1957 VW Beetle Sedan For Sale
One of my favorite parts about old cars is the story behind them and this gorgeous Diamond Green 57
has a spectacular one. The other spectacular part of this one is the condition of the car itself...this car has not been restored!
The car was sold new in 1957 by Imperial Motors in Wilmette Illinois to J. Herbert Cattell
a 70 year old gentleman who drove the car a total of 11,100 miles over the next 15 years until his passing at the age of 85.
The car was then bought from the estate by the Tom McGann VW Dealership in Madison Wisconsin in 1972
and the car was repainted on the exterior only and put it on the VW dealership floor as a display piece.
It remained on display until 1983 when it was sold to a prominent car collector from Iowa.
During the dealership ownership only 133 miles were added to the odometer.
The Iowa collector stored the car is his climate controlled garage with his other collector cars
and when he sold the car to the current owner in 2015, he had added only 752 miles to the odometer,
The current owner, an avid VW enthusiast has put 454 miles on the car over the past four years
and has now decided it is time to find the next caretaker.
With a total of just 12,437 miles on the odometer, the car remains an incredible survivor
and an extreme rarity to find in today's world. With such a strong increase in interest in originality
from collectors these days, cars like this do not hit the market often.
Another fun part of the story is that the car, for the most part, has been hidden from public view
since the days of it being on the dealership floor in the 70's and early 80's.
The collector after the dealer took it out to only a couple events early in his ownership
and from that point on it has remained in its climate controlled cocoon with only occasional exercise to keep the fluids flowing.
The car runs and drives fantastic, tight and quiet and as dreamy as you would expect for the mileage.
All the electrical works as it should from the dome light on down.
The interior, glass, brakes, exhaust, steering, all body panels, wheels , engine and transmission are original to the car.
The interior paint and every interior part and material inside are the factory untouched originals.
There is full documentation throughout the life of the car to prove the mileage
and chain of ownership. The form above was when the car was sold in 1983 with just 11,233 miles on the odometer.
When the car was on display at the VW dealership in the 1970's this paper was in the window.
The numbers matching original engine remains entirely original and intact.
The only items replaced on the car have been the battery, tires, shocks, horn and brake fluid reservoir.
Many of the original items that were replaced were retained and will go with the car.
All the numbers line up and match of course.
The original tool roll is here and complete.
High quality Continental tires have been installed on all wheels
and the paint finish on the wheels remains original.
The chassis of the car remains extremely solid, but does show surface rust and flaking undercoat that
came from its early years of use with the first owner.
11,000 miles over 15 years in the glorious state of Illinois did leave its mark,
but there are reported no areas of rust through or any rust repair of any sort.
Brake lines and shocks have been replaced along the way.
There is some grime build up on the suspension and mechanical bits.
Use on dirt roads and bad weather in the early part of its life seem logical explanations.
The heavy undercoat applied to everything in the "rust belt" states also makes sense.
The current owner has shown great restraint in not touching it or trying to hide or erase any signs of originality.
The original horn was not working and it needed to function for inspection, so a new one was installed
with new wiring. The original horn was retained and is included with the sale,
Fenders are all original to the car and have the proper wiring tubes and hardware.
No signs of rust in the important parts. The heavily applied undercoating from the original selling dealer
definitely did its job in protecting the car in its early years, and its indoor storage from 1972 onward
has kept the car in excellent structural condition.
The paint is not without flaw, there are some chips and scratches here and there and even a very sight soft
dent on the roof that you can see if you look at it from the right angle...but considering what you see here is
a 46 year old finish...the condition is fantastic.
Chrome on the bumpers is excellent.
Scratch on the drivers side rear fender.
If you look carefully you can see that the running boards are the originals as the rubber has the
grooves that stop just short of the fenders, rather than going all the way to the end.
The interior is completely untouched, the seats, carpet, rubber mats, headliner, etc are all the original.
Very solid underneath the back seat, factor inspection marks still visible
The original headliner is in amazing shape.
Some slight discoloration and water marks, but anyone who has dealt with this original material
knows how it ages...and this is one of the nicest I have seen.
All original and untouched. Never had a radio installed and the only accessory on the car
appears to be the glove box pull tab.
Lets see... 62 years old and 12,437 miles...
That's just a hair over 200 miles a year.
The vast majority of that miles was put on by the original owner until his passing in 1972.
So for the past 47 years it has been driven only 28 miles per year... just crazy to think about.
Original rubber mats and carpet, as well as that amazing upholstery.
Lifting up the rubber mat you can see the original floor finish.
Some paint wear on the shifter but very minimal wear on the carpet edges.
That rubber mat is in amazing shape...they just do not last like this and the reproductions are
far from the same with the smooth section towards the front and just how tight everything fits around the tunnel.
They are truly "only original once".
(and imagine this after someone properly details it...wow!)
Steering wheel is excellent
Headlights are gorgeous and have all the proper markings.
On the edge of the hood in the "kink spot" there is some cracking in the finish.
It appears that when the VW dealer bought it from the original owners estate, the damage was done
and this may have been a part of why the car was resprayed before putting it on the showroom floor.
There are no signs of any accident damage or repairs, but they felt it needed to look "perfect" to be on display
and they opted to repaint (and fix the kink).
The underside of the hood looks to be original paint.
The original brake fluid reservoir was leaking and the spilled brake fluid left its mark on the paint on the shelf.
The current owner replaced the reservoir and touched up the area with a rust prohibitive primer.
The rest of the finish under the hood is all original and untouched.
The trunk liner and wiring cover are untouched originals as is the glove box.
The original wiring cover is not present in this photos but it is still with the car.
With it removed you can see all the original details in place such as the speaker block off and even the
stick on over the radio hole to keep any air from sneaking in the drivers compartment.
Its details like this that are so fun to see on original cars. Once they are restored they are lost.
Seeing how the factory really did it is an invaluable resource for the VW restorer.
Under the engine lid the plastic lens with proper wingnuts are in place in the center
Firewall material is the original rough texture material that is unavailable today
(the reproduction stuff is much smoother)
The engine has not been detailed or prepped in any way...this is original and untouched
from the decals down to the exhaust. It is quite possible that it has never been out of the car.
One of the most amazing parts of the Diamond Green paint color is that green interior.
It just looks like cash to me...the green and gold just look so good together.
The material has aged beautifully and the only flaw of note is a seam split at the top corner of the passenger side seat.
A good upholstery shop can repair this pretty easily.
I wish I could transmit the smell of this interior across the internet.
If you have experienced it before you know how wonderful it is.
Again, this interior has not been detailed or massaged for the photos here or anything...this is all time warp untouched original
stuff. I love seeing it all like this, it is just so "real". I personally would probably go the next step with the preservation
and methodically clean each and every surface to a crazy level just so it really looks insane...but just as this is,
totally untouched and original...it is impressive to see.
Wow!
Barely a butt print in the drivers seat... I just love it.
Even the door panels blow me away.
All the glass and seals are original.
Even the windshield is the original one to the car.
(oh...and the wiper missing in the photo is included)
Hard to see it but there is a slight soft dent in the roof in one spot ...its small and you only catch it at the right angle...but its there.
Very clean
If you get super close along the edges of the window seals, you can see that when it was repainted in 1972
that the rubber was masked off rather than removed. It was well done I must say. The rubber is holding up quite well
due to the climate. Here in California this would be rock hard and crumbling after so many years!
Wheels are reported the original paint finish and the trim rings as well
Tires are recent for safety.
I cant get over how clean these headlights are!
The car by the way is located in the state of Iowa.
The photos truly do not do it justice.
A beautifully preserved original car that has a presence to it that you just cant replicate with something restored.
Still looks worthy of the dealer showroom today.
Damn...soooo pretty.
Yes...that is right.
12,437 miles since new.
The paper trail backs it all up...its the real deal.
I love the car and I love the story.
Bought new by a guy in his 70's, he drove it until his passing in his 80's.
It returns to a VW dealership showroom for more than another decade and then two
other careful caretakers successfully manage to keep the time capsule secure for the next 36 years and it still blows you away today.
Who's next??
Asking
$35,000
For More Info...CALL
951 767 1600
or email oldbug@earthlink.net