Paint colour for my 1973 VW Type 3 1600A Variant

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kleinteile
Ansprechpartner Region Norddeutschland
Beiträge: 6110
Registriert: Samstag 12. April 2003, 11:54

Re: Paint colour for my 1973 VW Type 3 1600A Variant

Beitrag von kleinteile »

From whom do you know that the car was in greece ? Any signs ? Badges ? Stamps ? Names in papers ? Maybe we can find a name special to cyprus ?
Jürgen
1600 L '69 rotweiß
1500 S Karmann Ghia '65 blauweiß O o \ / o O
1600 L Automatik'68 grün
1600 L Variant '66
TVR 3000M Taimar `79
BMW 318i `86
Porsche 924 S 3/87
Suleica F 430 von`67
Yamaha 500 SR `78
Puch M 50 Racing`74
Westfalia 800kg `80
Opel Astra CaraVan 1.6 EZ 11/95
Alex D

Re: Paint colour for my 1973 VW Type 3 1600A Variant

Beitrag von Alex D »

maybe it's just a coincidence but the UK and the GDR took up diplomatic relations in 1973 :shock:

my wild guess at this point is that the new british diplomatic mission to eastern germany (in east berlin I assume) ordered a VW Variant to drive around :D
Wireless

Re: Paint colour for my 1973 VW Type 3 1600A Variant

Beitrag von Wireless »

The previous owner, a Mr Brown, told me about the history of the car back in 2005, although he only had documentation that goes back as far as 2001, however, I've written a letter to the owner before him, a Mr Stewart, hopefully he is still living at the same address, and asked him whether he could kindly provide any history between 1992 and 2001.

This might lead me to find out from where the car was imported into the UK in 1992.

There are no badges or stickers that I can find around the car, but I will take another good look under carpets and in less accessible areas and report my findings here.

Once again, thank you everyone for helping me try to discover the history of this car.
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kleinteile
Ansprechpartner Region Norddeutschland
Beiträge: 6110
Registriert: Samstag 12. April 2003, 11:54

Re: Paint colour for my 1973 VW Type 3 1600A Variant

Beitrag von kleinteile »

Are there original owner handbooks or cheque-books for service ? Maybe there are stamps ...
1600 L '69 rotweiß
1500 S Karmann Ghia '65 blauweiß O o \ / o O
1600 L Automatik'68 grün
1600 L Variant '66
TVR 3000M Taimar `79
BMW 318i `86
Porsche 924 S 3/87
Suleica F 430 von`67
Yamaha 500 SR `78
Puch M 50 Racing`74
Westfalia 800kg `80
Opel Astra CaraVan 1.6 EZ 11/95
Wireless

Re: Paint colour for my 1973 VW Type 3 1600A Variant

Beitrag von Wireless »

Managed to track down an owner who owned it in Cyprus from 1990 to 1992, and then imported it to Scotland in 1992 and owned it until 2004.

He says it was bought by a dealership in Nicosia, through Lombard Finance, who used the East German Republic to order the car from Volkswagen in West Germany. Apparently there was no VW Dealership or Distribution in Cyprus at that time. The colour as far as he knows was always white, he has the original car owners details and details of the order of the car, and his import to the UK, including pictures of the car in Cyprus before 1992.

There is only one thing that does not add up, and that is the time it took to be registered in Cyprus, the car was built in April, and Registered in Cyprus in July of 1973.

He's going to photocopy the lot and send it all to me.

As it happens he did offer to buy the car back from me, since he ran or owned a VW Dealership, and had the car as a display model for ten years, and he now runs Caledonian Classic Cars and Classic Car Breaks, and I expect would fully restore the vehicle and hire it out.

Apparently he drove the car to and from the UK from Cyprus at least twice before 1992, and then finally drove it back again to Scotland and imported it permanently.

I'm not sure what I'm going to do, since the wife has already indicated that she would rather we had a VW Camper, and I don't have enough space for two variants and a camper on my driveway.

Anyway, I'll post all the information and pictures I can about the car on here if anyone is interested in this odd history.
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kleinteile
Ansprechpartner Region Norddeutschland
Beiträge: 6110
Registriert: Samstag 12. April 2003, 11:54

Re: Paint colour for my 1973 VW Type 3 1600A Variant

Beitrag von kleinteile »

:cheers: :cheers: :cheers:
1600 L '69 rotweiß
1500 S Karmann Ghia '65 blauweiß O o \ / o O
1600 L Automatik'68 grün
1600 L Variant '66
TVR 3000M Taimar `79
BMW 318i `86
Porsche 924 S 3/87
Suleica F 430 von`67
Yamaha 500 SR `78
Puch M 50 Racing`74
Westfalia 800kg `80
Opel Astra CaraVan 1.6 EZ 11/95
Wireless

Re: Paint colour for my 1973 VW Type 3 1600A Variant

Beitrag von Wireless »

As promised, here's the history of the car, it was exported to the GDR in East Germany on behalf of a Finance Company, and then exported to Cyprus and first registered in Cyprus on 5th July 1973 with registration GV215. In Southern Nicosia.

Bild

It then witnessed the Turkish invasion in 1974, and Nicosia was divided by the Green Line, in total their were five Greek Cypriot owners until 25th September 1990, when it was bought by a Scot, Mr Stewart, and used for a further two years in Cyprus, but each year was driven to Scotland and back for his holidays.

Bild

Bild

Bild

Mr Stewart then imported the car into Scotland on 4th August 1992.

Bild

I assume he registered it in his future wife's name

Bild

Mr Stewart then kept the vehicle for 14 years, ten of which were as a display model within the Volkswagen Dealership he owned at the time, but every year it was wheeled out, MoT'd and then wheeled back in.

On 17th November 2004, a Mr Brown bought the car, and ran it regularly until he sold it to me on 5th November 2005.

It then went nowhere, and remained parked on my driveway SORNed until December 2012, when I had £1,000 worth of work completed to put the car back on the road.

The unusual Swan Figure on the front bonnet was on the car in 1990 when it was bought in Cyprus, the car has always been a creamy white colour, the paint marks in the boot are transferred from the mat that was in the car boot whilst in Cyprus.

Unfortunately, now I know all about the car, I'm going to be putting it up for sale, as the wife wants a VW Camper, I'm not happy about this, but I do have the 412LS Variant I always wanted, so I can't complain.

Mr Stewart runs a company called Caledonian Classic Car Hire, he's already said he'd be interested in buying it if I put it for sale.
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kleinteile
Ansprechpartner Region Norddeutschland
Beiträge: 6110
Registriert: Samstag 12. April 2003, 11:54

Re: Paint colour for my 1973 VW Type 3 1600A Variant

Beitrag von kleinteile »

Very interesting news about your car . Nice history .
It`s a pity that you must sell it ...
At this time I try to find out the history of my "new" car , a 1979 TVR Taimar . It was first registered in Preston for a year ( not too far from Blackpool ) the first , second and third owner is unknown to me , the next , #4 , was in Mexborough , followed by the cities of Groby , Plymstock , Thornbury , North Warnborough , Basingstoke , London (?) , the next 3 years are blank paper , 2007 it comes out in germany .

Greetings
Jurgen
1600 L '69 rotweiß
1500 S Karmann Ghia '65 blauweiß O o \ / o O
1600 L Automatik'68 grün
1600 L Variant '66
TVR 3000M Taimar `79
BMW 318i `86
Porsche 924 S 3/87
Suleica F 430 von`67
Yamaha 500 SR `78
Puch M 50 Racing`74
Westfalia 800kg `80
Opel Astra CaraVan 1.6 EZ 11/95
Wireless

Re: Paint colour for my 1973 VW Type 3 1600A Variant

Beitrag von Wireless »

Well, I didn't sell it, and I haven't painted it either, instead I bought a third VW in November, and drove it back from Scotland to my home at Shrewsbury.

Its a 1976 Type 2 Transporter 1600 converted into a Devon Camper.

Then earlier this month I bought another VW, a 1973 Type 4 412 LS Variant, but not to put on the road, its a complete car with AN Code 1800 t4 engine that I will be slowly breaking for parts to keep my other 1973 Type 4 412 LS Variant on the road, ha.

I discovered that the first 412 I bought in July last year, had a CB Code 1700 t4 Engine, which was fitted in Type 2 Transporters in 1972/3, so you may be able to guess what is going to happen...the Type 2 will be getting the 1700 t4 engine, and my first 412 will have the 1800 t4 engine out of the second 412.

This will free up an AS Code 1600 t1 engine, not sure what I will do with it, but I might one day buy another Beetle.

BTW, I managed to find and buy a spare T1 Code t1 engine for my Type 3, one day I will refurbish this.

However, the really good news is the UK Government has extended the Historic Vehicles Exemption from 1st January 1973 to 1st January 1974, let me explain, Vehicle Excise Duty (VED) is charged on vehicle emissions here, but prior to 2001, VED was charged on engine capacity measured in cubic centimetres.

All old aircooled VWs have been subject to these VED charges until in 1997 the UK Government decided that any vehicle 25 years old should be an Historic Vehicle that is zero rated for annual VED taxation. They first fixed the Exemption to vehicles made before 1st January 1973, and from 1st April 1997 these vehicles became zero rated for VED.

They were going to kept this as a rolling exemption, so that every year on 1st April, the exemption would be extended by one year, so in 1998 this would have meant vehicles made in 1973 would be zero rated, and so on.

However, they did a 'U-Turn' and never talked about it again.

My 1973 Type 3 will be two days shy of 41 years old on 1st April 2014, when the Exemption will finally be extended by one year to 1st January 1974, saving me £230+ in VED annually on the Squareback, and the Government is finally putting into legislation a rolling exemption for 40 year old vehicles.

So both my 412 and Squareback will be zero rated, saving me £460 this year, and on 1st April 2017, my 1976 Type 2 Camper will also join that zero rated club.

FANTASTIC!!! Ok I'm now calm again, just thought I'd share.
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