One of the first Volkswagen Beetles shipped to Canada has found a loving home in Vancouver
‘52 Volkswagen restored by loving owner
When the Vancouver-area owner of the pastel green 1952 VW Beetle contacted Volkswagen of Canada to tell them he had one of the first of their cars to be imported to Canada almost exactly 60 years ago, he thought his offer to put his little car on display had fallen on deaf ears.
That was in 2011, nearly a year before the anniversary date. So it was a surprise when the Torontobased company called him last May 5th to say they wanted his car for a cross-country 60th anniversary tour — in just one month.
The rare import was only partially restored and still in pieces. It had no glass, interior or engine installed, so it could not be driven. Still, the owner said yes.
Brian — who doesn’t want his full name used because of garage security concerns — went on a rampage of restoration to get the car completed and shipped to Toronto.
Once it was cosmetically restored, it was shipped to Toronto minus a functioning engine, because the engine was being rebuilt by a vintage VW expert in Edmonton.
After Toronto, the little classic was unveiled at a meeting of Canada’s 136 VW dealers north of Quebec City. “The room went crazy when the cover was pulled off, with everyone wanting a photo with the car,” says Thomas Tetzlaff of VW Canada.
“It’s been 35 years since we sold new Beetles, but our dealers are very emotional about this first car because it represents the start of our success in Canada.”
Volkswagen bugs had been sold in the U.S. since 1949. But the first shipment of eight of the German compact cars didn’t arrive at Canada’s only VW dealership in Toronto until late November, 1952.
Brian’s bug was in that first shipment. It has been debated whether his car is VW Number 2 or No. 8 to arrive in Canada. It could even be the first. Curiously, Brian found his car in California through an Internet VW site.
He had grown up with the VW Beetles his father had purchased new beginning in 1957. He and his sister Sandy used to compete for the opportunity to lie across the package tray underneath the back window. Growing up in cities across Canada, Brian would often buy and sell old VWs he would find parked in back lanes and buy for as little as $20.
When he moved to Edmonton in 1979, he met a fellow enthusiast with an early 1952 Volkswagen Beetle. He also had a December-built 1952 model shipped to Canada with the distinctive Volkswagen sign on the right rear fender and the split rear window. By March of 1953, VWs had oval rear windows.
Brian bought the car and took it with him when he moved to Vancouver for a job as a video editor. But finances became tight when he was laid off and he decided to sell his 1952 VW for a profit and put the money toward an upcoming mortgage renewal.
He vowed he’d own another split window someday.
Through the years, he drove a lot of Volkswagen vehicles, but they were much more contemporary than the first edition VW Beetle. He continued on the lookout for another 1952 model and was dismayed when one car came up for sale in California, but sold before he could bid on it.
A year later, he saw the same car back for sale on the Internet. This time, more restoration work had been done. How a little car built in Germany for export to Canada in the fall of 1952 got to California is not known. What the owner did know was that the car had been stored inside since 1977 and had its original engine and most of its original parts.
Negotiating a fair price took about six months. Brian and wife Holly flew to southern California in late June 2009 to arrange to have the car trucked to the B.C. border.
Brian picked up the restoration where the previous owner had left off. He was dismayed to discover some very rare original parts were missing.
“There are believed to be only five or six of the split window model built between October 1952 and March 1953 that were the first shipped to Canada still in existence,” he says. “As a result, the unique parts can be very pricey.”
Pricey yes, like the correct front seats found in California for $500. A headlight switch for $200, an air cleaner for $400, rear seats from Pennsylvania cost $500 plus shipping, the semaphore turn signal indicators sourced in Seattle for $400 or the heart-shaped rear lights for $500. Other expensive original replacement items included a tiny Wolfsburg crest for the front and those Argentine wiper arms for $350.
When Brian went to Toronto to do video work, he dropped in on the 60th-anniversary VW tour to see his car and drive a new generation turbo Beetle.
He was very moved when his 80-year-old father Steve and stepmother Lillian travelled to Calgary from their Edmonton home to see the rare VW bug on display.
“My dad told them he and his wife were the car’s grandparents,” Brian quips.
“Volkswagen Canada gave my dad a shirt and a hat, and treated them like royalty. They were exceptional to deal with and were as excited as I was to tour the car.”
Once the 60th-anniversary tour was over, Brian’s 1952 VW was returned to him. He drove to Edmonton in his 1999 VW Golf to complete and bring back the rebuilt engine. He is just finishing mechanical adjustments to make Canada’s first Volkswagen perform like a new car.
Brian’s 1952 Volkswagen is now a completely authentic restoration right down to the correct material for upholstery that had been shipped in from Germany.