Volkswagen was the subject of big and small changes every year. Not all were as easy to spot. An oval rear window makes it easy to time the cars.
Model history
Oval-window replaced the models with a split rear window. Cars with an oval rear window entered production in March 1953 and were replaced by a full rear window for the 1958 model. The standard engine was 1200 ccm with 30 HP. As an option, you could get the car with a sunroof. There was also a separate cabriolet version made by Karmann. Visible model changes included the following:
- 1954 Better seat fabric
- 1956 The handlebar in the steering wheel moved under the steering wheel hub. The taillights moved higher up. The sunroof received a plastic cover and a smaller opening.
About the pictures
The photos were taken at various car shows. The car in profile in the main photo was taken at Volksworld 2017 in Esher, England. The photo of the black Norwegian car with roof rack and skis was on display at Motordilla in Årnes in 2026. The cars with Spanish registration numbers were photographed at an Aircooled show in Tossa de Mar outside Girona, Spain. The interior photos were taken of Norwegian cars at a Volkswagen show at the Folkemuseet on Bygdøy outside Oslo. The Norwegian-registered black car was also there, driving on cobblestones. Another Norwegian-registered, black car is pictured at Sætre in connection with a "driveout" organized by the Veteran VW Club.
Terjes Biler continuously collects pictures of the Volkswagen Beetle. So that the web pages do not become too large, the images are divided into the following sub-pages:
Volkswagen with split rear window until 1953
Volkswagen with oval rear window fom. 1953 empty. 1957
Volkswagen with full rear window fom. 1958 empty. 1966
Volkswagen fom. 1967 empty. 1971
Volkswagen "S" fom. 1972
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Copyright notice
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