1954 VOLKSWAGEN BEETLE 'OVAL' RAGTOP CUSTOM

A bespoke example of a desirable air-cooled classic, this 1954 Volkswagen Beetle ‘Oval’ Ragtop is a fully restored, magazine-featured car with a blend of period parts and well-judged upgrades. Powered by a custom-build 2110cc flat-four engine paired with a manual transmission, it also has upgraded suspension throughout.

This car has a great history as a show car, having been first professionally restored and custom built in the ‘Resto Cal’ style in the early 1990s. This work saw the car receive a bare metal repaint by renowned firm Paintbox, with countless other upgrades including the installation of a later style floorpan to enable the improved independent rear suspension, and front suspension geometry. Following this the car was featured in ‘VW Trends’ Magazine in 1996, before the car was temporarily retired from the show circuit.

The car was then purchased by its third owner from new who had the car completely stripped back to bare metal and restored once again, this time in the ‘Cal Look’ style as made famous by the American innovators of hot-rod VWs in the 1960s. This saw the car built to an incredibly high standard with myriad drivetrain upgrades, including a powerful 2.1-litre engine with dual Weber 48 IDA carburettors and more. Throughout this restoration, great care was taken to use period correct parts, from body panels such as the decklid and wings to the correct ‘heart’ tail lights and fully restored original headlights. A summary of the car’s specification is listed below.

The car is a late 1954 model, as confirmed by the Volkswagen Birth Certificate, but was first registered on 11 April 1956. Being a genuine right-hand-drive Oval window with factory ragtop sunroof, the car is very rare example in its own right, and made rarer still by having only four previous registered keepers on the log book. The current owner acquired the car in July 2020, and has since enjoyed around 1,700 miles behind the wheel.

The Dark Red paintwork is in excellent condition, and the professionally restored body shows tight shut lines and a high-quality finish. Under scrutiny, there are some minor stone chips and scratches, but as the photographs show the car presents very well indeed. The original ‘semaphore’ indicators have been restored and are fully functional, and as part of the ‘Cal Look’ treatment the car’s chrome brightwork has been removed and ‘T-Bars’ have been fitted in place of the original bumpers. The car is wearing genuine 1960s 15-inch Fuchs wheels, which the previous owner sourced and had professionally restored: polished, anodised and painted to correct specifications.

Moving inside, the interior paintwork is of a very high standard and the car features an un-cut original dashboard. Auxiliary gauges including rev-counter with shift light have been sympathetically mounted under the dashboard, and the interior has been professionally re-trimmed in grey wool and vinyl. The seats are genuine Beard bucket seats, custom trimmed, with four-point Simpson harnesses, and the headliner is also grey wool. Overall, this custom interior is in superb condition, with no reported defects.

Following the car’s second restoration in 2012, it spent much of the next three years in storage, before the previous owner acquired the car in 2015. He then sent the car to specialist Funkenblitz and commissioned them to completely go through the car with no expense spared. As part of this work, the engine was completely stripped and rebuilt, the gearbox mounting was adjusted and the suspension geometry was checked and reset. This work totalled over £10,000, ensuring every component was checked and fully functional.

Since acquiring the car in July last year, the vendor has serviced the car on their own ramp, with an engine oil and filter change, and inspection of the fan belt and brakes among other components.

Despite not being legally required to have annual inspections on the basis of age, the car was MOT tested in 2017 with no advisories, at the same time having an engine oil and filter service and fitment of new Bridgestone tyres.

Custom Beetles of this standard rarely come up for sale on the open market, and to build one to a remotely similar specification would cost significantly more than the reserve price for this car. It is sold with the current V5C, original logbook from 1956, a large number of invoices from previous work, and copies of various magazine features. A professionally restored and custom-built VW Beetle with no expense spared; this bespoke classic is a head-turning show car that is also a joy to drive.

Specification summary:

• Front disc brakes
• Hurst line lock and modified handbrake for launch control
• Funkenblitz narrowed front beam
• Coil over rear shocks
• IRS/Ball joint floorpan
• Front and rear anti roll bars
• Rancho Pro-Comp gearbox
• Super diff, aluminium side cover, welded third and fourth hubs, hardened keys
• Gene Berg shifter
• SAW short race axels
• Mesa fan assisted oil cooler
• Mocal oil thermostat
• Funkenblitz CDS gearbox cradle
• Beard race seats retrimmed and fitted with matching door cards, square weave carpets and Simpson four point harnesses
• New wool headliner
• New ragtop

• Engine: 2110cc Type 1
• Rimco race case drilled for full flow and shuffle pinned
• CB performance forged crank
• CB performance H beam rods, with ARP rod bolts
• Web 86c cam
• Scat straight cut gears
• Scat lightweight cam followers
• Mahle 90.5mm forged stoker pistons and cylinders
• 044 special D port heads
• 42 and 37mm stainless valves
• Compression ratio 9.4:1
• Dual Weber 48 IDAs
• Eliminator manifolds
• Autocraft rockers
• Chromoly pushrods
• Scat 200mm 12lb flywheel
• Kennedy 2100lb stage 2 pressure plate
• Daiken clutch
• MSD distributor
• Stainless steel header with custom bug pack muffler
• Type 4 oil cooler
• Berg heavy duty oil pump
• Berg throttle linkage

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