Let’s see the back of the Beetle! Is your VW older? The largest VW event in Japan is STREET VWs JAMBOREE in Odaiba. (Part B)

I went to STREET VWs JAMBOREE in Odaiba

This time I would like to share with you on how to differentiate the ages of Volkswagen type 1.

Volkswagen Type 1, which was manufactured from 1938 to 2003, is the world's highest production car. Another name of this iconic car is the "Beetle". Since the cumulative production volume is as high as 21.53 million units, there are some simple methods to differentiate the age depending on the production period. The owners of cars taught this to me during the event.

1938 - 1953: "Split Window" is where the window was split into two.

Initially, the back window was split into two in order to improve the strength. Such series in its old age was apart of the rare series at this event.

1953 - 1958: The feature of the car is the oval window with 33% improvement of vision compare with previous type.

The window could be made into one instead of a split window, probably due to the improvement of the strength of material during that period. Since the window is in an oval shape, it is easy to differentiate as the "Oval Window". The wideness of the vision has been improved by 33% with this design change; it was also easier to drive.

From 1958, the window became bigger than the previous model.

The window of this series became bigger than the series in 1958. It can be said that the size of the window has become the same surface size with the current ordinary car from this year onward.

Is this a blinker of a Volkswagen car?

This part is a direction indicator, and called as "semaphore" in English. It is a part with a role, which is the equivalent to a car direction indicator (blinker). This part is attached to a relatively older model. When I looked at this part and imagine the scene when this car moving on road, I felt interested with the history of the car, with questions such as “who was in the car” and "What kind of road was the car running on?" floated through my mind.

So, even though I was not familiar with the history and components of the car, I could also feel the charm of Volkswagen. Every car owner we met this time was incredibly kind and enjoyed introducing us to their car. There were even owners who had been driving a Beetle for three generations, from grandfather to grandson.