Volkswagen SA employees have fully restored what is thought to be the oldest Beetle in South Africa, putting the prize Bug on display at the brand’s refurbished automotive museum in Uitenhage.
Back in 1971, VW SA set out to find the oldest Beetle in the country, eventually coming across this example with a split rear windshield, built on 14 September 1949 in Wolfsburg.
The owner, David Rubin of Middelburg, swapped his ageing Bug for a then-new 1300 model.
The 1949 Beetle – apparently named Jan – went on a bit of a roadshow around South Africa, before coming back home to rest at the Volkswagen factory in Uitenhage.
It was eventually put into storage, its condition deteriorating, before Jan Schiedek-Jacht, the head of product engineering at VW SA, came across it.
Schiedek-Jacht, who is a classic car enthusiast, offered to give the Beetle a new lease on life, with the help of various engineers from the product engineering division.
“The team, under the leadership of Jan Schiedek-Jacht, donated their spare time to fully restoring Jan and seven months later … when a pristine looking car! I am humbled by the dedication, passion and love of our automotive heritage that this team has shown during the restoration of the Jan the Beetle,” said Thomas Schaefer, chairman and managing director of VW SA.
The Beetle was restored to its original condition and colour, with most original components retained and repaired (although VW says some new parts were sourced from “special dealers” in South Africa, Germany and the United States).
The fully restored vehicle is now the pride of the VW’s AutoPavilion in Uitenhage.
