagen

Description for Volkswagen Beetle - Classic 1955

Named "Barney" because it was found in a barn in Mississippi. A unique original, umber-matching car. This is a rare opportunity to acquire a very rare piece of history. I know because I myself searched for it for over 2 years.
Bone stock, ever modified survivor. Never been hit, ll fenders, ood, oors, ecklid are original to the car from factory, and still have factory L-213 Iceland Green paint on them. Original split-case transmission and 36 HP engine with only 1890 miles since a full and correct rebuild! New wiring harness installed as well as a new 6V battery, very electrical system works properly (wipers, orn, emaphores, ome light etc.), ith the exception of the period correct Motorola "big M" radio. Brake system completely redone with new master cylinder, ard and soft lines, nd wheel cylinders and shoes. Fuel system completely overhauled with meticulously restored gas tank, ew reserve petcock and new lines.
The original paint has been exposed after carefully removing 3 layers of paint. I think repainting the car would be a sin, s I've come to the understanding that anyone can paint a car and make it shiny, ut it's only original once. The new owner can of course do anything they desire, ut that's just my two cents. And I guess some folks agree with me, s it did win me several prizes in different car shows!
In mid 1955, w made a lot of changes to the beetle. The early ovals (such as this example), hich are in effect split-era cars, ere imported to the US in relatively small numbers. A lot of the parts are unique and very hard to find, uch as the early interior (later interiors do not fit properly).
This car is very reliable, 've driven it to car shows in the east coast as far as Hershey, A to the Bugout in VA, nd it has performed flawlessly. The only time it stopped was when it ran out of gas... No worries, flip of the spare fuel lever and she was purring back ;-) You can fly in and drive it home wherever you live without thinking twice. And if you run into cold weather, ust twist the heater knob - the heating system works!
Some answers to your questions:
Correct early interior with "tombstone" front seat backrests and dual screw pivot back seat backrest.
Original Engine (per vw certificate)
Original Pan
Never welded heater channels
Hard to believe but floor under battery is solid!
Original SWF operating semaphores
Heart tail lights with all original lenses
Original (no cutouts) rear apron (single tip muffler)
No rust in pan, oors, hresholds, ams, eater channels
Pan has never been cut/replaced etc.
Tomato red leatherette interior is original and falling apart in some places
No carpet or headliner
Vintage 55 MD plate is not included
Coker fat white wall tires with plenty of tread
The car is a remarkable candidate for a concourse restoration due to minimal bodywork and perfect mechanical condition. Or it can be driven and enjoyed as is right now.
Note that pics are from various moments, est assured the car is complete with no missing parts whatsoever (for instance in one pic the side trim is off).
In-person check ups are welcome and encouraged. Car is located just north of Washington D.C.
On Nov-03-15 at 09:05:46 PST, eller added the following information:

Just added some additional photos at the request of everyone.
A few things I forgot to point out initially:
- The steering wheel is the original batwing, ith the original horn button in good shape, orn is working of course (parcel tray pictured is not inclued).
- I added a picture of the gas tank that was restored and painted in the correct gray color.
- I added a picture of the pan. The darker spots are NOT holes, hey are tar residue. I added a driver's seat belt for safety, hat's why the screws. Conveniently enough there were holes someone drilled in the past that were shut with washers, o I didn't even have to drill myself. The same for the passenger side, ut I did not install a belt there. There's another seat belt in the rear right which I installed so I could drive around my 5 year old, hat was the wife's term lol... That belt is screwed to the chassis using the original pan screws, o no holes were drilled there.
- Four static window have new rubber, ut I installed the original trim to keep the car original instead of using new!
The worst things about the car:
- There are some rust holes in the top right side of the hood, ee picture.
- The spare wheel well had some holes in the bottom it so I fixed it carefully with some fiberglass and POR-15 a couple years back. It is a very strong fix and holds the spare easily. I am confident it will last for years but can be undone and welded if desired.
- The passenger side glass lens has a crack, ee picture. Needless to say both glass lens are early originals - VW stamped in a circle, hat's why I did not have the heart to replace it...
I realize I did not describe the engine... so here goes. The original 6v 36 hp engine features:
- New tar board behind engine on firewall
- Original thermostat working flawlessly
- Strap air filter
- Correct early strap oil filler - there's no oil cap, nstead the entire assembly pops out of place when you need to pour oil.
- 28 PICT carburetor
- Vacuum advance is working as it should - engine timing adjusted and tested at idle and at 3000 rpm.
- Round regulator was a little tired, o I replaced it with a NOS aftermarket one. The original is included though.
- Big nut on generator pulley.
- Original and correct (rebuilt by a professional in California) thin-slot generator with new brushes.
- Pulley is early solid type with no holes for mating the two halves.
- Main engine pulley is the correct thin lip one.
- Original BR8 distributor, estored to spec with new points and condenser. Unlike picture, t now has the correct brown cap.
- Manifold heat riser tube has been cleared when engine was rebuilt. This is extremely difficult to do but I insisted as it is super important for proper mixture heating and engine starting.
- Fully rebuilt fuel pump.
- New ignition harness.
- Engine rebuild included hot tanking case, ompletely rebuilt heads, ew rod bearings. Everything was done according to VW's specifications, ell within wear limit. All tins were soda blasted and painted with correct semi-gloss black.
- Reusable silicone gasket in oil sump, o paper gasket here.
- Brand new oil strainer
- Original small loop oil dipstick
The list goes on, 'm probably forgetting other things. But as you can see, he car was brought back to life after a long rest in the barn by a truly fanatic fan (me), ho spared no expense and went the extra mile to ensure everything is original and working properly. Unlike other sellers, t was never done with selling the car in mind, nd I'm regretfully selling this gem, omething I thought I would never do.

On Nov-03-15 at 09:41:58 PST, eller added the following information:

More fact if you're not tired of reading...
- Birth certificate from Wolfsburg (included in the sale) indicates this is a European model destined to the Netherlands. That's why the fluted lenses. Probably imported by a returning GI.
- Included is an excellent condition original Owner's manual (not pictured)
- Included is an original Bilstein jack complete with rod and socket (not pictured)
- I re-keyed all the locks (door and decklid) to work off a single key, he original that I found hidden in the jack post in the floorboard.
- All new hood and decklid high quality rubber from WW
- Door and window handles are the original ribbed ones of course
- The manual choke operates beautifully
- Glove box cardboard is original and in amazing condition for its age
- Original VW stamped rubber mats are on the floor
- New (early style small emblem) rubber pads on pedals though
- Mud flaps pictured are not included
- In addition to the working yellow fog lamp pictured, added another clear fog lamp on the other side, oth with their original brackets. Both are original Chicago fog lamps. This neat setup included in the sale.
- Nose art stickers are inspired by WW2 bombers
- Hood and decklid haven't been stripped of paint. They were off the car when paint was stripped and never got around to them. But the look has grown on me and I wouldn't touch them now... Too much character. I've been told the paint on the hood looks like Earth from outer space.