55 Coupe Ad not for real?

[Norm Miller]

I was looking at this eBay item and it said stored since 1964 BUT how did it get a 68 or later VW wheel on the left front?
The dust in the garage seems staged like they blew off a fire extinguisher.

eBay Item number: 110249608952

Not a buyer nor a seller be I.

Norm

[Wm Lozada]

...

[Ron LaDow]

"Seems
reasonable that a wheel could have been changed even if in storage.

------------------------
Bill Lozada, Jr."

Maybe, but I don't think that wheel will bolt to any 356 brake drum
Thanks,
Ron LaDow

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[Jim Breazeale]

I like the aftermarket tach mounted on the windshield pillar much like current rice rockets. Did they do that in 1964? It does have a late VW 4 bolt wheel on it also. The seller claims that it has it's original 16" wheels but I don't see them. A 4 bolt VW wheel certainly won't bolt on a "original" brake drum. It would be fun to inspect this car up close. It does look pretty cool though.

Regards

[Adam Wright]

My 63 coupe had the very same 4 bolt wheel on the right front when I got it. Looks like in the 70s, this was the way to go, cheaply that is. But mine had a VW drum too, super cheap.

This car does have a lot of the hard to find stuff. It is currently at $40K and climbing.

I bet all you guys who used to turn down Pre-A's for pennies wished you had bought at least one!

[Chris Markham]

I'm not interested in poking at this particular car; I'm sure buyer and seller will come to some accord. But the pictures show me something that I've been wondering about for a while.

I see in Dr. Johnson's book there are garnish rails painted the car body color and there are garnish rails painted the interior color. The former seem to be on later cars, the latter on early cars--after they switched from wood to metal.

I presume there was some design change and chassis number cutover from one to another--or did it have more to do with customer order? Or did the coupes go with the upholstery and the open cars went with the body?

[Dave Mitchell]

I just looked at the pics and the car looks cool. At north of 40K and 40 to 50K to restore it (unless you DIY) it would seem that unrestored "time capsules" are worth more than a fully functional car. That is something that is really starting to become problematic for those "entry" level folks just wanting to get into a 356, any 356.

I guess it is just about the fact that baby boomers have more money than brains at times.

Just my $.02

[Brett Johnson]

Chris Markham wrote:

I see in Dr. Johnson's book there are garnish rails painted the car body color and there are garnish rails painted the interior color. The former seem to be on later cars, the latter on early cars--after they switched from wood to metal.

I presume there was some design change and chassis number cutover from one to another--or did it have more to do with customer order? Or did the coupes go with the upholstery and the open cars went with the body?

Garnish rails are always color keyed to the upholstery color and are a fairly close match on 356A and 356B cars -- after which they were upholstered

1952 - 1955 cars are the color of the dashboard, which complimented the interior color and was nearly always a dark color. Compliment does not mean it is the same color, as later cars were. My Adria Blue Metallic '55 had a dark metallic blue dashboard and originally had gray vinyl upholstery (now tan -- long story). Some dark exterior colors were used on the dashboard, but most exterior colors were light, which would reflect badly on the windshield, if the dash was that color.

Even on later cars the color was very rarely the exterior color -- exceptions like black cars with black interiors. Aside from black, the garnish rail color is not an exterior color, but a special mix for that purpose.