1978 Volkswagen Beetle “Last Edition” *Sold £18,000*

Description

• Totally original “From Factory” condition 
• Less than 18,000 warranted miles 
• Number 178 of only 300 hundred produced 
• Original factory supplied wheels and tyres 
• Video to follow soon!

This VW Beetle “Last Edition” is an exceptionally rare car, being number 178 of 300 ‘Last Edition’ European-built cars.  As one of the very last original shape Beetles to be built in Europe you would probably expect there to be an active register for these rare cars, you would be right there is so the winning bidder will be advised to keep the tradition going and update it ASAP http://www.lasteditionbeetle.org/ 

Having been built in 1977 and registered in 1978 with the issued plaque showing this as 178 of 300.  The plaque is currently safe and sound in the owners possession, being a show car it was purposely kept safe but can easily be refitted to the dashboard and will obviously be delivered with the car.  

Accompanying this very car are 23 MOT certificates, 7 prior to the Vendors ownership in 2003, warrantying the 17616 miles that are displayed on the odometer.  The Vendor also has copies previous V5s, one showing that the first and second owners were related and almost definitely husband and wife, Reg and Edna May Dunn, we believe his wife sadly took ownership of the car when Reg passed.  This part of 178’s story lends itself to explain the incredibly low mileage as at his passing the wife used the car sparingly “to pop to the shops” before garaging it for thirteen years at which point it found its way to the current owner via a collector in Malden Essex, who again just stored it as part of his collection. 

Exterior 

To mark the occasion, the final run of 300 German-manufactured, right-hand drive Beetles were all finished in the very special L97A Diamond Silver Metallic paint, a colour unique to this batch. 

The vendor has shared that the first owner immediately treated this particular VW Beetle “Last Edition” to rustproofing and he still has the original “Endrust” paperwork, those in the know will acknowledge that the grommets that were originally fitted by Endrust are still in place thus adding to the exceptional quality of the coachwork.  As alluded to above this treatment has clearly had the desired effect and has kept number 178 extremely solid and incredibly original.  The vendor has shared that pre-covid, 178 was regularly taken to shows and events so has been meticulously maintained, the only minor downside to that is that it has picked up some very minor stone chips on the front wings and valance. 

All the brightwork presents in excellent condition with no damage whatsoever.  The underbody including the floorpan and running gear are as impressive as the rest of the car.  You really can tell that this car has been loved from the day it left the factory and it will even be delivered with the original bootlatch as this was replaced with a lockable version early in its current vendors ownership. 

Interior 

Inside, the Marine Blue velour and vinyl seat coverings are in great shape but have the usual soft spongy feel, the vendor has also shared that there is a minor crack on the passenger seat frame trim caused by the usual clumsy rear seat passenger catching his foot as they climbed out. There are no cracks or chips on the dashboard or of the other interior plastics, and both door panels present in excellent condition. The interior is wholly original and unmodified and it would be prudent to mention that this car has never been mutilated or “got at” with garish speakers cut into the door pads or the radio plate removed, it truly is an outstanding factory original car. Our very honest vendor has pointed out a few very minor “blemishes” that he wants bidders to be aware of, images of these are included in the gallery. He has also asked us to point out that the ashtray doesn’t open.. who’d want to smoke in this lovely car anyway?!

Engine 

As you would expect from such a meticulously maintained car, 178 starts on the twist of the key.  It is powered by the long regarded bulletproof 1.2-litre air-cooled flat-four engine, coupled to a four-speed manual transmission it runs extremely well and as previously mentioned, pre-Covid was driven to many car shows in and around it’s locality.   

The engine bay is in remarkably clean condition as you would expect given the exceptionally low mileage, you would never guess that it is now 45 years of age.  

Wheels Tyres Suspension and other 

On receipt of the car the vendor spent some time recommissioning the car with the usual brake, suspension and fluid checks, it was plainly evident that everything was in fantastic order with only minor work such as regreasing everywhere and un-seizing the brakes.  Knowing that 178 was just too good to keep hidden away in storage the vendor purchased four new wheels with modern Vredestein tyres and subsequently removed and stored the original wheels, it is prudent to mention that the original German Continental Crossply tyres look virtually unused pointing again to the fact it had only 1000 miles on the clock when purchased by the vendor, a very shrewd move that genuinely allows this car to be put back to its original factory state should the new owner choose to do so. 

Our view  

The vendor has gone as far to say that with the original boot latch and wheels refitted to the car it really will be 100% original from the factory and we so no evidence to dispute that assertion as it really is a special car. 

This example of the VW Beetle “Last Edition” is a remarkably well-preserved example of one of the very last of these classic icons to roll off the marque’s European production line.  

Having been stored and then loved, this Beetle presents in genuinely outstanding original condition, which belies its 43 years of age.  

Having seen one sell in July 2019 for £39,938 and another closer to £25,000 you can understand the importance of these “Last Edition” Beetles to our community.  This must surely be the closest any buyer could get to acquiring a nearly brand-new European-built classic Beetle in the modern era, so in our opinion represents an unmissable opportunity for a fan of this world-famous model.  

Vehicle Location: Enniskillen, Northern Ireland BT74– it’s the responsibility of the winning bidder to make collection / transportation arrangements directly with the vendor 

Have a question about this vehicle? Please contact the Evoke team at auction@evoke-classics.com and we will speak to the vendor on your behalf. 

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