"Rosemary's Baby" 1957 Beetle Sedan For Sale

The car is a 1957 Beetle Sedan, the last year for the Oval rear window and some other changes as well.
The color is Horizon Blue which is correct for the year and I believe correct to this particular car.
Its very stock and proper and appears to be an extremely solid example as well.

The restoration was done back in the early 1980's (paint, interior, etc) so it shows a little age but
obviously with the papering and proper garage parking it still looks great.

Simple, clean and stock.

A good looking little machine.

And of course the rear of the car...which is ever so beautiful...I love these early decklids and the small lights and such.
As time went on, things got more cluttered and bulkier...I love all the range of Beetles, but my preference
has always been for a split window or an oval...

The window rubber is the non-chrome trim version, which is not "correct" from the purists point of view
but it looks to be holding up very well.

Black California plates are a badge of honor within the state.
In California, the license plates stay with the car during a transfer, but quite often
the plates get changed for a newer style. Cars that have had few owners and have never been out of the state
registration wise, can slip through with the original plates for eternity...but they seem to be few and far between.
The black plate was introduced in 1963 and went on until 1973. in 74 the blue plates were introduced.
Cars prior to 63 had other color plates, but in 63 the DMV required all registered cars to turn in their plates for the
black ones. The earlier plates can be registered to a pre 63 car under a special "year of manufacture" provision
for collectors, but these black plates can only be on the car if they were originally issued to it between 63-73.
(sorry for the long winded explanation of that...
I have had quite a few questions about them over the years from folks out of California...so I figured I would spell it out.)

These taillights were introduced in 1956 and continued until 1961.

OK...what she got out back?
An original 36 horse engine of course!

This engine was refurbished in 2004 and looks and runs great.
Very clean and tidy with no leaks or funky stuff.

Nice and clean...still 6 volt electrics as original.

The Bosch 010 distributor is correct.

The carb too is the right animal, and everything well detailed.

Pretty clean underneath as well.
The transmission is the original with the non-synchro "crashbox" gearing.
As many of the early trannies do as they get older...it's noisy in first gear.
No popping out of gear or anything, it shifts fine and works well, but
it has that "gear noise" when in first or reverse.
This is very common and is just a sign of wear...it could go on forever this way
or if it bugs you somewhere down the line, you could have it taken care of.
Brakes are good...steering too is fine. A good little driver.

What I really like about this car is just how solid it is underneath!
A dreamy California car indeed!

Sorry for the poor lighting in this photo...but its solid behind the glare.

Solid in the fender wells too..
Looks like the fenders may be aftermarket units, but they are the ones from the 70's so the quality is nice.

Some more shots showing the solidity of the body.

Drivers side front quarter panel may have been replaced at some time long ago.
The reason I say this is the rivet heads in the fender well. It is not visable from the outside
of the car at all, but the factory sure didnt put em here, so something has been done.


Inside the fender well again...but forward of the wheel.
The original headlight bucket would have had a metal tube coming out for the wires to run through
A sign that the fenders are not original to the car.

The correct bullet style turn signals are in place.

Proper US spec bumpers (first introduced in 1956)

Correct early front apron.

The trunk is pretty basic...not detailed but not nasty eaither.
A set of rubber floor mats is sitting in here.

Underside of the hood

Definitely a nice straight hood...no signs of body repair

Fairly clean in the spare tire well.

A bit of peeling paint from brake fluid spills...

Driver's side of the spare tire well.

A few small extra parts and the front plate are included.

Good looking car though...I picture it with some wide whitewalls and a roof rack and some nice period
accessories...a great weekend cruiser.

Headlights are clean

A small ding and chip that has been touched up.


A key scratch on the driver's side.
(dont some people suck? ... who would do that?)

Near new tires on nicely painted two tone rims.

Some lifting of the chrome on bumper guards.

Glass is good and the rubber is nice.

Windshield...

Hood emblem

Shining in the California sun...palm tree not included.

The steering wheel is original and unrestored.
Dash is very nice and clean and un-cut.

Detail photo of the wheel.

Speedo...

Radio block off plate.

Glove box...ashtray.

Headliner is nice.

Nice seat upholstery... an award from the VW Jamboree in 2002.

Door panels are nicely done.

Front seats are in fine shape.

Nice clean door panels.

Carpets are in decent shape but arent of top quality materials...just a basic kit.

Door jams are solid and clean.

So...in closing what we have here is a nice clean presentable Oval that is ready for weekend fun.
Nice enough to leave as it is and just drive the heck out of it. Its not so cherry that you would freak out at a rock chip
or if your kid smeared chocolate on the seat...in my opinion, it's the best way to have a car like this.
You could do a few things to improve it...a new steering wheel, carpet...little stuff, so your weekends
can be enjoyable with small quick jobs rather than the lengthy task of a full restoration.
Its a very solid example, free from the evil rust demons and it has a good known history
of being with a caring owner.

Asking
$12,500 obo